Slow cooker Western Style Ribs

Last year hubby and I were grocery shopping and found these great strips of meat called Western Style Pork Ribs. I had never heard of them before. They didn’t look like any ribs I had ever seen, but they looked pretty darn good, plus they were cheap, so I couldn’t resist. We took them home and of course I had to find out exactly what these beauties were. They are not ribs at all, but rather thick slices of pork shoulder. I decided to cook them in the slow cooker and have been doing them this way ever since.

Here’s what you will need:

Western Style Pork Ribs, BBQ rub (my recipe follows below or you can use your own), BBQ Sauce ( I used Dad’s BBQ Sauce, but you can use your favorite bottled BBQ sauce), 1/2 C. water.

Sprinkle BBQ rub on both sides of pork ribs.

Add a few Tbs. of olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Place ribs into the pan.

Cook  for about 3 to 5 minutes, turn and continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes. You might have to cook these in batches if they do not all fit into the pan. Yep, they are that big.

Place them in the slow cooker.

Pour in the water.

Then add the BBQ sauce. If you are using my homemade BBQ sauce, double the recipe if you like lots of sauce over ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Spoon sauce over ribs and serve.

Enjoy!

Slow cooker Western Style Ribs:

Ingredients for BBQ Rub:

2 TBS. brown sugar
2 TBS paprika
2tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. cajun spice
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.

Ingredients for Dad’s BBQ Sauce:

Dad’s BBQ Sauce

1/2 C. Ketchup
1/4 C. water
2 TBS. vinegar
1 TBS. Worstershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. mustard
3 TBS brown sugar
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together.

Sprinkle BBQ rub on both sides of pork ribs.

Add a few Tbs. of olive oil to a large skillet and heat to medium high heat. Cook ribs for about 3 to 5 minutes, turn and continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Cook in batches if they do not all fit into the pan. Place ribs in the slow cooker. Pour water then add BBQ Sauce (if you are using my homemade BBQ sauce, double the recipe if you like lots of sauce over ribs).

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Spoon sauce over ribs and serve.

Dad’s BBQ Sauce

My Dad liked to cook. He’d would often joke that growing up he and his brother would take turns doing yard work with their dad, then the next day learning to cook from their mother. My dad rarely followed a recipe. He loved to go into the kitchen and invent his own dishes. I can honestly say, they all pretty much came out really well. The other day I was going through some old recipes that he had written down and found his “secret” BBQ sauce. Even though my dad has been gone now for almost 10 years, it makes me feel like he is right beside me when I cook some of those dishes he made and this is one of them.

This sauce can be a bit tangy, so tweak away if you feel the need.

Dad’s BBQ Sauce

1/2 C. Ketchup
1/4 C. water
2 TBS. vinegar
1 TBS. Worstershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. mustard
3 TBS brown sugar
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder

Mix all ingredients together. Brush on meat while grilling or baking, or can be used as a marinade.

Spaghetti and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

I like to use this sauce when I’m having meatballs with the spaghetti. The meatballs are pretty flavorful so I wanted a simple sauce to go with it. I like making a large batch of sauce so I can freeze half for a later time. You can also use frozen meatballs, just cook according to package directions.

Here’s what you need for the sauce:

2 cans of crushed tomatoes, 1 TBS. tomato paste,1 onion, 2tsp. sugar, 2 garlic cloves, coarse salt, dried basil, dried thyme, bay leaf

Start by chopping up the onion…

then mince the garlic cloves.

In a large pot, add a few Tbs. of olive oil, heat to medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender.

Pour in both cans of tomatoes.

Next stir in the tomato paste.

Throw in the sugar.

Add basil and thyme….

then salt to taste.

Stir well.

Add 1 bay leaf.

Cover and  simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

I know some like to add the meatballs to the sauce while the sauce is simmering. I like to keep mine separate until I add them on top of the spaghetti. But if you prefer, you can add them to the sauce the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce:

2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 TBS. tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves,minced
2tsp. sugar
coarse salt to taste
1 Tbs.dried basil
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf

Directions:

In a large pot, add a few Tbs. of olive oil, heat to medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender. Pour in both cans of tomato sauce and stir in tomato paste. Add rest of ingredients and stir well. Simmer covered for 45 minutes to an hour. While sauce is simmering prepare meatballs (recipe follows below). If using frozen, cook according to package directions.

