Slow Cooker Ribs

I think I found this on Pinterest.  And if you're not on Pinterest yet, you should be.  The perfect way to waste time.  Mindless internet time, scooping up ideas that someone else worked so hard to find and "pin."  Let me know if you'd like an invite.

We really, really, really liked these ribs.  I've never thought of doing ribs in the crockpot, but it's so easy. 

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs ribs
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced in rings
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
•  1 (12-ounce) bottle chili sauce
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 chopped garlic cloves
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

Directions:

1. Cut the rack of ribs in half.
2. Place the sliced onion in your pot, then put the ribs back in. 
3. Combine the dried ingredients: brown sugar, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the ribs.
4. Now combine the wet ingredients: chili sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, Tabasco, and Liquid Smoke. 
5. Pour this mixture evenly over the top of your ribs.
6. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the meat is tender, and has begun to pull away from the bone. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will become. Before serving, flip the ribs over a few times to get all sides nice and saucy.

Garlic Cilantro Ribs

I got this one from Better Homes and Garden.  Charlie's a fan of cilantro and marinade, so this was for him.  I'm a good wife like that.  It made him happy, and I thought they were pretty tasty.  

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp minced garlic (I'd recommend more)
• 1 large bunch cilantro
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup Asian sweet chili sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 lb. baby back pork ribs

Directions:

1. In a blender or food processor combine garlic, cilantro, and sugar; blend or process until ingredients form a paste. 
2. Add soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, and vegetable oil. Pulse until well combined. 
3. Pour the mixture over the ribs in a large glass, plastic, or stainless steel container, turning ribs to coat well. 
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Preheat grill. 
6. Remove ribs from the sauce, shaking off any excess. Reserve remaining sauce. Flip and grill another 4 minutes. (Um, we have no grill so this didn't happen.)
7. Transfer ribs to a 9×13×2-inch baking dish and pour reserved sauce over ribs. Cover with foil and bake 3 hours. 
8. Remove and serve immediately.

Pizza Dough

 

I've made pizza a few times prior to this, but have no idea what recipe I used for the dough.  I got this one from allrecipes.com. It'd help if I had a pizza stone so the bottom would get crisper. 

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. 
3. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. 
4. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. 
6. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. 
7. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. 

Notes:

• This is as easy as you want it to be.  It all depends on how you decide to top it.
• I made chicken Parmesan this week so I had leftover sauce and cheese to use.  Ends up being an Italian week of dinners.  
• I usually toss a little Parmesan cheese on top.
• I've done pizza before with some more adventurous toppings and veggies, but it was the end of the week so there weren't many veggies on hand in the fridge and I wanted to keep things easy so just pepperoni it is.
• It's best to get the dough as thin as possible and push sauce and topping as close to the edge as possible.  The crust will rise some in the oven.

Meatloaf (with gravy)

 

I have been wanting meatloaf.  I searched through some recipes online and although they were all pretty similar nothing in particular struck me.  So I turned to facebook.  I got lots of comments with recipes and suggestions and even more messages with tried and true favorites.  None of them were just right because they all contained some sort of tomato (sauce or ketchup).  I imagine most people go with that since meatloaf is really just a giant meatball.  Meatballs, pasta, and red gravy...yummy.  But I wanted meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and brown gravy.

So after reading through some recipes and suggestions, figuring out what I had on hand, and consulting with Liz this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 0.5 lbs Italian sausage
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 toes garlic, chopped
• 0.5 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• 0.5 cups shredded Parmesan
• 0.33 cups flat leaf parsley, chopped.

Directions:

1. Melt butter in heavy pot.
2. Brown onions and garlic.  Let cool.
3. In a bowl mix all ingredients, including browned onions and garlic.  Take time to ensure mixed evenly.
4. Mold into a free form loaf.*
5. Place in same pot used to brown onions.
6. Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 70 minutes.
7. Remove cover to allow loaf to brown and bake another 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 170 degrees.
8. Remove loaf, place on plate, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
9. Use pan drippings for gravy...place pot on stove top over a low flame.  Add one cup beef bouillon/broth and some instant roux and simmer, stirring to ensure no lumps.
10. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes!

Notes:

• *If you're not interested in gravy you can mash it into a loaf pan, but I wanted drippings to use for gravy! 
• Be careful if adding salt.  The sausage, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs are already pretty high in sodium.
• Next time I'd like to get more veggies in it...celery, shredded or finely chopped carrots, and spinach.
• A few recipes I read browned the onions.  I like the flavor from browned onions so went with this but not sure how much of a difference it made.  
• I think I'd add more garlic, too.

