Strawberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

   A few years ago, I came up with a recipe for Blueberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce, and it was fun and unexpected and a fabulous big hit. It was sweet and tangy and smoky and zesty and everything you want in a barbecue sauce. So then I thought, I wonder how it would taste with strawberries instead of blueberries! Wouldn't that be amazing? At first, I figured I'd just use the same recipe and swap out the blueberries, but then I thought, wait... let's make a new recipe for strawberries and let them have their own moment in the spotlight!
  As always, when I want to find a new recipe, I do some googling to see who else might be thinking of the same idea. I happened to find a recipe on a blog called The Stay At Home Chef, and I gave it a try. It's so good! But then I thought, lets turn this from good to GREAT! So, this is basically the same recipe, but I added a couple tiny tweaks to it. (You know me. I can't leave well enough alone.) The final result is a revelation! Who knew that strawberries would pair so well with smoky Chipotles??? And since Chipotles are just smoked jalapenos, this sauce has a nice little kick to it. Not like a burn-your-face-off kind of a kick, but just a nice heat that sneaks up on you a little. I'm not a spicy guy, but I'm definitely a fan of a slow burn.
  So the next time you're grilling up some chicken or ribs, or maybe doing a slow cooker pulled pork, give this one a try. It's really awesome!



2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil 
1 large sweet onion diced 
3 cloves garlic minced 
2 cups strawberries hulled 
3 chipotles in Adobo sauce 
1 cup ketchup 
2/3 up brown sugar tightly packed 
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 
1/2 cup honey
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
1/2 teaspoon salt


 In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add in onion and saute for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for 60 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce or transfer to a blender. Puree until smooth. Return to heat and simmer another 10 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Refrigerate up to 5 days.


Tips:
If you would like more heat, go for it! Add some crushed red pepper flakes for another layer of heat. Or you could even add in some chopped jalapenos or a bit of Tabasco.
If you would like a sweeter sauce, bump up the brown sugar and honey.
If you want a little more tang, try adding a little more mustard or lemon juice or even a little splash of apple cider vinegar. 

Joey's Chicken Enchiladas

 About a million years ago, I was having a Mexican themed dinner for my gang of friends. As I always like to do, I made a bunch of different things with the intention of taking photos and sharing the recipes with everyone. I even came up with my own enchilada sauce for the occasion! Well, somehow or other, the dinner happened, but the photos didn't, and ever since then I've been looking for the right time to make these fabulous enchiladas again so I could take a photo and share the recipe with you. 
 Well, that time has FINALLY arrived! Don't they look yummy?
Now, usually, when I come up with a new recipe, it takes me a few tries for it to land exactly where I want it, but with this recipe, I think I landed it on the very first go. They're cheesy and gooey and saucy and savory and as spicy as you want to make them! You can even save time by assembling them ahead of time. I'd say they were definitely worth the wait.
Hope you like 'em!

1 rotisserie chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes, (don't drain)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or more to taste)
Taco size flour or corn tortillas
sliced scallions
Easy Enchilada Sauce



Pull the chicken off the bones and use a fork to shred. Set aside.
In a sauce pan, saute onions, peppers, until they begin to soften. Add spices and continue to saute for a few more minutes. Add diced tomatoes and shredded chicken. Stir to combine. Remove from heat. Add about half of the shredded cheese. Stir to combine. Set aside.
Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with enchilada sauce.
To assemble enchiladas:
Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce so that it is coated on both sides. Lay it flat on a plate. Fill with a big heap of the chicken filling, then roll into a log. Place each tortilla roll into the baking pan. Top with more enchilada sauce and the rest of the cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350ºF or until melted and bubbly. Top with sliced scallions. I like to serve it with a bit of sour cream on top and a little fresh salsa!

Tips:
I purposely didn't add any heat because I'd rather leave that up to you. What kind of heat do you like? You can add jalapenos or your favorite chilis to the chicken mixture with the other peppers. You can add crushed red pepper flakes or Tabasco sauce to the sauce. For a little smokey flavor, you can add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the filling. You can add Sriracha to everything! Choose your heat, choose the amount, or just leave it out!
If you have burrito size tortillas instead of taco size, just cut them in half and proceed as directed. 

Kris' Amazing Mexican Shredded Beef

Ok, first, let me just start off by saying I have no idea who Kris is. I was looking for a recipe for Mexican Shredded Beef, and I happened upon this one on a site called Allrecipes.com. It was pretty close to what I had in mind, so I decided to go with it.
 Beef, onions, spices, easy to throw together, cooks in a crock pot. Done. Oh, and it smells SO good while it's cooking all day. I ran some errands while it was cooking, and when I came home.. OMG the whole apartment smelled amazing! It's flavorful, versatile, and goes with about a million different Mexican dishes. Use it as a filling for burritos, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, serve with eggs, or nachos, and on and on and on. It's the perfect component for any Mexican menu!
 So, thank you, Kris, wherever you are. I'll be making this again and again!



