Chipotle-Peach Barbecue Grillin' Sauce

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Oh, how I love making my own grilling and barbecue sauces!  In fact, I have many sauces, glazes and dipping creations that I've never posted here on my blog.  I'm particularly proud of this one.   When fresh fruits come into season, my mind starts whirling with flavor combinations and ideas.    That's how this sauce was born.  Fresh peach puree and peach nectar along with a rich tomato base, and kicking it up with smokey chipotle peppers...oh my, so scrumptious!  It's my very own secret recipe, so, let's keep it just between us, okay?


For the barbecue sauce you'll need:

1 medium sweet onion diced
4 Tbs. butter
4 cloves of garlic peeled and diced
1 large peach peeled and diced
1 15 oz. can of pureed tomatoes
1 11.3 oz. can of peach nectar [I used Jumex]
1 6 oz. tomato paste
3/4 cup of molasses
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. each dijon mustard and honey
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce roughly chopped
1 tsp. each white pepper, sea salt and cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. each cayenne, ground chipotle pepper and paprika
black pepper to taste

In a medium size stove top saucepan, heat the butter together with the onions over medium-high heat.  Cook until the onions are translucent.  Season with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.  Next, add the garlic and diced peach.  Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes to cook the garlic.


Lower the heat and add the peach nectar, pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, molasses, honey, dijon mustard, chipotle peppers brown sugar and all of the seasonings.  Stir well and bring to a boil.


Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour to allow the sauce to thicken and reduce.


Pour the sauce into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. 


Use immediately or store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.  Yield: approximately 4 cups


Cook's note:
The peach nectar  that I used for this sauce is found in the Hispanic foods section of the grocery store.  For those of you who may not be familiar, it looks like this....

Logan's Brown Butter Baby Lima Beans & Ham

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 I'd like to introduce you to my foodie sister and friend, Sherri.   Sherri and I met when I won the National Flour Power Competition sponsored by The popular online recipe club called, "Just A Pinch Recipe Club" [JAP] of which Sherri and I are both members.  Part of my winnings was to attend a  live Showcase event held in Franklin Tennessee where I recreated my winning cake in front of a large audience of JAP members.   Sherri was the emcee and previous winner with her "Smokin' Baby Got Back Ribs."  We met for dinner the night before the Showcase, and we bonded instantly over our love of cooking and sharing. What a fun and unforgettable day we had on the day of the Showcase!   She is an award winning cook, and I'm delighted she's joined me in my kitchen.  Sherri, welcome and thank you for stopping by to share a recipe in my Southern Kitchen! 
  I'm originally from VA and we Southerners love our lima beans, butter beans, pinto beans, heck we just love our beans!  I wanted to share this recipe with y'all. I love sharing, swapping, creating recipes. I hope that you enjoy my recipe. It's really quick, easy and delicious. Enjoy. I ♥ U twin. sw☺


Brown Butter Baby Lima Beans & Ham

1/2 stick butter, unsalted-more if you prefer
1 medium shallot, sliced thin
1/3 lb. ham on bone sliced, cooked and cut
16 oz. baby lima beans, frozen
1 tsp. beau monde seasoning or to taste *seasoning salt"
1/2 tsp course black pepper
2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes-optional
chives to garnish

Add butter to a medium high heat skillet. Whisk butter frequently to prevent burning. Butter will be ready when it's golden brown and nutty. Reduce heat.

Add shallots to skillet and saute for 1 minute. Add ham and continue to saute for another minute.