This meal made me very happy.  And Charlie liked it too.  Love meatloaf sandwiches the next day!

Don't worry.  We had a green salad too!

Paula's Pork Chops

I am always copying and pasting recipes into draft posts and return to them eventually.  This one I think I scooped up from someone on facebook, but I didn't note the source.  It's on the internet though.

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 pork chops, bone-in or boneless
• flour
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 cubes or equivalent chicken bouillon granules or base
• 2 cups hot water
• 8 oz. sour cream (fat free is okay)

Directions:

1. Season pork chops to taste and dredge in flour.
2. Lightly brown in oil and place in slow cooker.
3. Top chops with slice onions.
4. Dissolve bouillon in hot water and pour over chops.
5. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
6. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour into sour cream.
7. Stir mixture into cooking juices.
8. Turn slow cooker on high for 15-30 minutes until liquid slightly thickens.
9. Serve with rice, noodles, or potatoes.

The recipe notes that fat free sour cream is ok...but I opted for light.  I don't do fat free anything.  I did brown the pork chops but didn't use 1/4 cup of oil to do so, nor did I dredge in flour.  I didn't add the flour to the sour cream at the end either.

The liquid reduced quite a bit through the long cooking time and I think this made the sauce a bit salty.

I used thick cut chops as that's what's available at Costco, but I think I'd rather this with thin pork chops.  It reminds me of stroganoff because of the sour cream sauce so I opted to serve it with egg noodles.   If Charlie didn't object to mushrooms I'd certainly add some of those towards the end. 

All in all it was pretty good and extremely easy.

Garlic Shrimp with Rice

Jessica shared this recipe with me. It was easy and yummy. I stirred in some baby spinach until it wilted to add some more veggies. I plan on making this again but I think I'll add some broccoli and snap peas.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 teaspoons canola oi
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 pounds peeled shrimp

Directions:

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl, whisk, set aside
2. Cook bell pepper and green onions until tender, remove from heat. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in pan and add garlic, sauteing until brown.
4. Add shrimp, and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add soy sauce mixture and bell pepper/onion mixture to pan.
6. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until shrimp are cooked completely and sauce thickens slightly.
7. Serve over rive.

It's a Weight Watcher's recipe. 1 cup of shrimp mixture served over 1.2 cup rice has about 365 calories and 5.3 grams of fat.

BBQ Shrimp

With Rouse's having sizable, local shrimps (pronounce it swimps ;-) ) for only $3.49 a pound, we've been eating more shrimp. These are nice size guys, 10 count I think....that is 8-10 shrimp constitute one pound.

Tonight I made BBQ shrimp, quite possibly the easiest shrimp dish I make, courtesy of River Road Brand spice packets. I follow the instructions on the spice packet pretty closely but add a few extra touches, which I am sure you can pick out from the list below. I am also a fan of the read beans spice packet, using only it and an onion to season my beans. It makes me happy to know I can order it online when we eventually leave New Orleans.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds large shrimp, with shell and head on
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire (pour a glugg, glugg, gluug...don't measure)
• 1 BBQ shrimp seasoning packet
• 1 spalsh of out of your beer (tonight it was Abita Amber)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a shallow baking dish
2. Add spices, Worcestershire, and beer
3. Place shrimp in a single layer in dish
4. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over shrimp, toss the rind on top
   
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until shrimp are pink

Yummy and easy. Serve it with some french bread to sop up the spicey butter sauce and a large green salad.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I usually do this with leftover grilled chicken, since we seem to have that on hand all the time, but lately Rouse's, the local supermarket, has been having fresh Louisiana shrimp for about $4 a pound. Can't beat that.

This is Charlie's favorite. The measurements are an estimate, all depending on how big of a batch I make and how much of each ingredient I have in the refrigerator. I always use spinach noodles because somehow that makes it seem healthier.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fettucine
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3-4 cloves garlic or more, chopped
• 1 cup cream or half and half
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 chicken breast or 1 lb shrimp

Directions:

• Melt butter in skillet
• Add garlic and saute until lightly brown
• Add shrimp or chicken and saute for a few minutes, until shrimp are pink
• Remove chicken or shrimp and set aside
• Add cream to skillet and simmer
• Simmer until combined with butter, about 10 minutes
• Add paremsan, stirring until combined
• Add shrimp or chicken
• Toss with cooked fettucine noodles

Yum! We've been having this with grilled squash or a salad.

Stewed Chicken

made by my grandmother, Danny

My great grandmother, Maumie, used to make this. She made it the best, but my grandmother does a pretty good job too. I suppose I should start practicing, because we sopped up every drop of gravy on the plate.

