Two Awesome Sauces, And The Secret to Finding Community

Food wouldn’t be the same without some awesome sauces. Life isn’t as enjoyable without the sauce of finding community.

Finding Community is “Awesome Sauce”

We have some awesome “sauce” to share today. It’s a sauce that’s like adding gravy to mashed potatoes. It absolutely adds the finishing touch. Mashed potatoes are yummy all by themselves, but if you have a rich, creamy gravy poured on top, well, that’s the awesome sauce that makes the dish complete.

Kim, the person behind this blog’s name, accidentally discovered an awesome sauce in the process of creating a business. She wanted to combine her love of cooking with her desire to make people happy. She began “Kim’s Kitchen” and makes casseroles for busy moms.

Kim is on the autism spectrum. So many things conspire against her and keep her from living her dreams, but she always, always keeps trying. One of the hardest things when you have autism is feeling you have a place in your community.  Full-time work is too overwhelming and stressful, and that sets her apart from what she would call the “normal” community. It’s not easy accepting that you are different.

Also, food is often difficult for people on the autism spectrum.  Meals have social rules; you have to eat and engage with those around the table with you.  These rules cause anxiety and stress, so food and meals begin to have a bad connotation. This article excerpt from Ambitious About Autism  explains it well:

“
They also tend to be less influenced by social approval than most… (though they still very much need and want it), so eating with other people can just feel like more trouble than it’s worth:
all rules and little reward.
“

Kim isn’t very comfortable simply sitting at a table-full of friends sharing conversation after a meal. So for her to get a text from someone you cooked for saying how much they enjoyed your food is the awesome sauce that’s the gravy to her desire for community.

Finding Community is very important for everyone.

There is no substitute for the feeling of belonging.

“
Having a sense of belonging is a common experience. Belonging means acceptance as a member or part. Such a simple word for a huge concept. A sense of belonging is a human need, just like the need for food and shelter. Feeling that you belong is most important in seeing value in life and in coping with intensely painful emotions. Some find belonging in a church, some with friends, some with family…  Some struggle to find a sense of belonging and their loneliness is physically painful for them. 

A sense of belonging to a greater community improves your motivation, health and happiness.  When you see your connection to others, you know that all people struggle and have difficult times. You are not alone.
There is comfort in that knowledge. Karen Hall, PhD
“

Now for the Awesome Sauces Recipes…

Last week Kim’s Kitchen made Hash-brown Potato Casserole and Country Style Spare Ribs.  There were two sauces involved in the meat dish.  First, the marinade before grilling, and then the barbecue sauce to slowly bake the goodness through and through to the fall-apart result.

Since you won’t make Spare Ribs for 50 people, here’s the sauce for 8 people…

First the marinade recipe:

Print Recipe

Awesome Marinade for Grilling

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 lbs. pork ribs, St. Louis style
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 can Sprite

Instructions

• Whisk all the marinade ingredients together until well blended.
• Place the meat into a large zipper bag and pour in the marinade.
• Make sure marinade get to all the meat. Refrigerate overnight.
• Pour the marinade off the meat and grill.

And the barbecue sauce:

Print Recipe

Awesome Barbeque Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 lbs pork spare ribs, St. Louis style

Smoky Barbeque Sauce

• 1/2 cup Kraft barbeque sauce
• 24 oz ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp liquid smoke
• 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup butter

Instructions

• Flash grill the pork rib slabs. Get the grill smokin' hot, then sear each side until they are browned. They will not be completely cooked. Place them in a roaster and pour the sauce on top. Bake in a slow oven for 2 to 3 hours, until they're fall-off-the-bone perfect.

Smoky Barbeque Sauce

• Mix all the ingredients in a pot. Heat until smooth and blended. Pour over meat.

Do you have some go-to awesome sauces?
We’d love to hear about them.

And to remember to try ours sometime, pin this image: