Make it Homemade: Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

We happen to live in a state where the weather is nice almost year round, which is perfect since we are big on back yard grilling. One item that is a must have for a good barbecue is a tasty BBQ sauce. The shear amount of sauces for sale at the grocery store can be overwhelming and even within each brand you can find smoky, sweet, spicy, mild, home-style and the list goes on and on. Store bought sauces are great in a pinch, but we wanted a condiment that had all of the above components combined into one tasty sauce. 

To achieve what we were looking for in a great sauce, we started to make our own saucy condiments from scratch. After a bit of experimenting, we have found a couple of fantastic recipes that we have added our own touches to that have replaced any grocery store sauce you can find on the shelf. Is it more time consuming to make your own barbecue sauce then opening a store bought bottle? You bet, but you can't beat the rich and complex flavor profile of a homemade sauce along with being able to control the ingredients that go into it.

Today I'm sharing our Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce that we have been making over and over the past few years. We love serving it with pulled pork or using it as a  glaze on smoked ribs, but it is also tasty served with chicken or on a good burger. This flavorful topping has everything in it that we were looking for in a great BBQ sauce: sweetness, a hint of spiciness, a little smoke, a bit of tartness and most of all, lots of flavor.  Give it a try for yourself and see how easy and tasty this sauce can be on all of your grilled favorites and kick your grocery store sauces to the curb.

Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce 

~makes 2 (16oz.) jars~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons tomato paste
One 12-ounce can Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 teaspoons ancho or New Mexican chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Sauté the onion and jalapeno pepper in the butter until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the flavors have blended. Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper if desired.

Let the sauce cool for about 10 minutes or until it is warm but no longer “boiling” hot. Puree with an immersion or traditional blender—this will make the sauce thicker. Let cool. Fill into cleaned jars. Store in the refrigerator.

Notes: The BBQ sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Slightly adapted from: Saveur 

BBQ Deviled Eggs

Don't you just hate when the "rules" regarding food constantly change? I do, and in the case of eggs, it's always something different. First they are good for you, then they are not, and right now they are "in" again. Who makes these rules? Regardless of what has been said in the past, I've always been a giant egg fan. I love them prepared any way. One of my favorite childhood memories was my dad making soft boiled eggs for weekend breakfasts. I also like them scrambled, in omelets, in frittata form, or sunny side up.

About a week ago I ended up with a plethora of eggs. They had been on sale, and long story short, I bought way more of them than I needed and was able to use, so I had to come up with some recipes that would require quite a few eggs.

What better way to use up copious amounts of eggs than to turn them into deviled eggs, and what better time of year to make these considering all the potlucks and picnics to get "rid" of them.

I found this recipe in one of my "Cuisine at Home" magazine and fell in love with it right away. BBQ Deviled Eggs? Two of my favorite things combined into one, no further convincing was needed.

This recipe is a bit of a departure from my standard  Snappy Deviled Egg recipe but it is just as good. Hard boiled egg yolks get mixed together with cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and barbecue sauce (aha!). Minced pickles (I used dill pickle relish), sweet onions, and parsley will add the final touch. The filled egg is then garnished with a drizzle of barbecue sauce and a pickle slice. Voilà!

These eggs were a giant hit! I loved the little bit of smokiness the barbecue sauce added and the crunch of the pickles. These eggs were gone in no time and are most definitely a keeper for our family! I know I will be making this recipe over and over again. I hope you'll give it a try as well, I'm sure there are plenty of occasions left during the summer months.

BBQ Deviled Eggs

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, cut in half, and yolks removed

2 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 tablespoon barbecue sauce 

3 tablespoons minced dill pickles (I used dill pickle relish)

2 tablespoons sweet onions, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Salt and black pepper to taste

Barbecue sauce for drizzling

Sliced pickles for garnish

Directions:

Mash egg yolks in a bowl; stir in cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, barbecue sauce, minced pickles, onion, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Season mixture with salt and pepper; stir until ingredients are well combined. Divide filling amount egg whites*.

