Green Chile Cheese Pimento

Nana's cheese filling for the "little sandwiches" at wedding receptions and luncheons. It is addicting and certain people have been known to just eat it with a spoon. Here it is from her files…

2 lbs. cheese (long horn, cheddar, nothing too sharp)
1/2 small jar diced pimentos
1 small can diced green chiles
1/2 t. tobasco or other hot sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder (optional)
mayonaise
pickle juice
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Shred cheese with a regular size grate. The fine shred is too fine. In a large bowl toss cheese, pimentos and diced green chiles. In a small bowl mix about 1 1/2 C. mayonaise with the hot sauce and if you wish the garlic powder. Add about 1/4 C. dill pickle juice and blend well. Pour over cheese mixture and mix well. The mayo and pickle juice measurements are pure speculation. I just put in what I think, taste it and decide if it needs more of anything. Salt and pepper to taste. I don't add any pepper and rarely add any salt. Best if made the day before your planned use so flavors can blend well. Often the cheese will sort of "soak up" some of the moisture. To loosen up the mixture to spread on sandwiches, or to use as a dip for crackers just add some pickle juice, or maybe some cream or half & half. Even a little more mayo will sometimes do the trick. Up to you.

Nana's Very Secret and Most Delicious BBQ Sauce

As the story goes…
Many years ago this recipe was pirated by Papa Kanaga’s brother, Lavern. He was a cook in the Army and enjoyed putting a recipe together for people to enjoy. Lavern ate at a certain restaurant once and fell in love with their BBQ sauce. He asked the chef if he would consider giving him the recipe, to which the chef declined. No matter what Lavern said, the chef would not part with his recipe. Lavern was not to be denied. He would watch the back access to the kitchen where they took out their garbage. When the trash contained things that looked like BBQ sauce ingredients, he wrote down what he thought was in the sauce. I’m sure he had to work out the quantities, but eventually came up with a really good rendition of his favorite sauce.
When Nana tried it, she loved it. After telling her how he came by the recipe Lavern gave it to her after she promised she would never give it out to anyone. She did let me have it after I came back from Okinawa, but told me I couldn’t give it out. After many years of keeping it secret, I think it's time to share it, so use it in good health and think about Uncle Lavern skulking around the alley in search of his treasure. I wish we had video of that!

In a stock pot combine:
1/2 Gallon vegetable or canola oil
(reserve about 2 cups)
1-1/2 Gallon Ketchup
2 Qts. Mustard
4 Ozs. Tobasco sauce
8 Ozs. Liquid smoke
1/2 C. (or 1 sm. can) Paprika
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1/2 C. Apple cider vinegar

In a large skillet:
Pour in the 2 cups of reserved oil
3 Cloves Garlic minced fine
(or 1t. garlic powder)
6 Medium Onions minced fine
1 t. Salt
1 t. Pepper
If you have a food processor, it is the best for mincing. With the chopping blade, turn on and drop the garlic down the feeding tube, this minces quite well. Open and put the peeled, quartered onions in and pulse several time to get all the chunks. Process just a few seconds for a fine mince.
Cook the onions and garlic until done. Add to stock pot and simmer for about an hour.

This sauce is good on all meats and is a unique addition to chili beans, sloppy joes, etc. Serve warm or cold - I know people who like it by the spoonful.
(not me of course, no not ever…!)


If you want to bottle this sauce:
Just simmer long enough to heat through. Ladle into jars leaving 1/2-3/4 inch headspace. Close with prepared lids and place into pressure canner.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for exhausting air in canner. When weight is in place bring up to 10 lbs. pressure and process for 15 minutes. If you are doing quarts, process at 10 lbs. for 25 minutes.


Sherry Kanaga Harmon
“Granny”

Quick Sweet and Sour Sauce

When we were living in Okinawa, Japan I met a wonderful lady (and cook), Hilda Toguchi. She hosted a cooking class in her home for all of us who were dying to learn her recipes and this sweet and sour sauce is hers. It is not the very best one out there, but it is fast and easy. We used it at the dinner party Tawna hosted for all her siblings and us. She did a marvelous job and I'm so glad she has decided to make it an annual tradition. We had a blast. I'm hoping she will post her other recipes as everything was so delicious. Meanwhile, for a fast sweet and sour…

In a saucepan combine:

1/13 C. water

2/3 C. Apple Cider Vinegar

1 C. Sugar

1/4 C. Cornstarch (or Ultra Gel)

Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. 

Add 2/3 C. Ketchup and stir well.

Remove from heat and serve warm or cool.

For a sweeter sauce, replace half the water with pineapple juice.

We did meat and vegetable (tempura) fondue and this sauce was so good on green or red peppers, the chicken (tempura'd or not) and shrimp. The list of great things to dip in it goes on and on. 

The above picture was taken the night of the party and you can see how much fun the food was. I know Nana is pleased that food and fun are still traditions we are building. She would have loved this party.

Creamy Cucumber-Dill Sauce

This recipe is very similar to the dipping sauce you get at Black Angus when you order fried zuchini. A favorite of ours to the dismay of our waiter's when we go there. We are always asking for more.

• 1 lg. cucumber, or 2 sm. ones
  
• 2 C. sour cream
  
• 1 C. mayonnaise
  
• 1 1/2 t. seasoned salt
  
• 4 t. finely chopped green onions
  
• 4 t. dried dill weed
  
• dash of granulated garlic
  

Peel cucumber, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Coarsely grate and drain. Combine all other ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir with a wire whip.  Add cucumber. Cover and refrigerate a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. 

Yields about 3 C. of sauce.

This is also excellent with fried fish or any kind of seafood.