Pork Ribs.....OMGoodness!!!

About a year ago, The Boy got a little courageous and tried some ribs at our local Chili's Restaurant. I think it was messy-love-at-first-bite because ever since then, if he sees that the menu contains the words "Ribs", he wants nothing else. And, just recently, The Lady has given the messy meal a try and has never looked back.

Over our Spring Break holiday this year, my weekly menu was filled with some non-fast-food yumminess. We've had a good healthy week of menu items and I've tried a few new things that have now made it to the "do again" list. Of course, The Little is my biggest challenge these days and I just refuse to fight at dinner so I usually make her something a little different. The girl's gotta eat. But I'm not doing that for much longer, she needs to grow out of that and fast!

Tonight, my adventure was making pork ribs. I've always been a little intimidated with cooking steaks or ribs. There just seems to be so much precision that is required. My father was always in charge of this when I was a kid and then I married someone who isn't a huge meat eater (unless it's chicken). So it was another daunting project that I brought on myself. The outcome was A-MAZING!! Not one rib was left behind and JB even enjoyed a little. Maybe if this works out, I'll learn to make my own BBQ sauce......

Here's how I did it!

Ingredients:
 - 3 pounds of pork baby back ribs
 - your favorite rib rub
 - 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
 - 1/3 cup soy sauce
 - 1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
 - your favorite BBQ sauce






What you do:
 - The night before you want to enjoy your rib meal, prepare the ribs by cutting into portions (about 4 ribs each) followed by rubbing the rib rub on both sides. Refrigerate overnight.

- The next day, you mix up your marinade of vinegar, soy sauce and liquid smoke.

- Place ribs in your slow cooker and then pour marinade over top.

 - Turn your cooker to low and cook for 4-6 hours, turning ribs occasionally. The meat will be done when the meat falls off of the bone. Many slow cookers are different so make sure to check on your meat often to not over cook.

 - Once meat is cooked through, heat up that grill to medium-high heat. Remove your ribs from cooker and coat both sides with the BBQ sauce. Then you will place the ribs on the grill for 15 minutes (turning once) to give the BBQ sauce a little char. It doesn't take long.

Ours turned out like this! You could litterally pull the bone out of the meat with no problem. They were so good. One critique I received from our experienced rib eater, The Boy, was that he likes his ribs with the meat on them. He doesn't want to eat them with a fork and knife. Well, if that's all, I can handle that. Next time I will take them out of the slow cooker a little bit earlier.

We paired these finger-lickin' good ribs with corn on the cob. Needless to say, dinner was a huge hit and Mommy added something else to the "do again" list. Thank you. Thank you very much!

Meatball Subs

I love a good meatball sub! What a great alternative to the traditional spaghetti and meatball dish. We don't usually make these at home but I did today and they were deeeelicious! The Boy had two helpings!!

Here's how I made the Meatballs:

Ingredients:
3 slices of white bread, crusts removed, diced
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 lb of ground beef
1/2 lb of sweet Italian sausage
1/4 cup grated parmesan
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Light Olive Oil

What to do:
 - Combine bread crumbs and water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain some of the water off and then mash with a fork.
 - In a large mixing bowl (I used my Kitchenaid Mixer) add: ground beef, sausage, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, egg, and bread. Mix until combined.

 - Form meat into 1 1/2" balls. Should make about 25 balls. Then dredge the meatballs in the flour, dusting off any excess.

- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and begin browning each side. I don't worry about cooking them through at this point. Just make sure all areas of the meatball are browned. Then set meatballs aside.

Now, here's how I made the Sauce:

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
2 - 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
2 Tbs basil, finely chopped

What to do:
 - Cut onion into quarters and peel garlic. Place in a small food processor and puree until paste-like. We do this because other family members do not like chunks of onion in their food but they like the flavor that the onion brings to the dish. Feel free to mince the onion and garlic instead.
 - In the same pot you browned the meatballs, over medium heat, brown the onion and garlic until translucent.
 - Add the water and crushed tomatoes and the bay leaves. Bring to a light boil.