Drizzle barbecue sauce lightly over each egg. Garnish each egg with a small pickle slice. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

* For easy piping, spoon filling into a heavy-duty plastic Ziploc bag. Cut a small hole in the corner; squeeze gently.

Adapted from: Cuisine at Home

Oma Ingrid's German Potato Salad

The cooking was simple in my family growing up. Uncomplicated meals that were balanced, but nothing fancy were the norm. The garden provided whatever vegetables were in season. Potatoes were a staple, but we also had pasta and rice on occasion. Meat was mostly pork, beef or chicken. My mom did not rely on pre-packaged mixes, so everything she cooked for us was made from scratch. 

I love her meals and still consider it a special treat the occasional time I get to fly home and she cooks for me. There are certain things only she can make properly, no matter how hard I try. It must be the extra touch mom's add to their cooking that makes it so special.

I didn't grow up with mayonnaise based potato salad, the one I grew up eating all my life had a vinegar dressing. My mom made, and still makes this salad to this day, and there are hardly ever any leftovers when it is served at the dinner table.

This salad is very simple, but full of flavor. It starts by cooking whole Yukon gold potatoes (or any other waxy potato variant) in their skin by steaming them. Once cooked, they are peeled while still fairly hot, cut up, and immediately dressed with oil, vinegar and vegetable broth. The hot potato acts like a sponge and soaks up the flavor of the dressing. Mustard, onions and spices round out the seasonings, and finally a good sprinkling of fresh parsley and chives are added for the finishing touch.

This salad is my go to salad, especially when the meat I'm serving alongside is heavy (like ribs or Bratwurst) or when I have mayo based side dishes like coleslaw. My kids have come to love Oma Ingrid's salad as much as I do, and my husband prefers this variation over other versions as well. I hope you'll give this one a try, and you and your family love it as much as we do. Why not add a little piece of Franconia to your dinner table?

Oma Ingrid's German Potato Salad

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 - 1/3 cup hot vegetable broth (water with a vegetable bullion cube dissolved)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon brown deli mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Directions:
Wash potatoes, place in a double boiler/steamer basket over hot water and cook until tender. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes, then peel and cut into quarters which are then cut into 1/8 inch slices and place in a large bowl.

Immediately after slicing the potatoes, add the oil, vinegars, and 1/4 cup of the broth. Carefully toss to coat. Add onions, mustard, herbs, and season with salt and pepper. If your potato salad seems dry, add the rest of the broth. Serve or refrigerate until ready for use.

Adapted from: my mom

Potato-Pea Salad

I'm always on the hunt to add to my salad repertoire for the summer months and BBQ season. This is how I found this wonderful potato salad. I think there is no such thing as too many salad recipes. I thrive on trying out new dishes, and also on not eating the same thing all the time. True, I do have a few recipes that date back to my childhood which I will make to this day since they are pure comfort food but my family has fun with new meals and they enjoy giving me commentary on what to improve or when to toss the recipe and ban it forever from the table.

This salad was well received all the way around. Considering the 4 main "players" are potatoes, peas, bacon and cheese I didn't think it was going to go any other way. The salad is a combination of a tasty potato salad and a pea salad. Two of my favorites combined into one was all I needed to be convinced to make this dish.

I like to make all of my potato recipes with Yukon Gold potatoes (or any other waxy kind). I think they hold their shape much better than russet potatoes even after boiling. Nothing worse than a "mushy" potato salad. Usually I steam my potatoes with the skin on to make potato salad and remove it after they are cooked, but in this recipe it calls for peeling and slicing the potatoes prior to cooking. I stuck with my regular method, but I'm sure either way works fine.

The recipe calls for cheddar cheese, so I decided to go with my favorite extra sharp cheddar. I don't ever bother with mild or medium cheddar since I want to be able to taste the cheese, and I believe by using a cheese with more flavor you tend to use less, hence you save a few calories and don't we all like to do this when we can. The salad also calls for regular mayonnaise, but can also be made with the low-fat kind since the mayo just helps bind it all together and is definitely not the star of this dish. The recipe makes enough to feed a big family or a small crowd, but can easily be halved or quartered if you are cooking for less.

