Vanilla Butter Syrup

I'm a HUGE breakfast fan.  Especially when it comes to things like pancakes and french toast smothered in syrup!  We love my Maple Syrup, but this Vanilla Butter Syrup seems to be the favorite around here.

This time we ate our Vanilla Butter Syrup on my Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast.  Yummers!

1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Combine butter, sugar, and canned milk in a medium sized pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Cook until the mixture comes to a boil and remove from the heat.  Mix in vanilla, and then baking soda; mix well.  The mixture will bubble up a lot!

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Maple Syrup

We love breakfast food at my house.  Especially anything we can smother with Maple Syrup (like Grandma's Waffles, Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast, Oven Pancakes, IHOP Pancakes or Fluffy Pancakes).  My kids like real maple syrup the best, but this homemade Maple Syrup is a close second.  And it's a little quicker and easier than making the real stuff.

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon maple extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil.  Syrup will thicken as it cools.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Pin it Thursday.

Sourdough Croutons

Oh my!  These Sourdough Croutons are SO delicious!  I couldn't stop eating them.  I think I (with a little help from the kids) ate almost half of them before dinner even started!  I had to threaten them to get them to stay out and then decided I need to stay out, too, if we were actually going to have any at dinner time.  Self control has never been one of my strong suits.  Good thing they're so darn easy to make!

1 loaf sour dough bread, cut bread into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes (about 8 to 10 cups)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss bread cubes with your hands (or a spoon) to coat well with butter.  Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. 

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Pinworthy Projects, Best of the Weekend, The Weekend re-Treat, Party in Polka Dots, Strut Your Stuff Saturday and Sweet & Savory Saturdays.

Meaty Pasta Sauce

I don't think it's possible to have too many recipes for pasta sauces.   Here is another fantastic pasta sauce recipe.  One thing that I love about this Meaty Pasta Sauce is that it is nice and thick.  You don't have to worry about it running into all of your other food.   Oh,  and it's delicious!

2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons basil (2 tablespoons fresh)
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
1/4 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon oregano (1 tablespoon fresh)
1 teaspoon Thyme (1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large pot cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until well browned; drain fat. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Mix in sugar and spices. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.   I cooked it in the crock pot this time on low for 6 hours.  I added all ingredients except the sausage at the beginning and cooked the sausage and added it the last hour.  Turned out super yummy!  And the house smelled fantastic.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes. 

Hot Fudge Sauce

We spent the day at the splash pad and decided we needed to have some hot fudge brownie sundaes for a treat.  I asked the kids if they wanted to go out to the ice cream parlor for one, or go home and make lots of them.  Making our own won out when I told the kids they could have second if we made our own.  We headed home and made brownies and Hot Fudge Sauce.  I pulled the ice cream out of the freezer to find it all freezer burnt and nasty.  I hate it when that happens.  I told my little angels that before we could eat our sundaes, we had to go buy more ice cream.

By the time we got home from the store (with a lot more than just ice cream - I seem to get sucked in every time!), it was dinner time.  My kids were heart broken that we couldn't have our sundaes until after dinner.  That left only one thing to do.....  Sundaes for dinner!

As I was debating if letting my kids have sundaes for dinner put me in the running for the best or worst mom of the year award, my sweet friend Lacey helped me to realize that we had all 5 food groups covered, so our hot fudge (black bean) brownie sundaes were a practically perfect food. :)  If only there wasn't so much sugar in them.  My kids were bouncing off the walls 2 hours after I put them to bed.  I'll consider that a lesson learned - hot fudge brownie sundaes should not be eaten for dinner.  I'll try them for breakfast next time. :)

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl combine dry ingredients and whisk until well combined and smooth. Combine milk, vanilla, and sugar in a medium sized sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted. Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks (ours never last that long :))

Recipe adapted from my neighbor Peggy.

Linked on Sweets for a Saturday. 

Guacamole

Chips and salsa are a staple at our house, but we like to change things up a bit once in a while and go with Guacamole.  This Guacamole is my go-to and is fantastic!  We also use it in tacos, nachos, 7 Layer Tostadas, and more.

3 ripe avocados, peeled with seed removed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons jalapeno, finely diced
1 tomato, diced small
3 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt to taste

Mash the avocados.  Stir in remaining ingredients. 

Recipe from unknown source - it's been around a while. :)

Linked on Tatertots & Jello and Get Your Brag On!

Praline Pecan Sauce

There are days when everything seems to go as planned.  There are other days when it seems nothing goes as planned.  Today was one of those days.  The kind that nothing seems to go as planned.  That's okay though, at least now that the day is over and it ended with a nice sundae with Praline Pecan Sauce.  :)  Any day that ends with a nice sundae topped with this fantastic Praline Pecan Sauce has got to at least okay.  Yep.  At least okay.

