Honey Barbecue Sauce
Oh, you were expecting me to make homemade barbecue sauce like three months ago so you could actually use the recipe in the summer?
Oh.
Sorry.
Forgive me?
This was one of the recipes on my kitchen to-do list for the summer. It’s based on Steph’s barbecue sauce recipe at A Whisk and A Spoon. Her picture makes me salivate. I wanted mine to be a little sweeter, so I made a few changes and I’m very happy with the result.
What’s extra cool about this recipe is that I got to test out some fun stuff that showed up at my doorstep. You probably know how I feel about High Fructose Corn Syrup (ughhhh), so you probably know that I giggled like a school girl when I got this Organic Heinz Ketchup in the mail. Organic? No HFCS? Tastes exactly the same? Am I dreaming? This is perfect for my homemade BBQ sauce, since basically all bottled BBQ sauces are full of HFCS. But not this recipe. HCFS-free, baby.
I also got a sweet package of honeys to sample from Royal Hawaiian Honey. Raw honeys. Amazing looking gourmet honeys. (Check them out on Foodzie!) These honeys have strong, well-rounded flavor and are excellent for baking and cooking (or slathering on toast/your finger).
Barbecue sauce is like the easiest thing in the world, and much healthier when it comes from your own kitchen instead of the shelf. It would be even healthier if you started from raw tomatoes, but then it would no longer be the easiest thing in the world, so forget I said anything about that.
Use this sauce when you’re grilling, as a dipping sauce.. you know, the same way you always use it. My favorite application is Barbecue Chicken Pizza, I’m just sayin’. Thank heavens for the chef who came up with that gem of an idea. I would eat it every day.
Excuse me while I go warm up some pizza..
Honey Barbecue Sauce
(based on a recipe by A Whisk and A Spoon)
1 medium onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs Worchestershire sauce
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbs honey
1 tbs vegetable oil
In the bowl of a food processor, add onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne. Finely process. If you like a smoother sauce, push the mixture through a mesh strainer. If not, put the mixture into a saucepan and add all of the remaining ingredients. Whisk well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
S’more Brownies
S’mores are one of the yummiest parts of summer. They were all over the blogs this summer in every form imaginable- s’more cookies, s’more cookie bars, s’more brownies, s’more milkshakes, s’more cupcakes, s’mores on a stick, s’more anything.
I spotted these brownies over at Sugar Cooking and have been planning to make them all summer. It’s the Baked brownie base with broken graham pieces inside and marshmallows on top. Perfection! Gooey, fudgey and delicious. Try these soon before summer’s through.. or save them for a cool fall day with some ice cream. And don’t be surprised if you see a pumpkin s’more pop up on Oven Love in the near future..
S’more Brownies
(recipe by Sugar Cooking and Baked)
- 1 batch of Baked Brownie batter* (or your favorite brownie recipe)
- 1 cup graham crackers, roughly crushed with your hands
- 12 big marshmallows (I used 15)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Prepare brownie batter.
- Mix in graham crackers
- Pour into prepared baking dish and dot with the marshmallows.
- Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.
- Marshmallows will be browned and puffy but will deflate as the brownies cool. Cool for at least 20 minutes than slice with a sharp knife, cleaning the knife with hot water if it gets too messy and sticky.
*The Baked Brownie
from Baked New Frontiers in Baking
Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 11 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
- 8 ounces butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray the sides and bottom of 9×13 baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder together.
- Put the chocolate, butter and instant coffee in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined; then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
- Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.
Mahimahi with Bacon Tomato Butter
I told you I was on a fish kick.
And that was no joke!
This recipe is even better than I hoped, and I had very high hopes for it. (High-apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes.) I dog-eared it forever ago, and finally got around to trying it. Husband said it was”to die for”- and he doesn’t say that about anything, let alone fish. I mean, normally I reserve a sentiment like that for chocolate desserts and perfectly cooked steak, but I have to agree. This was actually really good fish. Bacon and butter make anything really good, obvi.