Add lima beans and remaining seasoning to pan. Simmer for 15 minutes or until lima beans are fork tender. Garnish with chives

Y'all ain't gonna believe this, but I even made a lima bean sammie with my leftovers....Yes, I indeed went there! LOL it was so, so good. sw
Here's a link to Sherri's Ribs :  http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/pork/smokin-baby-got-back-ribs-3.html?p=1

Wendy's Autumn Pumpkin Cupcakes

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 These delightful Autumn inspired pumpkin cupcakes were created by my friend Wendy. Wendy is a fabulous pastry chef and I invited her to share this recipe on my Facebook wall. The response was so overwhelmingly positive, I decided to add it to my blog archives so it could be referenced again and again. Thanks for sharing, Wendy!
For the cupcakes you'll need
2 c flour
1 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
2 c sugar
1 t vanilla
¾ c vegetable oil
1 – 15 oz can 100% pumpkin
Preheat oven to 350 and line cupcake pans with liners. Makes about 20.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spice and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin and mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry, mix well, being careful not to over mix.
Fill liners ¾ full, bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes. Or until, top springs back when touched. 
Cool in pans 10 minutes, and then remove to racks to cool completely.
When cooled completely, you can frost with whipped cream or cream cheese icing…I personally like to drape them in the cream cheese icing! Then drizzle with caramel sauce.  
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz butter
1 t vanilla
1 t lemon juice
3 c powdered sugar

 In a large mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes. Scraping bowl as necessary, add vanilla and lemon juice, mixing well. Add powdered sugar and beat until very smooth, creamy and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

Caramel Sauce
½ c butter
1 c brown sugar
¾ c heavy cream
¼ t salt
1 t vanilla

 Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add sugar stir until blended, whisk in cream and salt. Bring to a gentle boil and cook 5 minutes, boiling gently and whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool then store in air tight container in refrigerator. I use a squirt bottle (like the type ketchup or BBQ sauce comes in at a restaurant) This can be made a couples days in advance, just pop in microwave to warm just enough to drizzle. Microwave at 15 second intervals.

Logan's Sweet Sausage Fried Potato Hash

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This is another Logan's special from my foodie sister, Sherri.  This quick and easy dish is packed with flavor and down home goodness!  Sherri can turn the most ordinary ingredients into a masterpiece stovetop meal in a snap. This sweet sausage fried potato hash could be served for breakfast or dinner with scrambled eggs or a frittata. No fuss, equals less stress and lots of smiles!

You'll need:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pkg Johnsonville brown sugar honey sausage, cut in bite size pieces
2 cups parboiled potatoes, cut in bite size pieces...2 Tbs. Italian parsley,chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 Tbsp all purpose Greek seasoning [more or less to taste]

Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet and fry sausage until golden brown. Remove sausage from skillet.

Add remaining olive oil to skillet. Saute onion, peppers and garlic for a minute or so. Add potatoes, parsley and seasoning to skillet. Fry for 2 minutes flip and fry. Add sausage back to skillet. Continue to fry until potatoes are golden brown and tender.

Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits

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Buttermilk biscuits, served with a rich sausage gravy or topped with eggs, bacon, country ham, jelly or jam are a staple in the South.  If you placed any number of Southern cooks together, I would imagine that none of them would make their biscuits exactly the same way.  Each cook would have their own favorite techniques and tricks that have been handed down from their Mothers and Grandmothers.  Biscuits to me are sort of a heritage bread, bridging the gap between modern day cooks and those who came before us.  When I bite into a biscuit, I can be instantly transported to my Mothers and Grandmothers tables, on any day of the week.  Biscuits come in many flavors, but this basic buttermilk biscuit is probably the one that people most often make and enjoy.

You'll need:
dry ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
3/4 tsp. salt
wet ingredients:
1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening/butter [I used butter flavored shortening]
3/4-1 cup cold buttermilk
melted butter or heavy cream to brush the tops

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Sift together the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.


Cube the shortening then cut it into the dry ingredients.  You can do this by hand with a pastry blender or with your food processor, until it becomes crumbly and resembles peas. 


Stir in the cold buttermilk,  just until the dough is thoroughly moistened. Sometimes I use 3/4 cup and sometimes as much as 1 cup of buttermilk.  The dough shouldn't be overly wet, but, slightly sticky.


Roll out on a lightly floured surface about 3/4 inches thick and cut into rounds. Brush off an excess flour.  If you overwork your dough, it can make the biscuits dry.


