fun with vinegar

It's a very sad fact that where I live I cannot have an outdoor grill. This is unfortunate because I love the taste of grilled food. So, I was determined to figure out a way around this. I remembered that I have a grill pan for my stovetop that fits over 2 burners. I figured that even tho it won't taste exactly the same, I'd try it anyway. Now, I'm not a fan of regular bbq sauce. So, I went online to try to find a different bbq sauce recipe. The one I settled on was ok, but I think from now on I'll be going to the store for my sauce. (Hey everyone can cheat from time to time.) So I made my sauce, and the first time it came out tasting way too much like vinegar. The recipe called for cider vinegar, and I figured there can't be much difference between the kinds of vinegars. I only had balsamic and red wine vinegar. By the way, I was wrong. I made the sauce twice, each time using one of the vinegars I had, and both times I could definately taste the vinegar. Looks like I'll be buying a bottle of cider vinegar the next time I'm at the store. But, the red wine vinegar was a better option than the balsamic, so that's what I went with. So I made the sauce and marinated the chicken. I put some sauce in a can of pork and beans, hoping that it would make them taste better than usual, since I'm not a big fan of those either but I wanted them out of my pantry. So I heated up the grill pan and just went for it. The chicken got pretty grill marks on it and everything! But, it of course didn't taste like regular bbq food. But, it was moist and delicious! I even ate the leftovers! And the people that know me well know that I don't eat leftovers. So i sauteed up some bacon and onions to add to the beans. I added it all together and it was really yummy! I even whipped up a potato salad to go with it, and I felt like I was outside at a bbq! (minus the annoying bugs of course) All in all, it was a great success!! Sometimes you hafta get creative with what you have!

an old favorite

The other night my mom and I had a phone conversation about food. I want to learn how to make her Thanksgiving turkey, and that turned into a whole big conversation. Somehow, pizza burgers got brought up. She used to make them all the time when i was a kid. And that of course got me in the mood for them. And up until last week, I thought my mom was the one who made them up! To the contrary, I was very wrong. Even my grandmother used to make those, and I found out that some of my friends even had their moms make pizza burgers for them when they were kids, too! I guess it really is true that you learn somethnig new every day.
So, off I went to the kitchen. How basic can you get? English muffin halves with a little red sauce on it, and then sprinkled with some cheese. My mom told me that she also used to put ground beef on them, but I had no interest in that. So, I put together my pizza burgers, hoping they would come out tasting like just like my moms. So, while the cheese was melting on them in the oven, I started some homework. I was worried that I had left them in too long, so I went to go check on them...they were perfect!! The cheese was all crispy and light brown, and the muffins were a little crispy too. I couldn't wait to try them, and I was in heaven when I did! They tasted just like my mom's!! I ended up eating 4 of them! (But I blame that one on the baby) :) I'll definately be making those a lot more often, now that I know I can get them to come out mjust like my mom's. In the process, I also learned from friends that theirs was made much differently! With lots of different toppings! And yes, I suppose that there are many different ways that you can make these, but I'll stick with my moms version for now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!