Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I am coming to the end of my 101 in 1001 list, which are 101 goals I am trying to complete in my personal life. One of my goals was to make homemade spaghetti sauce. You would think I could have crossed this off much sooner than now but it was actually harder than I thought. For one thing, my husband doesn't like spaghetti sauce. So when I make spaghetti, we just eat it with butter and Parmesan cheese. I know, gourmet. Also, I had a TON of great spaghetti sauce recipes that technically were homemade but they weren't created by me, and that was really what I wanted to do. So I took a day last week and tested my own recipe.

Ingredients:
8 oz tomato sauce
14.5 oz whole peeled tomatoes
1 tomato
14.5 oz diced tomatoes (fire roasted with garlic)
oregano
basil
garlic powder
sugar
Italian seasoning
mushrooms
chopped onions
1 lb ground beef/venison/turkey

I put it all in the crockpot and cooked it for about 8 hours. Then I had a salad made with ingredients from the food co-op we joined and free garlic bread from Super Doubles at Harris Teeter! Yums!

Verdict:
Neutral. I liked this recipe, but for all the tomato that's in it I still think it needs just a little more sauce. I froze what I didn't use and when I thaw it I'm going to add another 8 oz can of sauce to make it a little more tomato-y. As for the seasonings, I pretty much just cupped my hand poured in about a tablespoon of each seasoning. It was very precise.

Has anyone else made homemade spaghetti sauce? And did it turn out delicious? And should I try your recipe??

Foil Barbecued Chicken

From: Better Homes and Gardens: Favorite Ways With Chicken

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 2 1/2 - 3 pound ready-to-cook broiler-fryer chicken, cut up

Combine water, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, brown sugar, butter, and seasonings in a saucepan; heat to boiling. Dip chicken pieces in sauce. Divide in 2 or 3 servings, placing each serving on a piece of foil. Pour some sauce over chicken; seal foil leaving room for expansion of steam and place on grill or over hot coals. Cook 45-60 minutes. During last 15 minutes, open foil; brush with sauce. Serves 2 or 3.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Pretty much everything. I kept all the ingredients exactly the same except I used chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken. I defrosted the chicken, during which time I brought the sauce to a boil. Then I put the chicken in the sauce and let it marinade in the sauce over the hot cooktop for just a few minutes - maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Then I put a layer of sauce and then the chicken in a 13x9 baking dish. I baked it for 15 minutes, took it out, flipped the chicken, spread more sauce, and cooked it for 20 more minutes. Voila!

What I'll do differently next time:
I would probably cook this the same way that I did. Grilling is fine but it was so juicy and easy this way.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! I love barbecue chicken and we rarely have it because Stephen doesn't really like it. I loved the kick that came from the chili powder and cayenne. It definitely wasn't hot but just added a tiny bit of spice. This was definitely a recipe to save! P.S. Yes, I made fried and boiled squash. We can't decide which we love more.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 2 1/2 - 3 pound ready-to-cook broiler-fryer chicken, cut up

Combine water, ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, brown sugar, butter, and seasonings in a saucepan; heat to boiling. Dip chicken pieces in sauce. Divide in 2 or 3 servings, placing each serving on a piece of foil. Pour some sauce over chicken; seal foil leaving room for expansion of steam and place on grill or over hot coals. Cook 45-60 minutes. During last 15 minutes, open foil; brush with sauce. Serves 2 or 3.

(My version: I defrosted the chicken, during which time I brought the sauce to a boil. Then I put the chicken in the sauce and let it marinade in the sauce over the hot cooktop for just a few minutes - maybe 5 or 10 minutes. Then I put a layer of sauce and then the chicken in a 13x9 baking dish. I baked it for 15 minutes, took it out, flipped the chicken, spread more sauce, and cooked it for 20 more minutes.)

Peanut Butter Jammies

From: ???

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
jam/jelly

Place peanut butter, sugar and egg in bowl, beat. Add flour and stir. Shape into balls, place on cookie sheet. Press thumb into center. Chill 3 hours. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Spoon jam into centers.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing really. I did use honey peanut butter because it's what I had on hand and it's delicious!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP!! Can a recipe get any easier than this? As you can see, I used three different types of jams and jellies - raspberry, muscadine grape and pineapple. I'm sure any type of jam or jelly would be delicious in these. I did have to "reprint" my thumb when these came out of the oven because they had puffed up a bit. If you don't have a thumb you can use a spoon. Baby spoons are especially useful. Please note - these are great for that last minute "Was I supposed to bring something to that dinner party??" because surely everyone has these ingredients in their pantry and they literally take less than 20 minutes from start to finish if you don't refrigerate them before cooking.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
jam/jelly

Place peanut butter, sugar and egg in bowl, beat. Add flour and stir. Shape into balls, place on cookie sheet. Press thumb into center. Chill 3 hours. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Spoon jam into centers.

