Sugar free BBQ Sauce made with Diet Coke

I love making my own ketchup  because even if not sugar free, the 'fresher' taste of homemade sauces is just no comparison to store bought versions. Another sauce I've made from scratch for years (even before ever going sugar free) is bbq sauce. I started to make it in high school when I would throw together a side dish of baked beans during summer dinners. From there I moved on to using it on shredded pork, beef, chicken and more.

After starting to use sugar free ketchup about 10 years ago, it was only natural to use sugar free bbq sauce as well.  Most of the time  I don't use a 'recipe' for the bbq sauce, and just throw it together at the last minute using the sugar free ketchup on hand.   But this is a good guide to start with and you can play with it to make it your own by adding or substituting options like Chipotle, jalapeno's, using sugar free sweeteners and water or coffee sweetened with a brown sugar style sweetener for the liquid instead of a soda, etc.


Sugar Free BBQ Sauce


1/4 c onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 c bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste (check for sugar counts and buy no or lowest count)
1 can (12 oz) Diet Coke
1/3 c sugar-free ketchup
1T yellow mustard
1 t Worcestershire sauce
optional:  Chipotle flavoring, jalapeno's, vinegar, dashes of hot sauces, hickory smoke flavoring, etc.


In a saucepan on the stove over medium high heat, cook the onion in a bit of water or oil until translucent and soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients, whisk or simmer 15 minutes or so.  Let cool and use on beef, pork, chicken, etc.  I store mine in a large Mason Jar.

May the Fourth.... Be with You! Happy Star Wars Day!

Star Wars Cookie Cutter Set: Yoda, Vader, Boba Fett and  Stormtrooper

Cookies, cupcakes, pancakes or sandwiches?  If you are a big Star Wars fan you might say "All of them!"

Friday, May 4th is "Star Wars Day" - because of course when you say the date "May the fourth", any good Star Wars fan is going to finish your sentence with "be with you!"

Here are some goodies I found on the net.  Your lunch box comes complete with Star Wars shaped Sandwich Cutters!

These little guys are harder to track down.  Star Wars stencils to use on your cupcakes or cakes!  Just hold them in place and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.  Anyone can decorate like an artist. *update:  As of this morning they are currently out of stock on this item.  However in the middle of the page are other fun Star Wars items to browse;  cake pans, chocolate molds, jello molds and more all in shapes and characters from Star Wars.

And lastly, the cutest ever!  How can your child (or your husband or even yourself) say "no thanks" to YODA PANCAKES? 

And just because I love free online printables and other fun crafts...
Clone Trooper Cupcakes
Free Star Wars Coloring Pages
Star Wars E-Cards
Stormtrooper and Darth Vader Paper Craft
Death Star Pinata

Making the Traditional No Bake Cookie... Sugar Free

Still hot from the pan... I couldn't resist nibbling

Making over Great Great Grandma's no bake cookie recipe?  Absolutely!  A favorite of so many people for so many years but the amount of sugar in this simple, chewy cookie gives me a sugar rush just thinking about it!  

Because of the amount of oat meal (rolled oats, quick oats) in this cookie, it is not a low carb option, but you can make it healthier by substituting a couple of ingredients or brands; which is what I did yesterday when I made these.  My husband came home, ate one... then came back for seconds and thirds and told me how addicting they were.  Oooops!  But at least he's not eating a weeks worth of sugar in one sitting!

No Bake Cookies

1/2 c butter

1/2 c unsweetened almond milk (or regular milk, but milk does have sugar in it)

2 c sweetener substitute

4 T cocoa powder

3 c oatmeal

1 c natural, no sugar added peanut butter

1 t vanilla

*optional:  you can add unsweetened, shredded coconut or chopped nuts if you wish

In a saucepan, bring the sugar substitutes, cocoa, butter and milk to a boil.  Whisk quickly until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Add the oatmeal, peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir to blend.  Drop by tablespoons on parchment or foil and let set until hardened a bit so they don't fall apart!  After about 2 minutes or so you can shape them a little if you wish (I flattened mine a bit) or leave them in haystacks.  Let harden and cool completely.  