PS. I hope you like fish and bacon and Dorie Greenspan, because that’s sort of what my blog is about lately. I feel good about it.
I really want you to try this. But only if you want to. No pressure.
Mahimahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter
based on this Cooking Light recipe
Yield: 4 servings
2 cups water
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
4 (6-ounce) mahimahi fillets
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon table salt, divided
2 slices center-cut bacon, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons butter
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish, stirring until sea salt and sugar dissolve; add fish. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain; pat dry.
2. Preheat broiler. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon table salt evenly over fish. Lightly coat fish with cooking spray. Place fish, skin side up on a cookie sheet. Broil 5 minutes, flip, and broil 5-7 minutes more or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
4. Heat a small skillet over medium heat; add bacon to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until bacon is almost crisp, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add paprika, and cook for 20 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in butter. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/8 teaspoon table salt. Place 1 fillet on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons tomato mixture.
TWD: Peanut Butter Crisscrosses
Peanut butter cookies. This was a nostalgic baking session for me, as I’m sure it was for many other TWD bakers. I can remember having these cookies at my aunt’s house every Christmas. She used to make tons of Christmas cookies, and this was one of my favorites in her holiday line-up.
Jasmine of Jasmine Cuisine picked this week’s cookies. The recipe looked very similar to my aunt’s, but Dorie’s recipe called for chopped peanuts. The only peanuts I had on hand were airline peanuts.. talk about being resourceful in the kitchen!
When the cookies came out of the oven, I was afraid they had spread too much, but it didn’t end up being a big deal. I rolled them in sanding sugar for the extra crunch, and I’m glad I did. These cookies are perfect dunked into some milk, and will disappear quickly from the cookie jar, just like Dorie says.
Thanks, Jasmine, for a great trip down memory lane.
On a Dorie-related note, there is a new group forming called French Fridays with Dorie. The group will be cooking through Dorie’s new book, Around My French Table. The fun starts on October 1, and it’s much more lax than TWD as far as posting goes. Read more about it and think about cooking along with us!
*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
*Find the recipe here.
Quick Corn and Goat Cheese Grits with Bacon
Do you ever plan so much for a big holiday meal or party that you forget about what you’re going to eat the rest of the week? That happens to me often. I plan meals for the week, but then I get home from the store and get a kick in the pants from reality. That’s when having a well-stocked pantry and fridge essentials is key. And that’s how simple meals like this appear.
There are only four ingredients in this dish: quick cooking grits, goat cheese, corn and bacon. A super easy meal to make and customize. It could easily be Quick Bacon and Cheddar Grits with Scallions, or Quick Cream Cheese and Chive Grits, or Quick Gruyere and Sauteed Onion Grits.. you get the picture. Grits + Cheese + Other Stuff = A Tasty Meal. (Duh.)
I feel like posting grits makes me a little more southern. I want to make some more classic southern dishes here on the blog. Any ideas for me? Should I tackle fried chicken? Maybe a Paula Deen recipe? My arteries are clogging just thinking about it..
Enjoy your Labor Day, everyone! (And make this if you forgot to plan for a Tuesday meal.)
Quick Corn and Goat Cheese Grits with Bacon
(makes one serving)
1 serving quick grits (I used 3 tbs dry grits and one cup water, follow your package directions.)
2 slices bacon
1 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
salt and pepper to taste
Cook your grits in water according to package directions. While the grits are cooking, fry bacon until crisp. Drain and crumble. When grits are thickened to your liking, stir in goat cheese and corn kernels (cook a bit longer if your kernels are frozen). Season with salt and pepper and top with crumbled bacon.
Salmon Two Ways
Salmon two ways!
But not together, that would be weird.
We’ve been adding some fish into our diet lately. Not that we don’t like fish, or that we didn’t eat it before, but we weren’t exactly pescatarians (although that sounds very sophisticated, and now I sort of want to be one). I kind of forget about fish sometimes. Especially when the store I shop at most doesn’t have a fresh seafood section.
