Homemade BBQ Sauce

Because homemade is just better. This is easy and way better than any BBQ sauce I ever bought in a bottle.  (Just take a look at the ingredients of that bottled sauce next time. ugh-half I couldn;t even pronounce)  There are so many different ways to create a BBQ sauce from scratch- experiment with different flavors and spices!

Note: this is a bit on the spicy side. To tone down the heat start with just a very small pinch of cayenne (or go with a mild hot sauce and use just a dash) and then progress with more to taste.

Ingredients
(makes about 1 cup of sauce)

• 1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce
• 2 tbsp of ketchup
• 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard (you can use whatever mustard you have in the fridge)
• 3 tsp of brown sugar
• 3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• big pinch of cayenne (Or you can use hot sauce)
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp of onion powder
• 1/2 tsp of ground cumin

Directions

1. In a small sauce pot combine all ingredients and stir to combine.  Heat over medium low heat until it comes to a simmer.
2. Simmer for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors combine and sauce thicken.  You can keep over low heat and just a slight simmer for really as long as you like.  Longer simmering means a thicker consistency.  If the sauce gets too thick for you- just add a bit of water to loosen it up.
3. Any leftovers just put into some tupperware and store in the fridge.  You can even put in a squeeze bottle and store like that!

Beefy Southwestern Casserole

So this is basically a hamburger helper but way more delicious.  When I tasted this it was amazing.  Also super easy to make.  Originally I was making tacos but I got lazy and made a casserole instead.

Potential other names for this dish:
Beefy Burrito Casserole
Taco Pasta Casserole
Beefy Taco Casserole
and the list goes on...

If you wanted to add things like fresh peppers and onions that would be great in here too.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of pasta- your choice.  I used half whole wheat rotini and half regular elbows
• 1 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1 cup of salsa
• 1 cup of cheddar cheese, plus a little more for sprinkling on top
• 1 can of beans, drained and rinsed- I obviously used black beans
• 1 can of corn, drained
• 1 packet of taco seasoning (usually I make my own but we all cut corners sometimes)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
2. Boil water for the pasta, cook until al dente, drain and reserve
3. (If you are adding fresh ingredients like peppers or onion cook them in the skillet before the meat.  Cook only a couple minutes then incorporate them into the meat while browning.)
4. In a skillet brown the meat and crumble.  I followed the directions on the taco seasoning packet- when the meat is brown, drain and then add the seasoning and about 1 cup of water.  Heat until thick.
5. In a big bowl or right in a large 9 x 13 casserole dish mix the pasta, meat, cheese (leave some for the top!), salsa, beans and corn.
6. Sprinkle the top with some cheese, cover and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. 
7. If you wanted a brown cheesy top- turn on your broiler, remove the foil and let it sit under the broiler a couple minutes until brown and bubbly.
8. Top with jalapenos, sour cream, more salsa etc- whatever you like on your tacos!

Spicy Grilled Shrimp w/ Couscous

So this isn't just any grilled shrimp and couscous- its spicy garlic shrimp with feta, tomato, and red onion couscous all topped off with a kiss of olive oil and lemon juice.  Believe me this is a recipe you are going to want in your back pocket, especially on those REALLY hot days where even using the microwave makes you feel hot.  I'm sure everyone knows that this past week has been murder with temps reaching well over 100 degrees (well, in NY anyway where we aren't used to it being that hot). I love to break out my trusty George Foreman grill for things like this, but the shrimp can be cooked just as easily and quickly in a saute pan.

I actually went out and bought uncleaned shrimp, and yes you could say it was "rewarding" to stand there and clean about a pound of shrimp, but for the extra dollar a pound I should have bought the cleaned ones.  I would recommend buying the uncooked (or raw, grey colored), cleaned and deveined shrimp versus the pre-cooked ones (the pink ones) because I personally feel it is fresher and the shrimp wont be overcooked.  I left the tails on just for show really, but you can just pull them off if you want before cooking.

Oh and if you are curious, when you say "deveined" shrimp, it just means that the shrimp has had its digestive track removed (yea I know it's a little gross).  It's one little "vein" looking thing that runs along the inside of the shrimp and it's really no good to eat- so they remove it.  If you decide to clean your own shrimp make sure you remove the outer shell and the digestive track.

Another tip on shrimp: They come in a variety of sizes, I actually forgot what size I purchased specifically for this dish, but it was the one on sale.  The numbers usually found under the name of the shrimp signifiy the "count" or about how many shrimp there are per pound.  Obviously, there will be a higher count per pound of smaller shrimp, and fewer (like extra large or colossal) shrimp per pound once they get larger in size.  The count is a range that can look like 31-45 or 31/45. 

