Steaks with Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Whaddaya do when you have a 4-pound container of Strawberries?!?  Why...  ya make Strawberry BBQ Sauce, that's what ya do!

I came up with a recipe for Strawberry BBQ Sauce a while back (I did a Root Beer BBQ Sauce, too!)  and decided it was time to make it, again.  It's super easy.

Im think that this summer I'm going to experiment with different fruits.  I'll bet peaches would work really well with a different vinegar.

Strawberry BBQ Sauce

  • 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and roughly sliced
  • 1 small bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup lingonberry vinegar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • salt and pepper

Add strawberries, onion,  and bell pepper to saucepan and cook until strawberries release theiur juices and peppers and onions soften.  Add spices and cook well.

Add  brown sugar and then lingonberry vinegar.  Add tomato sauce and remaining ingredients.

Bring to boil and then simmer.

Blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth.

Continue simmering until thickened.

And the no-knead bread dough makes great dinner rolls, too.

But while this was all yummy and good, I have a feeling I'm going to be paying another buck tomorrow.....

Time for some serious salads.


Sally's Marinade

Margie Scanlon Dineen

  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 cup Italian dressing

Mix well.

That’s it -that’s all there is to it -pour over meat or chicken and then bake or barbecue.

My neighbor – Sally – always had such tasty meat at our court barbecues. We asked her for her secret marinade sauce and she finally gave it to us. We thought she was putting us on at first, until we tried it and realized that it really did give the meat a great flavor.


Cocktails with Umbrellas

Victor and Barb

Foo-Foo drinks and dinner on the grill with a good friend - it doesn't get any better!

Victor played bartender - a role he played professionally for many years - and I started with the hors d'oeuvres.

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Grilled Flank Steak

  • Flank Steak
  • Tequila
  • Cilantro
  • Chipotle Pepper
  • Salsa
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Vidalia Onion Relish

Season flank steak with a bit of chipotle powder, salt and pepper.  Grill until desired doneness.  Cool and slice into small pieces.

Make a marinade of tequilla, cilantro, chipotle pepper, salsa, and S&P.  Place the sliced beef and marinade ina big ol' ziplock bag and chill.

Place beef on a slice of baguette and top with onion relish.

And then the mixed grill...

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Boneless chicken breasts, pork tenderloin, and salmon with a spicy rub and root beer barbecue sauce!

Spice Rub

  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp chipotle powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp celery seed

Mix and liberally coat grill item of your choice.

The Root Beer BBQ Sauce wasn't as root beer-pronounced as I would have liked it to be.  It was really good as a barbecue sauce - but just not root beer-y enough.  I think I shall boil down 2 bottles to 1 cup next time I make it...  The original recipe came from Bon Appetit...

Root Beer Barbecue Sauce

  • 1 cup root beer
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1 tsp grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

Mix all ingredients in sauce pan, simmer, and reduce to 1 1/2 cups.

And then there were grilled spring onions, Phoebe's Baked Beans, Mom's Potato Salad...

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I'm hooked on these spring onions!  A bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and placed on the grill.  YUM!

And no dinner is complete without dessert...  So...  I made a brownie ice cream cake.

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This is one of the easiest things to make.  The filling is ice cream and anything you want to mix in with it!

Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Bake your favorite brownie recipe in a springform pan.  When it is completely cool, take it out of the pan, line the pan with plastic wrap, and put back in.

Add ice cream flavors of your choice, along with anything you like.  I used vanilla ice cream, mini peanut butter cups, walnuts, and chocolate ganache.  Back into the freezer to get completely solid.

Take out of the pan, get rid of the plastic wrap, and cover in a chocolate ganache.

We had a great time solving the problems of work and the world and it was off to bed with full tummies.

Life is good.