Barbecue Ribs & Cabbage in the Slow Cooker – An Easy Dinner That Satisfies!

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barbecue, crockpot, pork, recipe, red cabbage, ribs, sauce, slow cooker

It has been way too long since I’ve posted anything and I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but after posting something on Facebook I had a request to post this recipe. Pork ribs were on sale at my local grocery store, so I picked up a rack. With the cold weather, we haven’t been in barbecue mode, but I have been in slow cooker mode! So slow cooker ribs it is! 

I was looking through one of my cook books and saw a few recipes for ribs with saurkraut. Now that sounds interesting! I didn’t have much saurkraut on hand, but I did have a jar of red cabbage. This sounded even better to me! I must say, it did not disappoint! The ribs were tender and delicious and the cabbage was incredibly tasty!

This meal was super easy to make and was incredibly satisfying! My family loved it! I served it with a side of corn and some fresh baked sourdough bread. I made my own sourdough starter for the first time, but that is another post!

Barbecue Ribs & Cabbage in the Slow Cooker

1 rack of pork ribs (I used loin back ribs), cut to fit in slow cooker, I cut mine in half

1 – 12 oz jar of German red cabbage

2 cups of barbecue sauce (I used 1 cup of Kinder’s Sweet Sriracha BBQ sauce and 1 cup Kinder’s California Gold BBQ sauce) 

2 tsp liquid smoke

Season ribs with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. Cover ribs with red cabbage,then pour over BBQ sauce and finally, sprinkle on the liquid smoke. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Cook shorter time for on the bone ribs. Cook longer for fall off the bone meat. Mine was somewhere in between and was very nice to eat.

Enjoy!

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Chicken, Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Skillet – Williams-Sonoma to the Rescue!!!

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Chicken, mushroom, one pan dish, pearl couscous, roasted garlic, sauce, Williams-Sonoma, zucchini

I recently celebrated my 50th birthday (Yikes!) and my longtime friend of 46 years gifted me with a wonderful basket filled with goodies from Williams-Sonoma. This Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Skillet Sauce was one of the delectable items in that basket. I mixed the sauce with chicken, zucchini and pearl couscous to make a fantastic one skillet meal. This sauce had a bold, savory flavor that added the perfect amount of flavor without the need for additional seasoning. It made this impressive meal incredibly quick and easy to make.

This could even be altered to be a vegetarian meal by leaving out the chicken and adding additional vegetables or even beans or tofu!

Chicken, Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Skillet

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 zucchini, diced

1 Jar Williams-Sonoma Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Skillet Sauce

2 cups pearl couscous

2 1/2 cups water or fat free broth

Cook couscous according to container directions with water or broth. Meanwhile, in a skillet sprayed with non-stick spray cook chicken until lightly browned on all sides. Add zucchini and skillet sauce and stir. Once cous cous is cooked, add this to the skillet and stir. Once chicken is cooked all the way through, your dish is ready to serve. Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken with Thai Peanut Sauce

Tags

Chicken, crockpot, Dinner, peanut, Rice, sauce, slow cooker, Thai

 
This was originally posted by another blogger, but it sounded so good!!! Now that my peanut hating daughter no longer lives at home, I’m going to have to try making this!!!

(This recipe is dairy free.) Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 7 hours on low (or 3 to 4 hours on high) Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts 1 cup coconut milk 3/4 c chunky PB 3 tbsp honey 3 tbsp soy sauce Juice from 1 lime 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes […]

https://combschristensonfoodandstuff.wordpress.com/2016/03/16/crockpot-chicken-with-thai-peanut-sauce/

Tay’s Sesame BBQ Sauce

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barbecue, bbq, Chicken, chinese, Grilling, sauce, sesame, tays

  
Someone else posted this recipe for homemade barbecue sauce. It looks easy to make and flavors sound fabulous! A must try!

1/4c Kraft Toasted Sesame Seed Dressing 2T Teriyaki Sauce 1/3c Sweet Baby Ray’s HONEY BBQ Sauce (USE HONEY!) 1T Soy Sauce 1tsp Green Onions (Optional, I skipped) 1/2T Brown Sugar – Sea Salt Pepper 1/2T Olive Oil 1/2T Flour Premix Sauce. Set aside. LIGHTLY Sea Salt and Pepper Legs. Add in Oil, toss. Sprinkle in half the Flour, toss. […]

https://dinkingaround.wordpress.com/2016/02/20/tays-sesame-bbq-sauce/

Drunken Pork Chops

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ale, beer, brown sugar, Cooking, drunken, Food, pork chops, recipes, sauce

 I grew up eating grilled pork chops.  It didn’t matter what season it was because we had a covered porch that was the perfect home for the grill.  My Mom, well she LOVES pork chops. She would eat them every night if my Dad and I would have let her. Pork chops, pork tenderloin..you name […]

https://owlreadthat.wordpress.com/2016/02/25/drunken-pork-chops/

Chimichurri Sauce – A Bold Sauce for Your Grilled Meats

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argentina, barbecue, chimichurri, Cooking, Food, fresh, Herbs, sauce

  
Here in California, we’re still enjoying warm weather, but fall and the cooler weather is starting to encroach upon us. I thought I would share one last summer-y, barbecue related recipe.