Zesty Lemon Spareribs

From: Betty Crocker: On the Grill

Ingredients:
6 lbs pork spareribs, cut into serving pieces
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Place pork in Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover pork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove pork to rectangular baking dish. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Pour over pork; turn pork to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; reserve marinade. Grill pork, meaty sides up, uncovered, 4 inches from medium-hot heat about 30 minutes, turning and brushing frequently with marinade, until glazed and heated through. Discard any remaining marinade.

What I did differently from the recipe:
We only had 3 lbs of ribs, so I just used a little less lemonade. I still did use the same amount of barbecue sauce. I'm glad, because more lemonade would have been way too much of a lemon flavor.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! New favorite in our house! Stephen said to make sure to tell everyone you must turn these frequently. Because the sauce is sugar-based (the lemonade mix) the glaze will burn very easily. You can't get any easier than this, although I do admit it takes a lot of preparation time, but all of that is so easy.

We also grilled corn on the cob. I don't know how other people grill corn, but we slather the cobs in butter and salt, wrap them in aluminum foil and grill them. The corn was soooo good. Anyway, I didn't get a picture because it was ready about 5 minutes after the ribs, and I couldn't wait to dig into the ribs. :)

Ingredients:
6 lbs pork spareribs, cut into serving pieces
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Place pork in Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover pork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove pork to rectangular baking dish. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Pour over pork; turn pork to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; reserve marinade. Grill pork, meaty sides up, uncovered, 4 inches from medium-hot heat about 30 minutes, turning and brushing frequently with marinade, until glazed and heated through. Discard any remaining marinade.

Apple Bundt Cake

From: Summertime Cooking, Vol. 6

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1 1/2 cups broken pecans

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and airy. Add in oil, vanilla and lemon juice. Gradually add flour mixture until well blended. Fold in apples and pecans.

Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve plain or with a glaze.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used about a 1/4 cup of lemon juice because I didn't have a fresh lemon on hand. I also left out the pecans. It took about 3 small Gala apples to make 3 cups chopped. I also made a lemon glaze (found a recipe at the last second from here) and covered it in powdered sugar because I was scared it wouldn't have enough flavor. You can't go wrong with glaze and sugar.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
This was an okay cake. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it, but I've had apple cakes in the past that were much better. I'll probably not make this recipe again, but see if I have a different apple cake recipe that I like more than this one.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 cups peeled, chopped apples
1 1/2 cups broken pecans

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and airy. Add in oil, vanilla and lemon juice. Gradually add flour mixture until well blended. Fold in apples and pecans.

Pour into greased bundt pan. Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve plain or with a glaze.

Garlic Knots

From: This website

Ingredients:
3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup warm water (70-90 degrees)
5 1/2 tsp olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Whisk together flour, sugar and yeast in a small bowl. Whisk in salt last. Make a well in the center and pour in water. Stir together to moisten the flour, just until dough begins to form, about 20 seconds.

Pour 4 tsp oil in a bowl. Place dough in and turn to coat. Cover tightly and rest on counter until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees at least 30 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, stir together 1/2 tsp olive oil, garlic and kosher salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, place it on a board and gently press into a rectangle. There will be leftover oil in the bowl that the dough was rising in. Spread that oil over a baking sheet. Spread half of the garlic mixture across the rectangle dough. Cut into 3/4" strips. Tie any type of knot and lay on baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and parsley to the garlic mixture. Stir.

When the garlic knots are done baking, toss in the garlic and parsley mixture and serve immediately.

What I did differently from this recipe:
Over the weekend, mom and I found yummy pizza dough at Trader Joe's for just $0.99/lb. That is what I used to make these. If you don't want to make your own dough, just use Pillsbury pizza crust. I promise they will still be delicious! I baked them on 355 degrees because that's what I was cooking lasagna on, and they only took about 14 minutes to cook, so if you must dabble with the temperature, feel free to do so.