If you are looking for a unique salad to add to a BBQ for Father's day, look no further and make this one. Dad will thank you!

Potato-Pea Salad

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 strips bacon

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled

2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1 cup (8 ounces) diced sharp Cheddar

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons mustard

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Salt, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the potatoes.

Cook bacon until very crisp; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble bacon; set aside.

Quarter potatoes. Thinly slice potatoes with a knife or mandoline. Boil sliced potatoes until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Rinse potatoes to remove excess starch and drain well; transfer to a large bowl. Add peas, 3/4 of the crumbled bacon and cheddar; toss gently to mix.

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and onion powder in a separate bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Gently fold mayonnaise mixture into potato mixture. Adjust for additional seasonings if needed. Chill until ready to serve. Before serving, sprinkle reserved bacon bits over salad.

Adapted from: Cuisine at Home

Cubano-Style Burger

 

I have much love and great admiration for a lot of different cuisines. With the weather being so hot here in the southwest already, one of the easiest things to make for a quick dinner is a good burger on the BBQ. Flipping through the pages of several of my cooking magazines, my eyes caught the Cubano-Style Burger in "Cuisine at Home".

This burger is modeled after the traditional Cuban roast pork sandwich which is topped with sliced ham and Swiss cheese and I absolutely adore them. We have a little Deli here that makes one of the best Cuban sandwiches, everything is made from scratch using only local ingredients. It is a requirement to  order it every time I eat there, it is that good. 

The burger is composed of pork and beef (which I added to cut a bit of the fat) but you could certainly make this burger with all pork or even turkey. Deli ham and Swiss cheese are layered on top after the burger is cooked through and left on the the grill until the cheese is melted to perfection. The finished burger is then topped with a mustard pickle relish that mimics the flavor of the classic sandwich which usually has pickles on it.

This recipe makes substantial 1/3 pound burgers which are moist and juicy. All the flavors work incredibly well together even before adding the relish, but once it is topped, the burger becomes irresistible.

This burger is so good, my 8 year old managed to eat almost a whole one all by himself and that is unheard off. I'm adding this to our regular burger rotation, and am already planning to make this at our next party. I served this burger with sweet potato fries since that is what I had on hand, but if you are trying to add even more authenticity then go with fried Tostones (fried green plantains). 

So, if you like to crank up the heat, love a really good burger, and want to add a little spice to your next dinner, don't wait, make this soon!

Cubano-Style Burger

~serves 6~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the mustard relish:

1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard

1/4 cup dill pickle relish

2 tablespoons minced red onion

2 tablespoons diced pickled jalapeno

1 tablespoon honey

For the burgers:

1 pound ground beef (I used 90 % lean)

1 pound ground pork

Salt and black pepper

6 slices deli-sliced ham

6 slices Swiss cheese

6 onion hamburger buns, buttered

Mayonnaise

Directions:

Preheat one side of grill to medium-high and the other side to low.

Combine ingredients for the relish in a bowl; set aside.

Combine the ground beef and pork. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a patty slightly larger than the bun to allow fro shrinkage. Season patties with salt and pepper and coat bother sides of each one with nonstick spray or brush lightly with olive oil.

Grill burgers, covered, over medium-high heat until cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Top each burger with a slice of ham and a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until cheese is melted, 1-2 minutes, more. Remove burgers from the grill and tent with foil.

Grill buttered buns, covered, over low heat until lightly toasted, 1-2 minutes.

To serve, spread bottom of buns with mayonnaise, place burgers on buns, and top with mustard relish.

Adapted from: Cuisine at Home

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

A few weeks ago I received a preview magazine for Cuisine at home in my mailbox. After looking through it and loving a lot of the recipes, I decided to subscribe to it since I'm always trying to get inspired by new and different things. I received my first issue a few days ago and the poor magazine is now covered in little sticky notes for all the recipes I'm planning on making.

The first one I chose caught my eye immediately as I flipped through the first few pages. I picked the Shrimp Tacos. The picture just screamed "summer time" and they looked incredibly delicious.