Now, add meatballs back into the pot with the sauce, partially cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, turning meatballs occasionally. Meatballs will be tender and the sauce will thicken. About 5 minutes before you are ready to serve, drop in the basil and salt and pepper.

Assembly
Then load up you hoagie rolls with a few meatballs, some extra sauce and fresh mozzerella!!

Final Touch
I will then place the subs under a broiler for a quick toasting of the cheeses.

Really, these are amazing!!! You should try them.

The Great Cake Adventure

"Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes ACTION, PERSEVERANCE, and FACING YOUR FEARS."        -  Gillian Anderson

I truly believe in full disclosure when it comes to creating edibles in the kitchen. So, here goes. I will admit to not really enjoying or being very talented at baking. So you probably won't find many baking projects posted here, unless of course I'm super successful! There are a few things that I've made throughout the years that have turned out great but I usually don't venture out on new ideas very much when it comes to measuring precisely or using the toothpick test. I just don't do it.

I have had to take two big steps forward in the past two months when it has come to birthday cakes. The Boy requested an ice cream cake which you've already read about. I didn't have to bake anything with that project but it was still a little bit outside of my wheelhouse. And, just this week, I made The Hubs birthday cake. I wanted to buy this amazing cake that looked like a big bag of Doritos but the cake-bakery place said they would charge me close to 300 smackers to do it. I simply said "no thanks." Then I asked the birthday boy what kind of cake he wanted. Without hesitation, his response was for me to make vanilla cake with blackberry filling topped with 7-minute frosting. WHAT.....EEK!!?? 

Okay, so I didn't freak out too much. I'm always up for a challenge. I took his challenge and went with it. Now listen, usually I would make everything from scratch but that just wasn't in the cards this time. So I used a box cake and I bought some pre-made icing as a back up. But I promised myself that if this worked out, I would make cake from scratch the next time. I'm kind of excited and scared at the same time. 

Here's what I accomplished this week.  

I baked three 8" round cakes and then turned them upside down to cool completely. I let them stand for about 24 hours before starting on the next step. 

  

Next step was to cut off the tops so that I would have even layers. I'm not sure this is what I was supposed to do but it worked out well. I probably should have found a you-tube instructional video before doing this. But what was done was done. 

Next step was adding the blackberry filling. I also didn't take a leap here. I used JB's favorite store-bought jelly. I just emptied the jar into a bowl and mashed it up with a fork to make it easier to spread without killing the soft cake. 

Here is the naked cake before I covered it up with the 7-minute icing. I am pretty darn proud of myself at this point. But I've never iced a cake like this before. So I was getting nervous again. 

I then made the icing just like I did a few days ago in a test-drive. Feel free to review that journal entry to be reminded of how I accomplished this.

I started the icing process by adding a couple heaping spoonfuls of icing to the top of the cake and working my way down to the plate. I'm sure I saw this done somewhere. I worked my way down hoping to not make too much of a mess of the plate. Then I used the extra icing and piped it through a small hole I cut in a zip-lock baggy to clean up the bottom. It's still not as clean as what the professionals do but it worked out just fine!

Best part, it was not tilting at all. No Leaning Tower of Pisa syndrome happening here! It was perfectly straight on the top.

Next challenge was getting it from my kitchen to Nana's dining room safely! 

It was a total success!!! The Boy was able to handle my driving and protected the cake the entire journey. The cake stayed standing until we cut into it a few hours later! The inside was soft and moist and incredibly yummy. AND it looked beautiful when we cut into it. The layers were perfectly even and the jelly didn't bleed into the spongy goodness.  We brought what was not eaten home to continue to enjoy it. I'm sure it won't last long once everyone wakes up from their peaceful slumbers!

