Sauces, Condiments, and Preservation

I've made a lot of baby food in the past year. I prefer to make it at home because I know exactly what goes into it. I'd love to share my experiences with you.

Extra virgin olive oil is much better than regular olive oil for your health due to the cold process during extraction. This article reviews the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil and includes several recipes.

When your chickens produce too many eggs to use fresh, or you find a good sale on eggs, preserve some for later consumption using an old-fashioned method. Store eggs in your basement or closet.

Frank's Red Hot Wings Sauce is the secret ingredient in this fantastic homemade wing sauce.

Pressure-canning your own homemade chicken broth is easy, and having it available in your cellar is convenient and inspiring.

Hummus—it's not just a dip for pita chips. Learn its origins, how to make the BEST in your own kitchen, and how to use it in many imaginative ways.

Salsa verde is a green salsa made in Mexico. It is made with tomatillos, cilantro, onion, garlic, chile serrano, and lime. It can be boiled or broiled. This article includes variations and serving suggestions.

This sauce is made with tiny tomatoes, garlic, and fresh and dried basil. It's an easy sauce that goes well with any type of pasta.

I am so happy to still have my grandmother's old food mill. Making homemade applesauce and chokecherry jelly is easy, fun, tasty, and satisfying. See the videos in this post, and then get busy!

Learn how to make a delicious sardine spread to enjoy with your favorite crackers or breads.

Bee colonies have been collapsing for a decade, but the demand for honey is rising.

Duke’s Mayonnaise is a staple in the American Southeast. Duke’s just makes sandwiches and salads taste better! Here are some of my favorite recipes that highlight the great taste of this mayonnaise.

A step-by-step illustrated guide showing you how to prepare and can wild plums in a sweet-spicy syrup—a wonderful treat.

Here are 10 awesome recipes (with photos) for barbecue sauce, including ideas for BBQ sauce ingredients.

Green beans are essential in a well-balanced diet. Fresh from the garden, they have higher levels of nutrients than ones bought at the store. Here's how to harvest, and freeze green beans.

Our humble little tomato plant grew beyond expectation and produced a bumper crop. I made a delicious green tomato chutney with garlic.

Standard tartar sauce is great in a hurry and an even simpler version takes about 60 seconds to prepare. At the same time, some of my favorites are also fast and easy.

This article explains how to make a quick and easy tahini paste. It only calls for two ingredients and can be made in just 15 minutes. This paste is ideal for making hummus, tahini salad dressing, tahini dip, tahini sauce or even tahini cookies!

Bacon jam is almost impossible to describe until you taste it. Sweet, spicy, smoky, salty—it's an amazing combination of delectable goodness. Check out how easy it is to make it for yourself!

Grape jelly is a definite American favorite. Though it is delicious, it can get boring! Rev up the grape jelly in your pantry with this recipe that has a surprisingly delicious twist.

Now you can enjoy the luxuriousness of a hollandaise sauce without the saturated fat of butter.

Of all the vegetables I can each year, tomatoes have to be my favorite. My instructions are easy to follow, and the photos will help you, too. You're going to love having jars of tomatoes you canned yourself.

Made with fresh ingredients, a fruit coulis is the perfect fruit sauce. Along with step by step photo instructions, you'll find recipes for a raspberry, a mixed berry and a strawberry version.

If you've never tasted a gooseberry, June is the perfect time. Make a tasty jam from these green berries, and surprise your friends with the fresh, sweet, tart flavor, as well as the unusual color.

How a nostalgic New England experience became a new tradition in Indiana.

I've tested dozens of bbq sauce recipes, and these are the very best to make at home.

This recipe is focused on pressure canning black beans. By preserving your own food, not only can you control the ingredients in the food you make— providing your family with more nutritious food—but you also get the satisfaction of making food for your family.

Chili oil is a popular condiment commonly used in Asian countries. Some places add a twist on this condiment by adding garlic to it. Learn my version on how to make homemade chili garlic oil.

Gravy should be sublime, not like something out of the "Twilight Zone." Learn how to make the perfect lump-free, grease-free gravy.

This article is about the easiest way to make sweet, crunchy pickles, featuring a secret shortcut. It includes the recipe, complete instructions, and lots of photos. You will love these pickles.

You can use those end-of-season, unripe tomatoes you picked from your garden or greenhouse to make an excellent chutney. I also include recipe tips for using the chutney in a ploughman’s lunch.

Nothing beats the fresh taste of homemade beef jerky. Say goodbye to the massively preserved, store-bought bags and find true comfort with homemade beef jerky recipes.

Here is a guide to making your own homemade berry jam with step-by-step instructions, photos, and a video.

Here are 10 ways to use up your leftover cranberry sauce. You might even be inspired to make some cranberry sauce just to try some of these ideas.