Brush the tops with melted butter or heavy cream and bake at 450 degrees for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden and puffy. 


Brush with softened butter or margarine and serve hot. Yield: 7-8 3 inch biscuits or 10 2 inch biscuits

dragon noodles $2.04 recipe / $1.02 serving

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dragon noodles

$2.04 recipe / $1.02 serving

Ooooh lawdie. This is my new favorite quick fix! It takes about 15 minutes, is totally rich, flavorful, and SUPER SPICY. Like, "burn a hole through your stomach" spicy. Call me crazy, but sometimes I want that. No, I crave that.

So, this one goes out to all of you heat seekers!

The simple sauce for this recipe uses only pantry staples and perfectly balances sweet, salty, and spicy. The richness of the butter helps smooth everything out, cilantro adds a fresh note, and the green onions lend a savory back note. It all just works and it happens to be incredibly simple. That's what I'm talkin' about.

I made a small two serving batch because I just wanted something quick and easy. You could easily scale this up, if needed. If you want a heartier dish, try using two eggs rather than just one. Also, I used two tablespoons of butter, which made for a very rich and delicious sauce, but I suspect that it would still be amazing if you cut the butter in half.

If you can't find the same noodles that I used, don't fret. You could make this with ramen type noodles or even regular linguine. The noodles are just the vehicle for all of the other yummy ingredients!

Spicy Noodles

Total Recipe cost: $2.04
Servings Per Recipe: 2
Cost per serving: $1.02
Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 10 min. Total: 15 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
4 oz.	lo mein noodles	$1.13
2 Tbsp	butter	$0.20
1/4 tsp	crushed red pepper	$0.02
1 large	egg	$0.25
1 Tbsp	brown sugar	$0.02
1 Tbsp	soy sauce	$0.02
1 Tbsp	sriracha (rooster sauce)	$0.08
1 handful	fresh cilantro	$0.22
1 sliced	green onion	$0.06
TOTAL		$2.04

STEP 1: Begin to boil water for the noodles. Once the water reaches a full boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil for 5-7 minutes).

STEP 2: While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the sauce. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.

STEP 3: In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-low heat. Add the red pepper to the butter as it melts. Whisk an egg in a bowl and then add to the melted butter. Stir gently and cook through. Once the egg is done cooking, turn off the heat.

STEP 4: When the noodles are tender, drain the water and then add them to the skillet with the cooked egg. Also add the prepared sauce. Turn the heat on to low to evaporate excess moisture, and stir until everything is coated well with the sauce. Sprinkle the sliced green and cilantro leaves (whole) on top and serve!

Step By Step Photos

These are the noodles that I used, but you could use any other kind. Ramen or regular linguine would probably be good too. I used half of this 8 oz. pack for two servings. Cook the noodles according to the package directions.


While waiting for the pasta water to boil, mix up the sauce. Stir together the brown sugar, soy sauce, and sriracha.


Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the crushed red pepper to the butter as it melts.


Whisk the egg in a bowl...


Pour the whisked egg into the melted butter and gently stir until cooked. If the noodles are not done cooking yet, turn the heat off on the skillet so that the eggs don't over cook.


When the noodles are finished cooking, drain the water off and then add them to the skillet along with the prepared hot sauce.


Turn the heat on to low to help evaporate excess moisture and stir everything to coat it in the sauce. Lastly, sprinkle the sliced green onion and cilantro leaves over top. I didn't even bother to chop the cilantro. Deeeelish!

(not) sun dried tomato sauce $1.17 recipe

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(not) sun dried tomato sauce

$1.17 recipe

You know those little jars of sun dried tomatoes packed in delicious herb infused olive oil that cost about $5 a pop? This is just like that, except not. Ha!

This was completely a happy accident and now my life will never be the same. I started out wanting to make something similar to this magic sauce, but was going to use it as a base for my homemade pizza tonight, so I added some tomato paste to make it more, well, pizza-like. When I gave it a taste I was absolutely stunned. it tasted just like those oil packed sun dried tomatoes!