I haven’t made it in a little while, so I’m past due! One of my favorite additions to barbecued meat is Chimichurri sauce. I always make this from scratch. Actually, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a ready-made version of this sauce in the store. There’s a product idea I just gave away!

The combination of all the fresh ingredients provides an intense, full-bodied flavor that really compliments the meat well. When serving this sauce, I would keep the seasoning of the meat to basic salt and pepper and let the Chimichurri add the bold accompaniment. This sauce is a rich, green color that screams garden freshness! And that smell!!! All those fresh herbs and garlic will make your mouth water!

This sauce supposedly originated in Argentina and is primarily served over beef. If you’re like me though, once I find a sauce I love, I want to put it on EVERYTHING! Go ahead! Put it on your chicken, fish, bread, rice, whatever! I’ll never tell!

So at your next barbecue, impress your friends and family with something other than the usual barbecue sauce!

Chimichurri

1 cup stemmed flat-leaf parsley

1 cup stemmed cilantro

1/2 cup stemmed mint leaves

7 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup water

In a food processor, add first 7 ingredients and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil, vinegar and water and continue to blend until you have a thick sauce. Serve within a few hours.

Sundried Tomato Pesto – Why Did I Wait Until Now To Make Pesto?!? It’s So Easy!!!

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basil, cashews, Cooking, Food, food processor, pasta, pesto, sauce, sundried tomato

  
Well there is no going back now! I finally made pesto for the first time and now my family is hooked. I don’t know why I’ve never tried it before. It was so easy and very delicious!  I actually tried it a couple of different ways and both were great!

I’m sure most of you have had pesto before, but if you haven’t it’s a fairly thick sauce usually served over  pasta. It’s also a great spread on bread or can be used sparingly as  a dipping sauce. I say sparingly because it is a pretty intense tasting sauce and be forewarned  that it can leave you with pretty garlicky breath.

So for those of you that are like me and haven’t dipped your toe in the pesto making pond, I hope this will encourage you to do so!

Sundried Tomato Pesto

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves

4 cloves of garlic

3 oz. sundried tomatoes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup pine nuts or cashews (The first time I made it I used cashews and it was just as delicious as with the more traditionl pine nuts)

1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup grated fresh parmesan (FYI – In my humble opinion, this should NEVER, EVER come out of a green canister)

Combine all ingredients in your food processor (or use your immersion blender) and blend until it is a smooth paste.

That’s all there is to it! See how easy!! I hope you’ll give it a try!

Chicken or Pork in a Wine Reduction: The Joys of Deglazing a Pan!

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Chicken, Cooking, deglaze, Food, recipe, sauce, stainless steel pan, wine reduction

  
Somehow I got it in my head that non-stick pans were the be all, end all of cookware. I mean why would I want to spend time scrubbing a pan? OK, non-stick pans definitely have their place in the kitchen! I wouldn’t want to cook eggs without them, but there is something about deglazing a stainless steel pan and making a wine reduction sauce that is just to die for! And surprise, surprise! When you deglaze a pan all those sticky meat bits on the bottom come right off! Then you just pop that pan in the dishwasher! Easy peasy!This is not so much an exact recipe. This is usually something I fake and it comes out great, so I’ll list out the steps and I think you’ll find it easy to make. I hope you enjoy!

1. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil or spray the pan real good with non-stick spray

2. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and place your chosen meat in the pan. I usually use either boneless, skinless chicken (I usually buy thighs, as they’re cheaper) or pork chops (boneless or bone-in is fine). Brown the meat on each side. It can still be red in the middle, because it will cook more as the process goes on.

  
3. Reduce the heat under your pan to medium and remove the meat from the pan, while still pink in the middle and put on an oven safe plate. Place in a 200 degree oven while you make your wine reduction sauce.

4. Here’s where you deglaze your pan! Get on this quickly, so the meat bits stuck to the pan don’t burn. Pour in 1 ½ cup wine (white or red, depending on the flavor sauce you want) and 1 ½ cup chicken broth (I use the fat free, low sodium variety) and stir scraping the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan adding flavor to your sauce. You will get this wonderful HSSSSS sound when the wine hits the hot pan. Notice the sauce is 50/50 on the liquids, so this is an easy recipe to increase or decrease. Then you just adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

5. To the pan with the sauce, stir or whisk in one tablespoon of Dijon mustard and add ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.

6. Stir in 2 chopped or pressed garlic cloves and continue to stir.

7. Optional: If you like, you can also add a sliced leek (as shown in my picture) and/or sliced mushrooms (I prefer baby bellas).

8. You want the sauce to reduce by about 1/2, so the flavors will intensify. It should take 30-40 minutes.

9. Remove the meat from the oven and add to the pan with the sauce, cook meat spooning sauce over the meat until meat is cooked all the way through. This might take an additional 15 minutes or so.

