BBQ Country Style Ribs

This is a recipe I got from my mom, who got it from her good friend Joan.  Joan is an amazing cook, and everything I have ever tried of hers has been delicious.  I'm not surprised that this recipe was no different.  It is fabulous.  I will warn you that it isn't a quick meal since it does require over 2 hrs of cooking and you have to be available every 15 minutes.  However, it is perfect for a relaxing Saturday evening and is quite easy.

BBQ Country Style Ribs
From: Joan DeWilde

Ingredients:
Country Style Ribs
1 small bottle of Open Pitt original BBQ Sauce
1/4 c. molasses
 2 Tbsp liquid smoke (optional)
water to cover ribs

Directions:
1. Place ribs in large pot, cover with water and simmer on top of the stove for 45 minutes.

2. Near the end of the 45 minutes, prepare sauce by mixing together BBQ sauce, molasses, and liquid smoke.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. When ribs are done simmering, place ribs in large baking pan and reserve cooking water.  Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the water to the BBQ sauce mixture.  Keep the rest of the water in case more is needed as the ribs bake.

5.  Pour bbq sauce mixture over ribs in baking pan.

6. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs at 350 degrees.  Baste every 15 minutes.  Turn each piece when basting if desired. If sauce gets too thick add additional cooking water while basting.

ENJOY!

Crock Pot Hearty Split Pea Soup

 I tried this (from All Recipes) a few weeks ago when I had the winter blues and wanted a nice warm soup on a cold Sunday.  It was very hearty and flavorful.

Crock Pot Hearty Split Pea Soup
From: AllRecipes

Ingredients:
16 oz dried split peas
2 cups diced fully cooked lean ham
1 cup diced carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
5 cups boiling water (I used chicken broth, and used closer to 6 cups)
1 cup hot milk

Directions:
1. Boil 5 cups of water or chicken broth.

2. In a slow cooker, layer the first nine ingredients in the order listed (Do not stir).

3. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hrs (or low 6-8) or until vegetables are tender.

4. Discard Bay leaves and stir in milk. Serve.

Poor man's Lobster (7-7-7)

This is a recipe from my dad, he makes it for the Fish and Game Club every year at their annual dinner.  He calls it Poor Man's Lobster, I call it 7-7-7.  While it doesn't taste exactly like lobster, it is very flavorful and the salmon is delicious and practically melts in your mouth! It doesn't get much easier than a pot of water, 3 ingredients, and 21 minutes later a fantastic mouth watering meal!  ENJOY!

Poor Man's Lobster
From: My Dad

Ingredients:
3 - 4 Fillets Salmon
6 - 12 Small Potatoes
1 small bag of small Onions
Salt
1/2 - 1 stick Butter

Directions:
1. Boil Large pot of Water with a dash of salt. Cut up salmon into medium size chunks.  Clean potatoes and onions (cut off ends and remove skin), but leave both whole.

2. Once water is boiling, add potatoes and boil for 7 minutes.  Then add onions to pot and boil for 7 more minutes.  Finally, add salmon to pot and boil for 7 minutes.

3. Drain everything in the pot through a colander. Place salmon, potatoes, and onions in a bowl or platter.

4. Melt 1/2 - 1 stick of butter.  Either pour melted butter over the salmon, potatoes, and onions or serve on the side for people to pour over.  (The melted butter is KEY, so please don't leave it out!)

Puppy Chow

Puppy chow was a staple at my house growing up and now it is a staple snack at our house now!  This snack never lasts long at any gathering!

Puppy Chow
From: My  Mom

Ingredients:
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
6 cups Crispix
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1.In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally.

2. Stir in peanut butter.  Add crispix and gently stir until all crispix are covered with the chocolate peanut butter mixture.

3. Place powdered sugar in a storage bag at least 1 gallon or larger sized.  Add coated cereal.

4.  Close and toss bag until cereal is thoroughly coated with sugar.  Serve (store in airtight container).

Pulled Chicken BBQ

I got this recipe from Ashley (who got it from Rachel Ray), and we absolutely LOVED it!  I have always wanted to try a pulled BBQ recipe, but hadn't found one I thought would be easy or quick enough to do on a weeknight.  I served this over a baked potato for dinner (as suggested by Ashley) and had the left overs on a kaiser roll the next day for lunch.  Bill declared this recipe a keeper and I agree, so this will definitely be added to our rotation!  You should try it ASAP!

Pulled Chicken BBQ
From: Ashley

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (as from the picture you can tell I only used 3)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/3 cups barbecue sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (I actually didn't have apple cider vinegar, so I just used what I had, not sure why I forgot to put it in the picture)
hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper
Shredded Cheese
French or Kaiser rolls or a baked potato

Directions:
1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a heavy pot with the onion, garlic and just enough water to cover (about 1 1/2 cups).

2. Add the barbecue sauce, vinegar and a few drops hot sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove chicken from the sauce and shred with fork.

4. While shredding chicken, boil the sauce, skimming occasionally until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

5. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded chicken and heat through. Spoon the mixture onto the rolls or baked potato and top with cheese (we also added sour cream!).

Mexican Chicken Chili

This is a recipe I got from my sister (who apparently got it from her sister-in-law Tricia).  It is so delicious and couldn't be easier.  It is perfect for the never ending days of winter here in Chicago!

