Having a great barbeque sauce for your BBQ really is a no-brainer. Many folks these days are taking barbeque sauce to another level by creating their own barbeque sauce recipe. Sure you can do fine (usually) with a store-bought brand, but imagine the look on people's faces when you tell them you built the sauce from scratch.

You can easily buy readily available BBQ sauce, of course, but I'll let you in on a little secret: nothing can beat the sauce that is homemade. You may argue that you don't know how to make one but making your own BBQ sauce can be very easy. There are in fact many barbeque sauce recipes available, so getting one, then mixing and matching, should never be a problem. You can source for them in bookstores, the internet, or even from friends. Creating your own homemade recipe not only give you a sense of satisfaction when you know your family will enjoy it, but you can also avoid all the preservatives and other chemical additives that may come along with the commercially available sauces.

There are many many barbeque sauce recipes around, so snagging one, then mixing and matching, tasting and testing, to create your own version isn't that big a deal -- trust me. You can get them from the internet, of course, bookstores, or ask friends and relatives. Concocting your own homemade barbeque sauce gives you a real sense of satisfaction, plus if it's real good you may be able to take it on the road and market it. Plus, by making your own, you can avoid most of the preservatives and other chemicals that may come in the bottled versions.

It's true that crafting your own barbeque sauce can be simple, but it's also true that you probably won't nail it right away. Just like with anything, it can take time to master, and in this case, some trial and error. Having said that, you'll be surprised to know that the ingredients list for most homemade barbeque sauces are simple. Most sauces start with a base like vinegar or tomato sauce. From there you can add ingredients as you see fit. In little time you'll have a hit sauce on your hands.

There's really nothing that tastes as good as a homemade barbeque sauce. A fantastic barbeque sauce recipe takes persistence to achieve. Be flexible with ingredients because you really never know how it's going to work out until you actually do it. Best of luck!

Most people do not think of seafood when they think of Mexico, but with six thousand miles of coastline, seafood is an important part of Mexican cuisine. Mexico lies right between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and it borders a good portion of the Gulf of Mexico. This area provides a great variety of seafood that can be put to good use in Mexican recipes.

Ceviche is a very popular seafood dish from Mexico. Made with small pieces of raw fish, squid, or shrimp, the recipe includes onion, peppers, salt, and cilantro. The fish is "cooked" with lemon or limejuice. The citric acid in the juice changes the proteins in the fish just like cooking. Even so, some ingredients will be cooked for safety purposes. You can enjoy ceviche on its own or used as filling for a taco. It is also wonderful on crackers or tostadas.

Seafood can also be simmered in the Veracruzana style. This is a sauce preparation made with tomatoes, chilies, olives, and capers. The resulting dish is both tangy and spicy. This sauce is often prepared with red snapper or shrimp. Veracruz and its surrounding region are well known for this and many other seafood dishes.

"A la Plancha" is a Spanish cooking method that is also popular in Mexico. In this method, a metal plate is set on top of an open flame for grilling. Fish does not stick to the plate like it does to a grill, yet it gets all of the grilled flavor.

Winter produces a huge assortment of seafood from the ocean in Mexico. Seafood is eaten especially on Fridays, when meat is forbidden in the Catholic religion. Lent is another time when seafood comes to the forefront. It plays a large part in the religious celebrations each family observes. Every cook has their own flair of seasoning that they use at this time, no matter if the seafood is something rich and sumptuous or something humble.

When it comes to making food in your own kitchen, do not overlook the Mexican recipes for seafood. Fish is really a versatile ingredient. Many popular dishes in Mexico include spicy stuffed clams, red snapper and shrimp stuffed chilies. Let them tickle your taste buds without having to go on vacation.

Be sure and include some of this delicious Mexican food in your recipe file. Stews and soup are delicious when made with seafood. Use shrimp in tacos, enchiladas, and many other favorite recipes. A common meal in Veracruz is seafood and rice. This wonderful meal includes shrimp, fish, octopus, crab, and clams. Seafood frittatas are another great way to enjoy the sea's bounty. Add in some oysters, clams, shrimp, fish, or crab next time you make one.

Do not skip Mexican recipes just because they are for seafood. Mexican cuisine really knows how to make seafood taste amazing. Explore Mexican culture through the use of seafood and see what you discover. It will give you a new perspective and respect for this diverse country. Seafood really provides the perfect foil for the many spices used in Mexican cuisine.

We have forgotten in our modern cities what soil looks like, what it is to plunge our andquot;refinedandquot; hands into the moist earth and reap the fertile results. The big health push for whole grains has reminded us of the importance of whole foods. We are relearning the nutritional benefits of unrefined and uncooked foods. Specifically the benefits of whole wheat kernels, also called wheat berries.

Getting Back to Healthy Ways

As a soft or hard grain, wheat berries can be added to bread (baked with) or salads, where they make a satisfying crunch sound while filling our bodies with fiber, iron and vitamins B and C. You can also mill your wheat kernels to make flour which you will then use to make all kinds of satisfying and healthy products, from pasta to bread to cookies to pastries (muffins and cookies). The kernel of whole wheat contains 3 important elements that must be present in order to earn the appellative of whole grain: endosperm, bran and germ. You can even plant the whole grain to grow your own wheat if you have the land, the time and the patience.

Just be Creative

While it may be strange to start cooking with whole grains initially, with a little creativity you'll be on your way. There are tons of whole foods recipes to choose from. Just pick something that suits your fancy and that your family can enjoy. Getting children who are accustomed to processed foods eating whole foods may be difficult as your getting started. But starting children eating whole foods at a young age will get them into good habits while they are still young.

Using More Whole Wheat

This is the point where the whole foods junkies tend to scare people away by telling them that they should use whole grain foods and nothing else. This approach tends to seem a little extreme, especially for someone who is just starting to incorporate whole foods into their diet. Adding more whole foods to your diet is something that can be done gradually. It doesn't have to be a shocking, immediate switch. Start by switching white bread for wheat bread. Start cooking with whole wheat flour. Slowly as you become more and more accustom to cooking with whole foods, it will get easier.

Reviewing the Food Pyramid

They US Food Pyramid recommends between 6 and 11 servings of whole grains a day. This can include wheat berries and other cereals, breads and pastas. On serving is 1 slice of bread or a half-cup of cereal or pasta. So it is pretty easy to gradually add whole grains to your diet, one serving at a time.