Sweet, tangy and with just enough spice to give the dish extra personality, these barbecue beans are robust enough to stand next to any hearty main at your summer gatherings. For this recipe, I combine chopped bacon all of the essentials that go into a great barbecue sauce — dark brown sugar, ketchup, chiles, a touch of cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce — to add big flavor and richness to this classic bean dish. As with so many comfort foods, the flavor only improves with time, and the dish is best made a day or so before serving.
Read morePlanning your 4th of July menu: Kentucky bourbon barbecue sauce recipe
This Kentucky bourbon barbecue sauce is a recipe I’ve developed over the years, tweaking ingredients and flavorings to suit my cooking. If you’ve never made a barbecue sauce before, it’s a great place to start. Like many barbecue sauce recipes, it’s tomato-based, with a foundation built on tomato paste and ketchup. The ingredients may seem contradictory at first — at once sweet, sour, spicy and tart — but gentle cooking gives them a balanced harmony that only gets better with time.
Read morePlanning your 4th of July menu: Crisp and creamy coleslaw recipe
Is it really a summer party if there’s no slaw? For many of us, no. Whether you prefer classic cabbage-based — or any one of the imaginative takes incorporating broccoli, carrots or other fresh vegetables — slaw is a staple of summer celebrations, bookended between the main course (always grilled or barbecued) and a sweet treat for dessert. Still, slaw doesn’t get the same love from guests, or the cook — all too often, it’s a store-bought side thought on a table of otherwise homemade specialties. (I’ve done this myself — guilty as charged.) But if you’ve ever tried homemade, you probably know it’s light years better than anything you will find at the store. And do you know how easy it is to make?
Read moreWeekend project: Grilled jerk chicken
Ever try jerk chicken? It’s one of my favorite marinades to play with during the summer months. Combining a rich assortment of herbs, spices, and flavorings, it’s a wild ride for your mouth —first sweet and tangy, and then POW! Your tastebuds are punched with spicy heat.
Read moreKitchen gadget: Ginger grater (and use it to make these ginger rum raisin scones)
In addition to ginger, the grater also works wonders with garlic, onions, and a variety of herbs and spices. Oh, and don’t forget to use it to whip up a quick batch of ginger rum raisin scones.
Read moreKitchen hacks: Make your own sriracha sauce
Love sriracha sauce? If you’re a fan like me, you probably put the stuff on everything (I even add it to salads). Spicy but sweet, with just the right amount of tang, just a small drizzle of the bright red sauce jolts even the most mundane dishes with a little extra personality.
Read moreMake this now: Salted caramel shortbread bars
I made these shortbread bars again just a couple of weeks ago for a family gathering. It’s a relatively simple recipe, and is a great dish when you’re looking for something that can be made ahead of time. And it’s a great combination of flavors: the shortbread is rich and buttery, with just the right light and flaky texture, topped with a dark and nutty caramel glaze. A dusting of coarse sea salt gives the bars a nice, savory crunch. The bars will keep, refrigerated, for one week.
Read moreCelebrate National Doughnut Day with this buttermilk doughnut recipe
Happy National Doughnut Day! Some mornings, there’s nothing better than biting into a freshly-made doughnut, still warm with a glaze that hasn’t yet set. Messy? Yes, but deliciously so.
Read moreMake this now: Strawberry pie
When the season hands you amazing fruit, sometimes the best way to show it off is also one of the most simple — a fresh fruit pie. At least that’s how I’ve always felt, particularly during the summer months when the markets and produce aisles are a veritable rainbow of tender berries and fragrant stone fruits.
Read moreMake this now: Bacon-wrapped meatloaf
Done right, meatloaf is a meat lover’s dream come true. Like so many of our favorite comfort foods, the dish is borne of humble beginnings. It started out as a way to stretch various leftovers — ground meats, stale bread crumbs, a blend of spices and flavorings — into supplemental meals. And like so many iconic dishes, meatloaf variations can be found the world over, from French pâté to Middle Eastern kibbe, Vietnamese gio to South African bobotie — even Swedish and Italian meatballs. And while it may be hard to find a “bad” meatloaf, there are ways to improve upon an already great dish.
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