Last week I tried my hand at making homemade salsa verde. Oh my God! It was SO easy and so yummy. I could eat this stuff on everything. It especially tastes good on burritos, tacos, enchiladas.
Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
- 1½ lb tomatillos
- ½ cup chopped white onion
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 2 Jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped (you can use whole for more heat if you want)
- Salt to taste
- Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.
- Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.
- Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.
- Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.
What would you use this sauce on?
We love making homemade pizzas. I shared my homemade pizza dough recipe with you the other day and now I get to share with you my super easy homemade pizza sauce.
- 8 ounces of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon of oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Mix all together and spread on pizza dough or use for marinara sauce with mozzarella sticks
Making homemade pizzas are so much better for you than the store bought ones. If you keep ingredients on hand all the time, you can make a homemade pizza for literally pennies!
Cans of tomato sauce at the grocery store usually run anywhere from .25 to .50 each. All of the other ingredients are pantry staples, so your delicious and homemade pizza that will be so much better than frozen or takeout — will be totally inexpensive.
I love when I can create a meal for my family that costs literally nothing out of pocket.
I also love that this sauce uses honey to sweeten it instead of sugar. It’s really good for you and healthy and if you make your pizza dough with whole wheat flour, you can have a very delicious and good for you meal.
What is your favorite food to make for your family?
I love garlic. There is just something about the aromas of a head of garlic roasting that make me want tons of pasta and more! Not everyone understands about how to roast garlic. It’s not hard at all, and after roasting it, it becomes this wonderfully sweet flavor!
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Slice the top end off of the garlic bulb about ¼-inch. Place the garlic bulb on a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
- Fold the foil to form a cocoon around it and place in the oven for one hour.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 4-6 minutes. Then, remove garlic bulb from foil packet.
- Squeeze garlic bulb at bottom end to remove garlic cloves from the bulb.
- Use for any purpose where garlic is required.
Word of warning to you! If you eat a lot of garlic, it will come out of your pores and make you SMELL like garlic, so be very careful how much you use and how much you eat, because when you get done roasting it, you will definitely want to eat it!
What are your favorite recipes for using garlic?
Instead of visiting Dairy Queen each week, try your hand at creating your very own Hot Fudge Sundae Bar at home! It’s really easy to do!
- Grab some candies and ice cream from the grocery store. In ours, we purchased ice cream that was on sale with a coupon and Kit Kat Candy bars from the dollar aisle.
- Make Your Very Own Sauces: Skip the high price bottles at the store and make your own hot fudge, Caramel, or Strawberry sauces.
- Chop up your own nuts: Save money on the pre-chopped nuts and just purchase an inexpensive can of mixed nuts and chop your own.
- Assemble and enjoy! Just put together your creations and you have created a delicious and inexpensive hot fudge sundae bar at home!
There is NO reason in the world to go to the store and buy a bag of caramels that cost you an entire kidney when you can create your own homemade caramel sauce right from the items in your pantry!
I am a firm believer in using what you have and that is exactly what I did the night I made homemade sundaes for my family. I made homemade hot chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and create our own version of a Dairy Queen favorite.
Here is my simple ingredients list and super easy instructions for creating your own Homemade Caramel Sauce.
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- ⅓ cup butter, cut into pieces
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Combine sugar and water in a large heavy saucepan; cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves.
- Increase heat to medium-high, and boil gently, without stirring, until syrup turns a deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush and swirling pan (about 6-8 minutes).
- Swirling the pan, instead of stirring, promotes more even cooking.
- Gradually add cream, but be careful because sauce will bubble a lot!
- Add butter; stir gently until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.
- Serve hot over ice cream or you can store in the refrigerator, covered for up to three weeks. If storing, place a layer of saran wrap over the caramel to keep the film from creating over the top of it.
So — what would you use your caramel sauce for?
I loving creating homemade Chinese takeout from home. It is so much cheaper and the taste is something you just wouldn’t believe. Before now, anytime I made Sweet N Sour Chicken, I always bought my sauce from the store because I thought it was hard to make. The other night, I made a sauce for my chicken that is TO DIE FOR. If you make this delicious Homemade Sweet N Sour Sauce, you will never go back to store bought again.
- To coat the chicken you will need
- 5 chicken breast
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- For the Sauce You Will Need
- ¾ cups sugar
- 4 Tablespoons ketchup
- ½ cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- For the chicken
- Rinse chicken and then cut into 1 inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs.
- Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until just starting to turn brown, but not done all the way. Place in a 9×13 baking dish.
- For the Sauce
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk until smooth then pour evenly over chicken.
- Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven and cook for one hour. Baste chicken and move around every fifteen minutes so chicken can get sauce all over it.
