Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

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Ahhh... home cooked meals. Traditional goodness passed down from generation to generation. This was the spaghetti sauce I ate growing up. It's thick and chunky, and full of amazing flavor. After trying this, you'll never go back to canned sauce again!

You'll notice that the recipe allows for a few hours of simmering time. This is to get the best taste out of the herbs. Your house will also smell amazing! However, this spaghetti sauce is amazing after a short cooking time as well. Brown the beef, drain, and cook everything together for 30 minutes or so. Serve over hot noodles with warm bread and a salad!

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce
The Double Dipped Life


1 lb Ground Beef
1 chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
sliced mushrooms (optional)
1 teas salt
1/4 teas pepper
1 TB Basil
1/4 teas minced garlic
2 TB chopped (or dried) parsley
1 bay leaf
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
spaghetti noodles
Parmesan or mozzarella cheese

Brown meat, drain fat. In the same pan, add in onion, celery, and mushrooms. Cook until soft.
Add browned meat and remaining ingredients and simmer 2-3 hours until sauce thickens. Stir occasionally. Add water if too thick.

Serve over hot noodles! Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or mozzarella cheese.
Enjoy!

The Best BBQ Rib Sauce

Welcome! Or, should I say to myself... "Welcome Back!" The last few months have been really crazy, and while I've managed to get my Secret Recipe Club posts done, that's about all I've done. So, I really pushed to get this post to you today.

The BEST BBQ Rib Sauce.   Ever.  Promise.

Whenever my family would go visit my Grandparents in California, my dear Grandpa would make these ribs for us.  Now, I've never been a huge fan of bbq sauce, but this stuff? I could drink it!  Lather it on the meat while it's cooking, and make sure to have extra for dipping!

The Best BBQ Rib Sauce
Recipe by Ron Paul (My grandpa, not the politician!)

Makes enough sauce for 3 lbs of ribs

2 Tb brown sugar
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 Tb paprika
1 teas salt
1 teas dry mustard
1/4 teas chili powder
1/8-1/4 teas cayenne powder
2 Tb worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1 can tomato sauce (8oz)

If you don't have tomato sauce use 1 cup tomato juice, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 cup ketchup

Mix ingredients together and simmer for 15 minutes.

Apply the sauce to the ribs right before cooking. Apply generously and cook for a few minutes. Add more sauce until ribs are well coated.  Use extra sauce when serving.

Serve with LOTS of napkins! Enjoy!

Basil Pesto

Freshly grown basil is a heavenly thing. Just pull it close to your nose and smell that freshness. It's a very versatile herb. It's most common use is in Italian dishes. It's great in pasta and even in drinks. Here I've made it into a wonderful pesto.  Pesto is yummy, but what do you do with that big bowlful? One of the great things about pesto is that it freezes well. Put the basil into ice cube trays and then just add it to your hot dishes or defrost for use on sandwiches and in dips.   Here are some more ideas for fresh basil.




Mix it with pasta
Mix it in with alfredo sauce
Mix it with ranch dressing for a smooth dip or salad topping
Spread it on sandwiches or wraps
Use it as the base for bruschetta
Mix it into soups
It is fabulous on pizza
Use it to top a baked potato


Basil Pesto
The Double Dipped Life

3 cups basil leaves, gently packed
3/4 cups Parmesan cheese Fresh is always best!
1/4 teas salt
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teas red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts


Place everything but the olive oil and pine nuts in a food processor. I just used my blender. Pulse the mixture and stir until everything is processed.  While the blender is running, slowly pour in the olive oil. You can leave it thick, or add more oil until the pesto is thin.  Remove the pesto to a bowl.  Put the pine nuts in the processor, and give it a quick chop. Stir by hand into the pesto. I do the nuts separately to get some crunch in my pesto.

Eat the pesto right away or store in the fridge or freezer.

Enjoy! 

Basil Dipping Sauce

 

I love basil. It's so flexible, and makes everything taste fresh. This dipping sauce/ salad dressing is amazing. It thickens as it sits in the fridge, making it a great veggie dip, or a spread for sandwiches. 

Basil Dipping Sauce

The Double Dipped Life

1/2 cup Sour Cream

3 Tb mayonnaise

3 Tb fresh basil, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 clove garlic

1/2 teas Worcestershire sauce

Kosher salt and ground black pepper


Use a blender or food processor to combine all ingredients except salt and pepper until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Use as a salad dressing, or refrigerate and use as a dip or sandwich spread! Enjoy!

Shirley J's Sloppy Joes

 

Can I be honest here? I've never been a huge fan of Sloppy Joe's. So, when my oldest son came home from school lunch telling me how much he loved them, I resigned myself to making them once in awhile. Sauce from a can? Hmmm... not that great. 

Enter Shirley J's! 

Shirley J is a local food mix company. They offer mixes of everything from a dry BBQ sauce to bread mixes. They sent me some products to try, and this recipe is the first. (All opinions are my own.)