1 (4 pound) beef bottom round roast or other lean roast

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 large onion, diced

1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chilies

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 (7 ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, or to taste

1 cube beef bouillon

 

 

 Trim the roast of any excess fat, and cut into four pieces. Rub with black pepper, and place into a slow cooker. Add the onions, green chiles, chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chipotle peppers, and beef bouillon. Pour in enough water to cover 1/3 of the roast.

 Cover, and cook on High until the meat begins to fall apart, about 8 hours. Add water if needed to keep the roast from drying out.

 Turn the slow cooker to Low, and remove meat to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces using two forks. Return the meat to the slow cooker; cook about 20 minutes to reheat before serving.

 

 

Tips:

The best bit of advice I can give is to cook everything to your own personal taste. There are a lot of big bold flavors going on here, specifically the chipotle peppers and the cayenne pepper. If you like the heat, go for it. Add everything just as listed. For me, I like just barely a little poke of heat. I added only half the can of chipotle peppers, and it was still too spicy for me. You know how spicy you like things to be, so just go with it. If you're not sure how spicy you'd like it, I would err on the side of mild. You can always add more spice if it's not enough.

 

Blueberry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

 

Ok just go with me on this one!
A while back, I was watching Diners Drive-ins, and Dives, and there was a place that served bison ribs with blueberry barbecue sauce. Even though they didn't give an exact recipe, I knew I wanted to try it. So I wrote down the list of ingredients and just guessed at the amounts. After a couple tries, I added a couple extra ingredients and here we are! I must say I'm THRILLED with how it turned out. It's sweet and tangy, spicy but not too hot. It just has a little bit of heat that hits you in the back of the throat, ya know? I wouldn't even call it a 'kick'. Of course you can make it as spicy as you like it, but this is just fine for me. It's absolutely SLAMMIN' on pork ribs. Chris said he could eat it with a spoon. Emma and Daniel Loved it as well, and my friend Denny loved it with chicken fingers. It's really just a great barbecue sauce! Delicious, slightly different, and definitely unexpected.
 Try it and let me know what you think!!

2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 
2 pints fresh blueberries
4 big cloves garlic
1 cup any regular barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
4 tbs butter
kosher salt

Add all ingredients to a heavy pot and simmer on a low heat for about an hour. Puree with a blender or food processor. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Tips:
Like I said, I didn't make it very spicy because I'm not really a spicy food kinda guy. I just used half of a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. But if you like the heat, by all means GO for it!
To make the pork ribs, I used the country style ribs...
Place them in a pot of water and boil them for about an hour. Then place them in a casserole dish, smother them with the BBQ sauce, and place the pan in a 350F oven for about 30-40 minutes. They'll be sticky and yummy and the meat will just fall off the bone. Be sure to have lots of napkins at the ready! And before you start complaining that I BOILED the ribs instead of grilling them, just try them and you'll see how amazing they are. Besides, I live in an apt and I don't have a grill. So there. Don't judge me!

Joey's Better Chicken Tortilla Lasagna

I was recently in a creative mood and was still feeling the Cinco De Mayo vibe, so I thought I'd come up with a new casserole. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get a recipe right, but I think this one was pretty amazing, right from the first go. Claire said it's her new favorite, and Chris had absolutely no problem taking half of the casserole home with him that night. They loved it! The beauty of it is that you can tweak it to make it as spicy or as mild as you like, and it'll always turn out. It's warm and comforting without being too heavy. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Update!
Ok, cut to 4 months after the original post when I decided to make it again for my friend Michele. As much as I loved it the first time, I decided to see if I could make it even better. I thought maybe I could pump up the flavor, maybe add a little more heat, just for a little slow burn. So I added a few spices, some chopped chillies, and some garlic and onions. All of these things made it more flavorful, but the biggest aha moment came when I added a cup of red wine. BOOM! That was the answer! It was ABSOLUTELY exactly what I was looking for. And the spices mellowed out so I finally got my slow burn instead of being smacked in the face. It was even better the next day. So here's the updated BETTER recipe.
Michele loved it, and I think you will too!