Recipe for Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef
1/2 onion. chopped
1 tsp. dried sage
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt or more to taste
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 egg
1/2 C. shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 C. dried bread crumbs
1/4 C. milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, add a few drizzles of olive oil. Add the onions and cook on medium low for about 15 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add a pinch of salt and the sage. Stir and cook about 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and let the onions cool.

In a large bowl add ground beef, and rest of ingredients. Mix just until ingredients are combined then form into balls. In a cast iron skillet or another oven proof pan,add a drizzle of olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook about 5 minutes. Turn each one over and continue cooking another 5 minutes. Place skillet into the oven and cook about 5 minutes or until meatballs are done. If you do not have an oven proof pan, place meatballs onto a baking sheet.

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Add meatballs and marinara sauce. Top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Meatballs

There is something comforting about rolling out meatballs. I even find myself humming while I’m doing it. Maybe that’s why my cat stares at me funny.

I was never a huge meatball lover until I met my hubby. Sure, my mom made great Porcupine and Swedish meatballs that I still love to this day, but I never went out of my way to buy or make meatball subs or spaghetti and meatballs. I know, my hubby said I was deprived. He on the other hand, loves them. So of course, when we started dating I wanted to impress him and started to perfect my meatball making. I have to say, I think I’ve done pretty well.

Here’s what you need:

ground beef- you can use a combination of beef and pork as I do at times, or even turkey and beef- you will also need 1/2 onion, dried sage (yes I know it didn’t make it into the picture. I’m so forgetful at times), onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, dried thyme, salt, breadcrumbs, an egg, milk, and shredded Parmesan cheese.

First off, chop the onion.

In a small sauce pan, add a a few drizzles of olive oil. Add the onions and cook on medium low for about 15 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add a pinch of salt….

and the sage.

Stir and cook about 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and let the onions cool.

In a large bowl, add the ground beef.

Add the onion powder,garlic powder,thyme, basil and salt.

Next add the breadcrumbs….

then pour in the milk.

Throw in the cheese….

then release the egg.

Don’t forget the onions….I know I almost did. Seriously, I put down the camera and started to dive in to mix…. and well….good thing I looked at the onions sitting on the counter.

I told you I can be forgetful at times.

Now you can dive in with both hands to mix it all together. Just mix until combined. You don’t want to mix it too much.

Here’s come my therapy part, roll out the meatballs with your hands.  You can use a spoon or even a small ice cream scoop. if you prefer, but where’s the fun in that?

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat. I like to use a cast iron skillet. To me, the meatballs seem to get a better crust on them. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, then use an oven proof pan.

Drizzle a little oil in the bottom of the pan.

Add the meatballs. Cook about 5 minutes.

Carefully turn them over and cook another 5 minutes. As you can see, my meatballs start out nice and round, but then in the turning process they become not so round. Oh well, I call these rustic meatballs.

Slide the skillet into the oven and cook at 375 degrees for…you guessed it, 5 minutes.

If you don’t have an oven proof pan, no worries, just place the meatballs onto a baking sheet.

Now you have homemade meatballs for subs, spaghetti or whatever your meatball lovin heart desires. You can even freeze these for a later time.

Enjoy!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. of ground beef
1/2 onion. chopped
1 tsp. dried sage
1 Tbs. dried basil
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt or more to taste
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 egg
1/2 C. shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 C. dried bread crumbs
1/4 C. milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, add a few drizzles of olive oil. Add the onions and cook on medium low for about 15 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add a pinch of salt and the sage. Stir and cook about 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and let the onions cool.

In a large bowl add ground beef, and rest of ingredients. Mix just until ingredients are combined then form into balls. In a cast iron skillet or another oven proof pan,add a drizzle of olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook about 5 minutes. Turn each one over and continue cooking another 5 minutes. Place skillet into the oven and cook about 5 minutes or until meatballs are done. If you do not have an oven proof pan, place meatballs onto a baking sheet.

Surviving Outside the Delivery Zone

Hubby and I were in the mood for some good Italian food, but seeing that he was just getting over the flu, we didn’t want to go out anywhere. Where we live, we are just right outside of what I like to call the “delivery zone”. It’s where a block up the street those lucky ones can get just about anything they want delivered to them, but we can only get two. Pizza Hut and Little Italy. Lucky for us, Little Italy has some of the best Italian food around.

