Barbecue Sauce- for the season that's ALMOST over....

So, tonight I tried a TOTAL experiment!  I knew we were having ground beef-somehow...  just not sure what I was going to make with it... I could've made stuffed zuccini, but we just had that last week...  I thought about hamburgers, but I don't have any buns, didn't want to make any and I'm REALLY trying to cut back on the wheat/gluten again.  So... I had a pound of ground beef defrosting on the counter...  what to do?  I also had a bowl of over-ripe apricots that my neighbor had given me...  what to do with those?!  Wait a minute- how about an Apricot BBQ sauce?!  PERFECT!!!  So, I went online and started looking for recipes... most of them called for apricot preserves... I just wanted to use the apricots before they went bad here people!!!  So, my next thought- make up something!  So- here is the end product... a VERY easy barbecue sauce that uses REAL apricots... NOT preserved ones!!  Hope you enjoy!!

Chipotle Apricot "Barbecue" Sauce

1/2 onion, chopped
2 Tbs oil (I used a mix of coconut and olive oils)
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used a garlic press)
5-6 Apricots, chopped
1 can diced Tomatoes, drained
2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
1Tbs brown sugar
1/4 C catsup
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder (more or less to taste!  Chipotle powder is pretty spicy- so use a little and make sure you taste it before adding more!)

Saute onions in oil until soft.  Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and apricots.  Stir to mix well.  Add vinegar, sugar catsup and chipotle pepper powder.  Stir well and let simmer on low until thick and saucy.  Serve over meat.

I served this over hamburger patties with grilled corn on the cob and grilled zucchini.  But, this would be EXCELLENT over chicken, seafood, pork or over meatballs (pour sauce over meatballs before baking!).  I know I will be making this sauce again- I think Aaron will demand it!

Enjoy! :)

Belated Promised Blog Post

So, I neglected to put up the promised blog post a couple weeks ago.  Tonight's post is an attempt to make up for it (I will eventually post the recipe from dinner that night a couple weeks ago!).  My family (on dad's side) is from England.  My dad is a naturalized citizen, so I am technically first generation American!  Growing up, we always enjoyed "English" meals- roast beef and yorkshire puddings, boiled beef and taters, Christmas cake (fruit cake on steroids- that actually tastes AMAZING!) and various other sundry meals and food items.  One of my favorite has always been Mince Meat.  And no, I'm not talking about mince pie (yuck!!!  I still remember my first and most likely LAST taste of mince pie!), I'm talking MINCE MEAT people!!  A wonderful, and delicious beef and veggie gravy over mashed potatoes!  Its heaven!!  So, in honor of my Gran (dad's mom who passed away from cancer a month ago tomorrow) we are having Mince Meat for supper tonight- and I am passing along a childhood favorite!  So, here is the "recipe" (by now you should have figured out I don't really cook according to "recipes"- unless is something that I believe CANNOT be done any other way!!) and I hope it leaves you with as many fond memories as it has me!

Mince Meat

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3-4 med-large carrots, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
5-7 potatoes, cubed, boiled and mashed (or you can use instant if you prefer!) ;)
4-5 C beef broth/stock (I use beef broth powder and some onion soup mix!)
1-2 Tbs cold water
1-2 Tbs flour (same amount of flour as water to thicken gravy)

Brown ground beef and onion in a large saucepan.  Add chopped carrots and celery and stir to mix with beef/onions.  Add beef broth/stock. Bring to boil and simmer until carrots and celery are tender.  Mix cold water and flour to make a semi-runny paste.  Slowly stir into beef mix and let simmer till cooked to desired thickness.  If necessary, you can make and add more flour paste to thicken more, or add a little water to dilute gravy.  Serve over mashed potatoes with garlic bread (or whatever type of bread or rolls you prefer) on the side.

Enjoy!