Ribs

I've been meaning to post a ribs recipe for many, many months now, but it is kind of complicated, so I've put it off. There are many ways to cook ribs and many kinds of ribs. You can boil your ribs first and then barbecue for a few minutes with the sauce on at the end (not my favorite option). You can just straight up barbecue them on a low temperature for a long time (difficult to control on a gas grill). Below is my preferred method of baking ribs.

I always buy PORK (because Chad prefers it to beef in the case of ribs). Sometimes spareribs, sometimes country style boneless, and for this special occasion weekend I'll splurge on baby back.

Use either a roasting rack or a roasting pan with a rack laid over it. Pour an inch or two of water in the basin to keep the ribs moist during baking. I usually season the ribs with a rub (e.g. Montreal Steak Seasoning or your own creation). I bake the ribs in the oven at 225 for about 3-4 hours (DEPENDING ON YOUR SIZE AND QUANTITY). For the last 20 minutes I baste the following sauce recipe on and either broil the ribs or (more often) grill them so they'll get that nice stickiness.

8 pounds pork spareribs
3 c. ketchup
1 c. barbecue sauce
1 c. brown sugar
2 1/2 T. lemon juice
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
3 T. steak sauce, (e.g. Heinz 57)
2 cloves garlic, minced

In medium saucepan, combine ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, steak sauce and garlic; blend well. Cook the sauce over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes. (Please note that the above ingredients are all to taste. Use more or less of anything you like. I never make the ribs the same way twice!)

I hope this isn't too confusing--comment with questions.

Chicken Cups

We really liked these and they were fairly fast and simple, especially with the canned chicken. The boys really liked them too.

4oz cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter, softened
1 can chicken meat (the size from Costco)
2 T. minced onion

2 T. minced green pepper
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
3. T. milk
2 (8 oz) pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 c. bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and 2 T. melted butter or margarine until smooth. Add the chicken, onion, green pepper, salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well.
Separate crescent dough to fit in mini muffin tin. Firmly press into cups. Spoon about 1 T.of the chicken mixture into the center of each cup. Pull corners of dough over top and pinch shut.
Brush tops of cups with 1 tablespoon of melted butter or margarine; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Potato Soup and Rosemary Bread

I LOVE potato soup. Raised in Idaho, I grew up on potato soup in the winter and my mom makes some of the best stuff I've ever had. She never measures or keeps track of what she adds. I've kind of adopted the same tradition (unintentionally). The basics are boiling water and adding potatoes and a thickener. Anything else is for flavor and you can pretty much add whatever you want. This is the recipe I made the other day (as far as I can remember). You can add or take out whatever you'd like and it will still taste great. The best part is it makes a lot and is cheap! Also, I bought a bread machine at Goodwill a few months ago and am loving it. I need to write a French Bread recipe I've been making a lot...it's great. Anyhow, below is the rosemary bread I made the other night. I loved it.

Potato Soup

5-6 c. water

3-4 boullion cubes

6-8 potatoes peeled and diced

1-2 small onions

3 stalks celery

3-4 c. chopped broccoli and cauliflower

1/3 c. butter

1/3 c. flour

1 c. cream/milk or 1 small can of evaporated milk

salt and pepper to taste

Hormel bacon

Bring water and boullion to boil, add potatoes, onions, celery and broccoli and boil until softened (about 10-15 mins). When veggies are almost done cooking, in another pan make a roux with the butter and flour. Beat the cream/milk into the roux until thickened. Pour and mix into the soup until thickened. Add bacon, salt and pepper. Top with green onions, cheese, whatever!

Rosemary Bread (for bread machine)

1 c. water
3 T. olive oil
1 1/2 t.white sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 T. dried rosemary
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 1/2 t. active dry yeast

Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (I just added them from the top down). Select white bread cycle and light crust; press Start.

Pineapple Black Bean Enchiladas

After Jackson taught a lesson on "The Word of Wisdom" the other night I was reminded of how much we eat meat in our diet and am trying to remedy that by reducing the amount and substituting beans, etc. in our menu. The boys and I naturally love beans, but for Chad it requires some effort. They enjoyed this meal...I loved it.

2 t. vegetable oil

1 lg. yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits in juice, drained,

1/3 c. juice reserved

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained, rinsed

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chilis

1 t. salt

1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

3 c. shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (12 oz)

1 can (10 oz) mild enchilada sauce

8 whole wheat flour tortillas (8 or 9 inch)

1/2 c. reduced-fat sour cream

8 t. chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper; cook 4 to 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pineapple, beans, green chilis and salt. Cook and stir until thoroughly heated. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro and 2 cups of the cheese.Spoon and spread 1 tablespoon enchilada sauce onto each tortilla. Spoon about 3/4 cup vegetable mixture over sauce on each. Roll up tortillas; place seam side down in baking dish.

