Italian Tomato Gravy

One of the most wonderful things my husband and I received for our wedding (almost five years ago!) was a booklet of recipes compiled by my husband's late grandmother.  Inside, my mother-in-law had placed this sticky note:

By that point, I had already heard a lot about this legendary tomato sauce.  My husband was so in love with it, in fact, that he turned his nose up at every other version.  Our first year of marriage was full of cooking fails- like the time I accidentally melted a nylon spatula into my chicken approximately one hour into my America's Test Kitchen chicken marsala.  But this tomato gravy, complex despite its simplicity, was a sure bet each and every time I whipped up a batch. 

These days, I usually serve it with Italian sausage, but it also makes a great meat sauce base and is fabulous in homemade lasagna. 

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 6-oz cans tomato paste
3 cans water
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
4 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sweet basil

DIRECTIONS
1.  Saute onions in oil.  Add garlic, then add all other ingredients.  Cook 1 hour on low.

Makes enough to dress 1 lb of spaghetti, noodles, or with lasagna recipes.

Meat Sauces

Using the above recipe, brown 1/2 to 1 lb ground beef or pork and add to gravy, OR, 8 links of browned Italian sausages may be added.  Be sure to prick sausages with fork before browning.

28 by 28: Homemade Ketchup

I made this homemade ketchup awhile back.  It is super easy and has a depth of flavor that is just AMAZING.  (I am semi-ashamed to admit that I ate a few warm spoonfuls straight from the pan!)  And best of all, it keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, so you can enjoy it again and again.

Note:  The full 2/3 cup of brown sugar may make the ketchup a little too sweet if you prefer a tangier ketchup.  Try adding 1/2 cup in the beginning, then taste and add more if necessary about 30-45 minutes into cooking if you are concerned.

From Gourmet.com (Oh, how I miss Gourmet magazine!!!  *Tear*)

INGREDIENTS 
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée 
1 medium onion, chopped 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 tablespoon tomato paste 
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 
1/2 cup cider vinegar 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

DIRECTIONS
1.  Purée tomatoes (with purée from can) in a blender until smooth.

2.  Cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 1 hour (stir more frequently toward end of cooking to prevent scorching).

3.  Purée ketchup in 2 batches in blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Chill, covered, at least 2 hours (for flavors to develop).

Homemade Vanilla Extract

This is another of my Christmas catch-up posts.  (And yes, our Christmas palm tree is still up and decorated in our living room.)

This year, I decided to go with homemade gifts for friends and family.  One of the things I made was homemade vanilla extract.  I had seen several recipes floating around the blogosphere, but felt that most of them called for too low of a vanilla bean to vodka ratio.  After a bit of searching around, I found a site that had a good explanation of extract versus vanilla-flavored vodka.  The gifts were a hit and I have enjoyed using my own bottle as well.  It has a strong, deep vanilla flavor without the added corn syrup and other "extras" in commercial extracts.

And a note from my husband:
I would stress the importance of using a decent quality, neutrally flavored, multiply-distilled and filtered vodka in this recipe. You don't want the coarse, rubbing-alcohol/plastic bottle flavor of cheap vodka overpowering your vanilla. While higher quality is better, you needn't buy Grey Goose. As a rule of thumb, if it's not something you would make a martini with, you don't want to use it in this recipe. If you're unsure, any decent liquor store clerk should be able to direct you to a bottle with the required characteristics.

The extra effort and expense is well worth it - you don't want to waste 6 months making something that ends up tasting like lighter fluid. You'll wish you spent the extra $5.

Adapted from VanillaReview.com

INGREDIENTS
1 oz extract-grade Madagascar vanilla beans
1 cup unflavored vodka (I used Smirnoff.)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Cut the beans in half lengthwise with a sharp knife.  Scrape out the caviar (seeds) with a butter knife and place in a glass bottle.  Cut the bean pods into 1-inch pieces and add to the bottle.

2.  Pour in vodka and cap tightly.  Shake bottle vigorously a few times a week for 2 months.

3.  You can begin using your vanilla extract at the 2-month mark.  Flavor will continue to strengthen over the next 4 months.

*  You may choose to strain out your vanilla pieces at the six-month mark, although I opted to leave them in.

PURCHASE INFORMATION:
I ordered the bottles from Specialty Bottle.  I chose the Woozy line so that I could use these dripper inserts.  I bought my beans from Ebay to save some cash, and had personalized labels printed at My Own Labels.  The actual labels say "Merry Christmas from the XXXXX family" at the bottom, but I Photoshopped our name out for blogging purposes.

Cornflake Chicken Tenders with Homemade Honey Mustard

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  (But only because I like you so much.)  I... well, I've never been very good at following directions.  In grade school, I "earned" many a 50 because I completed one side of a worksheet beautifully but never bothered to turn it over.

And remember those "let's see if you're really following directions" activities?  Killer.  You'd get a mile-long list of short-answer questions, but the little paragraph at the top would say "Skip to number six trillion and two, and keep it to yourself."  The teacher always reminded us to read the instructions before starting, but do you think I listened?  No.  I'd practically give myself carpel tunnel trying to answer all the questions before the the timer went off.  And just as I'd sit up to wipe the sweat from my brow, I'd notice old Joe Blow kicked back in the corner with a smirk on his face and realize I'd been had.

I fell for it every.single.time.

I'd like to say that I've gotten better in my old age, but I haven't.  Like when I made these cornflake-crusted chicken tenders- I cooked them on a regular cookie sheet, even though the directions clearly say to bake them on a rack inside of a cookie sheet.  Ah, well.  They were still very tasty, even if they *weren't* quite as crispy as they were supposed to be.

I served them up with some homemade honey mustard, which was amazingly awesome.  I think my husband's exact words were, "You could practically dunk dog crap in this stuff and it'd taste delicious."  I wouldn't go quite that far, but it's definitely a keeper. 

Chicken Tenders
As seen on What's Cookin, Chicago?; Originally from Pennies on a Platter
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) butter, melted
2 cups finely crushed corn flakes cereal

DIRECTIONS
1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400˚F. Place an oven-safe cooling rack on a baking sheet and set aside.

2.  Combine the flour and spices in a small bowl; set aside. Place melted butter in another small bowl; set aside. Place the crushed cereal in a medium-sized bowl or pie plate.

3.  Dip the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour, then the butter, then the cereal. Place the coated chicken strips on the rack in the baking sheet.

4.  Bake the coated chicken pieces in the preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Homemade Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
An Ommy Noms Original
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS
1.  Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Tzatziki

This goes great on Elly's chicken gyros! Compiled from several online recipes.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded
1 tsp dill
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Shred cucumber using a fine cheese grater. Place in a paper towel and squeeze several times to remove liquid.

Combine all ingredients. Mix and season to taste. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Cheesy Poofs! I mean sauce!

What good's steamed broccoli without a heapin' helpin' of ooey gooey melty cheese?! This is based on the Cheese Sauce and Cauliflower recipe on Allrecipes. In my typical fashion, I've altered the recipe to pare down on calories.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Seasoned salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and quickly mix.
2. Add milk a little at a time. Bring to boiling.
3. Reduce heat. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste.