My "Too Good to Share But I'm Going To Anyway" Barbecue Sauce Recipe

Confession time. Sometimes, there are things I make that are so great, I just want to keep them to myself. I've always thought that every cook needs a few things under their belt that just blow people away, and everyone comes up to you and is like, "This is amazing! Can I have the recipe?!" Then you just chuckle, throw on a straight face and tell them to leave your property immediately.

Well I think I've changed my tune. My favorite thing about cooking is seeing people enjoy the stuff I make. I just really like the process of building flavors, trying things out and finally coming up with a dish that makes people say, "Wow." So if that's the thing I love most about cooking, why would I keep my best recipes to myself? Obviously I can't have all of you in my home (as much as I would love that - you know I would), so the best thing to do would be to share the recipes and allow you to make it yourselves.

This is my barbecue sauce recipe. After several years of experimenting, tweaking and even receiving some in-depth mentoring from Sweet Baby Ray and the head chef of his competition barbecue team (yes, the Sweet Baby Ray), I finally created what I think is the perfect sauce. It's sweet, tangy, a little spicy (not too much), and ridiculous on any kind of meat. If any dudes are reading this, I'm not kidding you. Make this sauce, and you will love it. Ladies, make this sauce and you will rock the socks right off the men in your life. Finished product:

Super boring picture. Super not boring sauce. Here it is:

2 Cups Ketchup
1 1/3 Cup Dark Corn Syrup
1 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (yes, I use a little of their sauce in my sauce - so what)
1/2 Cup Frank's Red Hot
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice Concentrate
1/2 Tbsp Liquid Smoke (use a medium/light-flavored liquid smoke, like applewood or hickory - avoid mesquite on this one)
1 Tbsp Ancho Chili Powder
1 tsp Dry Mustard
1 tsp Garlic Power
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cumin

Stir together, simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, let it cool, put it in bottles, and love the crap out of it.

I battled with myself over this one. Up until yesterday I was firm in my decision to not share it. But I just can't do that; not to you, my internet friends. Something this great needs to be shared and enjoyed. And, just to help you with the enjoyment part, all 3 of my posts next week will be dedicated to this sauce, starting with my chicken wings on Monday (spoiler alert, I bake them instead of fry - totally the way to go).

Have a great weekend, y'all. Peace!

A New Calendar and its New Friends.

I bought a calendar two weeks ago. I realize we're almost halfway through the year, but after trying a few electronic calendars on my phone and my laptop--it just wasn't working.  (How old am I?!) It could be because growing up, my sisters and I got a calendar every year for Christmas and we had a family calendar meeting every week--I am just very into physical, see-the-date, write-all-over-it calendars.  

The good news is that 2013 calendars are very discounted now. Ha! I sprung for this vertical one from Make Collaboration. It's minimalistic and modern and has room to actually write things on it! Also, it's super narrow, which was necessary knowing it was going on this narrow wall.  I like it. 

And, of course, I couldn't only hang the calendar.

The Pittsburgh skyline (my hometown!) is by a local artist and was gifted to us from my sister on her wedding day.  The clock is, meh.  Would love to replace it or spray paint it or something. I think I got it for $7 at Ross forever ago and it's one of those things that is hard for me to spend money on.  Clocks.  I have my heart set on this one. I found this paint-by-numbers dog at the thrift store (I guess saying it is vintage would be cooler) years ago and I finally got a fresh frame and mat for him. I am considering painting out the camo-ish background with a navy blue. Greta is obsessed with dogs, so this one is for her. On the bottom right is an intaglio print I did in college of some trees.  

Now it feels like this little, narrow wall that separates our living room and kitchen hasn't been forgotten about--because walls have feelings?  I think they just might. 

Update: Use CLJ15 at checkout to score 15% off your own Vertical calendar right here. 

10 Less Traditional Things To Fill Bare Walls

I have recently retired from offering mood boards after making them for hundreds of clients for the past two and a half years.  There just isn't enough time these days and I would love to focus on other projects. In those two and a half years, I've learned a lot.  I've hunted a lot.  And I've peeked into a lot of homes and rooms. One question that I got over and over was, "What do I do with these huge bare walls?"

Big art ($$$) yes. Engineer prints--sure. A gallery wall--obviously. But here are a few other, less traditional, ideas that I've recommended over the years that can fill wall space, add a lot of interest and maybe even set you apart.

1. Bikes. This can be out of necessity, like maybe you live in a small apartment and need a place for your bike--might as well make it "art."  But even if you have all the space in the world, hanging your bike in a prominent place can look pretty cool.