Mexican Chicken Chili
From: My Sister Carrie (who got it from Tricia)

Ingredients:
32 oz can of Great Northern Beans
10 oz grated Monterrey Jack Cheese (or a mix)
4 Chicken Breasts Cooked and shredded (sometimes I use a rotisserie chicken and shred)
1 pkg taco seasoning
16 oz salsa
1 can chicken broth

Directions:
1. Add Cooked/Shredded Chicken, salsa, broth, beans & seasoning together.

2. Mix and bring to a boil

3. Let simmer for 10-20 min and then mix in shredded cheese

4. Serve w/ taco chips, sour cream, cheese, avocado, etc.

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta

Tasty Kitchen is my new favorite place to find recipes. When I saw this one, I knew I had to try it because it seemed light and had some of my favorite ingredients. It was absolutely delicious and very easy. It made quite a bit for just the two of us, but it was also great as a leftover for lunch. In the summer I might try making this with fresh tomatoes. It called for 3/4 cup oil, but that seemed like a lot, so I only used 1/2 cup and it seemed to work just fine. Also, I thought 3-5 cloves of garlic might be too much for me (sometimes I can't handle the garlic), but it turned out the perfect flavoring. I think pressing the garlic as opposed to mincing it really gave it the great flavor without it becoming overwhelming.

We absolutely loved this recipe (I have made it twice in the past 2 weeks) and Bill suggested adding some chicken to it (since he prefers meat with his meal), which we will definitely have to try next time. Try this today, you won't be sorry!



Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
From: kristinicole via Tasty Kitchen


Ingredients:
12 oz Penne Pasta
1/2 - 3/4 cup Olive Oil (I used 1/2 cup or a little less)
3 - 5 cloves Garlic (Pressed)
1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes, Drained
1 can Artichoke hearts, drained and cut up
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
6 oz Fresh Spinach Leaves (rinsed and remove stems)

Directions:
1. Boil pasta according to package

2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add garlic and saute for 1-3 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and artichoke hearts. Allow to heat through. Add Parmesan cheese and stir constantly until melted. Add spinach and stir until leaves are wilted.

4. Drain pasta and add to the tomato/artichoke mixture. Mix thoroughly and serve.

4 Cheese Risotto & Fun Gifts!

A fellow Hope College Alumn and one of my new blogging friends, Ashley, sent me a fun surprise that I got in the mail last nigh!.  Harry & David Four Cheese Risotto, Mango Chutney, and Blue Crab Bay Co. Chesapeake Bay Seasoning! I love Harry and David and love trying new seasonings (Blue Crab Bay Co. is a local place by Ashley).  I made 1/2 of the 4 cheese risotto last night for dinner with steak and my favorite Salad (but with regular tomatoes since heirlooms aren't in season).  It was delicious!

I am so thankful for fun treats, surprises in the mail, and a new blogging friend.  Thank you Ashley!  The risotto was delicious and I can't wait to use the bay seasoning and chutney!

Ingredients:
Harry and David Four Cheese Risotto Mix
3 Tbsp Butter
3 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup white wine

Directions:
1. Melt Butter in sauce pan on Med-Low heat. Add risotto and let it soak up the butter for a few minutes.

2.  Add wine and let soak into risotto.

3. Add ladle of broth to risotto let it soak up broth, stirring frequently. Repeat until broth has soaked and rice

has been cooked but still firm.

Salsa

I made this salsa for the superbowl, and it was really easy and very tasty.  I got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman.  It makes a ton but is really good.  It is better than any salsa from the store, and just as good as a lot of restaurant salsa.

Salsa
From: The Pioneer Woman


Ingredients:
1 can (28oz) Whole Tomatoes with Juice (I drained a little bit of the juice)
2 cans (10oz) Rotel - I used one mild and one original
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole Jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin (I removed the seeds, but if you like more heat, leave them in)
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 cup Cilantro
1/2 Lime Juice

Directions:
1. Combine whole tomatoes, rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilangro into food processor.  (my food processor is too small to fit it all at once so I broke it up into 3 sections)

2.  Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like.  I liked it fairly smooth as you can see.

3. Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour.  Serve with tortilla chips!  mmmm!

White Chocolate Chex Mix

This is a recipe I made for Christmas (as you can tell by the green and red ribbons) but would be great for any function where you want snack food and have a lot of people (like a super bowl party). This was my first time making this recipe, but I gave it out as gifts and everyone loved it! Several people even asked for the recipe. This is very, very easy and so good that it is hard to stop eating!

I found it HERE, but there is really many variations of this out there. You can really put whatever you want in this... my mom made it with Cheerios, I've seen others use cashews, or Crispix, whatever your family likes!


White Chocolate Chex Mix
From: mrsw via Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 pkg (20 oz) white melting wafers
12 oz Pretzels (knotted shape works best here)
12 oz M&Ms (I used plain, but you could use whatever you prefer
12 oz Dry Roasted Peanuts
12 oz Rice Chex Cereal

Directions:
1. In a very large bowl, melt the Wafers in the microwave at 30 second intervals.

2. Add cereal, pretzels, peanuts and M&Ms to the bowl. Slowly fold the mix over and over until all of the pieces are completely covered. (The bigger the bowl the better, I ended up having to use 2 bowls, because mine wasn't big enough).

3. When all pieces are covered, spread out the party mix on waxed paper to dry. When it is dry, store in a large airtight container or divide it up into treat bags. Enjoy!