- By the time the hour rolls around the chicken will be nice and sticky with sauce and delicious!
Next time you want Chinese, don’t order out. Make your own and LOVE the fact that you know what is in your sauces and food that you are feeding your family 
I love getting new cookbooks. I read them like I read a regular book. If you are an absolute foodie like me, you might find yourself doing the same thing. I recently got a new cookbook from author Leigh Oliver Vickery — Food Family Style. This cookbook is SO full of delicious family recipes, I had a hard time deciding what I was going to make. Since we needed a really good dessert, I decided to make the Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce you will find on page 252 in the cookbook.
- ¾ cup of sugar
- ½ cup baking cocoa
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- ⅓ cup of light corn syrup
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Combine sugar, cocoa, evaporated milk, and corn syrup together in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Once mixture reaches a roiling boil, boil for 5 minutes until it thickens.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.
- Makes about 2 cups. Can store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
About the book:
365 Simple and Tasty Recipes to Satisfy the Entire Family
Your family is busy. But you still have to eat! Reclaim the family dinner in your household with these mouthwatering recipes, sure to draw your family into the kitchen and around the table day after day. From tasty breakfasts, soups, and salads to easy main dishes and desserts, Food Family Style delivers delicious recipes such as:
- Easiest Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- No-Rise Cinnamon Rolls
- Breakfast Pizza
- Grilled Apple Cheddar Sandwich
- Bistro Tomato Basil Soup
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya
- Mexican Lasagna
- Molasses Barbecue Beans
- Southern Pecan Pie
- Toffee Ice Cream Squares
- Easy S’More Bars
- And much more!
Throughout Food Family Style you will find symbols indicating recipes that double easily, freeze well, are gluten free or vegetarian, can be made in a slow cooker, or are favorites contributed by moms around the country. And since there’s more to mealtime than just the food, this innovative book also includes tips about how to involve your kids in meal preparation, meaningful conversation starters, and simple ideas to bring warmth to your home.
About the author:
Leigh Oliver Vickery is creator and founder of Leigh Oliver’s, a specialty “fun food” company with numerous products on the market in at least twenty-five states and grocery chains, including Whole Foods Market and Costco. She is the former food editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph in Tyler, Texas, and now blogs at www.onebighappytable.com.
I received a copy of this book in order to write my review. All opinions remain my own.
I found a new sauce that I love. Chimichurri yum, yum, yum! I have seen it on many different steaks, and to be honest, I always thought it was too hard to make. Then I realized how easy it is to make. If you are growing your own herb garden, that will make it even cheaper to make! (we are always about looking for ways to save money, right?)
- 1 cup of flat leaf parsley
- ½ cup of olive oil
- ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 clove of garlic
- ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and chop. Use the puree function to get it as smooth as possible. Transfer to a bowl with a lid and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Can be refrigerated for up to a week.
The other night I decided to make our dinner event a “mini” night. I had gotten some delicious organic beef in the mail to review that came in the perfect size slider portion so Kayla and I got in the kitchen to do some cooking.
We grilled these yummy little burgers up on my new George Foreman grill which I am loving! (We found out you can grill a steak on there for about 4 minutes and it is FABULOUS!) After grilling them up and getting them all dressed for success,
Kayla and I created a mouthwatering burger and fry sauce to put on top! It is SO good. I am not playing. You will want to make this sauce as soon as you finish reading this post. It would taste good on any cut of meat and it dresses up fries like nothing else I have ever tasted! Ketchup will be your second favorite after tasting this!
(Recipe will be at the bottom)
After fixing the burgers and sauce, we turned our attention to making homemade potato chips to go with our meal and mini Chocolate Pies! YUM! You can use my regular chocolate pie recipe and do like I did and create mini pie shells using a muffin tin.
So what have you been up to baking lately?
This is THE best tasting sauce ever!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of Lawry's seasoning salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of Garlic flavored hot sauce
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together about an hour before eating. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Serve on top of burgers or dip fries in it.
Y’all know how much I love homemade sauces and condiments. The other day I was visiting a new blog I found on the Internet, and came upon her homemade terriyaki sauce. Oh-MY-Word! If you love terriyaki chicken, then you will definitely want to make this sauce. It has THE best flavor I have ever tasted in my life.
While her sauce calls for fresh ginger, I did not have that so I did some research of what you could use to replace ginger in a recipe and I found out that nutmeg + paprika= ginger–so I tried it. It seemed to work, but the next time I make the sauce I am going to definitely try it with fresh instead of dried substitute.
You will never buy storebought terriyaki sauce again after trying this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (low sodium) soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- (If you have the fresh ginger, use it in place of the nutmeg and paprika = 1 full teaspoon)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, honey, brown sugar, garlic, nutmeg, paprika and vinegar over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water in a separate mixing bowl and then add to the saucepan. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.