Word on the street is that fish is good for you, and I believe it. These are two versions of salmon we’ve tried lately- Salmon with Creamy Corn Sauce and Salmon with Red Wine Sauce. I liked both, but I’m on a crazy end-of-summer corn kick (ask Nick, he is SO over corn), so the creamy corn sauce was absolutely my favorite. The wine sauce was good, too, though- I didn’t really think red wine went with fish, but the world of food continues to surprise me.
If you’re not a fish person, that’s cool. I still like you. You could use these sauces on other meats, too. Or just forget it and go get a cheeseburger. No hard feelings.
Both of these sauces are meant to top broiled salmon. All you have to do is pat down your fish, cover it with a little salt, peppper and olive oil, and put in under a broiler on high for about 5 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Top with one of these:
Creamy Corn Sauce
(Rachael Ray)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper
Using a food processor, puree half of the corn kernels. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, scallion whites and bay leaf to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat to low and cook until reduced, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf, then stir in the remaining corn kernels and the corn puree. Season with salt and pepper and cook until heated through; cover to keep warm.
Red Wine Sauce
based on this Epicurious recipe
1 cup red wine
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots (3 to 4)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh orange zest
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
based on this Epicurious recipe
Combine wine, shallots, juice, vinegar, tomato paste, and bay leaf in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan and boil over moderately high heat until mixture is thick and jamlike and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer mixture to a small bowl set in a bowl of ice and cold water and stir until cold to the touch, about 5 minutes. Remove from ice water and stir in zest, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
TWD: Oatmeal Spice Shortbread
This week’s TWD pick was actually called Espresso Chocolate Shortbread, picked by Donna of Life’s Too Short Not to Eat Dessert First. I decided to go with Dorie’s “playing around” version, removing the espresso and chocolate and adding oatmeal and yummy spices.
Dorie’s shortbread recipes are pretty basic as far as ingredients go. The only real issue is making sure you don’t over-mix the dough and that you chill it long enough. If you don’t worry about those things, you might see some spreading when your cookies come out of the oven. I had a little spreading, but not too much.
For some reason, my brain miscalculated and I made 64 teeny tiny cookies instead of 32 larger ones. It’s okay, though, since they look super cute and I can eat more of them! Of course, I love anything with oatmeal in it, but it was the spices that really made this recipe for me. The fresh nutmeg was intense and flavorful, and got me ready for fall, even though it’s somewhat far off for this Georgia girl.
Everyone’s versions look delicious, whether they went with espresso chocolate or oatmeal spice. Make sure to check out the TWD blogroll to see all the different creations!
*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
**Find the recipe here.
Simple Watermelon Limeade
Oh, fruity summer drinks. How I always long to drink them without thinking about calories or sugar. I almost always exercise restraint and drink water at restaurants, never indulging. Then I saw limes and watermelon on sale at the commissary and threw caution to the wind. Watermelon limeade was happening, and soon.
This is so straight forward that I feel silly acting like it’s a “recipe.” Think of this as more of an idea post to get your wheels turning for your end of summer parties. It’s really just watermelon and lime juice, and a little bit of sugar, but I think they serve it in Heaven.
You can dilute this with water and serve it as a Watermelon Agua Fresca, which is lighter on the cals and will make you sound like you know your way around the back of the bar (in a good way). Another choice, of course, is to add a splash of tequila after you put your screaming baby to bed, which might make you look like you know your way around the bar in a bad way, but you can own it.
Doesn’t really matter how you serve it. It’s bound to make you love summer just a little bit more. And that’s something I need to master in the land of never-ending summers.
Simple Watermelon Limeade
1 three pound watermelon, trimmed and cut into chunks (this is just a guess.. I just eyeballed a good amount of watermelon, maybe 4 cups of cut fruit)
1 cup fresh lime juice (anywhere from 4-8 limes)
1/2 cup sugar
1. Puree watermelon in a blender until smooth.
2. Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup hot water, either in a small saucepan or in the microwave.