What I'll do differently next time:
If I didn't have dough handy I would definitely make it. I think I'd also use more garlic - I only used about 2 cloves because I was scared of overdoing it. Then I ended up sprinkling garlic salt on top to make up for it. Although, admittedly, I am a garlic fanatic.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Soooo easy and fast! And they smelled incredible while they were baking! Nothing like lasagna, garlic knots, salad and sweet tea to make your mouth water!!

Potluck Beans

From: This awesome website

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground meat, browned and drained
1 pound smoked bacon, browned, drained, and diced
1 medium onion, diced and browned
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 (30-ounce) can Pork n' Beans
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-ounce) can butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

In a skillet, brown the hamburger, bacon and onion. You can do it together or separately. While they are browning, add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Don't stir too much or the beans will fall apart. Drain the meats well and dump into the slow cooker. Use a large spoon to gingerly fold in the hot ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you are making the full amount of this recipe, you should use a 6-quart or larger crockpot.

Note: Did not get my own picture because it was eaten fairly quickly. This picture from Stephanie's website will have to do!

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used venison instead of beef, turkey bacon instead of regular bacon, and I halved the recipe. For that reason, I only cooked it about 6-7 hours on low.

What I'll do differently next time:
The same things, most likely. Although I might make a full batch and freeze half. If you freeze it, pull them out the night before eating and thaw in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Amazing that such a small amount of brown sugar could really sweeten up this recipe! Supposedly this is a bean recipe for people who don't like beans (me). I say, Yes! I would willingly eat this anytime. It was also a nice cross between soup/stew/meal if you know what I mean. Very hearty!

Baby Chili

Disclaimer: This is neither chili made from babies nor chili in small batches. It is chili for small children, most likely 10+ months. Just so there's no confusion.

Today as I was making Potluck Beans (recipe forthcoming), I was making only half the recipe, so I wanted to use the other half of everything for something else. Enter Baby Chili. (You can see the small pot of baby ingredients behind the large skillet of adult ingredients!)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground venison
about 1/4 of an onion, diced
about 1/2 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed
about 1/2 cup butter beans, drained and rinsed
pepper
garlic powder




As I cooked the venison, I threw in the onion. I did have to add water because venison makes no liquid when it's cooking. Near the end, I added both types of beans and let it simmer a few minutes. Then I added pepper and garlic powder (just a pinch of each) and mashed it with a potato masher.

Haven't tried this yet with Brianna because it just came off the stove - but I'm excited to see if she likes it!!

Oatmeal Banana Drops

Go here to see the recipe for some yummy, kid-friendly (even baby-friendly!) snacks I made yesterday!

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

From: The Internet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup apple juice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
6 boneless pork chops

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt , and pepper. Bring to boil. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl, and whisk into brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick. Brush grate lightly with oil before placing pork chops on the grill. Cook over hot coals for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Brush with sauce just before removing chops from grill. Serve with remaining sauce.

What I did differently from the recipe:
We had four pork chops so I just used a little less of everything.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing!

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! This was awesome! The sauce was really watery but it was still great. For leftovers, I put the pork chop over the wild rice and covered it with the leftover sauce. I almost want to say it was better that way than the first time I had it! This is a keeper!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup apple juice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
6 boneless pork chops

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, apple juice, oil, soy sauce, ginger, salt , and pepper. Bring to boil. Combine water and cornstarch in small bowl, and whisk into brown sugar mixture. Stir until thick. Brush grate lightly with oil before placing pork chops on the grill. Cook over hot coals for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once. Brush with sauce just before removing chops from grill. Serve with remaining sauce.

Overnight Coffee Cake

From: A Joanne Fluke book (cooking murder mystery)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz sour cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbsp milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over coffee cake. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over warm coffee cake.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was great for dessert and breakfast! Very easy too!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz sour cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 Tbsp milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over coffee cake. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Combine confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over warm coffee cake.

Chicken Salad

From: Mom! (I love her recipe)

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup celery
mayonnaise (to taste)
grapes, cut up (to taste)
almonds (to taste)



Mix together and season with paprika and salt (optional).

What I did differently from this recipe:
I used Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I wasn't a fan of chicken salad growing up but after trying mom's a few years ago I got hooked on hers! I'm sure it's a lot like some restaurants' versions but I never order it in restaurants because I'm scared of what it will taste like. I like this on a sandwich but to be honest I will eat it right out of the tupperware after she gives me some!!