Wordless Wednesday *Linky* Homemade BBQ

My wonderful husband has been making tasty dinners for Sunday Night Football every week! This week, he outdid himself. He made Eastern NC style (vinegar based) BBQ from scratch with homemade coleslaw too! We put them on buns, added chips and dived into a melt-in-your-mouth entree.

In case you were curious, here's the recipe:

Eastern North Carolina BBQ Sauce (allrecipes.com)

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (Tabasco), or to taste

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine together in a crock pot with a (boneless) pork shoulder and let cook on low heat for about 20 hours. When done it will be cooked through and easy to pull apart.

Coleslaw: Combine shredded cabbage, miracle whip, and celery salt to taste.

Bon Appetit!

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Refrigerator Oatmeal Breakfast

Stephen actually found this recipe, which turned out to be delicious. I want to give thanks to Monica over at "The Yummy Life" for sharing such a wonderful treat. Now I want to share it again with you because a delicious, inexpensive, easy breakfast.

Delicious Ingredients

For the base of the recipe you will need:

• mason jars (1/2 pint or 1 pint)
• reusable lids for the jars
• Old Fashion Oats (not instant or quick)
• Almond milk
• Greek yogurt
• Chia seeds* 

On top of this basic recipe you can add all sorts of fruit and flavors to make the taste just what you want it to be and become even more delicious. Monica has all sorts of variations at "The Yummy Life."

Adding all the ingredients together!

The first step is to add the ingredients in to the mason jars:

• 1/4 cup Old Fashion Oats
• 1/3 cup Almond Milk
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbs Chia seeds*

Then you close the lid for the jar and shake vigorously. If you are adding fresh fruit, do so after shaking so you don't smash it. This is actually pretty fun. 

Shake, Shake, Shake!

Now is the time to add fresh fruit, if you choose. So far we have only tried bananas and honey, which was delicious. Monica suggests adding bananas and cocoa that sounds amazing. You can add raspberries, blueberries, peaches, strawberries, or whatever flavors you want to. After you add the fruit, stir it in smoothly to mix it all up.

Next, make sure the lid is on tight and put it in the refrigerator. Let it sit overnight and you have a delicious breakfast waiting for you in the morning. Easy right? I thought so. 

Refrigerate overnight for a delicious, filling breakfast.

The best part about this recipe is that you can change it however you like. If you don't like almond milk, then try regular milk or another flavor. You can try a flavored Greek yogurt like honey or vanilla. You can add or take away as much as you want to make this a unique and delicious breakfast or energy meal.

All About Chia Seed

*Now for the Chia seeds...

I have never heard of supplements like this until recently, but now I love them. Chia seeds are used for energy, cardiovascular functions, digestive health, balancing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol. These are easily digestible and good for your health. They have no real taste but contains lots of Omega-3 (the good kind of fatty acids) and is an antioxidant. You simply add a tablespoon to yogurt, cereal, smoothies, salads or baked goods. Chia seeds are organic, gluten free and have no preservatives. It is a good addition to any diet. I found Chia seeds at Whole Foods, but can possibly find them at other similar stores, drug stores or amazon. [For more information]

Stephen and I love this recipe and idea in general. I am glad to share this with you. If you try this recipe I would love to hear how you liked it and what different flavors you tried. 

Banana Bread

 I love bread, so I decided I would try my hand at making some. The perfect recipe presented itself on the back of a Mrs. Filbert's butter package and turns out it's pretty delicious. 

You will need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

(I do not like nuts in my bread so I omitted that part, but then you can have banana nut bread)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Also, grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan and set it aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Once it looks something like this, add the eggs and vanilla extract until blended.

This is a great opportunity to get the kids in the kitchen to help. Zoey loved helping me mix all the ingredients together.

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk until blended, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. 

Mash the bananas. (Zoey had lots of fun with this part. We used a potato masher.)

Stir in the bananas (and walnuts if you use them).

Spread the batter into the prepared load pan.

Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center).

Let sit for about 10 minutes and then remove from pan. 

Makes 1 loaf.

Bon Appetit!

(See also on my cooking blog Savory Joy)

Teriyaki Sauce

This is more a reminder to myself than anything, but this is an amazing and easy Teriyaki sauce:


Joe Seppi's Teriyaki sauce

1/2 ounce shredded ginger, fresh chunked or powdered
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup peach nectar
1/4 cup pineapple juice (or just all pineapple)
1/2 cup soy sauce
Combine and fridge overnight.  Strain.  Throw meat in overnight to marinade.

Recipe: Twice Baked Potato Bites

We had these for dinner and they were delicious! These are similar to the potato skins you get as appetizers in restaurants, but I like them better because they have more flavor. I like to add an extra dollop of sour cream with each serving. They work great as a side or an appetizer.  Here is my recipe...

Twice Baked Potato Bites

You will need:
Medium sized potatoes
Butter
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
bacon bits
salt and pepper
(basically whatever you like on baked potatoes will work perfect for this recipe)

1. Cook potatoes in oven at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes.
2. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Place the halves of potatoes on a baking pan.
3. Add all the "baked potato" ingredients (butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, bacon bits, salt and pepper). Save some cheese and bacon for later. Mix well. It should have a mashed potato consistency.
4. Spoon this mashed potato mixture back into the potato halves.
5. Top each potato bite with shredded cheese and bacon bits.
6. Bake for about 10 mins longer or until cheese is melted.