There are 3 components to this recipe. The marinated shrimp, a wonderful (and easy) slaw, and an incredibly tasty chipotle sauce. What makes this recipe even better is that the shrimp are grilled, to us that means the oven stays off, which is an added bonus for us here, especially since our temperatures have hit 110 degrees F over the past weekend.

The meal comes together quickly, the shrimp marinates while you prepare the sauce and the slaw. Grilling the shrimp takes no more then a few minutes from start to finish, I would almost go as far as calling this a "fast-food" meal, since dinner can be on the table in 30 minutes flat.

I have always enjoyed a good fish taco and still do, but this is my new favorite seafood taco. The taste is absolutely mouthwatering and amazing, but what makes this even more interesting is that each of the components of the taco aren't calling for a whole lot of ingredients, but once you put this together it's so good.  I didn't make a lot of changes, but went ahead and used double the ingredients in the sauce since it was so tasty.

I served these Tacos with Mexican Rice and Refried Beans. Stay tuned this week for recipes for both of these side dishes. They were just as good, plus you don't want to miss this weeks Ice Cream Flavor, it is out of this world!

So if you are trying to celebrate summer to it's fullest, and you love seafood, then make these tacos, they sure were a hit at our home.

Grilled Shrimp Tacos

~serves 4~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the shrimp tacos:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 pound (about 24)large shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

For the chipotle sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

3 teaspoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Salt to taste

For the red slaw:

4 cups shredded red cabbage

1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Salt to taste

Directions:

Whisk together 1/2 cup lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and chili powder for the shrimp. Add the cleaned shrimp to the marinade and chill until ready to skewer (about 10-15 minutes).

Preheat on side of the grill to medium-high and the other side to medium-low.

In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, chipotles, honey, and lime juice for the sauce. Season with salt and chill until ready to serve, or up to 2 days.

Combine cabbage, scallions, cilantro, 1 tablespoon oil, and vinegar for the slaw. Season with salt and chill until ready to serve, or up to 1 hour.

Warp tortillas in foil. Thread shrimp onto metal or soaked bamboo skewers.

Grill foil-wrapped tortillas, covered, over medium-low heat, 3-4 minutes. Flip and grill 3-4 minutes more. Grill shrimp skewers, covered, over medium-high heat, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove tortillas and skewers from the grill.

To serve, divide slaw and shrimp among 8 tortillas; drizzle with sauce.

Adapted from: Cuisine At Home

Dill Potato Salad

What goes better with BBQ than potato salad as a side dish? Really, it is the perfect accompaniment to pretty much anything grilled. But, considering that we have a lot of summer days in the south-west and my husband loves to BBQ, I have to have a big repertoire of go-to salads or we would eat the same thing over and over again, and who wants to do that? True, I do have a few salads I make often, like my Better Than Restaurant Coleslaw or my Susi's German Pasta Salad but I do like variety, so I try new recipes quite frequently. Some taste great and make it into regular rotation but many recipes I end up tossing out since they were not a hit with the family.

This potato salad falls into the "regular rotation" category. I love dill and use it a lot in my cooking so when I came across this salad it was a no-brainer for me. Unfortunately potato salad is never made quickly. And honestly, it isn't my favorite task when it comes to peeling the boiled potatoes, but the reward in the end is that the salad is always well received.

Starting with a good tasting potato is key for a tasty end result. I like to use Yukon gold potatoes. Their buttery taste works well in a variety of dishes, plus they keep their shape well. Celery, green onions and and a lot of fresh dill add freshness to the recipe. A delicious dressing that combines mayonnaise, sour cream and a heaping tablespoon of Dijon mustard make this potato salad a winner.

If you have room for another potato salad recipe this summer on your dinner table, then give this one a try, you won't be disappointed.

Dill Potato Salad

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons white vinegar

3/4 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup mayo

1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the cooked but still warm potatoes and toss with the white vinegar. Set aside to cool.

Add the celery and green onions to the cooled potatoes.

In a separate bowl whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently add the dressing to the potato-vegetable mixture and carefully toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Layer Salad

 

Layer Salad is one of my husband's favorite salads. It is also a great salad to take along to any BBQ, picnic, or potluck since it's visual appeal alone is a stand out.

