Sauces & Dips

From Thanksgiving turkeys to grilled chicken, basting helps add incomparable moisture, tenderness, and flavor to any dish. So if you've never basted before and would like to experience the oily awesomeness that is basted food, check out this food video for a tutorial using chicken and melted butter as an example.

Cranberry sauce is one of the most important side dishes to any Thanksgiving dinner—even Christmas dinner! And if you're like me, you usually buy a can of cranberry sauce for the holidays because you don't have the extra time to go homemade with the turkey stealing the show.

Fresh herb vinaigrette is a salad dressing that you can make all year round now, as most stores now stock a variety of fresh herbs. The fragrance alone is worth the two minutes it takes to whip together.

In this video from Betty's Kitchen, learn how to make a delicious low-calorie vinaigrette for your salads. This tangy dressing has just a hint of raspberry sweetness and contains no oil so you can avoid all the fat and calories that oils bring. It tastes great and will keep for weeks, possibly even months, in your fridge. Enjoy!

You're at a restaurant with a glass ketchup bottle, and the ketchup's stuck at the bottom. Those french fries are looking mighty good and your anxious levels are going through the roof! What to do? Learn a great trick in this video on how to get that ketchup out of the bottle by simply tapping your fingers!

Ghee is also known as clarified butter and is an integral part of cooking and a must have in most Indian kitchens. It is made from fresh butter that is melted and simmered to get a clear golden liquid. You can use the ghee to season lentils, vegetables, to make parathas, sweets or even use it as a spread.

An Italian classic, this sauce is sure to be popular whenever you make it. For this recipe (big enough to serve a whole family), you will need: 5 pounds ground beef, 12 ounces chopped carrots, 8 ounces chopped celery, 6 ounces yellow onion, 2 ounces fresh garlic, 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 bottle Burgundy wine, 1 pound tomato paste, 28 ounces pureed tomatoes, salt and pepper.

Yogurt is not a difficult thing to make in your own home kitchen! You don't even need a fancy yogurt maker! All you need is some whole millk and yogurt starter, plus some mason jars, an instant read thermometer and an insulated styrofoam cooler.

This smoky, flavorful salsa leaves all those jarred salsas in the dust, and it's not too difficult to make. All you need is: 3 roasted tomatoes, 1/4 a roasted onion, 2 cloves roasted garlic, 1 roasted jalapeno, 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock, salt, red onions and cilantro.

Sure to be a hit at your next party, serve with toasted pita bread, corn chips or veggie slices. You will need: 1 can of red kidney beans, 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, a pinch or more of chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper, lime juice and fresh cilatro.

Mojo criollo is a simple garlic sauce which is the staple of many Cuban dishes. This is a very easy dish to make. All you need is: 12 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 cup olive oil and 1 cup of naranja agria (bitter orange juice).

A must for any alfredo dish - make your own white pasta sauce from scratch! You will need some milk or cream for the base. Then add in some onion, garlic, butter and any other spice you want. You will also want some corn starch or flour as a thickening agent.

You don't have to use this sauce just for buffalo wings - you can use it with nearly any sort of chicken dish, from chicken tenders to buffalo fried chicken. It also makes a great sauce for hamburgers or dipping vegetables.

Who doesn't love the tangy sour taste of sauerkraut? It's that much better when you can make it yourself. In this video, you'll be shown you can make your own homemade sauerkraut, as long as it's in a controlled environment.

In this video, you'll be learning how to make a delicious guacamole. Not just any guacamole, though. This guacamole is crunchy, and it's made with a tool called a molcajete, which is the Mexican version of a mortar and pestle.

I keep Pico De Gallo around all the time. I find it is very versatile and can be used for any meal. My youngest son loves to cook and it was one of the first things I taught him to make. As you read my writings about food I've made, you will find a lot of references to the pico. I've made up this little recipe to give you a smile as well as the ingredients and method.

That Thanksgiving turkey isn't anything without the right kind of gravy to accompany it. A great turkey gravy makes your feast better for everyone. It's especially great to have if your turkey is dry— it's a lifesaver. But like we said— you need the right kind of gravy!

While the roasted (or, if you're Paula Deen or one of her followers, deep fried) turkey is the star and centerpiece of your Thanksgiving dinner, it simply wouldn't be as good without its supporting cast of sides including gravy and mashed potatoes.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so it's probably time to start thinking about what you'll be serving your friends and family at the dinner table on Thanksgiving night. Of course, all the classics must be included, like the centerpiece turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

The family will love this pasta recipe. Easy to prepare. Ingredients you will need: 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic Olive oil Basil (5 or 6 leaves) Canned crushed tomatoes Salt Pepper Pasta Dice your onion. Chop your two cloves of garlic. In a pan or a deep skillet add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Put on the stove on high and heat. Add the onion, garlic and salt. Cook until the onions are soft. This will take approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Do not burn the garlic and...

Marinara comes from the word marine which means it is a sauce for seafood. Many people like just marinara sauce on pasta without any seafood. This is an easy and fast recipe to prepare. Ingredients you will need: ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 5-7 garlic cloves (chopped) 32 ounce can crushed tomatoes 2 pinches of crushed parsley 2 pinches of basil 3 good pinches of black pepper 4 good pinches kosher salt In a pan add the extra virgin oil. Add the chopped garlic cloves. Cook...

