Family BBQ

Often on summer nights we will fire up the grill and have a little family BBQ. My dad grilled up some ribs tonight, and I have to say that they were really good. We had peas and potato chips on the side. I'm hoping that maybe next time I can make some potato salad. The latest issue of Food Network Magazine came the other day, and it has 50 different recipes for potato salad. I hope to try it out soon.

This was actually the first time we had a real BBQ. Normally when we grill we usually have hamburgers or hot dogs. Sometimes we also grill chicken or steaks. We usually don't grill ribs. However, I will say that if you want to have a good BBQ, you have to have a good BBQ sauce. Unfortunately most BBQ sauces contain wheat or something else that I can't have. So I decided to make my own. It actually turned out pretty good.

Ellen's Sweet BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
dash A1 Steak Sauce

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Serve.

To be honest, this is something that I sort of just threw together. I used dark brown sugar because that was what we had. You can use light brown sugar if you want. I'm not sure it will make a big difference.

I hope that we get to have more BBQs later this summer. I'm planning an Asian BBQ for Friday. It's going to be a blast.

End of the Year

Hey guys,

Yes I know it's been awhile since I last posted. That's because I've been very busy with school lately. 3 honors courses and after-school activities have taken up a lot of my time, so I haven't really been able to do a whole lot of cooking. However, the school year is almost over. The last day is on Friday, and I hope that I'll be able to start posting my favorite recipes again.

So with that said, I have some things to share. First of all, I am now on Twitter, so feel free to tweet me with suggestions for new recipes or any questions related to this blog. Second,  I have managed to track down some new recipes that I hope to share with you.

By the way, remember that Super Bowl Party that I did for my final exam in my foods class. Well here's the video of the pictures.

Well that's all for now. Hope I can share some recipes with you soon.

Recipes from Super Bowl Party

Sorry it has taken me so long to do this, but I have been pretty busy with schoolwork. That said, here are the other recipes from the Super Bowl Party.

Chicken Wings
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/alton-browns-buffalo-wings-recipe/index.html

Twice Baked Potatoes
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Cheddar-Twice-Baked-Potatoes

Note: I made a slight modification. Instead of mixing the cheese in with the filling, I topped the potatoes with cheese for my family and simply left it off of my potato.

And for an added bonus, I have a video of all the photos from the party.

Gluten Free White Cake

Since I know the cake is going to take the longest, I'm doing it first today. Right now it is currently baking in the oven. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups gluten free flour (I used 1 cup rice flour and 1 cup tapioca flour)
2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking pan. Measure all ingredients in large bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into baking pan. Bake 40- 45 minutes for oblong shape (such as the football pan I'm using), 30-35 minutes for round, and 15-20 minutes for cupcakes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

The other recipes will be coming shortly. I will post them as I make each one. Have fun on Super Bowl Sunday.

PS. Since neither the Jets or the Bears made it to the Super Bowl, I'm rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl Party

For my final exam in foods class, I have to throw a dinner party. I figured that since I love fooball so much, I thought I would throw a Super Bowl Party. I have to serve 3 courses at my dinner party, and I've figured out what I want to make. I just need to get my teacher's approval, and then I can start the preparations.

My menu is as follows:

Chicken Wings
Milkshakes

Mom's Chili

Twice Baked Potatoes
Football Cake

Yes the cake will be gluten free. I will make it in the shape of a football, and then I can use my cake decorating skills to pipe decorations on it.

I will be posting all the recipes before the party as I prepare them. I hope to keep you updated on my progress as the party date gets closer.

PS: The two teams I want to see in the Super Bowl are the New York Jets and the Chicago Bears.

Macaroni Salad with Tomato Sauce

I was trying to think of something to make for dinner, and I found some leftover chicken sausage and half of a red bell pepper. I also found some elbow macaroni, and I managed to come up with this.

Ingredients:
1 package gluten free macaroni
vegetable oil
2 chicken sausages, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
2 tbsps spaghetti sauce seasoning

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile heat vegetable oil in a pan saute chicken sausage and pepper until sausage is heated and pepper is soft. Deglaze with vinegar and cook until slightly reduced. Stir in tomatoes and set aside. Meanwhile heat tomato sauce in a saucepan. Add spaghetti sauce seasoning, and simmer. When pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with warm water. Add sauce and sausage mixture and serve.

Cutting the sausage

sauteing away

sausage and peppers..yum

tomato sauce

adding the seasoning

macaroni salad with tomato sauce

Foods Assignment

Hey guys,

I know it's been awhile since I last updated this. I've been pretty busy with schoolwork and other stuff, but now I finally have some free time.

We started new classes back in November, and I'm now in a more advanced foods class. A few weeks ago, I was absent because of extracurricular activities, so I had to do a make-up lab at home. I made a chicken stir fry with vegetables. The sauce was simply 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Here are the pictures

cut chicken

cutting the veggies

stir frying

veggies

cooked veggies

chicken vegetable stir fry

Last week I did another make up lab where I made pasta with meat sauce. I don't have any pictures, but the meat sauce is as follows.

1 lb ground beef
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato paste
1 tbsp spaghetti sauce seasoning

I browned the meat, then added the tomato products and seasoning. Then I let it simmer and served it over pasta.

I hope to have more recipes soon.