I was so happy because nearly every time I'm at the store I want to buy them, but the price always holds me back. Now I know I can make something that tastes really, really similar and for VERY little money.

So, what do you do with this "sauce"? Well....

• Use it as a pizza sauce (like I'm going to do tonight)
• Toss warm pasta in it, and then top with some parmesan cheese
• Use it as an uber flavorful sandwich spread (best with focaccia or other hearty bread)
• Use in place of garlic butter on sliced french bread for a tomatoey version of garlic toast
• Just go ahead and dip really good, crusty bread in it!

It's so good that I'm sure you can come up with a million more yummy things to do with it!

(not) Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Total Recipe cost: $1.17
Servings Per Recipe: variable, about 1/2 cup total
Prep time: 0 min. Cook time: 5-10 min. Total: 10 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1/3 cup	olive oil	$0.64
1 clove	garlic, minced	$0.08
1/2 tsp	dried oregano	$0.03
1/2 tsp	dried basil	$0.03
1/4 tsp	dried thyme	$0.02
1/4 tsp	dried rosemary	$0.02
a pinch	crushed red pepper	$0.02
10-15 cranks	freshly cracked pepper	$0.02
1/2 tsp	salt	$0.02
3 oz.	tomato paste	$0.27
1/2 tsp	honey	$0.02
TOTAL		$1.17

STEP 1: Add the olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to a small skillet. Stir and heat the mixture over low heat for about 3-5 minutes. It's okay if it sizzles slightly, but you don't want it to get hot enough that the herbs burn.

STEP 2: Add the tomato paste and honey. Allow it to heat through as you stir. It will not form a smooth sauce. Continue to stir and heat over low for about 5 minutes or until you notice the tomato paste has darkened slightly. Either use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use!

NOTE: If you don't have all of the herbs listed above, you can still make a pretty good version of this. The thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper, and freshly cracked pepper are optional. Of course, for the most flavor use them all :)

Step By Step Photos

Start by adding the olive oil, garlic, and all of the herbs to a skillet (basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, crushed red pepper, salt, cracked pepper). Heat over low for a few minutes. It's okay if the oil sizzles just slightly, but don't let it burn.


Cooking it for a few minutes helps infuse the oil with the herbal flavor and cooks out the raw garlic flavor.


Next add your tomato paste. This is actually tomato paste that I had frozen. I never seem to use the entire can (even those it's one of those tiny 6 ounce cans), so I always put the rest in a small zip top bag and freeze it.


Also add the honey. Cook and stir over low heat until it's heated through and the tomato paste has darkened slightly (see the difference between the vibrant red in the last picture and this deep crimson color?). That should take about 5 minutes. Now it's ready to use! (this picture is actually before I added a full 3 ounces of tomato paste, so it looks a little scant.)


It makes about a half cup. The "sauce" will not be a smooth, cohesive mixture because of the oil/water thing happening. But, that doesn't mean it's not delicious! If you're spreading it on bread or something, just make sure to get some of the tomato paste and some of the oil. The oil balances the extreme tanginess of the tomato.


Can you almost TASTE it?!

taco stuffed shells $14.65 recipe / $1.47 serving

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taco stuffed shells

$14.65 recipe / $1.47 serving

But Mom! Everyone else is doing it!

I don't know who the first person was to stuff pasta shells with taco fillings, but it's definitely a good idea. I kept seeing taco shells around the internet, so I had to make some, Budget Bytes style.

I made this recipe affordable by using homemade enchilada sauce (takes less than ten minutes), homemade taco seasoning (takes about two minutes), and beans cooked from dry in my slow cooker (cooked ahead of time and kept in the freezer until used). It took a little thinking ahead, but it definitely saved some bucks.

This recipe ended up being a little more work than I anticipated and I dirtied more dishes than I like to, but in the end it was well worth it. It made a HUGE batch of ten large servings, nearly all of which went into my freezer. I've been eating these amazing shells for almost a week now and have yet to get tired of them!