Warm and newly formed no bake cookies ready to let cool and set up

 

 

 

 

Homemade Colored Sugar Sprinkles (Sugar Free Version Included)

Homemade colored sprinkles add sparkle to your dessert

Sprinkles!  Sparkles!  Just a light touch of brightly colored sugar or sugar substitute granules finish off an otherwise boring cookie or bar.  But... what if you don't have any colored sugar on hand?  What if you just don't want to go to the store?

Make it yourself.  In about 10 seconds.

Colored Sugar Crystals (sugar free version too!)

1 or 2 Tablespoons sugar crystals or Now Foods Xylitol granules
1 drop gel or liquid or paste food color

Place the crystals either in a small dish or in a Ziploc Baggy.  Use just 1 drop of color to start.  You will be surprised at far a drop of food color goes.  You can always add a bit more later if you need to.  The amount of sugar and the amount of color depends on how bright, light or dark you need your color to be.  You can use 2 drops if you need to make a custom color like mixing a blue and a green for turquoise, but make sure you use enough sugar or substitute to absorb the 2 drops. 

Start to massage the baggy gently, coating the sugar or substitute crystals with the color.  If using a dish, I like to put a plastic baggy over my finger and use my index finger to move and coat the crystals.  A fork or spoon takes longer and you can do it in about 10-15 seconds by hand.  The plastic or baggy protects your finger from discoloration.

Use the sugar or substitute sprinkles on your dessert.  Note:  sugar and substitute sprinkles should be added to bars or wet surfaces like cheesecake, whipped cream, etc. just before serving as they can melt and run if left overnight.  Store extra in the plastic Ziploc or another small, air tight container. 


*I was using NOW brand Xylitol crystals in these photos below as well as the sugar free lemon bars in the photo at the top of this post.

A small amount of sugar or substitute and 1 drop of food color

Smooshing the crystals around gently with a plastic covered fingertip

Colored sugar substitute sprinkles!

Homemade Rolls or Hamburger Buns

We grilled out last weekend, and because we haven't been eating foods with flour in them for a couple months, I neglected to think about the fact that my husband and daughter would want a hamburger bun with their cheeseburger and of course, I hadn't been buying buns at the grocery store.  Oops.  No worries.  I whipped up some homemade buns which not only taste great, but homemade buns are much more filling than the 'mostly air' store bought versions.  Men that normally eat 2 or 3 burgers on a store bought bun can usually only eat 1 or 2 on a 'real' bun as they are more substantial, but I also love that they don't include all the preservatives and chemicals a packaged version does.

This recipe is a very basic, classic, white dough recipe.  Use it for 2 loaves of bread, one bread braid, 2 or 3 french loaves or of course, buns!

Classic White Dough

12 oz. warm water
1 1/2 t salt
2 T butter
4 c unbleached bread flour (or use all purpose if that is what you already have)
2 T dry milk powder
2 T sugar
1 3/4 t yeast, dry

Either place this in a bread machine (in the order your machine requires) and run on the dough setting or place into a large KitchenAid style mixer with a bread dough hook and knead/mix for up to 10 minutes.  

I used the electric mixer and placed the water, salt, sugar and yeast in first;  let it set and proof for about 2 minutes and then added the butter, dry milk and flour.    Let your dough set for about 10 minutes after kneading to rest.  Remove the dough from the machine or the mixer bowl.  Divide it in half.  Then each half into half.  Then each of those halves into half.  This is how you will get fairly equal sized balls.  

If making rolls to go with a meal divide them until you have golf ball sized balls.  If using for hamburger buns, stop dividing the dough when they are double that size so they will be large enough for the hamburger patties.  

Roll and flatten a tiny bit in your floured hands and place on greased or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake at 375F for approximately 15 minutes but this can be up to 22 minutes depending on the size buns you make, the thickness of your baking sheet and your oven.  When they are golden brown remove them, brush the tops with butter for a softer bun and let cool to warm to serve as rolls or cool completely and serve as hamburger buns.