BBQ Ribs

If I don't make goals for myself, nothing happens. As an example, I made a New Year's resolution two years ago to cook at home more often.  At the time I was depending on drive-thru's and takeout for dinner every night, and I was tired of spending all the extra money (you all know how cheap I am by now, so that was a huge motivator for me!) Flashforward to today, and it's now a common practice for us to have dinner at home 3-4 nights out of the week. We're saving money, relaxing more at home, and enjoying the thrill of making new dishes that we'd otherwise get at a restaurant. Progress!

So it only makes sense that I make another culinary goal for myself.  This year, I want to be less dependent on recipes and exact measurements.  (Yeah, I know... it's a cheater goal because I already hate measuring... but hear me out.) It takes a confident cook to just put a bunch of ingredients together and create a meal-- and I'm not there yet. 

But, if I am to grow as a cook, I need to learn to trust my instincts.  If I want to make something, but cannot seem to find "the perfect recipe" for it, I should be able to come up with something on my own.

And today, I did!


Ingredients:

ribs (I had some frozen, and I didn't bother to thaw them)

2 cans of beer (I used Miller Lite this time)

1 onion, quartered

garlic salt (Enough shakes to coat the top of the ribs/liquid)

pepper (Enough shakes to coat the top of the ribs/liquid)

brown sugar (I just placed a handful of brown sugar on top of the
ribs, then spread around to create a thin layer).

BBQ sauce (Montgomery Inn, anyone?)

Directions:

Pour beer into CrockPot.

Place onion in beer, then top with the ribs.

Add seasonings, then pack brown sugar atop the ribs.

Cook on Low for at least 8 hours.

After cooking in the CrockPot, transfer ribs to a broiler pan.  Baste ribs with BBQ sauce.  Broil for 5-10 minutes. 

Verdict: Keeper, with revision  

I loved how tender the meat became from cooking in the CrockPot. Next time, I think I'll broil the ribs for a little longer to carmelize the BBQ sauce.  Also, I may try a different beer, just to see how it affects the overall taste.     

Chicken 'n Dumplin's-- CrockPot Style

If it's chicken smothered in a gravy-esque sauce, The Mr. can't get enough.  Throw in some doughy/carby goodness, and he'll call it his favorite.

Recently I compiled a recipe book for a friend's Christmas present, and gave it to The Mr. to peruse.  "Where's the Chicken 'n Dumplin's recipe?" he asked.

"The one for the CrockPot?" I replied.

"Yeah, that one.  It's probably my favorite thing that you make."

Beat.

.... I cannot tell you the last time I made this meal, but it apparently left quite an impression.  Had I known that it was held in such high regard, I probably would have made it sometime in the last year!...

This is a great basic recipe because it only has a few ingredients. The bonus? It's another one of those throw-it-in-the-pot-and-leave-it-alone kind of recipes-- and you all know how much I love those :)

Source:  www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts (And yes, I just threw them in still frozen.  Have I told you lately how much I love my CrockPot?)

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup

2 T. butter

1 onion, diced

Water (enough to cover contents of the pot)

2 10-oz. cans of refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions:

1.  Combine chicken, soup, onion, butter, and water in CrockPot. 

2.  Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.  

3.  Tear apart pieces of the biscuit dough and add to the mix.  Use a spoon to submerge pieces (This will help the dough to absorb the flavors).

4.  Continue cooking on HIGH for 60-90 minutes.

Verdict: Keeper (with some revision)
While The Mr. is crazy about this meal, I'm still not ga-ga over it.  I'd like to add more herbs and seasonings to see how it goes, maybe some poultry seasoning and pepper.  I'll definitely make it again, though. 

Pasta Fagioli

I love my Freezer.

This is only a recently developed relationship.  It has only been within the past year that I have truly come to embrace and utilize this under-appreciated half of the appliance.

You see, the Freezer was the Black Hole of my childhood kitchen.  Once something was placed in the freezer, you could forget it. It was gone-- if not forever, at least long enough that you would wonder how long it had been in there when you did see it again.

Chicken breasts that were on sale and required buying them in bulk? Forget about those for another year. 

Pork chops that we could grill out?  Forget about those for at least a couple of months.  

A gallon of ice cream? Well, we never let that get too far out of sight:)   

(Right now, my Mother is reading this and cringing, or laughing, because that's exactly how it was. Sorry Mom! :))

Now that I'm cooking for The Mr. and myself, we often have leftovers.  I will eat leftovers for days and days, until it is all used up.  The Mr., on the other hand, will only eat leftovers for 1 or 2 days before he begins to worry about food poisoning.  There would be recipes that would make so much food we couldn't finish it all before we'd have to throw it out. 

I. Hate. Throwing. Away. Food.

Enter the Freezer. Once I realized that many recipes' frozen/reheated leftovers tasted as good as the first time, I fell in love.  Some soups and chilis taste even better than the first time.  This revelation changed my whole outlook on recipes yielding 8 servings or more.  Now, on days when I don't feel like doing anything, I can pull something out of the Freezer, heat it up slowly on the stove, and dinner's ready. 

Seriously people, that's about as close to food-magic as it gets.

Tonight I reheated Pasta Fagioli, a recipe I tried about a month ago.  As expected, it was (magically) as good as it was the first time.  Just another reminder of why I love my Freezer so much.

Source:  Crockpot Tuesdays (slightly altered, since I don't like to measure veggies)

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup dry pasta (to add at end)

Directions:

Brown the meat and drain well. Set aside

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT PASTA in the CrockPot.  Stir.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours). At end of cook time, stir in 1/2 cup pasta. Cover and cook for another hour on LOW.

Serve with parmesan, mozzarella, or any other kind of cheese you like.  Enjoy!