In small bowl, mix reserved 1/3 cup pineapple juice and remaining enchilada sauce; pour over entire surface of enchiladas in dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Spray sheet of foil large enough to cover baking dish with cooking spray; place sprayed side down over baking dish and seal tightly.Bake 35 to 40 minutes, removing foil during last 5 to 10 minutes of baking, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Top each baked enchilada with 1 tablespoon sour cream and 1 teaspoon cilantro.

Basic Calzone Dough

I love calzones. This is a very easy and delicious recipe. The dough comes out crispy and chewy at the same time. We fill ours with all sorts of stuff: BBQ sauce w/ chicken, cilantro, and beans; traditional pepperoni, olives, onions, and tomatoes; or an italian basil, parmesean, and ricotta. They all turn out wonderfully. For those of you unfamiliar with calzones, they're an enclosed pizza, so maybe that will spark some ideas.

1 c lukewarm water
2 1/4 t active dry yeast
1 t salt
1/2 t sugar
3 c flour, plus extra for dusting
1 T extra-virgin olive oil

In a bowl, combine the water, yeast, salt and sugar, and stir to dissolve. Set aside for 15 minutes, then add the flour, and mix until smooth. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead for 10 minutes, adding more flour if necessary. The dough should feel smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a bowl, and place dough inside. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Quarter the dough, and shape each piece into a ball. Cover, and let rise another 15 minutes. Makes enough dough for 4 calzones.

Seal by crimping the edges of the dough with your fingers or the times of a fork. Brush calzone with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 teasponns water). Trim the excess dough, make a small incision on the top, and bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.

Mulligatawny Soup

I know it's the middle of summer, but I made this at the end of May when we had that freakish cold week. It was fabulous. Chad and the boys devoured it...no problem. I do love Indian food and this is a good recipe to start with if you're not sure. I used cooked rice that was left over from another recipe instead of waiting for it to cook in the recipe. Oh, and you have to cook the chicken ahead of time too...that's unclear in the recipe. Also, I don't think the cream added much to the recipe, so it's definitely optional.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
1/4 cup white rice
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into cubes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch dried thyme
1/2 cup heavy cream, heated

DIRECTIONS
1. Saute onions, celery, carrot, and butter in a large soup pot. Add flour and curry, and cook 5 more minutes. Add chicken stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1/2 hour.
2. Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done.
3. When serving, add hot cream.

Chicken Salad

I have been using this recipe since we first got married 5 years ago and still love it more than others I've tried. The texture is fantastic and it works on croissants, pita bread, lettuce, crackers...pretty much anything. I forgot to take a picture when I recently served it at a baby shower, but all who tried loved it and ate another. Often I leave out the pecans because I don't have them on hand usually, and I have left out the peppers before too and it still tasted great.

Ingredients
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, bell pepper, onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour

Hawaiian Haystacks

The first time I ever had Hawaiian Haystacks (or some call them chicken sundaes) was in college. All present were shocked that I'd never heard of them before, but I'm guessing there might be someone else out there who hasn't tried them.

1.) MAKE CHICKEN GRAVY (you can buy it in a can or make to taste--see below)
2-3 cans of cream of chicken or celery
1-2 c. of milk or chicken broth (depending on taste and desired consistency)
cooked, cubed/shredded chicken (I usually cook 2 chicken tenders for each person, but that is more chicken than some would like)
1 c. of rice/person

toppings:
green onions (a must I think)
green peppers
tomatoes (for sure)
cheese
pineapple
coconut
chow mein noodles
cashews

Red Sauce Enchiladas

I usually make the standard yummy white chicken enchiladas, but I found this recipe that my friend gave me in college and decided to give it another try. I'm writing the recipe with the alterations I made, which I thought tasted great. By the way, I don't usually care for corn tortillas, but I think they work with the red sauce. I'm sure flour could work well too though.

1 lb. hamburger

1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese

1/2-1 packet of taco seasoning

corn tortillas

grated cheese

2 small cans of tomato paste

1 can of green/mild enchilada sauce

1 medium chopped onion (red/white)

2 T cilantro leaves

2 T chili powder

chopped green onions (opt.)

sliced olives (opt.)

