CROCK POT SPARE RIBS

 

It’s rodeo time here and everyone has been talking about BBQ this and BBQ that. So that got me craving some BBQ spare ribs. Then I had one of those ahha moments when I thought could this be done in the crockpot? After a thorough google search I found a recipe from Robin Miller on the Food Network. It looked so easy I decided to give it a try.The ribs did come out very tasty and the meat just feel off of the bones. My only thing is they didn't have that BBQ flavor because of the tomato sauce so I just had extra BBQ sauce and dunked the meat in it. I think next time I will try a different homemade BBQ sauce, maybe the one from my BBQ pulled pork recipe would be good. Overall I was very pleased with the ribs and my house smelled wonderful!



"OOP! I forgot the brown sugar and red wine vinegar in the picture"

 

INGREDIENTS:

6 lbs. of spare ribs

28 oz. can of tomato sauce

1/3 cup of brown sugar

2 tbs. of red wine vinegar 

1 tbs. of Worcestershire sauce 

1 tbs.  of soy sauce

1 tbs. of chili powder

2 tsp. of cumin

1 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. of garlic

½ tsp. of salt

Pinch of cayenne (optional)

 

DIRECTIONS:
Spray the crock pot with PAM. Cut spare ribs up and place in crock pot. Then in a large bowl mix all the other ingredients together. Pour over the ribs and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. How easy is that?

I was so excited about my BBQ spare ribs that I invited my friend Katie who is a rib connoisseur to try them out and give me a second opinion. I think the empty plate and the smile on her face says it all.



 

 

 "I love ribs and these ribs were very tender with delicious flavor.Some of the best I have had."

QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN CACCIATORE

This week I had a few days off so I tried a few new recipes. My kitchen turned into an experimental test lab and I become the mad crockologist! There were at times several crock pots going at once. I tried out a few dinners, a dessert and even a bad breakfast casserole. As much as I hate to admit it I had my first true failure! My breakfast casserole was so awful that even my dog threw it up. So to keep everything in order I have created files labeled “the good, the bad,and the ugly”. This recipe was clearly placed in my good file. Now I have tried this recipe several times with a homemade tomato based sauce, and a marinara sauce, but the premade cacciatore sauce seems to be the quickest, easiest and my favorite.   

 

QUICK AND EASY CHICKEN CACCIATORE

INGREDIENTS:

1-11/2 lbs. of boneless chicken breasts

4 slices of mozzarella cheese

1 cup of bread crumbs

2 tbs. of olive oil

2 tsp. minced garlic and parsley flakes

¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese

1 egg

1  28 oz. jar of prepared cacciatore sauce (I like the kind with chunks of onion, bell pepper and mushrooms in it)

(optional: If you like more sauce add 1  8 oz. can of Italian diced tomatoes)

Directions:

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of the crock pot. Next scramble the egg in a small bowl and set aside.Then take the bread crumbs, salt and pepper, garlic and parsley flakes, and parmesan cheese and mix together in a bowl. Dip the chicken breast in the egg, and then roll them in the bread crumbs. Place in the bottom of the crock pot. Next cover them with the mozzarella cheese. Then pour the cacciatore sauce in and cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I like to serve this over penne pasta but any pasta will do.

 

 

NO PEEK CASSEROLE

This has always been one my family’s favorite dishes. It is called No Peek Casserole because you would put it in the oven for several hours and not be allowed to stir it. The meat gets really tender the longer it cook, so I thought it would be a good recipe to adapt to the crock pot. I serve this over noodles or rice. Add a side salad and rolls and everybody is happy. This would also make a great Valentine’s Day dinner because it calls for a half a cup of wine and then you can finish the bottle with dinner.

INGREDIENTS:
2lbs. of stew meat

1   10.5 oz. can of cream of mushroom soup

1 envelope of dried onion soup mix or beefy onion soup mix

1   7 oz. can of mushrooms or fresh mushrooms

½ cup of a red wine such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot  (Sutter Home has wine in 187ml bottles which are perfect for this dish, it usually takes about 2/3 of the bottle and then just a few sips are left.)

DIRECTIONS:
Spray the crock pot with PAM. Then I cut the stew meat in to bite size pieces and put in the crock pot. Then I add all the other ingredients and stir well. Cover and let cook on slow for 8 – 10 hours. Don’t worry about tasting the alcohol. It cooks down and helps to tenderize the meat and gives this dish a nice gravy. Serve over noodles or rice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White Chicken Chili

 

We had a super bowl luncheon at work yesterday. It was awesome as usual. We tend to have a lot of food.Since it was Sunday and most of us worked on Saturday we decide to make it easy,so we sent out for these sandwiches called Bahn Mi. Then some of us brought fruit salad, chips and dip, drinks, and desserts. So I decide to bring my chili chicken soup. I had one problem though. It needed to cook longer than I had before lunch was served. So I tried something new. I used a crock pot liner bag and cooked it the night before. It worked great! I started my chili at 11:00 pm and by 5:00am it was done. My problem was how to transport hot soup in a hot crock pot in my car without spilling it. So after it cooled a little I tied up the liner bag with a twist tie and transferred it in a big Tupperware bowl with a lid. At work I found a crock pot and transferred the chili, bag and all into the crockpot and turned it on warm for 2 hours before serving. After the chili was finished I tossed the bag. I was pleasantly surprised. Clean up was a breeze. I wouldn’t necessarily use them at home but for transporting and easier clean up at work they are very handy.  A lot of my co – workers asked for this recipe so I thought this would be my next posting. Hope you enjoy it.

P. S. I am now looking for a good recipe for the Bahn Mi sandwich meat if anyone has one. 

                                                      White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs. skinless chicken

1 16 oz. can of black beans

1 16 oz. can of cannellonibeans

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

2 10 oz. cans of Roteltomatoes (mild or regular)

1 10 oz. pkg of frozen corn

1 chopped green bell pepper

1 chopped onion

1 chopped jalapeno (optional,especially if using regular rotel)

2 cloves of garlic chopped

1 tbs. of chili powder

1 tbs. cumin

1 tsp. oregano

¼ cup of chopped freshcilantro

Optional toppings:

Cilantro, shredded cheese,red onions, sour cream, and tortilla chips

Directions:

Spray crock pot with Pam.Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot and mix thoroughly. Place the chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. 30 minutes before serving take the chicken out and shred with 2 forks, then add it back to the soup and stir, continue cooking. Serve with any of the additional toppings.