Today is the day that I get to reveal the blog I was paired with for the Secret Recipe Club!
First off, let me show you what I made!
I love homemade sauces. They are my absolute favorites! So I knew when I saw this recipe for Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce–I was going to make it.
This recipe can be discovered at Hezzi D’s Books and Cooks! When I first went to her website, I was drooling! She has so many delicious recipes to share! She even has another one that I intend on trying later for Cuban Pork Chops (she loves Bobby Flay too!)
I did not alter this recipe at all. Her version was SO delicious!
Enjoy!
Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
3 bulbs of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow, or green), halved and seeded
12 pounds of tomatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary) chopped
3 tablespoons dried herbs (basil, parsley)
6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
Directions
2. Remove the peppers and garlic from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Remove the garlic from the bulb and place in a food processor and add the peeled, cut tomatoes. Process until just slightly chunky.
5. Remove from heat and remove lid. Let sit 5 minutes before removing from the canner. Let sit for 12 hours and then check the lids to make sure they sealed.
Whenever I make BBQ anything, I try to make my own sauce. I love the flavors of homemade and the deliciousness it brings to my recipes .
One thing about making homemade is that you can throw in virtually any combinations of ingredients to make your own flavor. If you want it to taste sweet–add some honey. If you want it to have some heat–throw in some cayenne pepper. If you want it to have a more vinegary taste–add more vinegar! The ideas are endless when it comes to BBQ sauce.
Here is my basic recipe. It is so good Hope you enjoy!
Homemade BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of paprika
Directions
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes.
Last year, when my tomato bounty was so plentiful, I was looking for things to make and ran upon a homemade spaghetti sauce mix.
This is HANDS DOWN, the best way to make spaghetti sauce.
Yes it takes a while.
Yes your kitchen will get a little warm.
But ya know what?
Your stomach and your spaghetti noodles will thank you over and over again for this delicious sauce!
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup celery, finely chopped
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 16-ounce can tomato sauce
- 4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
- ½ tablespoon oregano
- ½ tablespoon basil
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6-ounce can tomato paste
- ½ cup fresh mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 1 medium carrot, grated (optional)
- ½ cup black olives, chopped (optional)
Directions
- In a large pot, sauté garlic, onion and celery over medium heat.
- Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for three hours. Serve over pasta.
In my photo, you notice it does not have the optional items, but you can add those in and create a very chunky sauce. For a more smoother sauce like mine, use an immersion blender and puree the sauce. For a chunkier version, just follow the recipe to the letter
My son is a major chocolate milk drinker. He can go through two bottles of syrup a week ( you know the Hershey brand right?).
Anyway, I started looking for a homemade version of chocolate syrup and of course, The Hillbilly Housewife had just the recipe I needed! Have I mentioned how much I love her stuff?
The recipe is simple, easy, and you should have all these items all in your pantry if you keep it stocked like I do!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup tap water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
In a pan, mix together the water and the cocoa. Add the sugar and continue to stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and boil for a full 3 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat. Add the salt and vanilla, stirring to blend.
Once the mixture is completely mixed together, you can pour it in whatever container you have. I just used some little canning jars I had sitting around the house. Now you can use it for chocolate milk, sundaes, or ice cream. It also makes a good dipping chocolate for fruit!
Photo courtesy of Google Images
One of my newest recipes this year is homemade cranberry sauce. Stephen likes the jellied canned kind, but I have been dying to try homemade, so he is having canned, but I am also fixing homemade!
The recipe that I am going to be using is coming from All Recipes. I love that place.
Here it is. Hope you enjoy!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 (12 ounce bag) fresh cranberries
- *1/4 cup orange juice (optional)
Directions
- In a saucepan, bring sugar, water, and salt to a boil stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.
- Stir in the cranberries and reduce heat to a simmer. Stir until sauce is thickened and cranberries begin to break open, about 15-20 minutes.
- Cool for about an hour and allow cranberry sauce to thicken.
Hi! I am Jen--a wife to the most amazing man ever and a homeschool mom to one teenager. I just graduated my oldest.
I have been blogging since 2007. I love to watch movies, spend time in the kitchen, crochet, dance, drink coffee, and lay on the beach. Between recipes, reviews, and hilarious life story moments you'll find many helpful posts on this blog. Welcome, pull up a chair and stay for a while!
Getting ready to watch one of my favorite people graduate. I will not cry. I will not cry. Oh...who… http://t.co/qPHZjJXkGf - jennifer_sikora- @WritingPadDad thanks for following! - jennifer_sikora
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