Katy’s Best Recipes

Down East Barbecue Sauce is my absolute favorite! I didn’t know that until I moved to Wilson, NC. But now, I prefer it to all others.

3 cups cider vinegar

6 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon dry mustard

2 to 4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons bottled hot pepper sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

In a clean 1-quart jar mix together vinegar, sugar, mustard, red pepper, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well. Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to 7 days. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. Use on about 5 to 5 1/2 lbs of pulled pork.

25 servings: In a 2-3 quart bowl whisk together 6 cups cider vinegar, 3/4 cups sugar, 2 Tablespoons dry mustard, 1 to 3 Tablespoons crushed red pepper, 2 Tablespoons bottled hot pepper sauce, 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 Tablespoon black ground pepper. Cover and let stand at room temperature 6 hours to meld flavors. Makes about 7 cups.

50 servings: In a 3-4 quart bowl whisk together 12 cups cider vinegar, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup dry mustard, 3 to 5 tablespoons crushed red pepper, 3 Tablespoons bottled hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons salt, and 2 tablespoons ground black pepper. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 6 hours to meld flavors. Makes about 13 cups.

One of our family’s new favorites.

Beat until thick:

2 cups sugar (500 ml)

3 eggs

Add and mix until blended:

1 cup margarine, melted (250 ml)

1/2 cup potato flour (125 ml) or substitute cornstarch or all  purpose flour

2 1/2 cups white flour (625 ml)

2 teaspoons baking powder (10 ml)

1 cup milk (250 ml)

rind of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (160 C). Pour batter into 2 loaf pans, greased and floured on the bottoms only. Bake 50-60 minutes. Remove from pans. While still warm, glaze with thick paste of juice of 1 lemon and confectioner’s sugar. Serve in slices with fresh fruit or sherbet.

All my boys loved these! I made them without the dipping sauce because I was out of cream and out of time and they were still super yummy! Use 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon if you like a deeper cinnamon to sugar flavor like we do. Otherwise, 1 Tablespoon should do.  Enjoy!

Gabe claiming the last of the Churros.

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup all purpose flour

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 to 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

vegetable oil for deep-fat frying

Chocolate Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

In a saucepan, bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Reduce heat and add the flour, a little at a time. With a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until all the flour is completely incorporated and you have a smooth dough, about 5 minutes. The churro dough will begin to pull away from middle of saucepan. Remove from heat; allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and continue to beat well with wooden spoon until dough is smooth.

Spoon dough into piping bag fitted with a large star tip; set aside. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Add oil, about 2 inches deep, to a Dutch oven or large saucepan. If using a deep fry thermometer, aim heat at 375 degrees F.

Carefully hold piping bag above oil and pipe 3 to 4 churros, 5 inches in length. Do not overcrowd the Dutch oven as this will cause the oil temperature to drop and the churros will adsorb the oil and become soggy. Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip sides once during frying. drain on paper towels and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm with chocolate dipping sauce or alone. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Makes 16 to 20 churros.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Scant 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream

Combine chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla in a bowl. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream. Pour heavy cream over chocolate, allow it to sit for 1 minute and whisk until smooth. Serve with warm churros. Refrigerate and leftovers.

Makes 1 cup.

Make a spicy version by adding a pinch of ground cayenne pepper in place of the cinnamon.

One of my most requested recipes. Make it up the night before a party, slip the avocados in at the last moment, and serve with some tortilla chips. I promise it will be devoured!

1 (16 oz) package frozen corn, thawed

2 (2,25 oz) cans sliced black olives, drained

1 red bell pepper. chopped

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olve oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon fresh oregano or cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1. In a large bowl, mix corn, olives, red pepper, and onions.

2. In a small bowl, mix garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, cider vinegar, spice, salt and pepper. Pour on corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill overnight (or at least a couple of hours).

3. Stir in avocados just before serving. Yeilds 32 servings.

Slow Cooked Carnitas

1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 to 4 lbs)

3 garlic cloves sliced thinly

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup tequila or additional chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chiles

12 flour tortillas (8 in) warmed

Optional toppings… fresh cilantro leaves, chopped avocado and tomatoes, etc

Cut roast in half. Place in a 5 quart slow cooker. Sprinkle with garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Add the onions, cilantro, salsa, broth, tequila, and chiles. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat. Let it cool slightly. Shred with two forks and return to slow cooker. Heat through. It can easily stay in this state in the slow cooker for a while. Spoon about 2/3 cup meat mixture onto each tortilla. Serve with toppings of your choice.

My family also likes to use these leftovers on our Nachos.