Ingredients

• about one pound of raw, cleaned and deveined shrimp
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
• 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, 1 tsp of salt, fresh black pepper
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• ½ red onion, diced (or you could use the whole onion- too much raw onion gives me agita)
• about ½ c. of feta cheese, add more if you like
• handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 lemon
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup of couscous (or your favorite box of couscous)

Directions

• Preheat your George Foreman grill, grill pan, or your saute pan.  If I was sauteing the shrimp in a pan I would use about a tablespoon of butter as well as oil.  Don't blast the heat with the oil in the pan until you are ready for the shrimp because the oil might start to smoke and the butter might burn before you are ready.  If the oil does smoke just remove from the heat.
• In a bowl, take the shrimp, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Cover with about 2-3 tablespoons of oil just to coat everything.  Mix well and set aside. 

• While we let that hang out for a few minutes, chop your tomatoes, onion and parsley.  Then put into a large boil.  Crumble in your feta cheese as well. 
• Follow the instructions on the box of couscous.  Usually you bowl water and salt, then when it comes to a boil you put the couscous in, stir, then cover and let sit for about 5 mins.  When the couscous is done it is important to fluff it before adding to the bowl with the tomatoes and onions.  Combine couscous and other ingredients in the bowl well.  Add about 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and taste to see if more salt and pepper is needed- it probably will need some. Set aside.
• When your cooking vessel is hot- add the shrimp.  It should only take about 1-2 minutes on each side.  Cooking shrimp is probably one of the easiest foods to know when it's done- it goes from grey to pink/orange color.  Try not to overcook them though- otherwise they will taste rubbery.

• Family style and individual plating is basically the same.  Take your couscous and cover the bottom of the plate and then place the shrimp on top of that.  Squeeze the juice of the lemon on top and serve with an extra sprinkle of parsley if you want.

Spicy Mexican Stir Fry (Fajitas)

This recipe is basically a fajita recipe without the tortillas.  Fajitas are traditionally served with a tortilla so that's why I named it a stir fry instead of a fajita recipe.  I love spicy food. I even got to use my homemade pickled jalapenos to top it all off.  This recipe could seriously feed about 6 people.  If you are making for a lot of people I would probably just double the rice recipe. This is why I call it budget friendly, because with just a few ingredients and big bold flavor you can feed a bunch of people some delicious stuff.  Honestly, this is one of my go-to cheap, fast and easy recipes.  It really isn't original, but its damn tasty.  Even my boyfriend walked into the kitchen and said "FAJITAS!?" LoL.  This recipe is also wonderful because you can tweak it to your preference and you subsitute any meat (I used chicken in this one). You could add beans and/or corn to the rice to push more flavor and texture.  I actually prefer the fajita way (wrapped in a tortilla)- because it's just more fun to eat :)

Sazón: This is why the rice is orange.  It is a Latin seasoning that I used sometimes to incorporate flavor into, well really anything.  The box says you can add it to meat as a rub, or soup, or stews, or veggies- it's an all purpose seasoning.  There are different brands and blends but it usually has a bit of cilantro, paprika, saffron, garlic powder, ground cumin and salt.

Chipolte in Adobo: This little secret is just one of my favorite cooking ingredients.  They are smoked jalapenos in a sauce that is made up of tomatoes, salt, vinegar, and other spices.  I did say I liked spicy foods.  You can find these in a small little can- might have to look in the Mexican/International food aisle.  These can get spicy so start small and work your way up.  Besides the spice, you get this awesome smokey flavor. So good.

Vegetable Oil: I used vegetable oil, which is a switch-up from my usual extra virgin, but veggie oil has a higher smoke point- which means it can get way hotter then EVOO- which makes for quick cooking and brown food. Whenever making a stir-fry (Mexican or Asian influence) always use a high smoke point oil.  How do I know the smoke point? A good rule of thumb is that the lighter the color of the oil- the higher the smoke point.

Ingredients

(Tbsp= Tablespoon)
For the Stir-Fry/Fajitas Mixture:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced into strips
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (8oz)
• 1 chicken bullion cube
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp of coriander
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 chipolte in adobo, chopped
• salt, pepper, vegetable oil

For the Rice:

• 1 cup of rice (I used Jasmine rice)
• 2 cups of water
• salt, pepper
• 1 packet of sazon

Directions

1. For the rice: put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about anywhere from 10-20 mins.  You could wait for the water to boil, then add the rice, but I was just being lazy, and it still turns out the same.
2. Slice the chicken into strips and prepare all your veggies.
3. Using the biggest skillet you have- put it over high heat and add the oil. Make sure the oil is super hot and throw the chicken in and season will all the spices (including the bullion cube).
4. When the chicken is almost completely done cooking throw in your veggies and garlic. Keep stirring to incorporate the spices- Using tongs helps here.
5. At the very end add the tomato sauce and chipolte in adobo.  Taste it and make sure its good and you're ready to serve along side or on top of the rice.
6. My favor garnish is pickled jalapenos and sour cream- as you can tell from the pictures.