10. Serve the meat and sauce over rice or pasta. This goes really nice with a simple risotto. I guess that will be a future blog post!

This is one of our family’s favorite dishes. I hope you and your loved ones enjoy it as well!!!

Homemade Marinara Sauce – Make it Fast or Slow for a Delicious, Low-fat Sauce

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Cooking, Food, healthy, low-fat, marinara, pasta, recipe, sauce, tomato sauce

  
Who doesn’t love a good pasta sauce?!? Sure you can buy the jarred type, but if you’re trying to be health conscious, it’s hard to gauge exactly what goes in that stuff. When you make your own, you know exactly what is in it and you can control the fat and salt content. Not to mention, homemade sauce tastes SOOOOO much better and it’s really not that hard to make! Totally worth the time investment! This recipe can be made, heated through and served for a quick sauce or for some really great flavor you can cook it low and slow for a few hours or most of the day.

This sauce can be made vegetarian or you can make meat sauce and you can use the sauce in a variety of ways; spaghetti, lasagna, rigatoni, chicken parmesan, eggplant parmesan, etc. Another thing I love about homemade sauce is it freezes really well, so you can make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for a future meal.

The Sauce

Optional: Sweet or Hot Italian Turkey Sausage

½ Red Onion, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

28 oz Can of Crushed Tomatoes in Puree

8 oz Can Tomato Sauce

6 oz Can of Tomato Paste

6 Roma Tomatoes, diced

2 packets of Stevia or other artificial sweetener

3 tbsp Fresh Basil, chopped

1 tsp Dried Oregano

¾ tsp Cumin

½ tsp Crushed Red Peppers

Optional: ½-3/4 cup Red Wine

Optional: 1 cup Mushrooms (I like baby bellas)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

 

I usually cook this sauce in my Dutch oven on the stove, but you could also use a non-stick sauce pot or even cook it in your slow cooker. The first thing you want to do is spray your pan with some olive oil. If you’re adding meat, brown your meat over medium-high heat. When almost cooked, add the onion and garlic and continue cooking until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent. Don’t burn your garlic! Now here comes the easy part! Pour everything else in the pot! Now you can just heat it through and serve for a quick meal or you can really make this something special and cook this sauce low and slow. My personal preference is to bring it just to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for several hours. You can really let it simmer as long as you like; all day to 1 hour. Like any dish you make, you should taste periodically and adjust, adding a little more of this or a little more of that. It’s better to do it slowly. You can always add more of something, but once you overdo it on any particular ingredient it’s done!

Tip: Don’t have Italian sausage, but want that flavor in your dish? Use plain ground turkey or ground beef and add dried fennel seeds. That one little ingredient will give you that Italian sausage taste!

Another tip: Trying to sneak some veggies to your kids or picky eaters? Use a vegetable peeler to peel some carrots. Throw away the outer skin peelings, but take some fresh carrot peelings, dice them up a little more and add them to your sauce. Also, if you want to add mushrooms, I’ve found that if I dice them up smaller my kids don’t seem to notice them. And mushrooms are so great for you!!!

Mangia bene!

Frontera Sauces – Pork Carnitas Are For Dinner!

Tags

Cooking, Food, Frontera, Mexican, quick meals, Rick Bayless, sauce

  
While I love to cook and usually I cook from scratch, once in a while it’s nice to use some of the wonderful products that are out there and can make our lives a little easier. Recently, I’ve noticed an increase in the number of ready-made sauces that are available. There are some great ones out there! One of the brands I really like is the Frontera line. This line of sauces and salsa’s is put out by Chef Rick Bayless. Chef Bayless specializes in Mexican cooking. He has spent time traveling throughout Mexico to learn the different cooking techniques used in the various regions.

With the Frontera sauces, Chef Bayless has released a variety of delicious sauces that can help to make a wonderful Mexican meal incredibly easy to make. From the picture above, you can see most of the Frontera sauces available. I buy them at the Raleys/Nob Hill stores.

Last night, we had pork carnitas and they were fantastic! Before leaving for church, I put a pork roast in the slow cooker and poured one bag of the Frontera Garlicky Carnitas sauce over the roast, making sure to cover it as completely as possible. I cooked it on low for about 8 hours. At that point, I took a couple of forks and shredded the meat in the slow cooker. I stirred it up thoroughly, so all the meat was coated with the sauce and then let it cook for another hour. I had some of my Mexican Pinto Beans in the freezer (see previous blog post for this recipe), so I had pulled those out the day before to thaw in the fridge. I put those on the stove and let them simmer on low for a couple of hours. I made some taco rice by mixing instant brown rice, water, salsa and a little taco seasoning mix.

My husband is the master tortilla fryer, so he fried up some corn tortillas. I cut calories and pass on those and use lowfat flour tortillas (not fried). We topped our tacos with guacamole, fat free sour cream, fat free shredded cheese, salsa, diced red onions and Tapatio hot sauce. Yumm!

Need a slow cooker or Frontera sauces? They can all be purchased at Amazon.com. The sauce mixes are sold in bulk packs of 6 at a pretty good price.