The BBQ "sauce" is actually dry powder that you then add liquid to. Sounds funny, but it's so nice! It's amazing the flexibility that a powder creates, allowing you to mix in lots of different liquids! This Sloppy Joe recipe was a hit- getting a thumbs up from my oldest! 

BBQ Sloppy Joes

Shirly J recipes

1/2 cup Shirley J BBQ Sauce Mix

1 lb ground beef

1 diced onion

8 oz tomato sauce

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey 

Hamburger buns

In a large skillet, brown hamburger and onion.  Drain extra grease and discard.

While meat is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients in a separate sauce pan. Simmer 2-3 minutes, and add to browned hamburger.  Mix well, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve on buns with lots of napkins! 

Enjoy! 

Parmesan Zucchini Strips with Dipping Sauce

Our wonderful neighbors brought us a very large zucchini from their garden. When I saw this recipe on Savoring the Thyme, I knew I had to try it. It is amazing!! 

Parmesan Zucchini Strips

1 large zucchini, quartered and then cut into strips

1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (I had unseasoned, so added 1/2 TB Italian Seasonings)

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/2 TB Kosher Salt

1/2 TB Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

2 Eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. In another bowl, crack eggs, and beat.

Dip zucchini strips into egg and then into the bread crumb mixture.  Fully coat each zucchini strip. Place the strips on a backing sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Serve with Dipping Sauce.

Creamy Parmesan Dipping Sauce

This sauce is creamy, with a slight tart taste. It compliments the Zucchini quite well!

1/2 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 TB Dijon Mustard (I only used about a teas.)

1/4 teas Kosher salt

1 teas fresh lemon juice

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Mix and serve with the Zucchini Strips. 

Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cream Sauce

We went out to dinner a few weeks ago, and this sauce caught my eye on the menu. I didn't try it there, but knew that I had to make it at home. Nothing is better than roasted garlic! (Chocolate doesn't count...)

I wish I had pictures for you, but our camera has broken. This picture is from my basic Alfredo Sauce.

I used my basic Alfredo Sauce recipe, and adjusted it to make a super creamy, tasty sauce.

I served it over baked herb chicken, with a side of wild rice and roasted asparagus. It would also be wonderful on noodles or vegetables.

Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cream Sauce

1 clove Roasted Garlic (see instructions below)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Sauce:
1 block Cream Cheese (low fat is fine)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup grated Asiago Cheese
Roasted garlic cloves (I used 5 or 6; use what you are comfortable with)
1 TB Basil
Pepper to taste

To roast garlic:

Set oven to 325.
Peel the outer layers of the garlic clove away- leaving enough layer to hold the cloves together.
Cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch off of the top of the garlic head to reveal individual cloves.
Set the cloves on a square of foil, and drizzle with 1 teaspoon Olive Oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Fold foil up around garlic, enclosing completely.
Put foil packets in a shallow baking dish, and bake for 40-50 minutes. The garlic is done when a fork pierces them easily.

Allow to cool, then squeeze the cloves out of the skin. Mash them slightly before adding to sauce.

Sauce:
Put all of the ingredients in a saucepan, and heat on medium until melted and combined. Stir frequently to make a smooth sauce.

Serve immediately!

Chicken Alfredo

It was Mother's Day, about 4 years ago. I wanted my man to make me Alfredo for dinner. We had a fairly simple recipe for it. It would be easy? Right?

We searched high and low for that recipe. It was gone. Vanished. Kaput.

It was destiny.

We got online at Allrecipes.com and found this recipe. Even simpler. Even better. Amazing.

We've never looked back.

You know you have an amazing recipe when you are eating Alfredo in a fancy restaurant, and the Man looks at you and tells you that yours is better! (And not just for kiss-up points!)

Chicken Alfredo- also great as a Pizza sauce!

Cooked Pasta
Cooked Chicken, shredded or bite sized

Sauce:
1 block Cream Cheese
1/2 cup of Butter (can use less)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Milk (I use 3/4 for a thinner sauce. Use less for a pizza sauce)
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 TB Basil
1 Teas Garlic
Pepper to taste

Nutmeg

Combine all ingredients, except Nutmeg, and heat until melted, stirring frequently.

Toss over Pasta and Chicken

Sprinkle Nutmeg over the entire dish! This is the “secret” ingredient that gives it a punch! Trust me, this is amazing!

Take one bite...mmm...close your eyes and enjoy.

Stay tuned for simple ways to turn regular Alfredo sauce into something Gourmet!

Fresh Salsa from Mom

There is nothing quite like Homemade Salsa.

This is my mom's recipe, and she could whip it up in no time flat. It is always amazing! I really prefer this recipe over any other salsa that I've found anywhere else.

In fact... I made this batch at 10:30pm one night...

So, it really helps to have a chopper, but if you don't, just get your chopping hand ready!

