Build Your Own Barbecue Sauce

15 Minutes and you’ve got a customized sauce that can’t be beat. 

Everyone appears to be getting ready for Memorial Day. In case you've forgotten (like we always seem to), it's the end of this month. And now that anyone over the age of 16 can get vaccinated, you might even be able to set up a backyard get-together with some of the people you've only been able to see on Zoom or at a distance all year.

Good news! Even if you have forgotten the holiday, and you've been putting zero forethought into a party, we're here to help you make it look like you're totally on the ball with this one. You're ready for this party and you didn't even know it. Go you.

We're about to throw a fistful of things in a pan and make something awesome: homemade BBQ sauce. It's not like all that store-bought stuff that's too sweet and full of things you can't pronounce. This one will be a new "family secret" recipe that's the envy of the neighborhood block party a couple years from now.

And here's the kicker. It'll only take about 15 minutes of your time.

You're going to need less than a dozen ingredients - unless you change it to your own taste - and chances are they're all already in your kitchen or pantry.

 Ingredients:

30 ounces of tomato sauce

3 Tablespoons honey (or maple syrup, agave, corn syrup - whatever you have handy or like best; we had fantastic results with raspberry syrup)

2 Tablespoons molasses

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon hot sauce (again, choose what you like best - we like Tabasco or Sriracha)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Tools:

Measuring cups and spoons, saucepan with a lid, whisk, storage container or bottle, can opener (if using canned sauce)

Open up your tomato sauce and pour it into the saucepan. (How often do we really use a specific pot for its intended purpose? This is notable!) Light the burner and bring it up to medium-high. You might want to cover it if it's heating quickly, as tomato sauce likes to make a splatter-y mess.

Measure in your other liquid ingredients: the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, the honey/syrup, molasses and any hot sauce you might want to use. It helps to do the stickiest one last and to spray the measuring cup with non-stick spray before you start measuring. Alternatively, you can just scrape the measuring cup clean with a regular spoon and throw them both into hot water as soon as you're done. Whichever way you like, just make sure not to let the molasses and honey or syrup dry in place. It's awfully irritating to try cleaning them once they've become a congealed lump, and they like to stick to the sponge or brush as they come off the cup.

Once all your liquid (semi-liquid? Molasses can be tricky) ingredients are in the pan, give everything a good stir with that whisk you only use once in a while. Put the lid back on the pan if you chose to use one.

We know the dry ingredients don't sound like you're using enough of them. Trust us, you are. The flavors will meld together as the sauce heats. And you can always add more of an individual spice later if you really feel you need to - but remember, the only way to lessen the amount of a spice in a sauce is to make more sauce! So unless you really need half a gallon of BBQ sauce (maybe you do, we're not sure here - you could be planning a really BIG outdoor party), just start small.

Scoop up your little teaspoons and half teaspoons and tablespoons of spices and add them to the pan. If you're a big fan of making things blend easier, you could even sift them into the pan rather than lump them in - but we feel like the heat, the moisture and the whisk will take care of any clumps for you over the next few minutes. The only thing that routinely gives us trouble is the mustard.

After everything is in the pan, give it a good stir with the whisk. Put the lid back on (unless you're not using one - daredevil) and lower the heat down to medium-low. Allow everything to simmer together for about eight minutes. To prevent scorching, stir it often, and make sure to scrape the sides.

At the eight minute mark, turn off the heat and remove the lid. Give it a few minutes to cool before you attempt taste testing or moving it to any kind of plastic container. Unfortunately, your sauce will probably not be the envy of the neighborhood if it's full of melty plastic bits.

Should your sauce not be spicy enough, add some more hot sauce - or if you're super adventurous, puree a hot pepper or two and stir that in. If it's lacking a zesty, tangy note, add a little orange extract or a squirt of lemon juice. If you'd rather it be sweeter, add a bit more of your honey/syrup or stir in some superfine sugar.

Make sure you keep a note of whatever you did to make the recipe your own! And enjoy your holiday.

And that’s that! Let us know if you opt to make this in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear about the different spices you add to make it your own. 

So long as your grill is fine, you’re good to go after this point, but what if it’s your stove that’s on the fritz? If that’s the case, you can give us a call  at ((214) 599-0055) or head over to our website. Wherever you live in Carrollton and the surrounding areas, we’ve got you covered. Appliance Rescue Service is here to help and here to keep your home, and your home appliances, running smoothly. 

