Jalapeño BBQ Sauce

Another BBQ sauce recipe? Yes, I've posted sauce recipes before, but I'm always trying new variations. Adding jalapeños changes it enough for the better that I had to share! -Jake

Ingredients
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 tomato sauce can cider vinegar (yes, measure the vinegar in the tomato sauce can)
1 small can diced jalapeños
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Put tomatoes, sauce, vinegar, jalapeños, and garlic in a blender and purée together*. Place in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Once it starts bubbling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

* You can use an immersion blender and purée the ingredients directly in the saucepan if you would like.

Tropical Tuna Salad

Salad Ingredients

• 1 can pineapple tidbits (8 ounces), drained, juice reserved
• 2 cups cooked macaroni such as elbows or shells
• 1 can water chestnuts (8 ounces), drained and slices
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
• 1 can albacore tuna, drained
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Dressing Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice from canned pineapple above
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (to taste)

Whisk all dressing ingredients together except oil and sugar. Slowly drizzle in the oil while constantly whisking continuously until fully blended. Add sugar if you like your dressing sweeter.

Toss together all salad ingredients except lettuce and tomatoes with the dressing. Let chill in fridge until ready to serve (up to several hours). To serve, spoon salad over chopped lettuce and top with tomatoes.

Alternative Serving: instead of using canned pineapple, buy a whole fresh pineapple. Cut in half and hollow out the halves to about 3/4 inch from the rind. Chop the pineapple from one of the hollowed-out halves and mix into the salad. The remaining half can be juiced for the dressing (either use a juicer, or puree the pineapple in a blender and strain out the juice). Serve the salad out of the scooped-out halves for a dramatic presentation.

Warm Apple-Almond Pastry

This is a dish I used as a Pampered Chef Consultant, and made me fall in love with frozen puff pastry. It makes you look like a gourmet chef when you use it right. You start out with these pale rectangles of pastry dough, which are rather unimpressive. But bake it and it puffs up into this thick golden flaky dessert that make me feels comfy cozy.

photo: bakingladyp
 I wish I had a picture of the one I made today. 
It was so beautiful that I didn't want to cut into it. 

Warm Apple-Almond Pastry

1 c sliced almonds/pecans, divided 1/2 c granulated sugar 1/4 c all-purpose flour 1 whole egg 1 egg yolk 1/2 tsp almond extract

1 pk (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 egg white water 2 red baking apples such as Jonathan 1/4 c. apricot jam (I use orange marmalade) Optional ingredients: powered sugar, vanilla ice cream or whipped topping

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grate or chop 3/4 cup of the almonds. In a bowl combine almonds, granulated sugar, flour, whole egg, egg yolk and almond extract; mix well and set aside. Unfold one pastry sheet onto lightly floured stone (cookie sheet). Roll to a 10 1/2 inch square. Prick with a fork. Spread almond mixture evenly over pastry to within 1 inch of edge. Cut apples lengthwise in half. Remove stems and seeds. Slice apple halves crosswise into 1/4 inch-thick slices (I use my V-slicer for this).  Arrange slices in an overlapping pattern over the filling.

Cut remaining pastry dough into nine 1 inch-wide strips. Moisten outer edges of the dough on the stone with water. Arrange five strips diagonally over apples and pressing edges to seal; trim off any extra dough.

Arrange and press remaining four strips of dough around edge of pastry, forming an even border.
To the egg white add a bit of water, mix. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash on the pastry dough.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden brown. Cool at least 10 minutes. Spread warm jam over apples and pastry. Toast remaining almonds in a saute pan until golden brown. Coarsely chop and sprinkle over pastry. Cut pastry into squares served warm topped with powdered sugar, ice cream or whipped topping as desired.

Yield: 12 servings