3. Strain watermelon puree, lime juice and sugar syrup into a large pitcher. Add water as needed. Chill in the fridge until cool. Serve over ice with a slice of lime.
Pimento Chevre Grilled BLT
Dear Pimento Chevre Grilled BLT,
I never expected to like you. You are surprisingly delicious, and also very hard to photograph.
Love, Natalie.
Friends! The awesome folks at Belle Chevre sent me some delicious goat cheese to sample, just in time for a post during National Goat Cheese Month (there’s a month for everything, nowadays). Belle Chevre has a ridiculously cool selection of goat cheeses. Like, stuff you never thought existed. Example A: Pimento Chevre.
(P.S. Chevre = Goat Cheese).
Now, only weeks ago, Rebecca from Ezra Pound Cake posted this homemade Pimento Cheese sandwich and I wanted to barf. I mean, nothing against Rebecca, she’s a peach, but the stuff just gives me the heebie jeebies. Just not for me.
Then, OF COURSE, what shows up on my doorstep? Pimento Chevre. And I decide that it would be rude not to try it. Southern hospitality and all.
Luckily, Belle Chevre included a recipe for a Grilled Pimento Chevre BLT. I’ve been obsessed with BLTs all summer, so it seemed like a reasonable thing to try.
Umm, wow. This stuff is good. I thought BLTs could not get better, but they just did. I don’t know if you could hack this at home, but you should probably just buy some straight from Belle Chevre or Foodzie. Genius. I now have a serious crush on this sandwich, and Belle Chevre. They also sent me a honey-based goat cheese spread (called Belle and the Bees, adorb!) which I plan to make something delicious with ASAP. Get your goat cheese on before the month is through!
Grilled Pimento Chevre BLT
from Belle Chevre
4 slices good quality bread
4 slices bacon (I used six, sue me)
small tomato, sliced
4 tbs Pimento Chevre (I used two, because I was scared I would hate it)
1/2 cup arugula (I used butter lettuce)
1/2 tbs butter
Fry bacon until crispy. Spread pimento chevre on two slices of bread, then layer with arugula, tomato and bacon. Top each with remaining slice of bread. Heat butter in pan over medium heat. Fry sandwiches until golden on each side.
Rainbow Cake
Yesterday, I showed you a big fat slice of Rainbow Cake and I didn’t give you the recipe. How rude!
I’ve seen rainbow cakes before (like Aleta’s!) and I’ve made rainbow cupcakes, and I’ve drooled over this crazy rainbow cake experiment, but Whisk Kid’s rainbow layer cake was so stunning, I just had to make it. I love the way it looks!
You can find Whisk Kid’s recipe here, and she also has a great Swiss meringue buttercream tutorial. Here are some tips I would add about making this cake:
-Be very liberal with your food coloring if you want the layers to turn out looking vibrant. You need gel food coloring for this; you will not get the look with liquid coloring.
-I wasn’t sure about using lemon extract in the frosting instead of my usual vanilla or almond, but it works very well- really tasty. Just enough lemon to make it interesting. Definitely use it!
-Whisk Kid is right- there is A LOT of butter in this recipe, but what are you gonna do? It’s dessert. Go big, or go home.
-Make sure you use a good amount of frosting in between the layers so you can see it when you slice the cake. Too little frosting will make it less visually appearing.
-Lots of people ask me if I doubled this cake recipe. To tell you the truth, I can’t remember, but I’m pretty sure I just followed Whisk Kid’s recipe. I usually make a point of telling you guys if I changed anything. I think my layers turned out looking thicker because I cut it cold and the frosting doesn’t cover up the colors in the photos. But then again, I may have doubled it.. I’m sorry that I can’t remember!
I loved making this cake, and I got great reviews from everyone that’s tried it so far. This would be an excellent choice for a birthday or celebration cake. And it keeps putting this song in my head..
(Again, recipe here.)
