Semi-Homemade Barbecue Sauce

It's so much easier to buy a bottle of barbecue sauce than it is to make it from scratch, especially with the variety and number of different brands out there. I decided to take a bottle of regular sauce and spice it up a bit to get the sweet and spicy flavors I was looking for.

You'll need:

1 (12 oz) bottle barbeque sauce

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup buffalo sauce (or you can use Tabasco or Texas Pete)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper

salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 

Serve on chicken, pulled pork, or refrigerate for later.

Homemade Spanish Rice

I got this recipe from someone I used to know. It was his mothers recipe. I edited it a bit, using Rotel to make it spicy. If you prefer, you can substitute the Rotel for regular diced tomatoes.

Browned rice

You'll need:
1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 (10 oz) can Rotel
2 cubes of chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
peas and diced carrots, if desired


In a blender, combine garlic, diced tomatoes, cumin, chicken bouillon, and pepper. Add water to make mixture a total of 2 1/2 cups. Blend until everything is thoroughly mixed and there aren't any chunks. Set aside for later use. 

Spanish rice half cooked

In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium to medium-high and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. [see "Browned rice" photo on right for exact color.]


Add contents of the blender to saucepan, careful of the steam and any splatter, cover and let simmer on low for 12 minutes. Stir occasionally. Like regular rice, you want the liquid to cook out, but it's very important to monitor because you don't want it to burn. Let sit for 5 minutes, uncovered.

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Quesadilla Casserole

This is a McCormick® Recipe Inspirations that I altered, adding more of some of the ingredients. You can find this and other Recipe Inspiration pre-measured spices at your grocery store or on McCormick®'s website.

You'll need:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans (4 oz each) tomato sauce

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp oregano leaves

1 tablespoon red pepper (optional)

7 flour tortillas (8-inch each), cut/torn in half

4 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese (or cheese of choice)

Brown ground beef with onions in large skillet, then drain. Put back into skillet and add tomato sauce, beans, corn, and green chiles. Stir in all of the spices except for the crushed red pepper, mixing well. Once mixture is brought to a boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add red pepper to taste, if desired.

Spray 13x9x2-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray and add about 1/2 cup of the beef mixture to the bottom just to cover it. Top with 7 of the tortilla halves so that they cover corner to corner and one in the middle. Next, add half of the remaining beef mixture to dish, top with half of the cheese (2 cup), and cover again with tortilla halves. Repeat with remaining beef and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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"Mushroom Bruschetta"

I had a craving for the bruschetta that's on the menu at my last job, and though I didn't have scampi butter, thyme, boursin cheese or ciabatta bread, I came up with a quick and easy recipe using only things I had around the kitchen.


I used:

1/2 can original Ro-Tel
3 tablespoons butter
1 (4 oz) can mushrooms, sliced
1/4 medium white onion, sliced
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 slices provolone cheese
1 teaspoon ground red Cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 leftover hoagie/sandwich roll, sliced 
(the hoagie I used was large enough to make 6 slices)



In a high sided skillet, melt butter with minced garlic. Drain Rotel of any excess liquid and add to skillet, along with mushrooms, onions, and all seasonings. Cover and let simmer for 5-6 minutes, or until onions are cooked, stirring occasionally. 


While the toppings are simmering, put 1/2 slice of cheese on each piece of sliced bread (or enough to cover, depending on size). Put on baking sheet and bake at 350º just long enough to lightly toast and melt cheese.

Remove bread from oven, put on plate, and put contents of skillet on top.




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Spanish-Style Couscous

I found this recipe in my Rival Crock-Pot Cookbook and decided to try it for dinner.

You'll need: 
1 pound ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth
1 small green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 1/3 cups water (for couscous)
1 cup uncooked couscous


What I added:
1 teaspoon ground Cayenne red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 extra garlic cloves (to make 4 cloves total)
1/2 cup extra sliced green olives (to make 1 cup total)
1 small (4 oz) can diced hot green chili peppers


Brown ground beef in skillet on stove, drain and discard fat. Transfer to slow cooker. Add beef broth, green pepper, onion, garlic, cumin and thyme; stir well.


Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until green pepper is tender.


Bring water to a boil over high heat in small saucepan. Stir in couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes; fluff with fork.


Stir couscous onto plates and top with beef.

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