This homemade vegetarian tomato sauce is a health-conscious solution for your spaghetti. Everyone will think it has beef in it. Made with Morningstar Farms® Grillers Crumbles™.

Capers are a salty, briny condiment that can provide amazing pops of flavor to your savory dishes.

Is your jam thin and runny? Here are all the ways you can make great jam using low-pectin fruit, with example recipes.

Red wine vinegar, shallots, and garlic reduce quickly for a fabulous steak sauce. This sauce will change the way you enjoy steak. It's so savory and flavorful, plus it's easy to make!

This is a good, flavorful jalapeño hot sauce recipe that goes a bit beyond the basics.

A gooey, dark brown and salty spread has been marketed under the slogan “Love Me or Hate Me, I’m Yours.” Learn all about the phenomenon that is Marmite.

Making cherry and black grape jam in the crockpot is going to be so easy, you'll be surprised that you didn't think to do this for yourself before now. This recipe turns juicy cherries and crispy grapes into a sweet, smooth, yummy concoction that you can enjoy with toast or biscuits.

Here's an easy storage method for your garden (or Farmer's Market) root vegetables. It's suitable for carrots, beets, and many others—potatoes and similar tubers, too.

Fruits can be made into jam or jelly straight or used to balance low pectin fruit to gel.

Finding a succulent fresh mint sauce can be a tall order. Fortunately, I know of an easy, delicious recipe you can use in a curry, on lamb, on potatoes, or anything that suits your fancy!

Worcestershire sauce is a delicious fermented product used to flavour meat, fish, Welsh rarebit, and cocktails. It’s made from a secret recipe by Lea and Perrins.

Hot Green Pepper Jelly! This is great old recipe that anyone can make and share. It is a famous and fantastic tasting jelly that everyone loves, especially during the Holiday Season. It is a simple recipe and easy to make.

Wild plum jam is easy to make. It's both sweet and tart and also looks pretty. If you don't grow your own wild plums, perhaps you can forage some.

Did you know that extra virgin olive oil, when used for high temperature cooking, transforms into a poisonous pool of free radicals that ravage the human body? Learn how choosing the right cooking oil can protect your health.

Pickled cucumber is a popular condiment in dishes such as burgers. Let me show a quick recipe for making pickled cucumbers at home.

Learn how to make delicious and unique BBQ sauce from scratch. I've included easy directions and photos in this article to help guide you.

Green sauces—a simple idea with world-wide appeal. Each culture uses the herbs of their garden to craft a condiment to accompany the foods they love. Let’s explore the origins of ten of these sauces, how to make them, and how to use them in dishes for your friends and family.

Learning how to make a quick pan sauce will give you superpowers in the kitchen. Three to four ingredients and five minutes will elevate a plain chicken breast or pork chop to a whole new level.

Check out this fantastic recipe for freezing tomatoes. Use this recipe to save any excess tomatoes you may have. Use the frozen ones later to make fantastic sauces that are full of flavor.

This recipe will help you with pressure-canning sweet corn off the cob. Summertime is wonderful, if not just because corn is in season, and the best of it goes on sale at my local organic food store. We love everything about corn, like cream corn, corn broth, tamales, and especially corn on the cob.

This delightful vinegar recipe is easy to make at home and is perfect for the beginner.

This recipe for Seville orange marmalade includes step-by-step instructions, photos and videos. Once you have tasted homemade marmalade, you will never want to buy the commercially made variety again.

What are the advantages of preserving food by canning, pickling, drying, and smoking? What are the disadvantages?

If you're lactose intolerant or have a dairy allergy, you're may be wondering which foods contain dairy products. Let's find out if one of our favorite condiments, mayo, has dairy in it.

Preserved vegetables are the 'magic' ingredient in home-style Chinese cooking. The preserved sweet-salty radish called 'choi poh' in Cantonese is a universal favourite. It's very easy to make. Enjoy!

Here are some awesome diabetic recipes to add to your cookbook! This article includes photos and directions for low-carb sauce recipes.

Guacamole is hands down a crowd-pleaser and sure to spruce up just about any meal. This recipe has been my go-to for over 15 years and has never been beat. It's super easy and quick to prepare, and it will disappear just about as fast as you can make it!

An essential condiment in every British household is a bottle of HP Sauce, just as it’s nearly impossible to find an American home without ketchup.

Sample five smoky BBQ sauce recipes from the main barbecue regions of the United States. Also included, the origin of barbecue sauce and BBQ cooking methods.

Molé has gained in popularity recently thanks to the efforts of culinary genius Rick Bayless. This simplified recipe for red molé yields a silky, sweet, smoky sauce. A Scoville chart of dried chiles is included.

This article includes text and photos to teach you step-by-step how to preserve winter squashes or pumpkins by pressure canning.

