My daughter and I are eating a lovely bagged dinner tonight. We had loads of stuff to finish up and I didn't have it in me to make a meal from scratch. lol This stuff though is really yummy ...

It's got baked chicken chunks, zucchini, red and yellow bell peppers, snap peas, penne pasta and a creamy herb sauce. Needs a little more herb and a wee pinch of sea salt, but it's really good and I want to make it at home ... it will be less expensive without a doubt. lol

So ... can y'all tell me what makes a sauce a sauce? What's the difference between sauce and a creamy sauce? Can you use a white sauce as a base for most other sauces?

I make my own enchilada sauce but that just uses water as the liquid base, it's not creamy at all. I also make white sauce with milk and water as the liquid base. Last time I tried to make a cheese sauce though, it came out clumpy *eew* and I don't quite dare to brave an herb sauce without a little more to go on.

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

Well I like to use a electric hand blender to make all of my sauces and gravies smooth. There is a great flour product out there for gravy or roux called "Wondra". It's really quick disolving with a whisk if you don't have a hand blender. I like to use cream of mushroom soup as a base for several sauces including macaroni and cheese. It seems like if the soup is really hot that cheese seems to melt into it really easily. Also I've noticed if you're experimenting with a sauce and somehow are coming up with a bitter taste that adding a pat of butter seems to correct it.

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Blessings to All

Admin. Assistant and Moderator of:

The Witches' Moot, Psychics's Fireside, Book of Shadows, Spellbinding Books, Brews and Broths, Children of the Moon, Specialist Topics, Aromatherapy and Herbs. PM me, I'm here to help.

Thank you SO much Katherined! I'm jotting these tips down and putting them right in my recipe box!

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

Let me look tomorrow and see if I can find this pasta sauce recipe that sounds like what you're looking for...It's actually a white sauce with herbs AND cheese...

I hope that cookbook isn't already packed!

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"Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey" ~ Drops of Jupiter by Train

Always room for more recipes Morgane. Looking forward to it with all your other awesome recipes. Thank you very much in advance.

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

also make sure to use whole milk when making cream sauce Any lower fat content and the sauce will not stay together and get lumpy...also instead of water try beer or wine

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timendi causa est nescire

Well then!! That's why my cheese sauce was eew! I buy 2% because whole milk tastes too much like cheese to me. lol

Thank you ISO2. Got my sauce tips card out and yours went right on it!!

I actually love cooking wine and don't much care for wine wine. Hardly ever have alcohol in my house yet I still have a bottle of champagne from ... dunno how long ago, I think 3 years now. (I wonder if champagne goes bad? )

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

I can't find the recipe, so it must be one I've already gotten packed up!

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"Now that she's back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there's a time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey" ~ Drops of Jupiter by Train

I really appreciate your looking, Morgane. Thank you.

10,000 cool points for you, for going through the trouble.

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

I cook alot and I work at a restaurant. When making a cream sauce, these are things I like to do:
Start with butter. I just cut about an inch or so off a brick. Then I melt the butter in a sauce pan. Make sure there is enough butter to have about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in the pot after it is melted (This is depending on the pot and how much sauce you want to make).
I then add garlic to the butter, nothing like a garlic cream sauce. Again depending on the volume of sauce 1-4 cloves all minced up.
When your garlic is cooked and your butter has reduced a bit ad whipping cream. NOT the stuff from a tub or spray can. Real liquid whipping cream (no sugar added). About 1/4 cup or so.
You have to let that reduce on a simmer for a while. You can also remove a bit of the liquid into a small bowl and add either corn starch or flour to thicken it up (this will prevent lumps from forming in your sauce) whisk that in the bowl so it comes out smooth and then add that back to the liquid on the stove.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Last week I made a fabulous garlic, horseradish, caper cream sauce for an Ahi tuna steak. YUM
P.S. with a cheese sauce - using certain kinds of cheese can make your sauce oily and clumpy. I know swiss won't clump, but a heavy cheddar will be oily. And again... the secret - heavy cream.

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The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values.
Norman Thomas (1884 - 1968)

Wow that sauce made my mouth water. You're right--there's nothing like a cream sauce!

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Blessings to All

Admin. Assistant and Moderator of:

The Witches' Moot, Psychics's Fireside, Book of Shadows, Spellbinding Books, Brews and Broths, Children of the Moon, Specialist Topics, Aromatherapy and Herbs. PM me, I'm here to help.

*drools* Wow, that garlic cream sauce sounds divine! Garlic is soooo delicious! lol

I can barely wait to try that out BC30, thank you so very much!!

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

I made broccoli cheese soup with y'alls tips and tricks, and it was yummeh!! (My son thinks broccoli is kryptonite though, so he had pizza. lol) Thank you so much for your help. I feel a lot more confident now with these creamy sauces ... I can barely wait to play and make the herb sauce!

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Moderator of: Herbs.

I'm happy to help with any questions!

I LOVE it!!!! Oh cooking..... hmmmm... maybe it's my calling?

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The secret of a good life is to have the right loyalties and hold them in the right scale of values.
Norman Thomas (1884 - 1968)