Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 teaspoons Raul's rub
1 teaspoon sazon completa
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Directions
Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and saute the onions and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the spices and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the zest and ginger and cook for an additional minute. Add the vinegar, tomato paste, honey, mustard, soy sauce and orange juice and simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes, until thick.

Courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa

Spiral Mac and Cheese

Ingredients
2 tbsps unsalted butter, plus 1 1/2 tsps
2 tbsps olive oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarse breadcrumbs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 lb cheese of your choice (I usually mix Cheddar and Gruyere)
1 lb spiral pasta

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F (gas mark 4) and grease a casserole dish with butter
2. Heat 1 1/2 tsps butter and 1 1/2 tsps olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides; then cook garlic and breadcrumbs, stirring until crumbs are golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.
3. Cook macaroni in a large pot of salted water until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 1 Tbl. olive oil.
4. Melt 2 Tbsps butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat; then add flour and cook, whisking, 2 minutes, allowing the mixture to foam. Slowly whisk in milk, cream, and mustard. Simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Add cheeses to the sauce and remove from heat. Add salt to taste.
5. Add macaroni and sauce to the casserole dish, mixing well. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake casserole on centre rack for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Courtesy of The Nest

Red Velvet Cake

My all-time favourite - this is a Magnolia recipe. However, I sometimes substitute sour cream for the buttermilk and it always comes out amazing!

Cake
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2¼ cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
6 Tbl. red food coloring
3 Tbl. unsweetened cocoa
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1½ tsp. salt
1½ cups buttermilk
3⅓ cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1½ tsp. cider vinegar
1½ tsp. baking soda
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and lightly flour 3 (9x2-inch) round cake pans and line bottoms with waxed paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time; beat well.

In a small bowl, whisk food coloring, cocoa and vanilla. Add to batter and beat well. In a measuring cup, stir salt into buttermilk. Add to batter in three parts, alternating with flour. In a small bowl, stir together cider vinegar and baking soda. Add to batter and mix well.
Divide batter among 3 pans. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Let cool for 1 hour. Remove from pans and frost.

Vanilla Frosting
1½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 to 10 cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cup milk
1 Tbl. vanilla extract

Place butter in a large mixing bowl; then add 4 cups sugar, milk and vanilla.
Using an electric mixer, beat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition, until it’s a good consistency for spreading.

(Photo courtesy of thenest.com)

Amparo's Chili (Frito Pie)

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
Chopped onions
1 can chopped stewed tomatoes
Chili seasoning (to taste)
1 can chili beans (pinto beans in chili sauce)
Salt, pepper, garlic salt
Garnishes: Fritos or tortilla chips/strips, spring onions, sour cream, shredded cheese

Saute the beef with onions and salt, pepper, and garlic salt until cooked through. Add tomatoes, chili seasoning, and beans. If using regular canned pinto beans, add water to desired consitency.

Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes - 1 hour, tasting throughout.

Serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, spring onions (green onions) and fritos or smashed tortilla chips on the side.

Serves 4

Deep fried oreos

Deep-Fried Oreos
From Shirley London
October 22, 2003

Deep-Fried Twinkies, fried chocolate bars and now fried cookies have been selling like hot cakes at fairs around the nation recently.

The chefs behind these sugary fried treats say success depends on the batter, which insulates the fried object from direct contact with the oil. If the batter is done right, it will become an edible shell and protect its the melted innards.

Shirley London shared the recipe for her deep-fried Oreo cookie treat with Good Morning America.

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk pancake mix

3/4 cup ice water

1 quart vegetable oil

1 sleeve of Oreo cookies (14 each)

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Freeze cookies for 3 hours.

2. In a heavy-gauge 3-quart saucepot heat oil to 350 degrees F.

3. While oil is heating, set up a sheetpan with paper towels for draining.

4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl stir water into buttermilk pancake mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. As soon as batter is smooth, dip each cookie, one at a time, into batter and smooth batter, making a thin coat completely around the cookie. Place coated cookie carefully into hot oil. Repeat for each cookie. Fry on both sides, turning over once until golden brown.

5. Remove fried cookie from hot oil with metal tongs and drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners sugar.

6. Let cool slightly (about 2 minutes) before serving.

(The above recipe is slightly different from the original so that consumers can make it at home.)

Shirley London and Food Stylist Karen Pickus contributed to this food report.

Corn Souffle

* I will just say that I've never met a person who does not love this recipe. If you're making this in London, you can find everything you need at Partridge's in Sloane Square*

Ingredients
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread or corn muffin mix
2 14.5 oz cans of creamed corn
4 eggs
16 oz carton of sour cream
2 sticks butter

Preparation
Melt butter in 6" deep casserole(I usually melt in microwave and then pour into casserole dish)

Beat eggs and then mix all the rest of the ingredients into eggs.(You don't need a special mixer,mixing well with fork or spoon is sufficient)

Pour mixture into casserole dish.Do not stir.Butter will just pool up around sides and this is fine.

Bake at 350 for 45 min.When knife comes out clean from center,it is done.Enjoy!

Source: Tia Berta