Brown hamburger. Once fully cooked, pour 1/2-1 (depending on preference) packet of taco seasoning and package of cream cheese in with the hamburger. Cook on low until mixed together into a sort of thick paste.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, mix together the tomato pastes, enchilada sauce, onion, cilantro, and chili powder.

Pour a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fill each corn tortilla shell with scoops of hamburger mix and top with cheese before rolling and placing (seam down) in the pan. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and top with green onions, olives and remainder of cheese. Bake covered 350 degrees for 30 minutes and uncovered for another 5-10 or until cheese is thoroughly melted.

You can serve the enchiladas with sliced avocados, sour cream, and salsa for an especially festive and delicious flair.

DELICIOUS salmon

I love the small grocery store near our home. It is mostly meant for picking up that one item you need on your way home from work. For that reason, they always have their meat marked down because no one buys it. I got a $20+ salmon for $5.17 the other day (it's usually over $5.99/lb lately). I found this recipe a long time ago and was saving it. It was WONDERFUL! I will definitely use it again.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Make a pouch out of tin foil and place fish on the bottom pouring the soy sauce mixture on top, seal. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins.

Put pouch on pan and bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 mins and broil on high for 5 mins after that.

Healthier Sloppy Joes

I like to make sloppy joes once in a while, but this time I thought I'd search for a healthier recipe. This was what I found and played with. It was really good; almost like a thick chili. By the way, if you have questions about substitutions, post them on here. One of us can probably answer.

1 pound extra-lean ground beef or ground turkey

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, minced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed

2 cans no-salt-added tomato sauce

2 T tomato paste

1 T red wine vinegar

1 T molasses

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T mustard powder

3/4 T salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 whole-wheat burger buns

Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.

Easy Chicken and Rice Casserole

This recipe came in the mail with some coupons when we were first married and while it isn't too different from other chicken and rice recipes, it is easy and good. Chad's Grandma requested it, so we took a casserole over to her last week, but I forgot to take a picture. I usually line the pan with foil and it makes it MUCH easier to clean the pan afterwards. Often I'll substitute the vegetables for whatever veggies I have on hand.

2 c. rice
2 cans condensed cream of chicken (you can mix it with mushroom or celery too)
2/3 c. water
1 t. seasoned salt
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium bell pepper, cubed
1 small onion, thinly sliced
6 skinless chicken pieces
Seasoned salt, paprika, and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. For easy clean-up, line a 13x9 pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

2. Combine rice, soup, water, and 1 t. seasoned salt. Add carrots, bell pepper and onion. Arrange vegetables and rice in an even layer in foil-lined pan. Place chicken over rice mixture in an even layer; sprinkle chicken with additional seasoned salt, paprika and pepper.

3. Cover pan with a sheet of foil.

4. Bake about 45 minutes or until chicken reaches 170 degrees; stir rice before serving.

Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce with Shrimp

This is a healthy meal that tastes fabulous. There is a similar dish at Olive Garden although Chad and I thought this was better. I found 1 lb bags of frozen shrimp at Walmart for $3.98 and bought a few, so look for sales on shrimp otherwise it can be kind of pricey. I usually buy whole grain pasta since it has fewer calories, about the same protein, and at least twice the fiber. I didn't have fresh herbs on hand, although I'm sure it would taste that much more amazing. Also, I didn't have any, but I think it would taste fabulous to add some heavy cream (maybe 1/4-1/2 c) to make the sauce creamy--just a suggestion. This was not that spicy. Jackson ate it just fine, but he's probably used to spiciness by now.

INGREDIENTS

1 t olive oil
1 c chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/8 c shrimp juices or chicken stock (see directions)
2 T white sugar
1 T chopped fresh basil
1 t crushed red pepper flakes
2 T tomato paste
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
2 T chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, and shrimp in oil for 5 minutes.

2. If most of your "shrimp juices" cook out of the saute, then add chicken stock. If there appears to be enough "shrimp juices" after sauteing then add sugar, basil, red pepper, tomato paste, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, black pepper and tomatoes ; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes.

3. Stir in parsley. Ladle over the hot cooked pasta of your choice.

Taco Soup

I'm not sure what your weather has been like, but it is still pretty chilly here. So I'm still making a lot of soup--I love it! I'm sure you all have a taco soup recipe and they're pretty much all the same, but just in case you've never tried it, here goes one. I like my food spicy, so I added cilantro, garlic, and some salsa verde to my soup. You can top with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips if desired. Also, as in all recipes ground turkey can be substituted without affecting the flavor too much for a lighter alternative.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans with liquid
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3-4 cups water
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers (opt.)
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

DIRECTIONS

In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium heat. Drain, and set aside.

