PJ'S BBQ SAUCE!!!

Yesterday PJ made his own BBQ sauce! He's so proud of the GALLON of molasses that he bought. I'm so proud of him for actually USING that molasses!!!

He mixed everything in the house yet he cooked it using the burner on the side of our grill so he wouldn't heat up the house!

I'm very proud of him! And this BBQ Sauce actually tastes great!

PJ'S SPECIAL BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups ketchup 2 cups tomato sauce 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, wine vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.
2.	Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed. Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water if necessary. Brush sauce onto any kind of meat during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Grilled Veggies including Garlic Scapes

This was a delicious grilled veggie platter. It was so easy and should be done ahead of time. The vegetables should be room temp when served. When we were camping in Ithaca last week, we bought a bag full of the garlic scapes. The guy told us that his favorite way to eat them is to grill them.

Heat your grill to medium- low.

For the first batch I used:

red peppers, zucchini and yellow summer squash

Cut them into 2" to 4" pieces so they don't fall through the grates on the grill

I brushed them on both sides with Soy Vay Hoisin & Garlic Sauce

SOY VAY HOISIN & GARLIC SAUCE

Then grill on one side until brown grill marks appear. Turn over and do the same. A bit of brown is good!

As they were done, I would add them to the top grate on the grill so they don't steam on top of each other. When they were all done, I then arranged them on a nice plate.

NEXT: I cut the seed head off of the garlic scapes. Leaving whole, I put them in a plastic bag, sprinkled a little olive oil over them, and a little balsamic vinegar. I made sure they were coated. I then put them on the grill and closed the cover. They were making popping noises. I then turned them until they were done. I brought them into the house and cut each scape into 3 pieces and then placed them in the middle of the veggie plate. They were delicious and not overpowering at all. The grilled veggies were also delicious!