Sauces

I love condiments! Unfortunately my fridge is usually stocked with way too many but there are just some I can’t live without. I love Barbecue sauces and right now there are 2 different varieties in there. I go through a lot of Worcestershire sauce (French’s brand) and even though I cringe a little that it is made with anchovies, I still have to have it. There’s soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, mustard sauce, two kinds of taco sauce, red and green, sweet and sour sauce, pizza sauce (until tonight) and even a bit of leftover fry sauce and tartar sauce. (This isn’t counting the salad dressings, mayo and miracle whip.

That being said, I can only say that I would eat less food if I didn’t love the sauces so much. I believe my grandkids got their love of dipping as many foods as possible, from me.

I always have some of the mustard sauce made up. This isn’t the horseradish-clean out your sinus’-bring tears to your eyes recipe I’ve often found on my plate next to the funeral potatoes (and left on my plate) variety. This is a tangy sweet sauce that I use on everything from baked ham to meatloaf to any variety of sandwich, and include in my potato salad recipe and most other recipes calling for just plain mustard. It is delicious and thanks to my college roommate, Ann Lorraine for sharing it many years ago. Every time I make it I think of her and all the good times.

The homemade tartar sauce is one that we always serve with fish. I never had a written recipe but this can be adjusted to your taste. I have not tried the Worcestershire sauce recipe yet and if you want to make it, you can actually add anchovies to the recipe to come pretty close to the real thing.

I think everyone has their own version of homemade barbecue or pizza sauces and these recipes can be adjusted to suit your own tastes, spiciness or preferences. Most of these recipes are food storage friendly so if you find some that you really like, it’s easy to store the ingredients to make your own.

In my quest to duplicate as many recipes as I can for food storage purposes, I’ve gathered several recipes for homemade sauces. I even tried homemade ketchup but it just wasn’t the same (not to mention the fact that it took hours to make) so I'll just have to store ketchup. Here are some of my favorite sauce recipes.

Ann Lorraine's Mustard Sauce
½ c. tomato soup
½ c. vinegar
½ c. prepared mustard
½ c. sugar
½ c. salad oil
3 egg yolks
Stir together till smooth and cook till thick. Delicious on meat loaf or ham. Keeps well for a long time.

Barbecue Sauce
1 c. Heinz ketchup
1 t. liquid smoke
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. mustard
1 c. water
¾ c. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1 dash Tabasco sauce (optional)
Heat together and bring just to a boil. Use as a dipping sauce, over little sizzlers, over meatballs or over ribs or pork chops or cooked roast beef.

Homemade Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. water
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. pepper
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer 1 minute. Cool. Store in the refrigerator. Y: ¾ cup

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
½ c. sugar
½ c. vinegar
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. Catsup
Mix in saucepan and bring to a boil. It will clear and thicken. For a spicier sauce add finely diced red pepper to the sauce before heating.

TARTAR SAUCE
¾ c. salad dressing
1 T. dried minced onion (soaked till soft)
2-3 T. sweet pickle relish
1-2 t. mustard (or mustard sauce)
Combine and chill a few minutes. Serve with fish.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T. self-rising flour
1/4 cup New Mexico or California chili powder
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion salt
Salt to taste
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Add salt to taste.

Homemade Danish Dessert Mix
1 c. sugar
2 heaping T. cornstarch
1 pkg. unsweetened Kool-Aid brand drink mix in desired flavor
Mix these three items with a fork until well blended. Put in a sauce pan and add 2 c. cold water. Cook until desired thickness. Cool and add 1/2 of the sauce to the fruit and spread over top of cheesecake, dessert or use in pie as directed. Save the rest for another pie or make two pies at once. I use strawberry Kool-Aid with fresh strawberries for strawberry shortcake and raspberry flavor Danish dessert mix for a thickener in my chokecherry jelly. Use in any recipe as you would packaged Danish dessert mix.

Homemade Cheese Sauce Mix
1/3 cup dehydrated cheese powder (American cheese)
3 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
3 Tbsp. dehydrated butter powder or flakes
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly with wire whisk. Store in tightly closed container in the refrigerator. To make cheese sauce, combine 1 cup hot tap water with 1/2 cup Cheese Sauce Mix in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Y: 1 cup cheese sauce.

Pizza Sauce
6-oz. can tomato paste
6 oz. water (tomato paste can)
2 T. powdered parmesan
½ t. kosher salt
½ t. oregano
½ t. basil
½ t. marjoram
½ t. parsley
½ T. garlic powder
1 T. sugar
3/4 t. onion powder
Empty tomato paste into a bowl and add water a few tablespoons at a time, stirring constantly until combined. Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine; allow to stand until ready to use. Y: Sauce for 2 pizza’s
*Note: to make just enough sauce for 1 pizza use 1 – 8 oz. can tomato sauce, no water and half of the remaining ingredients. Also, for barbecue chicken pizza use 2/3 part your favorite pizza sauce to 1/3 part pizza sauce.

Easy Teriyaki Sauce
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. Soy sauce
3 T. Rice wine vinegar
Heat till sugar is dissolved and mixture boils. Cool. It will thicken slightly as it cools. Serve over stir fry or vegetable cooked rice. Double or triple recipe as desired. Stores well in the fridge. These ingredients also store well as food storage items. They keep quite a long time.

Teriyaki Sauce
1 T. cornstarch
1 T. cold water
½ c. white sugar
½ c. soy sauce
¼ c. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t. ground ginger
¼ t. black pepper
In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper.
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. While sauce is heating, combine cornstarch and cold water. When sauce comes to a full boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and store in the fridge in an air-tight container.

Mild Taco Sauce (like Taco Bell)
3 c. water
2 t. cornstarch
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
3 T. white distilled vinegar
4 t. chili powder (unless chili powder is too hot)
2 t. salt
1 t. cayenne pepper (Maybe a little less)
Dissolve cornstarch in water in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. (If using a hot chili powder, start with less and taste test until reaching your desired heat. Also add less cayenne and continue adding until you find the spiciness you want.) Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover until cool. Keep in a covered container in the refrigerator to store.

Homemade Chicken Gravy Mix
¾ c. flour
3 T. instant chicken bouillon granules
1 1/3 c. instant dry milk
¼ t. ground sage
1/8 t. thyme
1/8 t. pepper
½ c. butter
Combine milk, flour, bouillon, and spices; mix with a whisk until well combined. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until evenly distributed. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Use within 2 months. Y: 2 2/3 c. mix
TO MAKE CHICKEN GRAVY:
Pour 1 c. water into small saucepan. Using a wire whisk, mix in ½ c. gravy mix until well combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Y: 1 c. gravy.

Homemade Beef Gravy Mix
1 1/3 c. instant dry milk
¾ c. flour
3 T. instant beef bouillon granules
1/8 t. thyme
1/8 t. sage
¼ t. onion powder
½ c. butter, softened
3 t. brown sauce for gravy
Combine all dry ingredients with a wire whisk. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle brown sauce over mix. Whisk in till blended. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Use within 2 months.
TO MAKE BEEF GRAVY:
Mix 1 c. cold water in a saucepan and ½ c. gravy mix. Whisk mixture together till smooth and heat over medium heat till it starts to boil and is slightly thickened. Y: 1 c. gravy.