Cherry Barbecue Sauce

Rack Em Up
It is officially barbecue season. This means it’s time to talk all things smokey and saucy. I have been in smoker mode lately—mostly because I am still trying to get the hang of my electric smoker.

Don’t come at me for the electric smoker. Yes, real BBQ masters always go with live fire and wood. Truth be told, I like smoked meats, but I wouldn’t say it’s a passion. I’m not getting up at 3 AM to fire up the wood smoker. I’ll leave that to the folks who know what they are doing and enjoy that process. I am happy to hand my money over to them for some juicy brisket anytime.

With the electric smoker, I can smoke some ribs or chicken relatively quickly when I have a hankering. I’ve even smoked some chicken on a Wednesday night after work…and it was glorious. Best part is, when I’m not using it, the smoker is stored out of the way ready to pull out for the next use. Win-win.

Why am I bringing this up you might ask? Because while the smoked meats are the main attraction, I want to talk about the sauce…

I have never met a rib I didn’t like. I like baby backs. I like spareribs. Whatever rack you have cooking I will eat. I will say though that I am a sauce-after-cooking kind of gal. Meaning, I like to put a dry rub on a rack of ribs, cook ‘em, slice them up, and let the person eating the ribs slather on their sauce of choice. That doesn’t mean I won’t eat them the other way. It’s just a preference that does necessitate having a good sauce.

My hands-down favorite sauce for ribs is this one for Cherry Cola Ribs Cherry and pork go very well together be it ribs or a roasted pork loin. Now that it is BBQ season and fresh cherries are in the market, I’ve been thinking about using fresh cherries in a BBQ sauce. I found this one which uses balsamic vinegar for a little bit of pucker and sweetness.

Cherry Barbecue Sauce Recipe
Adapted from The Recipe Rebel
Yields about 30 servings

This recipe makes quite a bit, but the good news is you can throw this Cherry Barbecue Sauce in the freezer and enjoy the taste of cherries long after the season is over. And, if you want to make it out-of-season, you can always use high-quality frozen cherries. Read more…

Red Wine Spaghetti

Seeing Red
There you are, going through life without a care in the world when you find something that stops you in your tracks. Its uniqueness is mind-blowing but then you sit back and think about the concept, and it actually makes sense—even though it is definitely out of the norm. This is what happened when I came across this recipe for Red Wine Spaghetti.

Everyone knows that to be able to eat it, pasta needs to be boiled in a liquid. More often than not, that liquid is water, although some type of stock works, too. But, what if you swapped out the water or stock for some other liquid? What if, now hear me out, you boiled it in wine?

Mind blown, right?

I found this recipe on the Food and Wine website and was immediately intrigued…mostly because of the use of red wine. White wine seemed a bit more logical but using red wine was totally rebellious in my mind. And, I have always loved a rebel.

So, if you’re feeling a bit mutinous or just want to color outside of the lines for a bit, channel your inner bad boy/girl and give this one a try!

Red Wine Spaghetti
Adapted from Food and Wine
Yields 4 servings

This recipe for Red Wine Spaghetti is a basic dried pasta simply boiled in red wine. It develops a complex flavor and looks beautiful plated. This is a great way to switch out your weekly pasta routine for something exciting! Read more…

White Wine–Poached Fish

Awards Season
My daughter is graduating from high school at the end of the month. For those of you who have been through it, you know that this means that the last month of school is filled with AP Tests, Ditch Days, and plenty of awards banquets. It is a lot of fun, but also just…a lot. Throw in birthdays for four of the five members of my family and, yeah. We are busy, y’all.

I am a weirdo in that I love awards nights/banquets. I mean sure, of course, you are going to enjoy seeing your kids and their friends succeed at something and achieve their goals. But, it extends into other areas for me as well.

The morning they announce the Oscar nominations I am right there making a list of the movies I have and have not seen so that I can make a point to seek the films I missed before the big night. I try my best to see them all. And, I am alarmingly disappointed when I can’t manage to do it. Life tends to get in the way of my fixation.

I am equally as obsessed about the James Beard Awards.

My anticipation of the James Beard Foundation Awards might seem obvious to most people since my days consist of talking about food, writing about food, and selling food. So, my interest in awards which honor talking about food, preparing food, and writing about food is rather on the nose. I anticipate their release every year and use the lists of nominees, semi-finalists, and finalists to educate myself on who and what is hot in the industry. And, let’s be real, create a wish list of new cookbooks or future dinner reservations.

If you are curious, this year’s list of James Beard Foundation Awards Finalists can be found here. Get your planner out before you click…and don’t do it when hungry!

Lest we forget, James Beard himself was a force in the culinary world. And, he eventually came to be known as the Dean of American Cuisine. If you don’t have a copy of his American Cookery in your library, consider seeking it out.

White Wine–Poached Fish Recipe
Adapted from James Beard
Yields 4 servings

I am all for drinking and cooking with simple wines that don’t cost an arm and a leg, said James Beard. In this simple and comforting recipe, the wine gives the sauce its subtle delicacy. Read more…

Coq Au Vin Blanc

Wine Country Chicken
Living as close as we do to The Napa Valley is a very cool thing for those of us who occasionally enjoy a nice sip of wine. Spending time amongst the vines and sunshine is always a great way to enjoy your day even if you’re not wine tasting. (Eating your way through the area isn’t a bad pastime either except, perhaps, for your waistline.)

While the Napa Valley is known for its big Cabernets and oaky Chardonnays, personally I prefer the lighter wines. I admit, I am a Sauvignon Blanc kinda gal. A crisp cold glass while relaxing on my patio after a long day at work sounds like heaven to me but I would not turn down a lovely Rosé either.

I am the same way when cooking with wine. I will almost always substitute a white wine for a red except for those recipes where you just cannot like this Beef Bourguignon https://piedmontgrocery.com/beef-bourguignon/. One exception to that philosophy that I have found is coq au vin.

I love coq au vin any time of the year, although most people think of it as a Fall dish. However, if you use a white wine or even a Rosé, this Coq au Vin Blanc dish lightens up considerably and transforms into a great meal for a warm spring evening. I mean, you really can’t ever go wrong with wine, chicken, and garlic together in any form. And, if you can find fresh morel mushrooms, even better.

I used rosé in the recipe below, but you can always swap it out for your favorite white just be sure to save a little for sipping as you wait.

Coq Au Vin Blanc Recipe
Yields 4 servings
Adapted from NY Times Cooking Read more…