Strawberry-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

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Strawberry-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Summer is officially in full swing here on Delmarva. We spent all day at the beach on Sunday – then came home and fired up the grill. What speaks of summer more than that? I normally count on my good friend, Sweet Baby Ray to handle most of my BBQ needs. But, the DIYer in me won out, and I remembered the BBQ sauce that my friend Josie had posted a few weeks ago. I’d made the sauce before, and was blown away with the results. I love it because it’s super quick – requiring only a few ingredients, and doesn’t need to be cooked.

I decided to add some of the strawberry-chipotle jam I’d made to the sauce, to spice it up a bit. The sweetness of the strawberries and the smokiness of the chipotle really came out on the grill. We both kept raving about it!  Will definitely be making up more batches of this stuff all summer long, looking forward to trying a version with peach jam in a few weeks when I’m able to make some preserves with those juicy gems.

Summer is here, kids. Fire up those grills!

Strawberry-Chipotle BBQ Sauce

1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup strawberry preserves
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
salt and pepper

Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce. Store covered, in the refrigerator, for several weeks.

Source: adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, via Pink Parsley

The Belmont Breeze

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To say that I’m excited about Saturday’s race at Belmont Park is kind of an understatement. For a girl who grew up in  Maryland’s prime horse country, the Triple Crown stakes (3 races composed of the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and the Belmont) were always a big deal for us. Sadly, in my 29 years here on Earth, there has not been a horse that has won all 3 races to become a Triple Crown champion. I’m hoping that this year, the flashy chestnut colt they call “I’ll Have Another” will remedy that situation by taking this last leg of the race by storm, as he has the others, and bring home the title!

I’ll be cheering him on with one of these in hand, a fruity yet deceivingly strong beverage that is the signature cocktail of the Belmont Stakes. I’m usually a tequila or vodka kind of girl, but a change of pace once in a while is nice. Bourbon is the go-to liquor of choice for most cocktails created around horse racing. I used store-bought lemonade (Simply Lemonade, y u so good?), but you could certainly use some sweetened lemon juice and sparking water.

So, let’s raise a glass and toast to I’ll Have Another – here’s hoping we have the first Triple Crown Winner in 34 years come Sunday morning! I’d be one very happy girl.

*Update: I’ll Have Another has been scratched due to a leg/tendonitis injury. A huge disappointment, yes. However, it shows that they really care about the horse’s welfare, and not just the race purse. Maybe next year, folks! Best of luck to all the other entrants tomorrow.

The Belmont Breeze

1 ½ oz. Bourbon
2 oz. lemonade
1 oz. pomegranate juice

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Strain over ice into a rocks glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge or cherry.

Source: The Belmont Stakes

Steamed Blue Crabs

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In the summertime here on the Eastern Shore, it’s rare to go a week without enjoying blue crabs in some way, shape, or form. Crab cakes, crab soup, or crab dip are all shining examples. But, nothing beats a good old-fashioned crab feast in my book! A big tray of freshly steamed crabs, some corn-on-the-cob, and plenty of ice cold beer. It’s just not summer without it!

Now, I know that many of you folks don’t have access to live blue crabs. But, many folks who do buy them already steamed and seasoned. And, that’s just no good! You don’t know how long ago they were cooked, and you usually end up paying more money to have them do it for you.

The steaming instructions listed below apply to any amount of live crabs – whether it be 1 dozen, or one bushel. Quantity does not matter. Bear in mind if you are steaming a whole bushel, you’ll need a very large cooking device. We have an old keg that we’ve converted to a steam-pot, and it’s great! I also recommend cooking outside if possible. A turkey frying rig is wonderful for this purpose. A side burner on a grill can usually do the job as well. I find that when I do steam them inside, it creates a funk smell in the house that lingers for a day or so. Kind of like when you fry something!

Line a table with multiple layers of newspaper, and dump the crabs right into the center of the table. Have wooden mallets and picking knives at the ready. We like to serve melted butter, and cider vinegar that’s been seasoned with plenty of Old Bay.

Steamed Blue Crabs

1/2 bushel live blue crabs (4 dozen)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 beer (optional)
8 cups water
1/2 cup Old Bay (seafood seasoning)
1/4 cup kosher salt

Combine the Old Bay and kosher salt. Combine the water, vinegar and beer in the bottom of a large steamer pot .

Using tongs, add the crabs to the pot a few at a time, seasoning with a tablespoon of seasoning here and there as you go. Cover, and place over high heat.  Bring to a boil until you see steam escaping from the lid.  Reduce heat to medium-high and steam for 30 minutes. Remove lid, and continue to steam for an additional 5 minutes with the lid off before removing.

Serve on layers of newspaper, with vinegar and melted butter for dipping.

DIY Strawberry Vodka

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A few weeks ago we went strawberry picking, only to get home to find that I didn’t have an operational cooktop. Not wanting any of those glorious berries to go to waste, I made an interesting strawberry jam, a delicious strawberry pie and cake, and with what I had leftover – I steeped the berries in vodka for a week and made this beautiful strawberry infused vodka!

Isn’t the color just glorious? And the flavor? The flavor is all juicy, ripe berries. When I strained the berries out they were pure white. Alcohol is funny like that. You can extract flavor from anything with it! Last year my husband made a really different hot pepper IPA by soaking a few habeneros in vodka, then adding that pepper extract to the final product. We’re looking forward to another batch of that already! But I digress, that’s another post.

This strawberry vodka is mellow enough to be sipped over ice, or to-die-for mixed into an icy glass of lemonade. I’m hoping that the bottle makes it through to the winter. To enjoy the freshness and flavor of these berries in the cold winter months would be a treat for sure! Next year I’ll probably make 2 bottles. Good stuff, folks!

DIY Strawberry Vodka

One bottle (750ml) vodka, decent quality
2 pints (about 1 1 /4 pounds) strawberries

Rinse, hull, and quarter the strawberries and place them in a glass container with lid. Add vodka, cover, and agitate the jar.

Store in cool, dark place for 7 days, swirling around once a day to promote extraction.

After 3 to 7 days, strain with a coffee filter. Store in a bottle – such as the original vodka bottle – and use at your discretion.

Source: Dave Lebovitz, as seen on Punk Domestics