What does “French cooking” mean to you? Fancy, fussy, complicated? Mother sauces, the foundation of French cuisine, are easy to prepare. I'll tell you how and you'll never buy packaged sauce again.

Knowing how to make a white sauce can be an invaluable cooking skill. You can use a white sauce in so many dishes, either as a topping or a creamy filling.

How or why would you substitute one ingredient for another in a recipe? Perhaps you want a sauce for your meatballs, but you cannot eat tomatoes. Let me show you how!

Learn how to make your own fruit preserves and then use them to make a simple fruit cobbler.

"Curry" is a blanket term used to describe a vast range of Indian spicy stewed dishes. There are many different styles of curries. Not all are hot. Get tips and recipes for curries here.

This article contains a recipe and photo instructions for my mom’s delicious fig preserves.

Here are a few quick and easy avocado recipes, including salads, salsa, guacamole and more. Enjoy avocado a variety of ways with these tempting and healthy recipes, including guacamole a la mexicana!

How do you turn 400 pounds of tomatoes into wonderful smoky sauce in one day? With an outdoor evaporator and the help of several friends, of course.

This article explains how to make a tasty, spicy jam to warm autumn and winter meals.

Rhubarb is a large-leafed plant with edible stalks that grows like a bad weed anywhere that it gets the opportunity to be planted. It is a very hardy perennial and can be frozen for later use.

Fish can be preserved by drying, salting, and freezing. These methods are effective ways to store bumper catches for times of scarcity.

Learn how to dehydrate food and save money. Dehydrating food takes none of the nutrients out and helps you use food when it's at its prime.

Learn the secret to making a thick and rich tomato soup from garden-fresh or canned tomatoes!

Many mason jar canning lids contain BPA which acts like estrogen in the body, disrupting normal hormone regulation. BPA-free claims may not be enough. Find out how to find healthy canning jars.

Rowan jelly is a strong-tasting condiment once very popular in the UK and traditionally served with wild game or beef. This simple recipe shows how to make rowan-and-apple jelly from scratch.

Why go to an expensive Japanese restaurant? Now you can prepare a classic Japanese sauce at home without worrying about your budget. Follow my easy recipe for garlicky-sweet soy glaze.

Italian pesto is loved all over the world over. But have you ever tasted tallarin verde, or green noodles, the pesto of Peru? Creamy and mild, it is the favorite dish of many Peruvian children.

Here's how to decrystallize honey fast in small and medium batches—no pan or microwave needed. This method is great if you have crystallized honey, but don't want to decrystallize an entire jar, or are dealing with honey in a plastic container.

This article contains photos and text that will teach you step-by-step how to pressure-can milk by sealing it in jars for long-term storage.

I freeze greens from my garden every year, and they taste as delicious as fresh-from-the-garden. It's an easy process to learn. Read on for all the details.

Making your own cooking spray saves money, reduces the chemical additives you're putting into your body, takes 5 minutes to make, and is better for the environment and better for your health.

Walnut oil is one of those oils you don't hear much about, but it is fantastic. Learn how to use it in your everyday cooking.

There are a lot of brands out there. How do you know which one's the best? I've tried a lot of ACV and want to share my experience with you.

Red sauces—a simple idea with world-wide appeal. Each culture uses the produce of their garden to craft a condiment to accompany the foods they love. Let’s explore the origins of ten of these sauces and learn how to make them.

Homemade custard may be safely preserved by pressure canning and is suitable for most uses. Chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and coconut milk recipes are given here, along with a whole-egg variation. The entire canning process is shown as well.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to can stewed tomatoes.

Homemade mango chutney is better than any shop-bought chutney and a great go-to for any Indian curry or ingredient to other recipes. Here's a simple recipe!

Olive & Vine is a Houston boutique that sells top-quality extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars. Taste before you buy, and learn about health benefits for both.

Try this tasty pineapple twist on a traditional Mexican condiment.

This 5 star restaurant-style salsa, reviewed over 2,000 times, is easy to make and bursting with garden-fresh flavor. We guarantee you'll be back for more! Also included: tips for making mild, low sodium or smoky salsa.

This is a homemade salsa recipe that can be used all year round. It includes step-by-step instructions and tips like how to handle jalapeno peppers to keep them from burning your hands.

Green peppers provide several nutrients and benefits to your body and health. They also taste great, whether they are in your spaghetti sauce or fresh on a salad. These are great fruit!

Making a real Cajun-style roux is no mystery—it simply takes a little patience! With a couple of tools and three ingredients, you can have true, rich Cajun flavor for gumbo or étouffée for yourself!

Peruvian ají sauce transforms chicken and French fries into something special! Learn how to make this spicy, addictive sauce.

Here are step-by-step instructions for making a delicious and pretty syrup. These instructions can be used for just about any edible flower.