BBQ Sauce--Sweet & Tangy, Spicy or Smokey

 This is a versatile BBQ sauce that is delicious on grilled meats and added to pulled pork, chicken or beef.  Recipe is suitable for canning

BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 c. brown sugar 1 c. cup cider vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon yellow mustard 2 tablespoons honey 2 cups tomato ketchup 2 Tbls 14-spice dry rub mix (recipe to follow) Directions: Combine all ingredients in large saucepan. Stir well. Over medium heat, bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 60 minutes. Stir occasionally as it cooks. Store in refrigerator. Keeps for several weeks. *VARIATIONS: --Sweet and Tangy. Use the original recipe described above. --Smoky. Add 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke per 1 cup of sauce. --Spicy. Add 1/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper per 1 cup of sauce (according to how much heat you want). 14-Spice Dry Rub: Ingredients 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 cup seasoned salt (reduce to 1/8 cup for low-sodium version) 1/4 cup paprika (sweet Hungarian) 1/4 cup smoked paprika (Spanish) 1 tablespoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 tablespoon celery salt 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons black pepper 1 tablespoon rubbed dried sage 1 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/4 teaspoon ground mace 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

This is the best Brisket! Slow roasted to perfection. My family loves it and I hope yours does too!!!

Texas Oven-Roasted Beef Brisket

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 bay leaf, crushed
4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
1 1/2 cups beef stock
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.

Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork

Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork

• For the pork:
• 3 to 4 lb Boston butt pork roast
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• For the rub:
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 225°F.

Prepare the pork:
Prepare the rub by combining the paprika, salt, sugar, mustard, cumin, pepper, garlic and onion powders and cayenne in a small bowl. Trim any large pieces of exterior fat from the pork if desired. Pat the rub mixture on all sides of the pork and place uncovered, in a dutch oven. Roast uncovered for 1 hour.

Remove the pork from the oven, brush with the olive oil, add the water, cover and return to the oven for approximately 5 hours longer. At this point the pork should be very tender and pull apart easily with a fork. Total roasting time runs between 90 and 100 minutes per pound.

Transfer the pork to a large platter and allow to cool enough to handle. With two dinner forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, removing any large chunks of fat in the process.

Creamy Ham and Split Pea Soup

 Leftover ham is perfect for this and add the ham bone too!  This soup is delicious.  Good old comfort food!!!!

Creamy Ham and Split Pea Soup

(without any cream)

2 Tbs Olive oil

1 large onion

2 large carrots

2 stalks of celery

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (or to taste)

1 bay leaf

1 pkg Green Split Peas, rinsed

2 cartons Vegetable stock or Chicken stock

1 Ham bone and any extra ham pieces, chopped

(you can also use 2-3 ham hocks)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.  Saute onions, carrots and celery until onions are tender, 5 min.  Stir in the garlic, pepper flakes, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and bay leaf, saute 2 min.  Stir in peas and stock and add ham.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 1 hour or until peas are tender.  Remove the ham bone and pull of ham any extra and set aside.  Cool slightly; discard bay leaf.  Blend in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth or leave it a little courser if you like it that way.   Remember to add the ham back in! 

Season to taste  ENJOY!

Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Love making this because the whole house smells delicious! If you love tender bites of crispy pork in a tortillas with pico de gallo you will absolutely love this recipe.  Enjoy!

Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Ingredients:

3 1/2-4 pounds boneless pork butt roast (sometimes called boneless pork shoulder or boneless picnic roast)
2+ cups water (enough to cover the pork in the pot)
1 white or yellow onion, peeled and halved
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 bay leaves salt and pepper
1 orange
For serving: Small corn or flour tortillas, grated cheese, pico de gallo, sliced avocado, sliced white onion,  sprigs of cilantro, fresh lime wedges, etc.

Instructions: Place the oven rack in the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 2″ chunks. Place the pork in a heavy lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the pork and then add onion, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and the juice from the orange. After squeezing the juice from the orange, toss the rinds into the pork mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for about 2 hours or until the pork falls apart when poked with a fork. When the pork is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven.

Remove the orange rinds, onion, and bay leaves. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork from the liquid to the foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

Return the pot to the stove top and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil for 8-15 minutes (longer or shorter if necessary) until the liquid is thickened and glaze-y and, when stirred, the spoon leaves a trail in the liquid (you should have about 1 cup of liquid).

Use your fingers to pull apart the pork pieces, discarding any particularly fatty pieces (or removing the fat from them). Drizzle with the cooking liquid. Turn your oven broiler on high and place the pork in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until the pork starts to brown and the edges become crispy. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use a spatula to flip the pork. Return to the oven for another 5-8 minutes, broiling until the pork is browned and crispy (but not charred, unless that’s your thing). Serve in warmed tortillas with desired toppings. Makes about 12 servings. 

Caramel Pumpkin Blondies (with Chocolate and Pecans)

One word... Delicious!  It's that time of year for pumpkin goodies and this little morsel won't let you down!  I wish I had  eaten this fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream.  That would have been perfection.  Whipped cream is a pretty tasty accompaniment too!

Pumpkin Blondies (with Chocolate and Pecans)

Ingredients:
For the Blondies-
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling-
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 – 14 oz. package caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9×13 pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in eggs, vanilla and pumpkin until combined. Slowly incorporate remaining ingredients into batter. Scrape sides and mix again briefly to ensure a smooth batter. Spread about 2/3 batter into prepared pan evenly. Sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over top.

Place caramels and cream into a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on high until caramel is smooth and completely melted, being sure to stir every 20 seconds.

Pour melted caramel over chocolate and nuts. Spread around evenly with a butter knife or spoon. Place dollops of remaining batter overtop of the caramel layer. Spread those dollops out to try and get a smooth layer of batter over top. {It’s fine if some of the caramel layer is peeking through.}

Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are golden and toothpick comes out clean when inserted. {It might come out with a little caramel on it which is fine. You don’t want batter on the toothpick.}

Cool completely before serving. Or be prepared to get a whole lot of oozing caramel if you serve it warm.

Serve with vanilla ice cream of whipped cream.

Brownie Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling

I can't even tell you how rich and delicious these little morsels are!  You have to taste them for yourself to understand.  Super easy to make and everyone will enjoy them.

Brownie Cookies with Salted Caramel Filling

Ingredients:

12 oz. Chocolate, chopped, divided (I used semi Sweet chocolate chips)

3 Tbs butter

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted

1/4 tsp baking powder, sifted

Salted Caramel Creme filling:

1 cup butter 

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup caramel sauce

To make the brownie cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

1. Place 7 ounces of chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, and gently stir until melted and smooth; set aside.
2. Place eggs, sugar, and vanilla in bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy.  Add in flour, baking powder, melted chocolate mixture, and remaining chocolate, and mix to combine.  Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Spoon 1-tablespoon portions of mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheet. (Make cookies small because they are very rich with the frosting.)

Bake for about 6-10 minutes or until puffed and cracked.  Allow to cool completely on trays.

To make caramel creme filling:

1. Place butter in a bowl, and beat until creamed.  Add confectioners' sugar and salt, and beat until lightly combined.  Add caramel, and beat until combined.
2. Fill cookies with 1 tablespoon of salted caramel filling.