Ribs and Corn Casserole

This is probably one of my favorite summer recipes. The ribs are slow cooked in the oven and covered with the most delicious home made BBQ sauce. We were first introduced to this recipe by our good friend Kelvin. The corn casserole is the perfect side dish to the ribs and was given to me by my friend Kirsti. These two recipes are to DIE FOR!!!

BABY BACK RIBS

Slow Cooking the Ribs

BBQ Sauce ingredients:
Ketchup (One 66 oz. bottle)
Worchester Sauce (1/2 cup)
Soy Sauce (3/4 cup)
Brown Sugar (2 cups)
Crushed Red Pepper (1 ½ tbsp)
Garlic (2 Tbsp)

Mix the above ingredients to make the BBQ sauce. Peel away any connective “silver” skin tissue from the back of the ribs and cut them into sections of 2 or 3 ribs. This recipe makes sauce for two racks of ribs. Place the ribs into a large foil container or turkey pan completely cover with BBQ sauce. Cook for 4 hours at 250 degrees.

Grilling(optional)

Make a separate batch of Fresh BBQ Sauce (do not re-use the leftovers from the slow cook). Add a little vegetable oil so that the sauce does not burn as easily when the ribs are grilled. Dip each rib into fresh sauce before grilling and grill on low heat until sauce is caramelized and the ribs have soaked up as much smoky flavor as possible. Always cook with the lid down…it gives the ribs the most smoky flavoring, and it helps reduce the flare-ups that come from cooking such fatty (but yummy) food.

We have found that it is not always necessary to grill the ribs. Grilling does add a little extra grilling flavor but the ribs are great all on their own straight from the oven!!


CORN CASSEROLE

1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 can cream style corn
1 (8 oz) pkg Jiffy corn muffin mix
½ c. (1 stick) butter, melted
1 c. sour cream

Mix corn, jiffy muffin mix, sour cream and butter together in a bowl. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 45-50min.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

This is another Becky Higgins wonder. It is one of my favorite recipes because it reminds me of a dish I used to order at an Italian Restaurant in Tokyo while living there as a teenager. It is fabulous! I have made a few minor modifications from the original recipe!

GARLIC CHICKEN FARFALLE

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
3/4 c. heavy whipping cream
3 large chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
1/2 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime juice

Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 4-5 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred with a fork. Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta and cook the bacon (Cooking the bacon in the oven (400 degrees) for around 20 minutes is way less messy. Allow to cool and then crumple. I use disposable gloves for this part). In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Mom's Homemade Granola

This is my mother's granola recipe and it is so yummy. My kids love it and so I figured I'd better get a special jar to make sure that we are never low on our favorite breakfast cereal. I am pretty plain and so I don't add the raisins or sunflower seeds.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Mix the above ingredients except raisins. Stir in and coat thorougly with the following:

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla

Spread on a well greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Only add the raisins the last five minutes! Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Chicken

This recipe was given to me by my friend Mary. It is super easy and a BIG hit in our house. It is probably my kids favorite meal.

CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN

2-3 large chicken breasts
3/4 cup water
1 chicken bouillion cube
1/2 packet ranch dressing

Cook the chicken and above ingredients in a crock pot on high for 3-4 hours. You can replace the water and chicken bouillion cube with 3/4 cup of chicken broth. I have also used an entire packet of Italian dressing in place of the ranch dressing. Both are great!

8 oz cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

20-30 minutes before serving shred the chicken in the crock pot and add the cream cheese and chicken soup. Mix until well blended in the chicken and let cook for 20-30 minutes. Serve over rice!

Taco Soup

This recipe came from Becky Higgins and I absolutely love it. It was super easy to make and made a ton. My kids are not big bean eaters so this dish was mainly for Mike and I to enjoy. However, I am convinced the more I make things and offer it to them the more they will be willing to try it as they get older and their taste buds change.

TACO SOUP

16 oz. can chili beans
16 oz. kidney beans
16 oz. can black beans
8 oz. can tomato sauce
15 oz. can diced stewed tomatoes
16 oz. can whole corn
16 oz. creamed corn
pkg. taco seasoning
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 sm. can chopped green chilies (optional...I don't like this so I leave it out)

Do not drain any of the canned foods. Add all ingredients to a crock pot and add taco seasoning to the soup. Brown the ground beef in a pan with the chopped onion and add this combination to the crock pot. Simmer for at least a couple of hours. Serve warm and garnish with optional toppings: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips (cooked in frying pan with olive oil and grated parmesan cheese). Another idea: Eat with large Fritos chips. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Now that I will be exploring new recipes and sharing them I am finally ready to reveal my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe. OK...maybe they aren't that famous but in our house they are the most loved cookie. These are the cookies I remember my mother making when I was younger, the cookies I made with my best friend Beth when we were in high school, the cookies Mike and I made when we were newly married, and the cookies I now make for our children. There is nothing too special about the recipe other than the fact that they seem to turn out good every time I make them. They are the yummiest soft chocolate chip cookie I have tried and they even taste great the few days after.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

3/4 c. butter flavored crisco
1 1/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix the crisco and brown sugar together until well mixed. Add the egg and beat for a minute before adding the milk and vanilla. Once all that is well mixed then add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then add the chocolate chips and mix those in by hand. I usually pour the chocolate chips in until I feel there are enough. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 F. The key to this recipe is to only bake one sheet at a time and only for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

New Beginnings

I am finally ready for a new creative chapter of my life and one that includes some more cooking. I am not the greatest cook but I do have a few recipes I love and some more I want to try to add to my Tried and True Recipe Book. I believe that all things good should be shared. I am so thankful for friends that have shown me how to make things both crafty and edible. I am proud to share the things I learn how to make and the recipes I find the yummiest. There are no secrets here! Enjoy!