Fresh Salsa

The Double Dipped Life

1 1-lb can tomatoes

6 TB chopped green peppers

2-3 chopped green onion

6 TB chopped fresh tomatoes

6 TB chopped onion

1 TB Parsley or Cilantro (I love cilantro, so I use lots more)

1 small can green chilies

1 TB Red Wine vinegar

pinch of Mexican oregano

1/4 teas minced garlic (Fresh is best)

1/4 teas chili pepper

1 teas lime juice

1 teas salt

1/4 teas cumin

1/8 teas pepper

1/2 avocado, optional

If hotter taste is preferred (yes!) add 1/2 can of jalapenos, and more chili pepper

Mix all ingredients together.

Optional: Depending on the texture you like, you can place some or all of the salsa in a food processor and process until done. I usually only blend 1/4-1/2 of the mixture, as I like chunky salsa.

Let sit for 1-2 hours in refrigerator for flavors to blend.

Enjoy!

Cilantro Parsley Pesto

I love fresh Cilantro. Remember my Garlic fetish? It's worse with Cilantro. I would wear Cilantro as a scent. I think I ooh and awe over the smell of cilantro more than the smell of chocolate!

I also love Pesto. It's such a wonderful, variable food. So, why not do a Cilantro Pesto?

I took it one step further, when I saw this recipe from OurBestBites. They did a Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri. The pesto in this recipe is so amazing that I literally crave it.

The recipe for the Pork tenderloin can be found on their site.

Here, I want to share the recipe for the Cilantro Parsley Pesto.

Big bunch of Parsley
Big bunch of Cilantro
Oregano*
2 T Fresh lime juice
1 T red wine vinegar
3 T chopped Garlic
1 T salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/4- 1/2 C Olive Oil
Pine Nuts or Almonds sprinkled in

*Fresh Oregano is best. Use 1/2c. Otherwise, you may use 1TB dried Oregano

Now, ready for the hard part? :)

Chop Cilantro and Parsley. It is OKAY to include the stems!
Place the herbs in a food processor, with the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT for the oil and red pepper.
Pulse several times, and place mixture in a bowl. Stir in red pepper flakes and Oil by hand. You can use less or more Oil, depending on what consistency you would like!

Chill for at least 1 hour to allow tastes to meld.



Now, what to do with this delightful concoction?

You can follow the link above and use it as a marinade on Pork.
You can spread it over chicken.
You can eat is as a dip with French bread.
You can mix it with Ranch Dressing and use on a salad.
Mix in soups, pasta sauces, or on pizza for added zest!
This freezes well! Make tons and freeze for later!

Stock up on fresh cilantro and parsley! You will want to make this over and over again!

In my Kitchen

I cleaned my kitchen today. Completely.

I did the dishes. Scrubbed the counters. I even handwashed all the big bowls and cookie sheets that had been sitting on top of my microwave for a week... uh... I mean day... ;)

Then I looked around. It was too clean. I can't have that, can I?

So, I started to bake.

It was the kids turn to pick the cookie flavor. They chose Snickerdoodles, so we got out our mix from MegsCreations and went to town.

MegsCreations.etsy.com

Then, as part of dinner, I made Parmesan Popovers. I found the recipe on a blog the other day, and unfortunately, forgot where I found them! They are made with eggs, milk, herbs, parsley, and Parmesan cheese in mini-muffin pans! So tiny! My 3 yr old helped and was so proud of her little "muffins"! I'll post the recipe soon!


We then started on our Honey Whole Wheat Bread which the whole family enjoys. This brought another moment of elation. I don't have a kitchen aid, so have to knead by hand for 10 minutes. BUT... I remembered that the new hand mixer my In-laws gave me came with dough hooks! I was so excited! The job was so much easier with them. The loaves are in the oven right now. Mmmm...

We then proceeded to dinner. I remembered that I had some whipping cream in the fridge that needed to be used. So, I whipped (ha ha) out my cookbook and found a recipe for Alfredo Sauce. I'm not going to post it. It was passable, but my own sauce, made with cream cheese, is SO much better!

For desert, we had a snickerdoodle in chocolate ice cream.

So, for now, I think I'm done! Well, at least until the bread is done...then I'll have a warm slice with strawberry jam... mmm...

Cilantro Lime Dressing

I found this amazing recipe on Rara Bakes.
It's a great food blog! Check it out today!

This dressing is similar to the salad dressing at some Mexican places like Cafe Rio and Bajio. Pour it over your salad, or any Mexican dish.
Easy to make, fabulous to eat!

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1/2 cup
1 lime
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup green salsa

Put dressing mix, mayonnaise, and buttermilk in the blender. Juice the lime into the blender. Peel the garlic cloves and then grate them using the small end of a cheese grater. Add to the blender. Add cilantro and green salsa.

Blend until everything is well-combined and then refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Easy, right? And best of all, it's sooo yummy!

Look for my next recipe post- some fabulous chicken that pairs perfectly with this dressing!