Whiskey & Apple BBQ Sauce

I love cooking with seasonal foods (I'm sure I have said this a million times) but Fall foods are my favorite to cook with.  Apples are so versatile and tasty, while I love apples I don't usually like that sweet savory flavor but this recipe (adapted from Wholesome Ireland )has given me hope for the sweet savory world.  While the origins of BBQ sauce are unclear lets just say that this is a good old American sauce. I made this during a recent weekend and my boyfriend and I took a lovely Fall walk while we waited for the apples to reduce into the sauce.  We used this sauce on super yummy pork ribs, pork and apple goes so well together.  I am so glad that it is Friday this week has been very long and I haven't gotten much sleep.  Plan for the weekend: go bowling, make a time capsule, cook, and relax. Happy Friday!

The Ingredients

3 medium yellow onions

3 medium Fuji or Gala Apples
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 shots whiskey (I used old crow)
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1/8 cup Worchestire sauce
1/8 cup tomato paste
a little ketchup (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

The Process

1)  Peel and chop the onions finely.


2)  Put the saucepan on the hob and heat to a medium heat with the sunflower oil inside.

3)  Fry the onions gently until they are soft. This does take a while but you’re better taking your time here. It normally takes me about 10 minutes until they are soft.

4)  Peel and core the apples then chop into chunks. You don’t need to chop them finely as they break down easier than the onions. Add apples to the saucepan and stir well for another 5 minutes.

5)  Pour in the whiskey and brown sugar.  Stir well until you get a dark brown sticky sauce.

 6)  Finally add the cider vinegar, water, tomato paste, Worchestire sauce, garlic, ketchup, and salt and pepper.

7)  Put the lid on the saucepan, bring the sauce to a slow simmer and leave simmering for 1 hour.

8)  After 1 hour it is ready to use immediately.

If you want to keep it for another day pour into a sterilise jar and seal once cool then refrigerate.

Bacon and Fried Tomatillo Pimento Grilled Cheese

One recent lovely Fall evening I went to hangout with my good friend Rebecca (here is her amazing cooking blog) and we decided to make Bacon and Fried Tomatillo Pimento Grilled Cheese.  We both love pimento cheese spread so so so much!  We actually made the Pimento Cheese Spread that is posted on my blog and fried our tomatillos just like my Fried Green Tomatoes recipe.  But first we cooked the bacon and kept the extra grease in the pan to then fry our tomatillos and then to grill our sandwiches.  We assembled the sandwiches with a layer of pimento cheese spread, bacon, fried tomatillos, more pimento cheese spread and then the top slice of the bread.  We then grilled these massive sandwiches in the cast iron pan.  We used thick and sturdy rye bread which combined very well with the other ingredients.  I would definitely suggest making these glutinous amazing sandwiches!  Today I am writing this post in honor of Rebecca because at 1:33am she gave birth to a baby boy!!!  Congrats to the three of them, and surely her son will one day have to have one of these wonderous sandwiches!