The place is small, literally, if you blink while driving you will go past it. It’s family owned. The food is really reasonably priced and they give you plenty of it. Hubby and I both got the Chicken Parmesan dinner.

Nestled underneath all that gooey goodness of cheese is two huge pieces of breaded chicken with their famous Italian marinara sauce.

With lots of spaghetti underneath as well. Not to mention the garlic bread with all it’s buttery garlic flavor that just makes you want to swoon….ok maybe that’s going a little too far, but it’s good…honest.

And did I mention the Mozzarella sticks?

I think I know what we will be having tomorrow night as well….leftovers. yep, we will definitely be having the rest of this tomorrow night.

Now if we could only get our favorite Chinese place down the street to deliver here as well…….

Sausage and Egg Biscuit

Down South biscuits are a big thing. They’re great for breakfast or part of the evening meal. Moms and grandmothers pass their biscuit making skills down to their daughters, granddaughters and sons with love and attention. I can remember when I was a little girl, my mom rolling out the dough, she even had a special cutter she used to get them all just the right size. I do occasionally make biscuits from scratch just the way my mom taught me, but I must confess….here I go with the confessions again…I use a biscuit mix most of the time. Yep, it comes from a box. I think some of my Southern relatives just swooned.

This is it right here….my secret is out. It’s a little known brand but I can’t tell you how many never knew my biscuits were from a mix.

ok really, I do add some of my own touches to it so I guess you can say it’s semi homemade? That counts right? But you can use a mix or your made from scratch recipe. Either way, whats even better is a biscuit with sausage and an over easy egg nestled right in between.

So lets get down to it.

If using a mix, follow the box directions.

I like to add 1 1/2 Tbs. of cold butter, cubed.

Just throw it into the mix.

Then add 1/8 tsp. salt.

Mix with a fork, cutting the butter into the dry mixture. Then add any milk or water as directed.

I don’t always roll my out my dough, I like to form them with my hands and then put them into a pan sprayed with no stick spray.

Cook according to the directions, I bake mine at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes.

While the biscuits are cooking start with the sausage.

I had a few Italian sausage links leftover in the freezer.

I took those out of the casings and formed them into patties. You can use ground sausage as well.

Place patties in a skillet. Heat to medium to medium high heat.

Cook about 7 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes or until done; set aside.

Now for the eggs over easy:

In a small skillet sprayed with no stick spray or melt 2tsp. of butter. Add eggs to the skillet and cook over medium heat. When the whites of the egg starts to set, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Gently turn egg over. Cook about 30 seconds, then remove from pan. if you don’t like your eggs over easy, you can cook them until the yolk is done.

After biscuits are done, split in half. Add sausage.

Then top with the egg

and other half of biscuit.

I do have to warn you, this is messy but oh so good.

You may even find yourself eating this with a fork.

Enjoy!

Sausage and Egg Biscuits

Ingredients:

Biscuits
sausage patties
eggs, cooked over easy

Directions:

Make biscuits either from your favorite recipe or from a mix. If using a mix, add 1 1/2 Tbs. cold butter, cubed and 1/8 tsp. salt. Mix with a fork until dry ingredients are blended. Add water or milk according to box mix directions. Bake at 450 degrees (unless directions say otherwise) for 10 minutes.

In a skillet over medium to medium high heat, cook sausage patties for 7 minutes, turn them over and continue to cook another 5 minutes or until done.

In a small skillet sprayed with no stick spray or melt 2tsp. of butter.Add eggs to the skillet. Cook egg over medium heat. When the whites of the egg starts to set, season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently turn egg over. Cook about 30 seconds, then remove from pan. if you don’t like your eggs over easy, you can cook them until the yolk is done.

After biscuits are done, split in half. Add sausage then top with the egg and other half of biscuit.

Chicken Quesadillas

I have had quite a few different kinds of quesadillas out there in Mexican restaurant land…chicken, steak, caramelized onion and cheese, cheese and mushroom, potato and cheese…yes I said potato….and pork to name a few. They make great appetizers or can be the star of the meal. My hubby prefers chicken, so that’s mostly what I make at home. You can also add jalapenos, red onions or anything else you like to yours.

