Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs

I had originally planned to make Frito pie on Monday and ribs on Wednesday, but I was so excited about this new rib recipe that I found, that I decided to make them last night. It was a little bit more work than your average crock pot recipe, but SOOOO worth it!!  The hubby raved about them and the little one couldn't get enough.  The big one wouldn't even try them, but that's a discussion for another post!  The thing that made them so good was you would never know they were cooked in the slow cooker!  They had a wonderful crispy "crust" from the caramelized rub and sauce.  They will 100% be made again in this house!!  So I had to share it with you.  I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It comes from the blog Mmm is for Mommy.

Easy Barbecued Ribs

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

3 tbsp paprika 

2 tbsp light brown sugar, lightly packed 

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 

S&P to taste (about 1 tsp each is what I used)

3 lbs pork baby back ribs  - leave the membrane on the ribs to help hold them together

3 cup barbecue sauce 

Vegetable oil spray.  

In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and S&P.  Rub this mixture all over both sides of your ribs well.  Arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the stoneware pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.  Pour barbecue sauce over the ribs, cover and cook for 6-8 hours on low (I did 7 hours and they were perfect).  

Now comes the only stove/oven work involved, we need to reduce the sauce and then brown the ribs under the broiler.  These steps are what turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, so don't you dare skip them even if your ribs already look pretty good.  Once the initial slow cooking is done, very carefully remove the ribs to a baking pan which you have lined with foil and put a rack on, bone side up. 

Strain all of the remaining juices from the slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a small saucepan and skim any fat that has risen to the top.  Bring to boil and allow to simmer and reduce by about a third, approximately 15 minutes.  Put your oven's broiler on to heat up and make sure that there is an oven rack about 10 inches below the broiler element.  When the broiler is preheated, brush the ribs with sauce and broil for 3 or 4 minutes.  Take them out and very carefully flip them over, brush with sauce and broil again, meat side up, for approximately 7 minutes, taking them out once or twice to baste with more sauce.  Serve any remaining sauce on the side with the ribs. 

I can't say enough about how yummy these were served with steamed broccoli and smashed red potatoes!

Hilary

Meal Plan Sunday 6/24

After all the traveling by my husband and the family over the past couple weeks, I'm looking forward to a "normal" week!  This morning I checked pinterest, my coupons, and my recipe collection to decide what we will be dining on for the week.  

Today, my hubby, an excellent cook in his own right (I know, I'm lucky!) said that he wold make his chicken parm over pasta.  For tomorrow, I decided to try a new recipe I found on pinterest called Salsa Chicken and serve it over rice.  It is a slow cooker recipe, which is perfect for a hot summer day because I won't be heating up the house with the oven or the cooktop!

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1 can cream of chicken soup 
1 cup salsa 
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream 
shredded cheddar, black beans and scallion, for serving (optional)

Directions: 

Put chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. If shredding the chicken, pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and heat just until everything is combined.

As I said, I haven't made this recipe before but it gets good reviews so I'm hopeful!!  I'll let you know how it comes out in the comments of this post.  On Tuesday, the hubby will be out at a dinner meeting so it will be breakfast for dinner for me and the kids.  Wednesday will be slow cooker beef and broccoli, Thursday will be pizza night, and Friday will be burgers on the grill with corn and a caprese salad.

Happy eating everyone!  Let us know what's in your meal plan for the week!

Hilary

The Pinterest Obsession

I'll admit it, I'm a Pinterest addict!  I started pinning about 8 months ago because I am one who likes to jump on a craze.  In the beginning, I didn't really understand the appeal or how Pinterest was going to benefit my life in any way.  Fast forward to now and I don't know how I ever lived without it!  I pin all sorts of stuff, from gift and craft ideas to home decorating and books that interest me.  But where Pinterest has really changed my life is in the ares of scrapbooking and cooking!  I have gotten way more layout ideas and sketches then I ever had from my scrapbook magazine subscriptions and the recipe ides are practically endless!  And I'm not trying to brag, but I actually make the things I pin!

For example:

I was working on a "recipe" scrapbook layout challenge on the amazing web site www.inspiredtoscrap.net.  I immediately went to my pinterest board to find a layout design that fit the bill.  I came up with a layout that was pinned from the Creative Memories blog (http://blogs.creativememories.ca/2012/04/national-scrapbook-day-challenge-april-29.html) and I was able to adapt it to fit my needs and the supplies I had on hand.  I finally created this:

Scraplifting is ok folks!!  As long as you give credit where credit is due, you can scraplift those amazing layouts you see on Pinteret - no guilt required! 

Hilary