~Damn Yankee BBQ Sauce~

~Damn Yankee BBQ Sauce~

KC-style with maple syrup & spiced rum

Ingredients:
    • 1/2 cup ketchup
    • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (Grade A Dark preferred)
    • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1/4 cup spiced rum (e.g. Kraken, Captain Morgan)
    • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tbsp Dijon or yellow mustard
    • 1/4 cup tomato paste
    • 1 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1/2 tsp onion powder (Substitute 1 small yellow onion (about 1/2 cup purée* once blended))
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder ( Substitute 4–5 garlic cloves (about 1–2 tbsp purée once blended))
    • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional but highly recommended)
    • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Whisk until smooth.
2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low. Let simmer uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and glossy.
3. Taste and tweak:
    More maple syrup = sweeter
    More vinegar = tangier
    More rum = richer (simmer extra to mellow the alcohol)
4. Cool and transfer to a clean glass jar or bottle.

Storage:
 Keeps 2–3 weeks in the refrigerator.
 Freezes beautifully for longer storage.

Serving suggestions:
Smoked ribs, pulled pork, chicken thighs
Brushed on BBQ burgers or grilled mushrooms
Dunked with reckless abandon into fries or onion rings

* How to Prepare the Purée:
    • Rough chop the onion and garlic.
    • Add them to a food processor or blender with 1–2 tbsp of the spiced rum or water to help them blend smoothly.
    • Purée until smooth.

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The story behind this recipe…
 

I was looking for a recipe for homemade BBQ sauce and all I found was Texas BBQ sauce, Kansas City BBQ sauce, Louisiana BBQ sauce… and I noticed that there were no New England BBQ sauce.

So I was using ChatGPT AI to look for recipes, so I asked it… “make a New England style BBQ sauce recipe.” it paused for a second and them spit out the recipe. I liked it, a make a few changes to it, like maple syrup instead of cane sugar and spiced rum instead of Bourbon. Hence, Damn Yankee BBQ Sauce!

~Baked Pork Chops with Apple-Stuffing Casserole~

 ~Baked Pork Chops with Apple-Stuffing Casserole~

 

Servings: 2–4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
    • 2–4 bone-in or boneless pork chops
    • 1 large apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
    • 2 cup Apple Cider
    • 1 box (or \~2 cups prepared) stuffing mix
    • 1 tablespoon butter or oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Using the apple cider instead of water, prepare the stuffing according to package directions. Set aside.
3. Season pork chops with salt, pepper.
4. Sear the pork chops (optional but adds flavor): Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with butter or oil. Sear pork chops for 2–3 minutes per side until golden. Remove from heat.
5. Assemble the casserole:
    In a greased baking dish, layer the apple slices evenly on the bottom. [Okay, I changed that... the apples goes on the top, I found that under the pork chop they get too mushy]
    Place the seared pork chops over the apples.
    Spoon the stuffing over the pork chops, covering them completely.
    Add the rest of the apple cider if you want more moisture.
6. Bake covered for 30–40 minutes, or until the pork reaches 145°F (63°C) internally. For crisper stuffing leave uncover and bake until the stuffing is golden on top.
7. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Options:

Using chicken instead of pork.

Cranberries

~ An Apple Cobbler ~

~ What’s For Breakfast? An apple cobbler. ~

Ingredients:

• 1 apple per person
• pancake mix
• Cream of Wheat
• Oatmeal
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Brown sugar
• Butter

Directions:

1. Peel, core, and dice the apple into about ½ inch pieces.
2. Place the diced apple in a zippered bag, add some brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and shake to coat the apples.
3. Place the coated diced apples in a Ramekin dish.
4. Mix the batter… ½ pancake mix, ¼ Cream of Wheat, and ¼ oatmeal and pour over the diced apples.
5. Sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon lightly over the top. I place small pads of butter on the top around the edges of the bowl.
6. Bake in a 350F over for about 25-30 minutes, or until the pancake topping is golden brown and fully cooked through. You can check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the topping—if it comes out clean, the cobbler is ready. I sometimes turn the oven to broil for the last couple of minutes to brown the top.

It also makes a good dessert!

You can also use fresh fruit instead of apples:

• Peaches
• Berries
• Cherries
• Mix fruit

~Lobster Eggs Benedict with Mock Hollandaise Sauce~

~Lobster Eggs Benedict with Mock Hollandaise Sauce~

When I was young my family had a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire and near by was Lake Sunapee and the town of Sunapee and on the shore of the lake was “The Anchorage” a restaurant. They served my favorite breakfast… Lobster Eggs Benedict!
I tried making the Hollandaise sauce but I usually ended up with watery scrambled eggs. So I make mock Hollandaise sauce…. Much easier.

You can use anytype of biscuit or muffin. I like using the classic scones for a heavier biscuit (I usually buy them from a bakery, much easier than making them.).