I didn't realize that the ground beef I bought was in a 1.5 lb. package instead of just one pound, so thats part of why it made so much. You could also do this with just beans and no meat if you want it even less expensive!

I paired this with some cilantro lime rice and I was a happy, happy girl.

Taco Stuffed Shells

Total Recipe cost: $14.65
Servings Per Recipe: 10 (four shells each)
Cost per serving: $1.47
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 Tbsp	olive oil	$0.16
2 cloves	garlic	$0.16
1 medium	yellow onion	$0.49
1.5 lb.	ground beef	$6.09
2 cups	black beans	$0.56
2 cups	pinto beans	$0.56
1 recipe	taco seasoning	$0.34
1 tsp	salt	$0.05
12 ounces	jumbo shells	$2.78
1 recipe	red enchilada sauce	$0.77
2 cups	shredded cheese	$2.50
3-4 whole	green onions	$0.19
TOTAL		$14.65

NOTE: If you don't want to make your own beans, taco seasoning, and enchilada sauce, here are the store bought equivalents: 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, 1 (15 ounce) can of pinto beans, 1 packet of taco seasoning, and one (28 ounce) can of enchilada sauce.

STEP 1: Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil until soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).

STEP 2: Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned. Mix together the taco seasoning ingredients while the beef is browning. Once the beef is fully cooked through, add the taco seasoning and stir to combine. Drain the beans and add to the skillet. Stir until combined. Taste and season with salt as needed (I used about 1 teaspoon).

STEP 3: Allow the beef and bean filling to sit while you cook the pasta shells. Bring a large pot to a boil, add the shells and cook just until tender. Be sure not to over cook the shells or they will be soft and difficult to fill. While the pasta shells are cooking, prepare the enchilada sauce.

STEP 4: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the shells in a colander and rinse with cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Spray the inside of a 9x13 inch casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells with the beef and bean filling and place in the casserole dish. It's okay if they're not aligned neatly or if they topple over and spill some filling, it will still be good.

STEP 5: Once all of the shells are filled and in the casserole dish, pour the prepared enchilada sauce over top and then add the shredded cheese. Cook in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through (all ingredients are already cooked, so there is no real danger of undercooking here. You just want to get it all HOT).

STEP 6: Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top after it comes out of the oven. Serve hot!

Step By Step Photos

Start by dicing the onion and mincing the garlic. Add them to a LARGE skillet with the olive oil and cook over medium heat until soft and transparent.


Add the ground beef and continue to cook until it is FULLY browned.


While the beef is browning, mix up your taco seasoning (or use a store bought packet).


Once the beef is fully cooked, add the taco seasoning and stir until combined.



Add the drained beans (because WE LOVE BEANS!). Stir until combined. Taste and add more salt if needed (I added about one teaspoon).


Next, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Make sure to not let them get too soft or they'll be all wobbly and difficult to fill. Also, while the pasta is boiling away, you can quickly prepare the enchilada sauce (because it only takes 5-10 minutes).



Drain the pasta and rinse it with cool water until it's cool enough to handle. Spray a LARGE casserole dish with non-stick spray. Fill the shells and place them in the casserole dish. I found the easiest way to fill them is to hold a shell in one hand and fill it with a spoon using the other. Now, the shells WILL topple over and spill their guts, but that's okay because when you serve it you'll just be scooping everything up anyway.



Pour the enchilada sauce alllll over the whole thing. This is where it starts to get really good. Preheat your oven to 350, too.


Cover that sucker with cheese and pop it in the oven. Cook it at 350 for about 30 minutes or until the whole thing is hot and the cheese is nice and melty on top.


And then you're in taco shell heaven. Oh yeah, sprinkle the green onions over top after it comes out of the oven.


As usual, I portioned the whole thing out before refrigerating. I actually ran out of containers, that's how much it made. Most of these containers ended up in the freezer after they cooled in the fridge. I also added a scoop of cilantro lime rice to each container. I've been having very, VERY happy lunches ever since! :D