a few glugs oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbs taco seasoning
1 tbs sugar
 a few shakes crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 29 oz can tomato puree
2 cups salsa (I like Tostitos or Pace)
2 cans chopped green chilies
1 tbs chopped jalapenos
1 cup dry red wine
1 rotisserie chicken
4 large burrito size flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350F.
Add a few glugs of oil to a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until they begin to soften. Add garlic and spices. Add the puree, salsa, chilies, jalapenos, and wine. Give it a good stir. Let it simmer for a while, even up to an hour or two.
Meanwhile, pull all the chicken off the bones, and shred it into small pieces, discarding any fat or skin. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Cut 2 flour tortillas in half across the center point, making two semicircles. Place the semicircles in the pan so that the flat edges are against the side of the pan, and the rounded edges are in the center. Cut them to fit, if you need to. Now place half of the chicken in one even layer, then cover with half of the sauce and then half of the cheeses. Repeat each layer again.
Place it in the oven and bake it until the cheese is bubbly and everything is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let it sit for about 10 minutes after removing it from the oven. Cut into squares and serve with a dollop of sour cream and/or a drizzle of taco sauce.

Tips:
Make it as spicy as you like! Add more jalapenos, add Tabasco, add HOT salsa to the sauce. You can also add some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a smokier hit. You can even substitute browned ground beef instead of chicken, if you like. Boom.

Reen's M'eggs'ican Casserole

Usually, when I talk about my sister Maureen, I refer to her as the Queen of Substitutions. She'll take a recipe and change it to fit whatever ingredients she has in the house and it always turns out fabulous. Today, however, I'll talk about her ability to create amazing dishes with no recipe at all! She'll go to a produce market or grocery store, see what looks good, and create something fantabulous, even if she's using an ingredient that she's never tried before. Now THAT's talent!!!
 This recipe was one of those creations. She made it for our family's Easter brunch and it was a big hit! Of course, I quickly asked her to write down the recipe while it was still fresh in her mind! And here it is! If you're all about spicy Mexican food, this one has your name all over it. Well, even if spicy is NOT your thing, I think you should give this a try.  So yummy! (I had two pieces!)
Thanx Reen!!!


1 pkg Mexican chorizo sausage, uncooked
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb roasted poblano peppers
1 dozen eggs
half and half (or milk or cream)
10 corn tortillas
vegetable oil spray 
1 lb pepperjack cheese, grated
2 1/2 lbs potatoes, boiled and sliced
1 large jar chipotle salsa
chopped fresh cilantro and pickled jalapeno peppers (garnish)

Heat oven to 350F.
Remove casing from sausage. Crumble and cook in a large saute pan. Remove from pan. Set aside.
Add chopped onions and poblanos to the sausage drippings. Saute until soft.
In a separate bowl, scramble the eggs with a few glugs of half and half.
Now it's time to assemble everything!
Spray tortillas with vegetable oil spray. Heat in oven for about 3 minutes or until pliable. Shingle them across the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 casserole dish, cutting them if you need to in order to make them fit. Layer the casserole in this order: Sausage, shredded cheese, potatoes, poblano/onion mixture. Pour scrambled eggs over everything. Top with the entire jar of salsa and more cheese. Place casserole in oven. Bake for one hour or until set in the center.  To serve, cut into squares. Top with cilantro, pickled jalapenos, and additional salsa, if desired.

Tip:
If you'd like to tone down the heat a little, just choose ingredients that are less spicy, such as a milder salsa, a sweet sausage, and regular Monterey Jack cheese.

White Chicken Chili

This recipe comes to us from the Great White North. My sister, Patty, who lives in Ottawa, sent it to me. I think her email says it all! Thanx Pat!!!

Joe,
Thought you might like to try a new recipe that I just tried - it was a big hit here. Good, easy, makes a big batch, and freezes well - my kind of recipe!
Love,
P.


2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced celery
5 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup oil
4 cups cooked chopped chicken (or meat from one rotisserie chicken)
8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups water mixed with 4 tbsp. chicken base)
1 bay leaf
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
½ tsp. oregano
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. basil
½ tsp. Old Bay
¼ tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
3 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup heavy cream (or 2% canned evaporated milk)

In large stockpot, saute onions, garlic and celery until tender, about 10 minutes. Add chicken, broth, and all spices. Simmer for 1 ½ hours. Add beans and cream and simmer until heated through.

Tip from Patty:
For the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: I usually just buy a small can, chop it all up and freeze it in one tbs blobs. It's good in all kinds of chilis. I think for a substitution you could use anything that has a little heat and is a little smoky tasting. I've used a little Tabasco and some bottled adobo barbecue sauce and it turned out fine. Alternately you could just leave out the chipotle and add a little more Cajun seasoning and Old Bay - I think that would be fine too.