This salad is best made a few hours ahead before serving so the frozen peas can un-thaw. Preparation for this salad is a little bit involved since you are chopping, grating and cooking the individual layers, but the results if presented in a nice glass trifle bowl are stunning.

This salad usually has something for everyone with all the different components of sweet, salty, crunchy and creamy. It is important however, that all the ingredients are at their prime. So don't skimp on sub-par vegetables since they are the star in this dish. A good quality mayonnaise is also key since it is mainly what makes your dressing. It is also a salad that if taken somewhere, the bowl is empty when you return home.

Hopefully you like this as much as we do when you serve it at your next function.

Layer Salad

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 head Iceberg Lettuce, shredded

1/2 medium red onion, diced

2 medium carrots, shredded

2 cups frozen baby peas

1 medium red pepper, diced

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Dressing:

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like Best Food's)

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Layer the ingredients in the order listed into a trifle or other glass bowl reserving some of the bacon if desired to sprinkle on top.

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a separate bowl making sure to taste for seasoning. Spread dressing over entire bowl making sure to cover the entire surface. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Before serving add reserved bacon bits.

Better Than Restaurant Coleslaw

My children have always had a soft spot for KFC coleslaw. Every time we had the fried chicken (which isn't often) they would beg for the coleslaw over any other side the restaurant offered. I do have to admit that it is pretty good and creamy and I've enjoyed the occasional serving of it as well. I've had a lot of bad coleslaws over the years. There is usually one at every potluck present and while a lot of them are pretty good, there are just as many that are plain bland.

Figuring that I can make a coleslaw that is just as delicious as the fast food version, I was tinkering around with a recipe I had found on All Recipes. It was a good basic recipe but still lacked some of that wonderful creaminess that we all liked. After a lot of experimenting with the recipe and trying different things I came up with my take on this classic that has produced empty bowls time and time again. 

This coleslaw is fantastic with anything from grilled ribs to chicken or even seafood. It comes together quickly but will need to sit for a couple of hours for the flavors to really meld into one another.

I realize you might already have a coleslaw recipe in your repertoire, but maybe you still want to give mine a try and who knows, it might become a favorite of yours as well.

Better Than Restaurant Coleslaw

~ Serves 8~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package coleslaw mix

1/3 cup red onion, finely minced

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the coleslaw mix and onions in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, milk, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and lemon juice; whisk until smooth. Pour mixture over the coleslaw and onion; stir well and chill for at least 1 hour. 

Slightly adapted from: All Recipes

Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw

We love to BBQ all year round. Fortunately, we live in an area where the weather is fairly moderate in the winter months so we can continue to grill when many people in other parts of the country have to put their BBQ's in the garage or basement for the season. Burgers are always a big hit at our house and considering how quickly they come together it is certainly just as fast as driving to any fast food joint.

My husband is the grill master at our house. Grilling is his main passion. So while he does his magic on the grill, I'm usually the one getting all of the condiments ready for the burgers. The status quo in our household usually consist of a standard beef burger along with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and of course cheese.

After I got my newest Food Network Magazine and started flipping through the pages my eyes caught one of their "Weeknight Cooking" meals. It was for Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw. Now this one sounded very interesting. I read through the ingredients and figured I should try this Burger at least once. The burger doesn't require much more time than any other burger but the flavor was out of this world. It had the spice from the jerk seasoning (recipe follows), the sweetness from the slaw and the mayonnaise along with the bun which complimented everything. The ground turkey mixed with the apple (which you can't detect once cooked) was juicy and full of incredible flavor. I'm not the world's biggest mango chutney fan (maybe homemade tastes better than store bought) but in combination with the slaw and the mayonnaise it just works. The original recipe called for shredded cabbage and shredded carrot, but in order to streamline this process I just went with store bought coleslaw mix and it worked like a charm.

We all loved this burger. The only one who wasn't crazy about it was my youngest child, but he is a hardcore cheeseburger kid. This burger will be making an encore throughout our grilling season for sure. This was definitely not your standard "fast-food" burger and I'm looking forward to finding more unique burger recipes like this, so stay tuned!

