Homemade Honey BBQ Sauce

I'm trying to stop purchasing convenience-type items that really can be quite easily made at home and have a lot less "junk" added to them.  I have been on the hunt for a really good homemade BBQ sauce. This one still needs some tweaking for my tastes, but overall it's not bad!  I also love that it's not a ketchup-based recipe (i.e. yet another processed, sugar-filled product), and that it's a recipe where I have all the ingredients on hand in my cupboard, so there's no excuse not to make it.  (Not to mention, I can pronounce all the ingredients! ;))

Ingredients:

1 can tomato paste
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
1 Tbsp. molasses
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. chili powder
black pepper (to taste)
1/3 c. water

(**If you prefer a spicier and/or smokier sauce, go ahead and add in those ingredients with the first 11 listed above)

In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients *except for* the black pepper and the water, stirring well.

Place saucepan over medium heat, stirring the sauce until it's completely mixed together, which takes all of a few seconds.  Next, pour in the water.  Whisk it in until it's combined.  Continue to stir the mixture over medium heat until it starts to thicken up a little and become bubbly.  When it starts to bubble, add the black pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and continue to stir the ingredients for another minute or so.  Allow the sauce to cool, then place in an airtight container.  It can be stored in the refrigerator for about a month.

Three-Ingredient Steak Rub

Every year we purchase a side of beef, so steaks are plentiful in our house.  The best way to cook them up is on the grill, and we never tire of my easy 3-ingredient steak rub.

Ingredients:

Garlic powder
Seasoning salt
Black pepper

I don't measure the ingredients, nor do I combine them before putting them on the steaks.  I simply sprinkle them to our family's tastes.  I tend to go heavy on the black pepper as we love that, as well as the garlic powder.  I use a little less seasoning salt.  Once your meat has been sprinkled, go ahead an gently rub the seasonings in (both sides), and toss them on the grill!

Before:

After:

Veggie Pizza

This is one of my family's favorite meals!  It works well on any pizza crust (see the recipe for a basic dough recipe here) and you can tailor the pizza to fit your family's tastes as well as take advantage of whatever veggies you have hanging out in your refrigerator.

This is another one of those "no measurement" recipes; you can pretty much eyeball everything and it'll end up tasting great!

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese, softened (you may use a low-fat version if you prefer)
Ranch salad dressing (again, low-fat may be used, or try with your favorite salad dressing)
A variety of fresh, raw vegetables
Cheese (I use shredded cheddar most of the time)

You'll want to have your pizza crust made up and baked in advance.  If you're going for a thin crust experience, make sure to poke plenty of holes in your pizza dough prior to baking it so that it doesn't get too bubbly.  I prefer this pizza on a cracker-thin crust, but it tastes good no matter what the crust thickness is.

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese and Ranch dressing until you have a creamy, smooth texture.  Spoon the mixture onto your pizza crust(s) and spread evenly so that there is a thin layer across most of the surface.  Make the mixture thick enough so that your veggies can be pressed in a bit and will "stick" to it.  I used fresh broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, orange bell peppers, and red onion.  Go ahead and sprinkle the vegetables onto the cream cheese/ranch layer, pressing them in a bit, if necessary.  Finally, sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheese on top of the veggies.  Slice like you would a regular pizza and serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for a short while.

That's all there is to it!