Peach BBQ Sauce

                                                Peach BBQ Sauce 
                               

I have to say I'm not the biggest fan of BBQ sauces.
A couple of times I have been somewhere and had homemade or some restaurants famous sauce and they have been good. Then I'll have a craving for some BBQ food and then its just not as good :(

I was watching a cooking show and the chef was making BBQ sauce. He said how easy it was and after watching him I was Oh My Goodness it really is that easy!

So I decided to give it a go :)
I made a few different sauces and this is by far the best!
FULL seal of approval from TH and TS

This is a tangy and not too sweet sauce :)

This was good when I tried it when it was first cooking and cooling in the morning.
This was even better much later when I served it for dinner

We had this with homemade buttermilk chicken tenders

What you'll need

4 half pieces of canned peaches
apple cider vinegar ~ 2 tablespoon
soya sauce ~ 1 tablepsoon
worchester sauce ~ 2 tablespoons
ketchup ~ 1/2 cup
tomato paste ~ 3 tablespoonsCay
molasse ~ 2 tablepoons
cayenne powder ~  1/2 - 3/4 tablespoon
mustard powder ~ 1/2 teaspoon
onion powder ~ 1/2 teaspoon
coriander powder ~ 1/2 teaspoon
brown sugar ~ 1 tablespoon
salt ~ 1/2 teaspoon
pepper ~ 1/2 teaspoon

Cut the peach into cubes
into a sauce pan add the ketchup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the molasses
mix well over a low heat
add the the dry ingredients and mix well
bring to a quick boil.
as soon as it's reached a boil (starts to bubble)
turn down to a low heat
add the peaches and mash them into the sauce.
mix well again
leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes


pour in a glass jar/container and leave to cool
when cooled close the jar/container  and leave in the fridge

Salt and Vinegar Potatoes

                 Salt and Vinegar Potatoes

We love salt and vinegar chips/crisp and living in some countries we could never get them.
So when we would travel back to the UK I would always pack some to bring home.

I had some new potatoes/Salad potatoes and I wanted to make something different with.

We made these :)
I was worried about the vinegar being over powering, but that wasn't the case at all.
There was a subtle hint :)
These were a nice change



What you'll need 

New/salad/fingerling potatoes ~ 1 1/2lbs  - 750g
white vinegar ~ 1 cup
malt vinegar ~ 1/4 cup
sea salt ~ 1 tablespoon
Water
olive oil ~ 2 tablespoons
salt ~ for finishing

Wash the potatoes and cut them in half length ways
place in a sauce pan and add the sea salt
add the white and malt vinegar
then add water so the potatoes are completely covered

cook until soft.

preheat the oven to 220/435 degrees

in a bowl add the potatoes and add the oil making sure all the potatoes are coated in the oil

on a silicone mat or parchment paper the potatoes and back for 20
give the potatoes a stir and continuing cooking for a further 10 minutes at 200/390 degrees

Sprinkle with salt

Enjoy

Szechuan Beef

                                               Szechuan Beef 
                                                                       (Spicy Beef)

I love trying new recipes. I spend ages trying to find a balance with the recipes of what my will eat.

Lately I'd felt a bit guilty towards TH (the husband) He likes spicy food....not the kind where you just poor over a bottle of chili sauce sauce, but he's not afraid of chili's and other strong tasting foods. Unlike myself :( 

I have visions of  us going to a sports bar or something and they have a chili eating contest and him joining in......I don't think he'd think twice if there was a spare chair in the competition.....

So I seen some spicy beef recipes and this was by far my favourite.....
I was also glad I froze some of that left over white wine :)


This was tasty and spicy  and I ate cucumbers with mine.
TH took left overs to work with him and said this was definitely spicier today


What you'll need

beef~steak cut into strips  ~ 750g
soya sauce ~ 1 tablespoon
white wine, ~ 1 tablespoon ( I used frozen from when I used a bottle from another recipe)
corn starch ~ 5 tablespoons
sesame oil  ~ 2-3 tablespoons

celery  ~ 1-2 ribs chopped
green/spring onions ~ 5 chopped, the green and white parts
carrots ~ 1/2 cup very thinly sliced or grated
ginger ~ 1 teaspoon, grated

Chinese 5 spice~ 1/2 teaspoon
chili flakes ~ 1 teaspoon
garlic ~ 2 cloves crushed/grated/finely chopped
ginger ~ 1/2 teaspoon grated
brown sugar ~ 2 tablespoons
sriracha sauce ~ 1 tablespoon 
soya sauce ~ 4 tablespoons
apple cider vinegar ~ 1 1/2 tablespoons
Water ~ 8-10 tablespoons



Cut your beef/steak into strips

In a bowl add the soya sauce, and white wine, add the beef and mix well.
add the corn starch and mix well again and leave to one side

chop veggies (other veggies can be added. Next time I'll add some mushrooms)

In a bowl/jug add the chinese 5 spice, chili flakes, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sriracha sauce, soya sauce, apple cider vinegar and water and mix well. Leave to one side.