For the chicken:

I use the same marinating ingredients and cooking method as I do for the Chicken Burrito Bake.
After the chicken has finished cooking, shred using two forks, set aside.

Other than the chicken, you will need flour tortillas, shredded cheese – I sometimes use Monterey Jack or pepper jack, but this time I am using a Mexican blend. You can use any combination you want. I also use dried Cilantro if I don’t have the fresh kind on hand.

On a large baking sheet, lay out one flour tortilla. Add some of the shredded chicken on one side of the tortilla. If you’re like me, you’ll be sampling some of the chicken before you actually get it on the tortillas so hold yourself back.

Sprinkle on cilantro.

Then pile on the cheese.

Fold the tortilla over.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Remove and cut each Quesadilla in half.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Enjoy!

Chicken Quesadillas

For the marinade
Ingredients:

2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 Tbs (more or less to taste)oregano
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp.cumin
1/2 tsp.salt
1 cup chicken stock
juice of 1 lime

For the Quesadilla:
Ingredients:

8 to 10 large flour tortillas
Shredded Cheese
Dried Cilantro to taste

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients, place in a large zip lock bag. Add chicken stock and lime juice, mix well. Add chicken and marinate over night in refrigerator or for a few hours.

Place chicken and marinading liquid into a slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours. Shred chicken.

On a large baking sheet, lay out one flour tortilla. Add some of the shredded chicken on one side of the tortilla.Next, Sprinkle on cilantro over chicken, then top with cheese.

Fold the tortilla over.

Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Cheesy Pasta Bake

This dish makes a lot, so it’s great for when you have friends or family over for dinner and you want something simple, yet satisfying. It’s also a good dish for when you want leftovers for the next day…you know… when it’s one of those I-don’t -feel-like-cooking kind of days.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 16oz box of penne or ziti whichever you prefer, 1/2 to 3/4 Ib ground beef, 3 large mild or hot Italian sausage links- I used mild, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, shredded cheese- I used cheddar and Monterrey Jack, 2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce. You can use a homemade sauce, but I wanted to keep this simple and well, I was feeling lazy.

Oh and I almost forgot the shredded Parmesan cheese.

In a large pot, cook pasta according to box directions, but leave a little under al dente because the pasta will continue to cook when it goes into the oven later. Drain pasta, then add back to the pot.

Chop the onion.

smash and mince the garlic cloves.

In a deep, large pan add olive oil and heat on medium heat. Throw in onions and garlic. Cook until onion is tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

In same pan, add ground beef. Remove sausage from their casings and add to the pan with the beef. Cook until beef and sausage are done. Drain if needed.

Add onions and garlic back to the pan.

Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta sauce, then pour the rest over meat mixture.

Stir to mix well.

Pour meat mixture over pasta and gently mix until meat sauce and pasta are combined.

Spray a large baking dish with no stick spray. Pour reserved sauce into dish, spreading it evenly on the bottom.

Spoon a layer of the meat pasta mixture over the sauce.

Next add a layer of cheddar jack cheese…don’t be stingy, you can add lots. Anything is better with cheese.

Add another layer of pasta mixture and then top with Cheddar Jack cheese and the Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with a salad and crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 16oz box of penne or ziti
1/2 to 3/4 Ib ground beef
3 large mild or hot Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves,minced
2 cups or more of shredded cheese, cheddar and monterey Jack or other desired cheese
2 jars of pasta sauce, reserve 1/2 C.
1 cups Shredded Parmesean Cheese

Directions:

In a large pot, cook pasta according to box directions, but leave a little under al dente because the pasta will continue to cook when it goes into the oven later. Drain pasta, then add back to the pot.

In a deep, large pan add olive oil and heat on medium heat. Add onions and garlic, cook until onion is tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
In same pan, add ground beef and sausage. Cook until beef and sausage are done. Drain if needed. Add onions and garlic back to the pan. Pour both jars of pasta sauce over meat, except for the reserved 1/2 Cup of sauce. Stir to mix well. Pour meat and sauce mixture over pasta. Gently mix until sauce and pasta are combined.

Spray a large baking dish with no stick spray. Pour reserved sauce into dish, spreading it evenly on the bottom. Spoon a layer of the pasta meat mixture. Next add a layer of cheddar jack cheese, then add another layer of pasta mixture. Top with more cheddar jack cheese and the Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.