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs per person
• ¼ lb of lobster meat per person
• 2 slices of cheese (Your favorite cheese) person
• 1 scone per person (or English Muffin or Buttermilk biscuit) 

*****

• ¼ cup of mayonnaise
• ¼ cup of butter
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard (Optional)
• A dash of cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce (Optional)

Directions:

• While the water is heating, melt the butter in a small pan or dish, stir in the lemon juice and the cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce (Optional). Add the Dijon Mustard (Optional) and then add the mayonnaise, blend
• Poach the eggs according to the video.
• Fill a small saucepan half full of water. Add vinegar to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil, turn off the heat. Gently break 1 of the eggs into a cup or mug, taking care not to break the egg or yolk, and slowly drop the egg into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs. Cook about 4 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain. (See the video)
• While the eggs are poaching place the picked cooked lobster in a pan with a little butter and add just  a bit of lemon juice and place the lobster meat in the pan, you don’t want to cook it just reheat it.
• Cut the scones in half, place half the lobster meat on both halves of the scone. Place the poached egg on the lobster meat and cover liberally with the mock Hollandaise.

 

~Pineapple and Shrimp Macaroni Salad~

~Pineapple and Shrimp Macaroni Salad~

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound pasta, you can use any small pasta, such as bowtie, shells, or elbow but elbow macaroni is a classic choice
• 1 pound shrimp , peeled and deveined
• 1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained (Reserves the liquid.)
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots diced
• ¼ cup of chives diced
• ¼ green and/or red peppers diced
• ¼ cup celery diced
• Salt & pepper to taste.

Options:

• Use OLD BAY Seafood Seasoning or Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning instead of salt and pepper.
• Add peas
• Add corn
• You can use chicken instead of shrimp.

Directions:

• Dice the cooked shrimp (I found that dicing the shrimp prevents people from picking out the shrimp for themselves.)
• Mix the shrimp, pineapple, peppers, shallots, celery, and chives together in a large bowl.
• Whisk together the mayonnaise and sour cream together in a separate bowl and slowly add the reserved pineapple juice until the mayo and sour cream has thinned out a little. You don’t want to make it too thin or it will run off the pasta and shrimp.
• Season to taste, refrigerate before serving.

*****

Because this dish contains mayonnaise, it should be kept cool to keep it from spoiling. When bring mayo to a picnic I always worry about the mayo going bad, I found this nice two quart insulated bowl that you put in the refrigerator before and it will keep the food cool.

~Spaetzle, Sauerkraut and Sausage~

 My grandmother use make this and it was one of my favorite. Simple and easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Spaetzle (See recipe here)
• Kielbasa (You can also use any other German sausage)
• Sauerkraut
• Onions
• Butter

Directions:

1. Dice an onion and make the Spaetzle,
2. Cut the Kielbasa into one inch pieces and in a frying pan cook the Kielbasa and chopped onions,
3. Drain the Sauerkraut and add it to the frying pan,
4. Continue cooking the Kielbasa, sauerkraut, and onions until most it the liquid from the sauerkraut.
5. Add the Spaetzle and continue stirring until the spaetzles are heated up.

Substitutions:

• Egg noodles for the Spaetzles.
• Add bacon or slat pork.
• Add diced apples.

~Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions~

 ~Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions~

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch medallions
• Flour for coating the pork
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup low salt chicken broth (or dry white wine)
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning or for a more Mediterranean flavor use Herbes de Provence
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste
• 2 shallots chopped
• ½ tablespoon fresh parsley chopped

Instructions:

1. Trim off excess fat and slice the pork tenderloin into about 1" thick pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Season the pork with Italian seasoning and coat each piece in flour.
3. Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pork (you may need to do this in batches) and cook for about 3 minutes/side or until they're lightly golden. Take the pan off the heat and remove the pork from the pan.
4. Stir in the garlic, Dijon mustard, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, the shallots, and then return the pan to the heat until the shallots turn transparent. Deglaze the bottom of the pan by scraping up any brown bits. Continue stirring  for about a minute.
5. On low heat stir in the cream and add the tomato paste, and let it bubble for about 2 minutes. Add the pork back in and cook for 5 minutes (you may need to turn the heat down a bit) until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
6. Sprinkle the fresh parsley over top and season with extra salt & pepper if needed. 

Substitutions:

• Chicken for the pork

~Turnovers~

I have been experimenting in making turnovers, I tried using Pillsbury Crescent rolls but it was too much like bread, then I spied Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets and they worked good!

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
• 1 8 oz. box of Cream Cheese
• ¼ cup of sugar +
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1 Egg

Options:

• Berry Medley Unsweetened All Natural Frozen
• Cherry Preserves
• Wild Blueberry Preserves

Direction:

• Thaw the pastry sheets, bring the cream cheese to room temperature, and preheat the over to 400F.
• Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and the Vanilla extract.
• Cut each pastry sheet into quarters.
• On each square put a dollop of cream cheese in the center of the square. (It will take a little experimentation to find the dollop of cream cheese) You can also either add a preserve or berries.
  