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a hearty spaghetti sauce. First, pour some chopped onions and diced green pepper into a skillet with olive oil. After this, add in a chopped red bell pepper in with the mix. Let this saute for 5-10 minutes covered over medium low heat. You can tell when it's done because the onions will be clear. From here, add in your meat to the pan and then break it up with a spatula. Cook this down and then add in tomato paste after draining the oils from the pan. Let...

Thanksgiving is coming up within a matter of weeks, which means soon enough you'll be gobbling down truckloads of turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and stuffing. Not to mention copious amounts of butter, which is used to add flavor to nearly every dish.

Thanksgiving is coming up in a matter of weeks, which no doubt means you'll be consuming lots of pumpkin pie. And while pumpkin pie is heavenly on its own, adding a dollop of whipped cream on top makes it simply godly. But don't waste your time on those yucky whipped cream cans you can buy at the store.

We know the easy thing to do when you desire a fruit topping for your ice cream or dessert is to run to the store and purchase that squeeze bottle of strawberry "jam." But with all the gnarly chemicals and high fructose corn syrup that composes most of these toppings, you're probably getting more artificial gunk than actual strawberries.

In this tutorial, we learn how to make a buffalo wing dig. This is to be baked in a 9x13 baking dish. You will need: 2 packages cream cheese, hot wing sauce, blue cheese dressing, 3 celery stalks, 2 c your choice cheese, and 2 c chopped boiled chicken. Combine all of these ingredients together in a large mixing bowl After this, pour into your baking dish and add more cheese to the top. Bake this in the oven until golden brown on the top and enjoy! To make another dip, you will need: 2 c cheese,...

Arrabiata sauce, of Roman origin, is a tomato sauce seasoned with garlic and red chili. It's tangy and spicy all at once, which means you can whip the sauce up and toss it onto any type of pasta for a taste explosion.

The quality of the turkey you roast in the oven on Thanksgiving day is tantamount to how successful your Thanksgiving table will be - turkey is, after all, the center of the celebration for most families (unless, of course, you're going the tofurky route).

Pesto is a great sauce for things like pasta, pita bread or spinach salad, making it a healthy addition for any lunch or dinner meal. In this video, you'll learn a recipe for an Italian pesto sauce, vegan-style. It's made from fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic and cilantro, and is best served fresh. It's delicious and easy to make.

In this tutorial, we learn how to make caramel sauce at home. First, pour some sugar and water into a large saucepan. Turn on the heat and then wait for the reaction between them to begin. The sugar and water should start to boil, then put the lid on for two minutes and then take it off. After this, boil for 5-10 more minutes until it gets darker. After this, you will need to stir in the butter and the cream. Once both of these are completely combined, you will pour into a dish and let the...

In this video, we learn how to make apple butter cream sauce. Start out by adding one piece of butter to a skillet and letting it melt. Then, add in some shallots to the skillet and saute them for a minute. Next, add in some white wine to the skillet and let it reduce. Then spoon in some apple butter to the skillet and continue to simmer and mix together. Next, add in some heavy cream and finish off with adding in some more butter. Melt this all together, then when finished you can pour over...

Skinny and Mini teach us how to make delicious guacamole dip in this video. First, take a ripe avocado and scoop the middle out into a bowl. After this, use a fork to mash up the avocados and get rid of the big pieces. Now, take some onions, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro, and any other types of items you want for the dip and cut them up into small pieces. Now, throw them all inside the bowl and mix everything up together. When finished, pour this into a serving dish and enjoy with chips or a...

Did you make a gravy for your holiday feast or just your usual dinner but it came out a little watery? Well there's a way to get it to thicken up using things such as cornmeal, a few gingersnaps, or other things! In this video you will get tips on how to thicken your watery gravy and make your feast that much better!

In this tutorial, we learn how to make guacamole from scratch. First, take an avocado and scoop the middle out into a mixing bowl. After this, finely chop up an onion and have someone else mash up the avocado in the bowl with a fork. Now, chop up a tomato into small pieces, then add into the bowl. After this, squeeze fresh lime juice into the mix and then chop up a jalapeno pepper, taking out all the seeds. Add in some garlic salt to the bowl, then mix everything together until it's combined....

Butter by itself is like a recipe cure-all, making everything from chicken to layer cakes taste magnificently rich and creamy. So imagine what butter flavored with garlic could do.

Hummus is one of those rare foods that are both delicious and healthy. It's made mostly of beans and tahini, which means it's packed with belly blasting fiber and lots of antioxidants, which deccelerate the aging process.

Don't give up when your gravy clumps! There are four simple tricks you can use to smooth out lumpy gravy - use a wire whisk to break up large lumps, use a wire strainer to strain out the lumps, mix in a flour and water mixture, or run it through a blender.

When we think of jam, we usually think of luscious, thick strawberry or raspberry preserves, made rich and saccharine with loads of molasses or table sugar. But did you know you can actually add other interesting ingredients to your jams, including herbs and spices?