Slow Fast Food

Buffing up your lunch to turn it into a meal you’ll look forward to.

Do you ever get sick of pulling out your lunch and having it the same as several of your other coworkers? This week we're showing you how to start off with a basic cup of ramen, or other similar cup of Asian noodles and turn it into a proper meal. This should probably be done the night before, although if you get up early enough, you don't have to. If you add enough vegetables, you can also turn one cup of noodles into two separate meals. 

This recipe is meant to buff up a single cup of ramen or other Asian noodle fast foods. If you want to just feed yourself, think about each vegetable in the list as "how much of this can I eat in one sitting" rather than "what exact amount do I need." 

Ingredients: 

Ramen (cup)

Canned Meat (chicken or pork works best, but you can make other varieties too!) 

carrots

chives

celery 

onion 

cabbage (Napa if possible) 

baby spinach

mushrooms 

garlic 

Sesame oil (or vegetable oil if you don't have any) 

hard boiled eggs

Seaweed for garnish

Sauce Options

Sriracha

Hoisin sauce

Fish sauce

Peanut sauce 

Start with your cup of noodles. Admire the foam cup. Now set it aside. You're not going to need that 'til the very end. 

Now, let's go back over to your ingredients. Start by chopping up your vegetables. 

The point here is to get your veggies into sizes that are going to give your ramen different textures and layers. 

For the carrots, you'll want to either slice them like matchsticks or on a diagonal into thin layers. 

For the chives, you'll want cut them into slices, no more than 1/4 inch in length. 

Moving on to celery, this one is up to preference. You can do a fine chop and just use it for garnish, or you can slice them diagonally into chunks about 1/2" in length.

Next up is your onion. Again, this is up to preference. We like to go for strips rather than cubes because it adds more flavor and texture. However, you also have the option to dice them into chunks and just use them to flavor the ramen. 

Moving on to cabbage and baby spinach. For both of these shredding them is the best way to go, and both options work. 

Mushrooms, depending on the variety, have all sorts of options, based on the texture you want. We like to leave them whole, but you can dice them, turn them into chunks or matchsticks, whatever you like. 

Now that you're done with your vegetables, go ahead and mince your garlic. 

Heat a pan and toss in about one tablespoon of oil. Bring it up to medium heat and toss in your carrots and garlic. Once your carrots have begun to soften, add in the onion and the mushrooms. Your onions will be your unofficial guide for when to move on to the next step. You want to wait until the onions are partially translucent, and then add in the cabbage, spinach, chives and celery. At this point, turn the heat up and stir constantly. Keep the vegetables moving as you work them around. You can also add in any spices you want. A good place to start is white pepper and sea salt. Once your vegetables are fully cooked, go ahead and turn off the heat. Set the pan to the side.

Now heat up some water and make the packaged ramen. While that is cooking, pull out the can of chicken or pork or whatever other protein you chose and crack that open. Make sure to remove any fats or liquids that naturally come about from the canning process (a quick rinse can also help if the meat tastes too much like the can it's been housed in). Use a fork to shred the meat, but don't remove it from the can just yet. 

Once your ramen is done cooking (usually about four minutes), dump it into a bowl and add all of your cooked veggies and the meat.  Toss in some sauce if you'd like, and garnish with some of that seaweed you totally didn't buy just for this recipe. Mix well and plate it up, for you or any other adventurous eaters. 

Now that you have the basic concept, take a look at the produce section next time you go to grocery store. What vegetables do they have that you could add in? Do they have any meats or seasonings that you could add to yours to make the dish taste better? It's fun to keep an eye out as you go through the store to see what combinations you can come up with, it also keeps lunch fresh and interesting. 

We hope you enjoyed this week's recipe, and that if you do try it, you'll let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. 

Don't forget that we're not just looking out for your meals. We also want to look out for your home. In the event you need something fixed, or if you're just interested in regular maintenance for your appliances, ARS wants to be there for you. Whether you're in The Colony or Coppell, we aim to be the best appliance rescue service for you and your home.  You can always call us at ((214) 599-0055) or get hold of us via our website.