The secret for a great barbecue is really in the sauce

We have hear a ton of time that the secreat for a great barbecue is in the sauce. Well, it migth be! What is a barbecue chicken, a rack of barbecue ribs or a t-bone steak without a accompaining sauce? Well I am sure this can spark a debate among different school of though ( or I should say barbecuing?...) about the need of sauce, but my own personal experience has lead me to believe that the secret is in the sauce.

Let me share with you four barbecue sauce recipes and you will be the judge!

Simple Pork Barbeque Sauce

2/3 c. catsup

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 tbsp. Worcestershire

Hot sauce to taste

Rosemary (crumbled) to taste

Mix all ingredients together. A good brand of hot sauce for flavor is Louisiana hot sauce. Brush on pork spare ribs, steaks, or chops while barbequeing or baking.

Honey Tomato Barbeque Sauce

1 pkg. taco seasoning

1/2 c. tomato sauce

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

1-2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/8 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 sm. onion, diced

Saute onions in butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients and simmer another 5 minutes. Adds a little "zing" to your chicken or meat on the grill.

Easy Barbeque Sauce

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp. vinegar

1/4 c. catsup

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 tbsp. sugar

1/4 c. chopped onion

Mix together and cook over low heat 5 minutes. Easily doubled.

Barbeque Sauce with a Spicy Kick

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

Dash of cayenne

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. onion salt

2 tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. water

Red pepper

1/3 c. butter

Heat all ingredients, stirring frequently until butter is melted.

As I said before, you'll be the judge. Pick the one that best suits your barbecue venture and enjoy!

Entertain easily at brunch

Even if you've got a hectic end-of-the-year schedule, you can gather family and friends for a joyous holiday celebration. Entertaining can be relatively carefree and inexpensive if you plan a casual brunch.

Brunch is generally served between the traditional hours for breakfast and lunch, a convenient time that leaves the evening free for you and your guests. Easy on the cook, a brunch menu usually stars comforting and simple-to-prepare dishes, most often based on nature's own convenience food, eggs.

For brunch, you can cook up versatile eggs to please almost anyone. Omelets are a popular brunch choice. You can flavor your omelets simply with herbs and cheese or dress them up with a fancier filling, such as garlic-laced creamed shrimp.

Another option is scrambled eggs, the top egg choice across America. To suit everyone, offer plain scrambled eggs with an assortment of different toppings from which your guests can pick and choose their favorites.

Consider veggies such as sauteed mushrooms, onions and bell peppers; two or three cheeses, perhaps brie or feta, cottage or ricotta, mozzarella, Swiss or Cheddar; and, for a flavorful zip, chopped or minced herbs, such as chives or dill, an herb blend from curry powder to Italian seasoning, or maybe a prepared sauce or two, like pesto or salsa.

For a more unusual treat, serve Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls. With this recipe, simple ingredients that you're likely to have on hand combine into handy, but elegant, individual servings. Preparation is an uncomplicated matter of stirring together the flavoring ingredients, spooning the veggie mixture into hollowed-out rolls, slipping eggs into each nest and baking. While the eggs are in the oven, set the table and cut up fresh fruit for a colorful compote and toss a crisp green salad. Because bread and carrots are already in the egg dish, that's all you need to round out the meal.

Baked Eggs in Bread Bowls

6 servings

6 Kaiser or round rolls (about

4-inch diameter), uncut

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons reduced-fat

mayonnaise

2 cups shredded carrots

(about 8 oz.)

6 eggs

6 tablespoons (about 1.5 oz.)

shredded low-moisture,

part-skim mozzarella cheese

Fresh dill sprigs, optional

Slice tops off rolls about 3/4 inch from top. With fork, scrape out insides of bottoms of rolls, leaving about 1/2-inch wall all around. Save crumbs for another use. Set rolls aside.

In medium bowl, stir together mustard and mayonnaise until well blended. Stir in carrots until evenly coated with mustard mixture. Spoon 1/3 cup of the carrot mixture over bottom and up sides of each roll to form a nest. Place rolls and tops, cut side up, on baking sheet. Break and slip an egg into each carrot nest. Sprinkle

1 tablespoon cheese over each egg. Bake in preheated 325 degree F oven until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with dill sprigs, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving of 1/6 recipe without dill garnish: 250 calories, 9 gm total fat, 216 mg cholesterol, 561 mg sodium, 231 mg potassium, 26 gm carbohydrate, 12 gm protein and 10% or more of the RDI for

vitamin A, riboflavin, thiamin