Jerk Turkey Burgers with Mango Slaw

~serves 6~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

2 tablespoons jerk seasoning, plus more for sprinkling *(recipe follows)

1 medium green apple, peeled and grated

1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped, divided

1/3 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Kosher Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup mayonnaise, plus more for brushing

1/3 cup mango chutney, roughly chopped

4 cups coleslaw mix with carrots

Canola oil, for the grill

6 hamburger buns, split

Directions:

Preheat a grill grill pan to medium high. Mix the turkey, jerk seasoning, apple, 1/4 cup green onions and the panko in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Form into 6 1-inch thick patties and make a small indentation in the middle of each with your thumb to prevent it from puffing up on the grill. Refrigerate.

Whisk the mayonnaise and chutney in a large bowl. Add the coleslaw mix and the remaining 1/4 cup green onion, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Brush the grill with canola oil. Grill the turkey patties until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Brush the cut sides of the buns with mayonnaise and sprinkle with jerk seasoning; toast on the grill, about 30 seconds. Serve the burgers and slaw on the buns.

Jerk Seasoning

~makes 1/2 cup~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon onion flakes

2 teaspoons ground thyme

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons dried chives

Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients. Store leftovers in a tightly closed glass jar. It will keep its strength for over a month. 

Use 1 1/2 tablespoons of seasoning for each pound of meat.

Susi's German Pasta Salad

Growing up in Germany I was introduced to this pasta salad as a young girl. I guess my mom found the recipe sometime in the 70's in a magazine and it has been a family favorite ever since.

I always looked forward to my mom making this salad. I remember us (my sisters and I) putting dibs on the leftovers if there were any. I introduced my own family to this recipe many years ago and it has been just as well received. My children will also fight over the leftovers, just like I did many years ago with my own siblings.

This pasta salad is made quickly and tastes great with just about anything from grilled chicken, to pork, beef, or sausages. Sometimes I even leave the ham out and make it a true vegetarian option depending on who is eating.  Because of the mild flavor of the canned peas and carrots this salad has proven over and over that it is a favorite with kids even if they are not too keen on vegetables. The dressing isn't as rich tasting due to the sour cream content which will cut the heaviness of the mayonnaise but I've also made this salad time and time again with low fat ingredients with the same great results.

I hope you'll give my German version a try, maybe it will become a family favorite for you as well.

Susi's German Pasta Salad

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

8 ounces Elbow Pasta 

1 (15 ounce) can Baby Peas, drained (I prefer Le Sueur Brand)

1 (15 ounce) can Baby Carrots, drained and sliced (Le Sueur Brand)

1 (6 ounce) pack boiled Ham, diced

1/2 cup pickles, diced

2 tablespoons pickle juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Dressing:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1 tablespoon pickle juice

Pinch of sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and place in a large bowl. Immediately add the pickle juice and vinegar, toss to coat the pasta. Let cool slightly, then add the peas, the carrots, ham, and pickles. Mix together.

For the dressing add sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, pickle juice, sugar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk together. Taste for seasonings.

Add the dressing to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. 

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Family Recipe 

Springtime Shell Salad

We are a barbecuing family and since it is barbecue weather year round where I live, I'm always looking for side salad recipes. I have quite some in my recipe files and I'm sure that I will be sharing them with you throughout the next several months. You will be finding recipes for pasta salads, potato salads, rice salads, grain salads and vegetable salads. Nothing is off limits in our house and we are always trying to enrich our meals with new and exciting ingredients. 

This salad came about after I decided to combine two of my favorite salads (pasta salad and English pea salad) into one. The result was delicious. Even my pea hating oldest kid loved this one and had seconds. I will be making this salad again on many more barbecue occasions.

Springtime Shell Salad

~serves 8-10~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound small pasta shells, cooked and drained

6 ounces medium or sharp cheddar cheese, cut in small cubes

2 cups baby peas, fresh or frozen

1 medium red pepper, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup (6 ounces) plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped pimientos

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour to develop the flavors.This salad keeps well for several days in the fridge.