Sauces

Peach BBQ Sauce with Bourbon is sweet and tangy, flavored with jalapeno pepper and sweet onion. This sauce is great slathered on chicken, pork chops, ribs, or even grilled salmon. Barbecue is a religion in the South. We take it seriously, and it’s a noun, not a verb. You cook barbecue, you don’t barbecue. And …

Easy Marinara Sauce made with crushed tomatoes and fresh or dried herbs is simple, quick, and the perfect sauce for your pasta! This easy marinara sauce takes about 30 minutes to make and will keep for days in the refrigerator or months in the freezer. It’a bursting with tomato flavor, the way a marinara sauce …

Roasting garlic in the oven is easy and a perfect way to add flavor to many of your favorite foods. While raw garlic is pungent and savory, once you roast garlic in the oven, it becomes mellow and creamy. Have you ever made roasted garlic in the oven? It’s one of those things that you …

French Salad Dressing made the authentic French way with fresh lemon juice is so simple and easy you’ll never want bottled salad dressing again! Do you like creamy, fat-laden salad dressings? I used to love Thousand Island, but now I don’t eat salad with any creamy dressing—except occasionally a Caesar salad, but even then if …

Homemade Taco Seasoning made with chili powder, onion powder, garlic and other spices is a versatile seasoning mix to have on hand, not just for tacos but for any type of roasted or grilled meat. Try this easy version and get rid of the packet for good! When you’re ready to make tacos, the last …

Comeback Sauce made a little spicier with hot sauce and cayenne–it’s the perfect easy dipping sauce for anything fried and even cut-up vegetables! Have y’all ever tried Comeback Sauce? It tastes a little bit like Remoulade sauce and Thousand Island dressing had a baby—flavorful but without a lot of heat and with a bit of sweetness. …

Peach Chutney with fresh ginger and lime juice is the perfect topping for your grilled meats or your holiday ham! Fruit chutneys are excellent for adding that extra touch of flavor to meat, poultry, or fish. And almost any fruit can be made into a chutney, which is basically a relish. Around the holidays, I …

Lemon Glaze that’s so easy and is perfect for cakes or cookies! Just five ingredients with a few secret touches. Everyone loves this Lemon Glaze. It’s the perfect way to perk up almost any dessert that might seem a little plain: just whip up some of this glaze for cake or whatever you want to …

This honey mustard sauce recipe comes together in about 2 minutes–just whisk together yellow mustard, honey, brown sugar, a little mayonnaise, and apple cider vinegar. So easy and so delicious! What is it about honey mustard sauce that kids just love? My little grandson Luke occasionally likes a bite of chicken to go with his …

Pickled Red Onions may be the easiest and best condiment ever, with just sliced red onions, vinegar, and a little salt and sugar. These pickled red onions can enhance the most mundane of dishes, like sandwiches or a simple green salad. I am in love with these pickled red onions. They are so easy to …

Balsamic Vinaigrette made with fresh herbs and tangy Dijon mustard is lovely drizzled over green salads or grilled meats. We love this vinaigrette all year long and keep a jar in the fridge.  What’s your favorite salad dressing? When I was a kid, I loved Thousand Island dressing, French dressing (the orange kind that doesn’t …

Green Goddess Dressing made with mayonnaise, sour cream, watercress, and lots of fresh herbs. It’s delicious on salad, fish, or as a dip! It’s easy to pull out regular old Ranch dip when you’re having a party and want to serve chopped vegetables, but it you want to serve something a little prettier and with …

Mustard Cream Sauce is a French pan sauce with a white wine and Dijon mustard base–it’s simple, classic, and delicious! Try it with chicken or pork–this sauce makes any dish extra special! Are you intimidated by French food? Most of it sounds so fancy with long lists of ingredients. And fattening! But this Mustard Cream …

Homemade sweet potato fries, oh how I love thee! Do y’all like sweet potato fries? They are so easy and make a great side dish for so many things: chicken, pork, fish, or even just a big salad. And homemade sweet potato fries are way better than any frozen ones you can pull out of …

This apricot-chili glazed fish is tangy enough for adults but sweet enough to be kid-friendly. It’s super easy to make and great for a dinner party! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I do, every year. Sometimes I’m successful, sometimes not. This year I’ve stayed away from my traditional ones of eating better, exercising more, …

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…” Just a little taste of this homemade caramel sauce, and you will close your eyes and slowly savor the sinful, creamy feel of the luscious sauce. You will want more and you will start looking for pound cake or cookies to drizzle it on. And …

Authentic Mexican enchilada sauce for beef or chicken enchiladas with a richer, more intense flavor than canned enchilada sauce. Last week I made beef enchiladas for a friend and for David and me. They quickly became one of our favorite meals thanks to this authentic Mexican enchilada sauce. Most recipes for homemade enchilada sauce start with …

This easy raspberry sauce recipe combines fresh raspberries and blueberries to make a light, silky sauce that’s great over cheesecake, pound cake, or just plain ice cream! Raspberries and blueberries…a beautiful combination anytime. This raspberry sauce recipe comes from one of Ina Garten’s cookbooks, Barefoot Contessa: Family Style, which is one of my favorites and …

Balsamic reduction from balsamic vinegar is easy to make and a great, low-calorie way to flavor fresh vegetables and grilled meats. I must be on a balsamic vinegar kick…the last post was Balsamic Roasted Chicken and now we have balsamic vinegar reduction. It’s just such a wonderful flavor enhancer, I can’t resist adding it to …

We love anything Italian around here…pizza, pasta, bread…those things can get consumed in mass quantities. Of course, we probably don’t eat authentic Italian food, but the Americanized version is just fine. It’s so easy to throw together a dinner party with a pot of spaghetti sauce and your favorite pasta, or take a little more …

If you want to learn about Italian cooking, you need to start with Marcella Hazan’s collection, The Essentials of Italian Cooking. She is an Italian cook who started a cooking school in New York City in the 1960s, has written for the New York Times, is a James Beard award winning cookbook author and is beloved …

You know something’s good when this is part of it…grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Add some roasted jalapeno peppers and fresh cilantro and well, you’ve created something amazing. Jalapeño cilantro pesto can be used to enhance fish, chicken, pork or even just vegetables. I’ve made it a couple of times over the summer and we have …

I’m not a fan of chain restaurants. We are blessed with many good, local places to eat where we know the chef and can interact with them and enjoy the food and the atmosphere. However, with that said, if I have to eat at a chain restaurant one of my preferences is Carrabba’s Italian Grill. …

“Oh, Aunt Ginny is coming! That means strawberry jam!” That was me, as a little girl, anytime I heard my Aunt Ginny, Papa’s sister, was coming for a visit. She and her husband lived in Plant City, Florida, and would visit my grandparents a couple of times a year. They would always bring whatever was …