• Wet the four sides of the pastry sheet and fold over and seal with a the tines of a fork. You can place any filling on the cream cheese.
• Put a slot in the top of the turnovers to vent the turnover and brush with an egg wash, sprinkle with sugar.
• Place the turnover in the over for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Let cool and sever.

~Slow Cooked BBQ Country Ribs~

~Slow Cooked BBQ Country Ribs~

Super simply recipe.

Ingredients:

• One package of country ribs
• One cup of BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup of brown sugar
• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar

Directions:

• Place the ribs in the slow cooker and put about a ¼ inch of water in the bottom, cover and cook on high for an hour.
• While that is cooking mix the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar together.
• After an hour drain off the water and add the BBQ sauce mix until it covers the ribs with it. If there is not enough of the BBQ sauce mixture, mix some more up.
• LOW: 7 HOURS / HIGH: 3 HOURS — Ribs that are soft but stay on the bone (as shown in the video below).
• LOW: 9 HOURS / HIGH: 4-5 HOURS — Tender, fall apart in your hands ribs that melt in your mouth like butter (as shown in the image below).

Options:

• Add Yukon potatoes, carrots, and onion.
• Serve with rice. I like wild rice.

~Western Omelet~

I basically follow the traditional recipes…

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup cubed ham (Or another type of cooked meat can be used like chicken or sausage meat)
• ¼ cup diced onion
• ¼ cup diced red pepper
• ¼ cup diced green pepper
• ½ cup shredded cheddar (Or you can experiment another type cheese.)
• 1 TBS butter
• 2 TBS water
• Tabasco sauce

Directions:

• Sauté the onions and peppers in the butter. (If there is a lot of water in the ham I add them to the pans toward the end of the sauteing to cook the water out of them.)
• While they are sautéing, beat the eggs, add the water, and add a couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce to taste.
• Turn down the heat to low and pour the beaten eggs in to the pan and spread them across the bottom of pan so it is coated with the scrambled egg.
• Sprinkle the cheese on one side top of the eggs.
• On top of the same side as the cheese sprinkle on top of eggs, the peppers, onions, and meat.
• Fold over the the uncovered half eggs on to the half with the filling.

Serve with hash browns on the side.

~~Super Easy Chicken Cheesy Casserole~~

Super simple, it all out of the can, no prep work needed!

Ingredients:
    • 25 oz can Swanson Premium White Chicken Breast Chunk w/Rib Meat in Water
    • 10 oz can RO-TEL Tomatoes Diced & Green Chilies Mild
    • 15 oz jar Kraft Cheez Whiz Original Cheese Dip
    • 1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix For Chicken

Directions:
    • Drain the chicken and Ro-tel and mix together, melt the Cheez Wiz* and pour over the Ro-tel/chicken mixture and mix together.
    • Mix the stuffing mix according to the directions on the box and spread the stuffing mix on the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread the chicken mixture on top of the stuffing.
    • Place in a pre-heated 275 F oven for 20 minutes.

Now wasn’t that quick and easy dinner? It is not gourmet but it is good and filling. The ingredients keep so you can have them on-hand in a pinch.

~~Super Simply Tomato & Onion Salad~~

During late summer when the vines ripen with tomatoes it becomes the season of tomato salads and they are quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Sweet onion thinly sliced
• Cherry tomatoes (I get a medley of red and yellow cherry tomatoes for more color)
• Feta Cheese
• Chopped fresh basil
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Northern Italian Dressing (Or you can use just olive oil and Balsamic or red vine or apple cider vinegar)

Directions:

• Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl with the thinly sliced onions add the Northern Italian Dressing mix and let marinate for an hour.
• When ready to serve add the basil, parsley, and Feta cheese and toss lightly.

Now wasn’t that easy?

Options:

• Add a cucumbers
• Add an Avocado
• Add black olives such as Kalamata.
• Some recipes add red pepper flakes (But I don't like my tomato salad spicy)
  
• Some use red onion but I find to have too much bite of the raw onions and some some soke them in water to cut the bite.

~~Cream of Celery Shrimp~~

This recipe came about because of a thunderstorm, I was planning on grilling a steak when a thunderstorm popped up and drenched the coals. So, what to make with stuff on hand. I cobbled together a shrimp dinner but you could also use chicken or pork, cube them and cook them up first

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Cream of Celery soup
• Some type of onion, shallots, etc.
• Some type of pepper, 
• Shrimp
• Butter
• Wine or sherry
• Pasta or rice

Directions:

• Cook the rice or pasta according to the directions on the box.
• Saute the onions and peppers in the butter.
• Add the shrimp and stir for a few minutes.
• Add the Cream of Celery soup and stir for a few more minutes.
• Add a dash of wine, you don’t want to thin it out too much.
• Serve over the pasta or rice.