This recipe is an estimate. Nothing yummy from my grandmother's kitchen is an exact recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 whole chicken, cut into parts
• 2 onions (It'd be acceptable to use the "holy trinity" here...onions, bell pepper, and celery)
  
• 5 cloves garlic
• a bunch of parsley (flat leaf! "Don't even think about buying that curly stuff. That's just garnish!")
• 8-10 cups water or chicken broth
  
• salt and pepper

Directions:

• Brown chicken in a heavy pot, set aside.
• Combine oil and flour and make a dark roux.
• Add in chopped onions and garlic, stirring constantly to not burn.
• Add chicken
• Add water or broth, just enough to cover chicken.
• Simmer until chicken is tender.
• Add entire bunch of chopped parley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Serve over rice!
  

Be sure to have some bread to sop up that gravy! Danny says this should be served with a scoop of potato salad and some green beans cooked down with pickle meat. A good ole country meal.

Wondering about that roux? Combine the oil and flour in a heavy pot and stir constantly over a low fire allowing the flour to brown, but not burn. Sounds easy enough, right? Making a good roux, the foundation of Cajun cooking, is tricky. It needs to be dark here in the south, something difficult to achieve without burning it.

Crawfish Pie

I've experimented a bunch with various crawfish pie recipes, but this is what I've finally come up with as the best. Lots of crawfish pie recipes involve cream of mushroom or celery canned soup and or bread crumbs/cracker crumbs, but I don't particularly care for those. This one is more like your favorite etouffee baked in a pie shell.

These measurements are approximate, and you can adjust to suit your needs and tastes. I a little more than tripled this recipe and came out with 40 small pies.



Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 pound crawfish tails
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 frozen pie shell (or 10-12 small pie shells)
• Salt, pepper, cayenne, and/or Tony's

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add all fresh vegetables.
3. Saute for about 8-10 miuntes, or until golden brown and wilted.
4. Stir in tomatoes, and cook down for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Stir in crawfish tails
6. Season to taste. Be careful not to over season if you are using tails left over from a boil.
7. Dissolve flour in water and add to mixture as needed to thicken.
8. Spoon into frozen pie crust (or your own if you are that ambitious!)
9. Bake until warm and crust is brown or freeze.

I like to make the individual pies and freeze them to use a few at a time or for parties. I just pop them directly into the oven and bake for about an hour. I serve them for supper with a large salad.

Chicken and Sun Dried Tomato Orzo

This is our "St Joseph's Day" meal, a day late because teach a seminar on Wednesday nights. While I'd much prefer my Italian meal to be a pan of cheesy lasagna or plump meatballs, I'm trying to keep it healthy around here.

This one is from Eating Well magazine which were receive courtesy of Aunt Mary.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz orzo (trying to find it the whole wheat or spinach variety)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil), divided
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 2 teaspoons, plus one tablespoon olive oil
  
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 9 oz package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Cook orzo. Drain, and rinse.
2. Place water, 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, plum tomato, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a blender.
   
3. Blend until only a few chunks remain.
4. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and add to heated 1 tablespoon olive oil.
5. Cook chicken until no longer pink, 3-5 minutes per side, then set aside.
6. Pour tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a boil.
7. Add remaining sun dried tomatoes, orzo, artichoke hearts, and 6 tablespoons cheese.
8. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1-2 minutes.
9. Slice chicken and add.
10. Sprinkle with remaining marjoram and cheese.

Makes 4 servings with 457 calories, 12 grams fat, 68 mg cholosterol, 54 grams carbohydrate, 10 grams fiber, 372 mg sodium.

Jambalaya

So this is one of those cooking like "your mama an dem" recipes where it is all just guess work. And I suppose that's how a jambalaya should be anyway. I didn't really use precise measurements, which is just as well because the measurements fluctuate each time I make it.


Ingredients:

• 4 cups brown rice
• 3 large onions
• 2 green peppers
• 4 stalks celery
• some parsley
• 6 bay leaves
  
• 10 cloves garlic (or more!)
• 6 chicken leg quarters
• 1-2 pounds sausage
• Cajun seasoning, several tablespoons, or lots of shakes from the Tony's can
  
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 5 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Boil chicken until easily removed from bone.
2. Save meat and reserve 5 cups of broth.
   
3. Chop all veggies and brown in heavy pan.
4. Add sausage and brown with veggies.
5. Add tomatoes and sauce and let mixture cook down for 5 to 10 minutes.
   
6. Add chicken, broth, seasoning, bay leaves, and rice.
7. Bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked. This can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. Less time is needed if using white rice.
9. It makes a big batch, enough for 10 or so people for an entree I suppose.