Homemade Steak Sauce is tangy, barely sweetened, and just a little bit smoky. Perfect for steak dipping and burger topping, this sauce is all the best parts of A-1 and Heinz 57 sauce flavors, made at home.

You only need a couple of minutes to stir everything together, then it will simmer on its own. I served this sauce with these Steak Bites the first time I made it and there was hardly a bite leftover.

Homemade Steak Sauce

I know some steak lovers are purists and eschew sauce. Personally, I love the flavor a good sauce adds to meat.

What I don’t love are overly sweet sauces. However, I also don’t want my sauce to be so sour I can hardly eat it. I’m a little bit high maintenance that way, I guess.

Give me a sauce that’s tangy, smoky, and vinegary with just a little sweetness to finish things off. This homemade steak sauce definitely fits the bill. It’s the only one you’ll ever need!

How to Make Steak Sauce

Have you been buying steak sauce in a bottle your whole life? You’ll love how easy it is to make it at home. You may never reach for the store-bought stuff again.

Don’t let the long ingredients list fool you. All of the ingredients are things you’re likely to have on hand in your pantry already and it couldn’t be any easier to mix them all together.

The body of the sauce comes from a blend of ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Both plain old white vinegar and white wine vinegar are delicious in the recipe. Use whichever you have on hand.

A little dijon mustard, garlic, and lemon juice add flavor and zest while the red pepper flakes give the sauce a touch of spice. Be sure to use dijon mustard, not the bright colored yellow stuff, for the right taste and texture.

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From the very first bite, these Buttered Steak Bites and Mushrooms became an instant favorite for my whole family. This is the most tender steak you can imagine and my whole family goes nuts for it.

Steak Bites with Mushrooms

I have two boys who aren’t the biggest fans of steak. (Yes, I know, it’s hard to imagine!) However, they dive right into these steak bites and always ask for seconds.

Served with Salt Potatoes and Honey Sriracha Roasted Broccoli, I love every bite of this meal.

Bite-size pieces of tender steak are seared in a hot skillet just for a couple minutes until each bite is crisply browned outside and juicy inside.

Then the mushrooms are seared in the same pan to absorb all of that delicious buttery flavor left in the pan.

How To Cook Steak Bites

The goal when cooking steak bites is to create a crisply browned outside and a lovely pink and juicy center for each piece of meat.

As the meat is cooking, if a piece is slightly larger and has a side that looks like it hasn’t browned, flip to that side again for 20-30 seconds. Take caution not to overcook the steak.

Steak Bites and Mushrooms

1. Cut the steak into bite-size pieces, about 1/2″ – 3/4″ in size. Sprinkle the meat generously with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat a heavy, flat bottomed stainless skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter has melted, swirl to coat the pan. Add about a third of the meat and spread it across the pan.
2. Cook for 1 minute and then use a large spatula to fli

Jello Popcorn

Jello in popcorn? You only need 4 simple ingredients for this fun snack! Jello popcorn is our family’s latest obsession and you can use any flavor Jello you like best!

I was totally and completely obsessed with Jello growing up and this would have been one more amazing way for me to enjoy it but the truth is, I just learned about it a few months ago. Our neighbors, Rod and Tawya, totally hooked us up with a batch one weekend and I’ve been utterly obsessed ever since. 

I honestly can’t even explain this treat to you. It’s better than caramel popcorn IMHO, and it’s also easier than caramel popcorn so it’s a huge win at our house. The kids love how bright and gooey it is and it has started all sorts of kid conversations about what else we should take from classic to new and wild.

So far Claire has requested Muddy Buddies Rice Krispies Treats. 

Thoughts? Should we try it out?

Ingredients for Jello Popcorn

I mentioned that you only need 4 ingredients for this recipe. So simple! Here they are:

• Jello (3oz)
• Butter (unsalted)
• Mini Marshmallows
• Popcorn

Do you have them in the pantry already?? I’ve started to just buy mini mallows every time I grocery shop. The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Homemade Cherry Pie

It’s 100% homemade from top to bottom cherry pie! Fresh tart cherries sweetened up for a luscious filling all tucked in a buttery golden crust. Every summer needs a cherry pie!

I’ve said this before, but I am a pie girl through and through. I’ll take a piece of pie over almost any other dessert (except a strawberry shortcake…my true love!). We have enough pie recipes on the blog to prove it, but seriously, pie is everything I love…flaky golden crust (hello carbs…lover!), a sweet fruit filling, the crunchy contrasted with gooey textures. Dream come true!

And don’t be intimidated by doing everything homemade. We are going to take you through each step. Your family is going to be totally wowed by this dessert!

Ingredients for a Cherry Pie

Here are the ingredients you will need to make the homemade cherry pie filling. Hop over to the post for the pie crust recipe for those details but all you’ll need is flour, butter, salt, sugar and water for that.

• Pie Crust
• Cherries
• Sugar
• Lemon
• Almond Extract
• Sure Gel (or Cornstarch)
• Egg
• Milk
• Sanding Sugar (optional)

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Can you believe how close we are to summer vacation?? My guys are pushing through their last classes and they’re all looking forward to the summer break. We have a long road trip planned for this summer, visiting as many state and national parks as possible this time.

We’ll be spending five weeks on the road with stops in Missouri, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Montana, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. I can hardly wait!

ON THE BLOG this week: Spicy Barbecue Sauce with enough heat to bite the back of your throat and just barely sweet enough to balance that heat, this is the sauce I was craving.

Sweet apples and cranberries are combined with crunchy cabbage and then tossed together in a tangy lemon dressing to make this Apple Coleslaw.

Tender chunks of savory chicken or turkey and vegetables are baked together inside of a flaky pie crust. My whole family gives this Leftover Turkey Pot Pie two big thumbs up!

Lighter than a traditional pound cake, this Glazed Lemon Cake is tender with a bright sweet flavor and the lemon glaze adds the perfect touch–the literal icing on top.

Have you tried the Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso from Starbucks? It is so good and as soon as I tasted it, I knew I needed to make it at home too! Brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon provide terrific depth of flavor for this awesome drink.

What I’m CRAVING: This Shrimp Sushi Stack from Feel Good Foodie caught my eye this week and it looks so good! This is a shortcut recipe for all the awesome sushi flavors I love without the hassle of rolling anything. I saw Gina’s version years ago (it’s a brilliant method for making them!) and meant to try it then. I just put it on our meal plan!

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these glass straws. I enjoy drinking from a straw, but I’m just not a fan of the stainless or silicone straws that I’ve tried. I really love the feel of these glass straws. (And at about a dollar each, they’re much more affordable than others I’ve looked at in the past!)

If I find they aren’t as sturdy as they initially seem or if they break, I’ll let you know. The straws were very well-reviewed when I purchased them.

What I’m WATCHING: Lost Season 2. The kids and I are back to watching Lost and still loving it.