Category Archives: Sauce

  • Anniversary Chicken (or Pan Seared Chicken Breasts with a Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Cream Sauce)

    Submitted by Katrina on Mon, 01/04/2013 - 5:20
    main

    It’s ironic really that I call this Anniversary chicken, seeing as I was supposed to make it for our anniversary and instead we ordered pizza at nine at night once the kids were in bed. Happy five years hunny! Three weeks later though, I finally got around to making it. On a Monday night. When I had the kids at a nursery rhyme pre-school thing all morning, and classes at the gym that night. What I’m trying to tell you is, this is not a meal to make on a busy night. This is a meal that takes a lot, and I mean a LOT, of prep time, but it’s worth every minute.

  • The hunt for the perfect pizza

    Submitted by Katrina on Thu, 13/09/2012 - 8:48
    main

    I’ve been trying for a few years now to figure out a way to make the perfect, pizzeria style pizza at home. I’m slowly getting closer. My first few dough’s were almost more focaccia like (not what I was looking for), and while this one is the closest yet to what I’m aiming for, it was a little sweeter than I wanted.

    What I have perfected though: the sauce. Man oh man did I find the sauce (and it tastes almost exactly like Pizza Huts sauce). And that part is sooo easy.

  • Peppercorn Steak

    Submitted by Katrina on Sun, 29/01/2012 - 9:27
    main

    I have to say this right off the get-go:

    Best steak I have ever eaten.

    And it wasn’t even a good steak. It was a horrible steak. It was cheap, not aged, didn’t have good marbling, too thin, and I let it rest a bit too long so it traveled past the medium that I would prefer.

    But the sauce.

    Oh lawd, but the sauce.

    Incredible, indescribable, an explosion of flavor that took, quite possibly, the worst strip loin you can buy and turned it into the best steak I have ever eaten. By far this was the greatest peppercorn sauce I have ever tasted, and it was also probably the easiest sauce I’ve ever made.

  • Roma Tomato Pasta Sauce

    Submitted by Katrina on Tue, 08/11/2011 - 9:58
    main

    Here’s a really quick and easy pasta sauce to make.

    Ok, so it might not be THAT quick, but it is pretty easy.

    I’m a little light on photos. Aunt Jen, Uncle Alex and Baki came over for a visit and I was already a horrible host by spending the whole afternoon, save a quick shopping trip (thanks Jen!) in the kitchen cooking. I didn’t want to have a camera stuck on my face too.

    I don’t have any real measurements either, it’s more or less use your judgment, and adjust the seasoning at the end when you taste it.

  • 1 Minute Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

    Submitted by Katrina on Sun, 21/08/2011 - 11:38

    Here in Canada honey mustard sauce for your chicken fingers is a real rarity. That’s one of the MANY reasons that I love our annual trip to Florida. That and Disney, I can’t get enough of Disney either. Imagine my surprise tonight then when I was able to make one in 30 seconds. And that I couldn’t tell the difference between it and all those restaurant ones. Well, I’ll still be going to the states every year, but I might actually order something else off the menu for a change!

    1 Minute Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

    Ingredients

  • Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Home Made BBQ Sauce

    Submitted by Katrina on Mon, 08/11/2010 - 8:04



    You want to know what can take these from “Oh my god these are fantastic” all the way to “OMFG if I stop shoveling this into my mouth I will die” in two seconds flat? Garlic  toasted buns. That’s right folks. Slather some garlic butter onto the buns before you toast them, maybe a hint of garlic salt and some parsley flakes too, then load them up with BBQ sauce smothered pulled pork and dip them into the extra sauce. I did it. All the cool kids are.


    This pork is just all torn up over something. Groan.



    BBQ Sauce


    To make this sauce for the pulled pork you have to multiply it by 4. You can always just head off to the grocery store and use your favorite brand.


    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Makes: 1.5 cups 



    Ingredients:


    2 tbsp vegetable oil

    1 onion, minced
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 tsp chili powder
    ΒΌ tsp cayenne powder
    1 cup ketchup
    5 tbsp molasses
    2 tbsp dark cider vinegar
    2 tbsp Worcestershire
    2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    1 tsp Franks red hot
    Salt and pepper to taste



    Directions:

    1. Heat the oil until shimmering the add the onion and cook until translucent and softened. Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cayenne and cook until fragrant, it only takes about 20 seconds.

    2. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool to room temperature before serving (if you’re using this on the pulled pork you don’t have to cool it before pouring it into the pot).

    3. The sauce can be refrigerated for 1 week, or frozen up to 2 months.


    NOTE: When pairing with the pulled pork, I always make the sauce on the weekend. This makes for a really easy week night meal, just dump the pork and the sauce into the slow cooker, turn it on, and go to work. It’s ready when you walk in the door. I’m wondering why I didn’t do this today now :(


    Pulled Pork

    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time7-8 hours on low, 10-11 hours on high
    Serves: 8 – 10 people 



    Ingredients:

    1 6lb – 7lb boneless boston butt, cut in half
    6 to 7 cups BBQ sauce (anything store bought works just as well as the homemade sauce above)
    Salt and pepper for seasoning

    Directions:

    1. Season the pork with salt & pepper and place it in the slow cooker. Pour the bbq sauce over it, cover, and cook (low for 7-9 hours or high for 10 to 11 hours) until fork tender and falling apart.

    2. Transfer the meat to a large bowl and let cool. Let the cooking liquid settle for 5 minutes, then skim off the fat. Season with a little dash of cider vinegar and Frank’s Red Hot sauce if you want to.

    3. When the meat is cool enough to handle, shred it using your fingers, discarding any excess fat. Toss the shredded meat with 1 cup of the cooking sauce and serve on toasted buns. Keep extra sauce for dipping.

    I grabbed these from my go-to kitchen bible of the moment, America’s Test Kitchen Family Favorites. Get it. Right now.