2. Flags. The bigger. The better.

3. 3D quotes. We put together this large quote for the wall in the studio and the impact still gets me when I walk in the room. It's completely customizable and personal, too.

4.  Frame wallpaper.  This one almost appears as a painted mural on the wall.  Build a frame, or trim it out with wall moldings.

5. Hats. There are a million excellent examples of these are just two of my favorites.  It feels so easy and chic--but probably skip displaying your baseball hat collection in the living room.

6. A giant clock.  So this one isn't totally out-of-the-box. But I've recommended this 50"clock at least a dozen times because 50 inches!? That's huge for around $200.

7. Tapestries.  I am committed to using a huge tapestry somewhere in our home and this bedroom inspiration has me even more sold/drooling over the idea.  Urban Outfitters sells some tapestries and of course, scour ebay!

8. Anything. Ha! Random everyday found objects hung in a series, create a graphic focal point on an architecture-free wall. Also, could make for a fun game of I Spy.  Is that a potato masher??

9.  In the appropriate setting, oars (or surf boards, etc.) look so chic.  Obviously coastal, but check out the more modern application on the right.

10.  Lastly, photo ledges with smaller pictures lining an entire wall.  Can you imagine the fun guests would have with this?  The conversation? Something special there.

Do you have any out-of-the box things filling your walls? Ready to implement one of these? Or maybe you're embracing bare walls, which can be a beautiful thing, too. 

Image Sources: bike, flag 1, flag 2, wall quote, wallpaper, hats 1, hats 2, clock, tapestry 1, tapestry 2, random objects, oars 1, oars 2, photo ledge

What's the Difference Between Olive Oils?

I've received a few questions about olive oil lately that I thought I'd take today's post to address. See, whenever I'm explaining my dishes, sometimes I say stuff like, "Use light olive oil - not extra virgin" or "Use a fruity extra-virgin olive oil." The question I've been receiving is, "What's the difference?" This is a big question.

The truth is there are big differences and every cook picks their favorites. But just like every ingredient, each type of olive oil has a purpose and flavor that we should all be aware of, and "level of healthiness" shouldn't be a factor when choosing which olive oil to use. The major benefits (omega-3s, omega-6s, monounsaturated fats) do not drastically change from one olive oil to the next (speaking in generalities - there may be outliers). No, the main things we want to worry about are flavor, and smoke point.

First, flavor. Olives are fruit, and as such they have their own flavor. This flavor is transferred into the oil produced from the fruit, and the intensity of the flavor depends on the level of processing. You've probably heard the term "first cold press." This means that the oil was produced simply by crushing or "pressing" the olives one time. It's a "cold press" because no heat is added. Once they have extracted all of the fresh oil from the first cold press, they put the olives through other processes to extract oil, including heat and chemicals. The more processing, the less the oil tastes like an olive.

The second factor is smoke point. What I mean by smoke point is the temperature at which an oil begins to burn and smoke. Once an oil begins smoking, it's best to throw it away. Continuing to use it will only make your food taste bad. Extra-virgin and virgin olive oils have a very low smoke point, meaning they burn easily. Basically, there are microscopic pieces of olive in these oils, and these pieces of olive, while tasty, do not take kindly to heat. Pure, light and extra-light olive oils have been refined more, which raises their smoke point and makes them more usable in high-heat applications such as frying or grilling.

That was the elevator pitch for olive oil. You may be thinking, "Chris, just tell me which olive oil to buy." Well...

See that top shelf? Those are my oils. I have 6 of them, each with a different flavor and use. How can I tell you which oil to buy when I can't narrow it down myself? While I may not be able to give you specifics, I would suggest having at least 2 bottles of olive oil - one extra-virgin (1% or lower acidity) for low-heat uses such as sweating vegetables, dressing pasta and salads; and one light or extra-light for high heat uses like grilling, pan frying, and roasting. Also, I would suggest everyone have a jar of coconut oil on hand, but that's another post.

* side not about frying. Olive oil can be expensive, so you'll notice I don't do a lot of deep frying with it. I usually do shallow frying (pan-frying) or sautéing, to use less oil. If you want to deep fry something, I suggest using a cheaper oil like canola or peanut. Yes, less healthy. But so is deep frying. :)

I hope that gave a little clarity on the oil front. Whatever you do, don't let people talk you into absolutes, like "Never buy anything but extra-virgin." An approach like that only limits our ability to create great food. So find a good olive oil vendor (I suggest Caputo's, for anyone in the Salt Lake area) and start trying out different oils. As you become familiar with them you'll come to appreciate their differences, and you'll make better food because of it.

Peace out.