Add the sesame oil to the pan and then add some of the beef. 
Cook the beef in at least 2 if not 3 batches
The beef shouldnt take more than 4-5 minutes each batch.

Remove all the beef from the pan and add a little bit more oil (just a drizzle) 
add the veggies and cook until cooked through

add the sauce stirring well

leave for a few minutes then add the beef. mix well 
turn the heat up high for a couple of minutes. The sauce will bubble and reduce Very quickly.
Turn down the heat to a very low heat for a minute or two.

We served this with rice...I need cucumber to help with the heat ;)

Thai Beef Salad

                       Thai Beef salad 

I have been really trying to change what we eat. The only problem is we seemed to be eating the same foods. So I decided to try and jazz the salads up that we are eating, or even just try and find new tasty flavours.

I really liked the idea of Thai beef salad, only problem is there is one ingredient that I struggle with.
Fish sauce. When ever a recipe calls for it I try to completely leave it out or reduce it to the tiniest amount.

I think every recipe I looked at for Thai beef salad had fish sauce included.
The other thing I found was the sauce/dressing seemed to be enough to drowned the poor salad.

Another thing is I like dressing but I like dressing with my salad not salad with my dressing if you know what I mean :)

Well I made this and it was good! it will be added to our list of salads we love!

What you need

Beef strips ~ 250g
romaine lettuce leaves (I used 8 and removed the stalk)
snow peas finely sliced (I used about 8-10)
cherry tomatoes quartered ( I used 12)
cucumber finely sliced  ~ (I used 1/2) ~ (I used a spiraler if thats what they are called)
small red onion or shallot onion very finely sliced
red bell pepper ~ ( I used 1/2 a large red pepper)
shredded/grated carrot (I used 1/2 cup)
Fresh Coriander/ Cilantro ~ (I used just under 1/4 cup)
Fresh Mint leaves ~ (I used 10 large leaves ripped in half)
Peanuts chopped ~ (I used just under 1/4 cup)
Salt and pepper to season the beef


For the Dressing
I make the dressing individual portions so I don't get more fish sauce anyone else :)

Fish sauce  ~ 1 teaspoon
honey ~ 1 teaspoon
red chili finely chopped ~ 1/4 of a chili
garlic clove finely grated ~ 1/8 teaspsoon
fresh ginger finely grated ~ 1/8 teaspoon
lime juice ~ 1/2 fresh lime

Cook the beef for a couple of minutes, seasoning with a pinch of salt and pepper. This will cook very quickly and you don't want to over cook it
Cut, chop, rip  all your veggies and herbs and chop the peanuts

Make your dressing/ sauce in a small bowl add the fish sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, ginger  and chopped chili, mix well and  leave to one side

Place all your veggies in a dish/on a plate. mixing them up.
pace the beef strips on stop and mix up again.
sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and pour the dressing on and give on last quick mix.

Enjoy

Sweet Potato Crust Quiche pie

                                   Sweet Potato Crusted Quiche

I love sweet potatoes, So when I seen this recipe I knew I needed to try this soon!
Of  course I made it my way ;)
I got the idea when I seen something similar with a spinach  filling.
While I like spinach, I knew this wouldn't have been on the top of my list to try

So I made one with Crab meat.
I was surprised how easy this was to make and it was pretty tasty

I had originally bought the crab (in a tin) to make baked wontons. I just never got to making them.

This really could be made with any filling
Next time I think I'll try a veggie filling


What you'll need

sweet potatoes ~ 3
small red onion ~ 1
eggs  ~ 3
grated cheese ~ 1 cup
milk ~ 3/4 cup
tin crab ~ 1 tin (about 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees
peel and slice the sweet potatoes
then slice them (I used the mandolin)
place  the sliced sweet potato in the bottom of the a pie dish
and up the sides (for the sides I cut the slices in half)
Making sure not to leave any gaps
sprinkle with salt and pepper
bake for 20  minutes, making sure that the potato slices are soft

peel and slice the onion and cook until soft and leave to cool

drain the crab well

Mix the eggs, milk, cheese, crab, and cooked onion and season with salt and pepper

Pour the filling mix over the sweet potatoes and place back in the oven for another 40-45 minutes at 180/350 degrees