Granny's Cookbook

Granny's Basic Cooking....

There are a few basic recipes that I've used through the years.  These can be modified to make a variety of dishes and are something that I taught my girls to know without having to look up the directions.  Still, here they are for anyone who does not know them.

White Sauce

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

Melt the 2 T butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Add the 2 T butter (margarine is ok), stirring to make a paste.  Slowly add 1 Cup milk, stirring constantly.  Continue cooking slowly until smooth and thickened.  (This can be made thicker/thinner by adjusting the butter and flour at the beginning.)

It is important to make the sauce in the order given:  do NOT try to take a short cut and mix it in all at once!  You have to make the "rue" (that's the paste mixture of melted butter and flour) and then add the milk.

Memorize this recipe!  It is the starting point for many good family meals: chipped beef on toast, creamed tuna on toast, or any creamed recipe that you add to rice or noodles.  It’s the perfect start to a hamburger gravy that can be put over mashed potatoes.

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BBQ Sauce Recipes

These are three basic BBQ sauce recipes - one for each type of main ingredient. Make the basic barbecue sauce by following the recipe, then start experimenting to develop your own signature sauce.

Basic Tomato BBQ Sauce

1 regular can of tomato sauce

1 can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons onion, minced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon cayenne

fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook the garlic and onion until it's soft, and then add all the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on low for 20-30 minutes. Keep stirring it often so it doesn't burn, then refrigerate for a few days before you use it. This allows the flavors to blend and mellow.

Basic Vinegar BBQ Sauce

1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup hot water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Stir the brown sugar into the hot water. Continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the remaining ingredients and heat on low for a few minutes. This perfect to coat pulled pork, but don't add so much that it gets soupy.

Basic Mustard BBQ Sauce

1 cup prepared yellow mustard

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cayenne

Mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer on low for at least thirty minutes. This is great for southern pork style barbecue.

Once you've tried each of these BBQ sauce recipes, you can choose which is closest to what you want and begin modifying. Add or subtract ingredients, or change the amounts of different spices.

BBQ sauce can be used before, during, and after cooking the meat. The only warning is to avoid using barbecue sauce that contains tomatoes or a lot of sugar during the cooking process. These ingredients burn too easily and can affect the taste of your meat.