1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
7 Tablespoons butter (divided)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup evaporated milk

Place chopped pecans in a microwave safe bowl topped with 3 tablespoons butter. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring after each minute. Watch closely so the pecans don't burn. In another microwave safe bowl melt the remaining butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and flour. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the sugar is melted. Add canned milk and pecans and mix well.  Store in the refrigerator. 

Recipe from A Southern Fairytale.

Linked on Sweets for a Saturday.

Sugar Free Strawberry Freezer Jam

Not only is this Sugar Free Strawberry Jam sugar free, it's also sugar substitute free!  It's not as sweet as traditional sugared jam, but is every bit as delicious.  It's perfect on a slices of fresh, hot bread like French Bread or Great Harvest Honey Whole Wheat Bread.

4 pounds sweet, ripe strawberries, stems removed
2 1/3 cups apple juice
2 packages less sugar or sugar free jam pectin

Place strawberries in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher (I cheated and put mine in a food processor).  Pour apple juice in a small sauce pan and whisk in pectin.  Bring to a boil, stirring often, and boil 1 minute.  Pour hot syrup over strawberries and mix well.  Pour into 1 cup freezer containers (make sure to leave 1/2 inch at the top to allow for expansion when freezing).  Place in the refrigerator over night, then store in the freezer.  Keep opened containers in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.

Recipe adapted from 5 Dollar Dinners.

Perfect Chicken Gravy

I don't make gravy very often because I usually don't have any leftover drippings from the meat I prepare.  When I happen to have some leftover drippings, we LOVE this Perfect Chicken Gravy!  It's full of flavor and SO good!  Even my gravy haters like it.

Gravy hater "Mom, do I haaaave to have gravy?"

Me "No, you get to have gravy"

Gravy hater "Can you just put a little on a little potatoes and give me lots of potatoes without it?  Pleeeease?"

Gravy hater (after trying her potatoes with the Perfect Chicken Gravy) "Um, Mom?  Can you please put gravy on the rest of my potatoes?"

2 cups chicken drippings (I get the drippings when I roast a whole chicken)
1/2 cup celery, diced small
1/3 cup onion, diced small
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste (I like a lot of salt)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In a small sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the celery and onion and cook until tender - about 7 to 10 minutes.  Add chicken drippings, salt and pepper to veggies and heat until it starts to simmer.  Combine cornstarch with enough water to make it liquid - about 1/4 cup.  Slowly pour cornstarch mix into hot drippings while stirring the drippings.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens - about 2 minutes.

Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce

This Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce is so easy to make and is really good. Just throw everything in your crock pot and forget about it. Well, for 8 hours. The flavors are really enhanced by the long, slow cooking process. And you don't even have to do anything to it but pour it in the crock pot and then eat it. That's my kind of recipe. :)

If you like a little meat in your sauce, cook the meat and throw it in the sauce right before eating. Italian sausage is my favorite.

3 (15 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Just before serving, remove bay leaves and discard. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes.

Linked on Get Your Brag On.

Strawberry Breakfast Sauce

This Strawberry Breakfast Sauce is so easy and super tasty on french toast, pancakes, waffles, you name it. We ate it on our Luscious Lemon Pancakes and loved how well the flavors went together.

1 cup strawberry jam (I used homemade freezer jam - YUM!!)
2 teaspoons orange juice

Mix jam and juice together and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring 1/2 way through.

Chili's Salsa

We love chips and salsa at our house. As soon and my sweet hubby pulls out the chips and salsa, everyone swarms to him like flies. I can't think of another thing that will get everyone's attention like chips and salsa.

2 cans (14.5 oz each) whole tomatoes, drained
1 small (4 oz) can diced or whole jalapenos (not pickled)--about 4-5 jalapenos (or less if you don't like a lot of spice)
1/4 c. yellow onion, cut into quarters (you can also use dried minced onion)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. salt (depending on how much you prefer)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. lime juice

Combine all ingredients together into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

I also added some cilantro, just because I love the stuff.

Recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I have a recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo that I just love, but there's nothing wrong with trying out a new recipe. Especially a recipe from Olive Garden. This Alfredo Sauce turned out nice and creamy and even heated up really well the next day (although a bit thicker). Although I prefer my Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, this one was fantastic!

1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup imported Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup imported Romano cheese, grated
6 egg yolks from fresh jumbo eggs
Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off heat. Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture. Slowly add egg yolk mixture back into remaining cream mixture. Place back on very low heat and continually stir until simmering. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase temperature of egg yolks, known as tempering). Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Recipe from Olive Garden.

Olive Garden Bolognese Sauce

This Bolognese Sauce is fantastic! Not only was this my first attempt at making any type of Bolognese Sauce, but my first time eating it. I was expecting a saucier sauce, but it was fantastic just the way it was. I loved all the veggies in it, as well as the sausage and ground beef combo. The entire family really enjoyed it as well.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
6 oz Italian sausage, skinned
1 cup red wine
18 oz can crushed tomatoes, chopped (ground)
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped (1/4 tsp dry)
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped (1/4 tsp dry)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan. Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and cook about 5 minutes. Add meat and cook 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Deglaze pan with wine; let reduce. Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer for about 1 hour. Serve over fresh, hot pasta.