Place the ground beef, onion, chili beans, kidney beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, green chile peppers and taco seasoning mix in a slow cooker or in a pan on the stove if short on time.

Mix to blend, and cook on Low setting for 8 hours or until flavors are blended and soup is warm.

Pineapple Chicken

This basically tastes like a lighter sweet and sour chicken. It is super good and SO easy. My mother-in-law doubles this for a big crowd and it goes a long way. I like to add big chunks of green peppers and onions into it for color and taste. Yesterday I happened to have a fresh pineapple too, so I used that in place of canned and it was beautiful. As far as the call for russian dressing--I've only ever seen one size (8 oz). I cooked mine at 250 for like 2 1/2 hours because I had other things going on and it worked out fine. I bet you could even pour it into the crockpot and cook on low for 3+ hours.

6 chicken breasts (+/-)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 (about 16 oz) jar of apricot preserves
1 bottle russian dressing
1 can chunk pineapple

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; place breasts in pan and season with salt and pepper according to taste.

Mix ingredients and pour on top. Bake uncovered 30-45 minutes. Serve over rice.

Baked Ziti

This is one of those recipes that is so easy you think, "Why didn't I think of that?" I'm sure that a lot of your families are like mine--they love anything with pasta and red sauce. All my boys will usually eat a few servings of anything "spaghetti-ish." This is nice because it is a little different than your traditional spaghetti meal. I just used whatever cheese was in the fridge when I made this (swiss and monterey jack--odd combo, I know) and it still tasted fabulous.

1 lb. ziti pasta (you can use penne or rigatoni too)
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 (26 oz) jars of spaghetti sauce
6 oz. provolone, sliced
1 1/2 c. sour cream
6 oz. mozzarella, shredded
2 T. parmesean

1. Bring a lightly salted water to boil in a pan. Add ziti pasta and cool until al dente (it means to the bite--slightly firm), about 8 mins; drain.

2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add sauce and simmer about 15 mins (if time).

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x13 pan. Layer: 1/2 ziti, all of provolone, sour cream, 1/2 sauce, remaining ziti, mozzarella, and rest of sauce. Top with parmesean.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Chili

I make this chili about once/month, sometimes less. It is so yummy and goes a long way. The nice thing is you can adjust the flavor to your preference, so if you like spicy chili, you might add some jalapeno peppers, cilantro, etc. If you don't like any spice, you might take out some of the cumin and chili powder. As it is, it's the right amount of flavor for most everyone. Also, sometimes if I've made a roast I'll use the leftovers in place of the ground beef and it is awesome. This makes a lot, so you can either half the recipe or freeze the leftovers for another day.

2 lbs. ground beef
2 onions, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (opt)
1/2 green pepper, chopped (opt)
29 oz. can whole or diced tomatoes
29 oz. can tomato sauce
30 oz. can chili beans
15 oz. can kidney beans
2 tsp. cumin
4 tsp. chili powder

Brown beef and onions (and mushrooms and grn. pepper); drain fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 20 mins. Top with sour cream, cheese, onions, etc--to your preference.

Crockpot: Cook hamburger and onions (and peppers) until cooked through and soft. Then put in crockpot with remaining ingredients and cook as long as needed.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is THE BEST I've ever had.

Chicken Pot Pie--Ready in about 1 hour 15 mins.

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts--cubed
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. frozen green peas
1/2 c. sliced celery
1/3 c. butter
1/3 c. chopped onion
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. celery seed
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts.

1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for about 15 mins. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter clear. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Press one pie crust in a deep-dish pie pan and baste with egg whites (to keep from getting mushy). Then place chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 mins before serving.

Pork Barbacoa

This is a recipe that feeds 6-8 people and is easily adjusted. I usually warm my tortillas on a pan before serving them. Items I include to put in the burrito are: rice, black beans, monterey jack cheese, green onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Feel free to experiment. The sauce combined with the pork in the burrito is amazing. I personally enjoy sans tortilla--salad style.

Pork Barbacoa:

4 lb. pork roast
1 c. salsa
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. 7-up

Cook in a crock pot on low for eight hours. Shred pork before serving.

Cilantro Lime Tomatilla:

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
1 T. Salsa verde
1/8 t. Tabasco
1/3 bunch of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
3/4 c. mayo
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 lime, zest and juice

Blend ingredients in blender until smooth.