Recipe from Olive Garden.

Vanilla Breakfast Pudding Sauce

I love pancakes. My love for pancakes is no secret around this house, or anywhere for that matter. My favorite way to eat them is buttered and sprinkled with powdered sugar, then topped with fresh fruit. I do like syrup just fine, but I usually like things a little lighter in the morning. When I found this sauce, it was a must try! I mean, who wouldn't adore pudding (sauce) for breakfast? And with pancakes, no doubt. The sauce was a fun change from the standard syrup the kids have on their pancakes. While they all enjoyed it, they seem to prefer the sugar high that comes from the syrup. :)

I made my Perfect Pancakes to top with Vanilla Pudding Sauce and then with Blueberry Breakfast Sauce.

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Whisk together milk and egg thoroughly, and gradually stir in. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till mixture comes to a boil. Don't try to rush the boiling or you may end up with scrambled eggs. Not good! Boil for at least 1 minute, still stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm or chilled.

Recipe from Creations by Kara.

Blueberry Breakfast Sauce

Want a yummy topping for your pancakes, waffles or french toast other than syrup? This Blueberry Breakfast Sauce may be just what you're looking for. It's sweet, fruity, and lighter than syrup. The kids liked the Blueberry Breakfast Sauce, but prefer syrup. I loved the sauce, but I think I will add a teaspoon or so of lemon zest next time. Lemon and blueberries just seem to go together. For me anyway....

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a 2-qt. saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water. Add blueberries; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or cold over French toast, pancakes or waffles.

Recipe from All Recipes.

Linked on Sweet for a Saturday #51.

Green Tomato Salsa Verde

I had a bunch of green tomatoes sitting in my garden (box) that I just didn't have the heart to let freeze, so I picked them. After I picked them, I decided to make Green Tomato Salsa Verde. YUM!!! I had enough (along with the donation of a sweet neighbor :)) to make 7 batches of Green Tomato Salsa Verde! I had to defrost my freezer in order to make it all fit. That was a chore but well worth being able to freeze this amazing salsa verde.

We ate some with chips and crackers dipped in it and then some with shredded chicken over rice. I will also use it for Chicken Enchiladas, Green Chile Chicken Chili and more.

2 pounds firm, green tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 green jalapeño chilies (for a medium-hot salsa) or serrano chilies (for a hotter salsa), stems (and, if preferred, seeds) removed, quartered
3 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Combine the green tomatoes, onion, chili peppers, garlic, salt, cumin, and water in a stock pot. Bring to a boil and cook covered on a medium-low heat burner for approximately ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water only if needed to maintain the most minimal broth. Stir in and simmer for an additional five minutes the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey (or sugar), and cilantro. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning, if needed, by adding more lemon juice, honey, and/or salt, to taste. Allow mixture to cool until it is warm and spoon the mixture (in batches if necessary) into the container of a food processor or blender and pulse until the salsa reaches the consistency you prefer, either chunky or a smooth puree. Makes approximately one quart of salsa, which should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. This recipe may be doubled or tripled.

Recipe adapted from Modern Comfort Food.

Creamy BBQ Sauce

Oh YUM!!! Have you ever found things that are good, but when you mix them together (instead of just piling them on top of each other) are, like, 10 times better? Well, this is one of them. It is amazing on burgers, sandwiches, or, my personal favorite, to dip sweep potato fries in. Helloooo heaven!!

1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used lite)

Mix until smooth.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Italian Crockpot Chicken

This sauce is SO good. As in, I-could-drink-it, good. Well, almost. So good. So easy.

We usually eat it over pasta, but it is also very good over rice.

2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 (0.7 oz) pouch dry Italian dressing mix
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
4 chicken breasts, diced

Place chicken in the bottom of a crock pot. Top with soup, cream cheese, Italian seasoning and dressing mix. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.

Recipe from my friend Bonnie

The BEST Teriyaki Sauce Ever

Yep. I really mean it. This really is the BEST teriyaki sauce ever! I really haven't tried all the recipes out there, but I have tried quite a few, and this is the best. The one. The only. I will never have need to try out another recipe for teriyaki sauce again.

My little (big) guy just turned 12 and requested Asian food for dinner. This teriyaki is the beginning of the feast I made for him. He was so pleased about his dinner and even thanked me again the next morning for "the best food you have ever made". He even told me that my food was better than his schools food. Don't know how much of a compliment that was, but I will take it.

This teriyaki sauce is great added to stir fry, as a dip or as a marinade. The sauce is a bit on the thin side, so if you like a thicker sauce for dipping, mix a little corn starch and water together and add at the end.

2/3 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 dash red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste

Bring mirin to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, and black pepper; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Recipe from Allrecipes.