Mediterranean Tuna Cakes and Citrus Mayo

I have been making this recipe for years! It's so deish and I wanted to share it. Best part is the Citrus Mayo so don't leave that out. Enjoy!

Click here for the full recipe! Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Tuna Cakes:
3/4 pounds tuna steaks, finely chopped
3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon onion, minced
1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray

What to do:
1. To prepare mayonnaise, combine all 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and chill.
2. To prepare tuna cakes, combine tuna and next 8 ingredients (tuna through salt) in a bowl; stir until well-blended. Divide tuna mixture into 4 equal portions; shape into patties. Dredge patties in 2 tablespoons bread crumbs. Heat oil in nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Serve with the mayo and side salad!

Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken and Rice

We have chicken as our main dish about 3-4 times a week. As you can imagine, the same old recipes get tiresome to prepare and even more boring to eat. So, I've been searching for some new ways to create exciting chicken dishes that all of my kiddos and the hubs will enjoy.

On our vacation last summer, we sampled some amazing, authentically Jamaican-prepared Jerk Chicken and I've never forgotten how great it was. The thought of making this on my own was daunting. C'mon! The Jamaicans had been perfecting this meal for many many many years. But I stumbled across this recipe and thought, "I can do that!"

I'm sure our new Jamaican friends don't use a slow cooker and I bet their recipes are not quite the same as this one. But the outcome is pretty close to what I remember enjoying and that is all that matters to us. I took the liberty to make a few modifications to the recipe I found that would better suite our taste buds. This is definitely a "do-again" meal.

Sorry, I don't have any pictures of the final prepared meal. We were too busy enjoying the dinner and remembering our vacation moments to stop and have a photo-shoot. But I will try to add some the next time I prepare this dish! If you make this and take your own photos, send them my way and I will add yours to this blog post!

Here I am enjoying the spicy aroma as the meat is cooking!

Ingredients:
5 drumsticks and 2 chicken breasts
4 teaspoons of salt
4 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons of onion powder
2 teaspoons of thyme
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of black pepper

What to do:
1. Combine all of the spices together in a large bowl. This will be the rub or the chicken chicken. Feel free to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper based on your desired level of spiciness. You can even leave it out and add a bit more onion powder, but it will still be a bit spicy due to the paprika.

2. Wash each of the chicken pieces in cold water briefly and pat dry. Place the washed chicken meat into the bowl with the rub, and completely rub the spices onto the meat trying to get it under the chicken skin if you can.

3. Place chicken into the slow cooker. No need to add any liquid.

4. Set the slow ­cooker on low heat and cook for 5-­6 hours. When the chicken is done, the meat will fall off the bone.

We served the chicken over steamed white rice and a side salad. The chicken will produce extra juices while cooking so we used these juices as a sauce to spice up the rice. Enjoy!

7-minute frosting cookies...really?

I remember watching my Ginny (Grandmother on my mother's side) when she would make 7-minute frosting for all of our birthday cakes.  I may have been just a kid but I already knew it was the most delicious cake frosting EVER!!  And she made it look so easy! Then I grew up and found that it was so much easier to buy the pre-made frosting at the grocery store. I have no problem admitting that making 7-minute frosting intimidates me a lot.  Just the thought of it would make me sweat.....Then I became a mother of a child who does not like the store-bought frosting......or frosting from any cake bakery EVER....

I love cake! Actually, let me clarify, I love beautiful cakes that can make our birthday party center-pieces look amazing. I have been known to search out the most unique cake designer and order it 6 weeks in advance of the celebration....at a pretty penny, I might add, and then not eat a single slice. Sometimes, the cake looks amazing but tastes terrible. This is when I ask myself, "Why do I do this every time?" But I continue this crazy behavior.

My husband's birthday is why I bring this up. I did my normal search for the most unique cake for his 45th birthday. But what I found was that it was going to cost me $245. WHAT??? I. Just. Said. No! Then I came up the brilliant idea to simply ask my hubs what kind of cake he would like, and to my surprise, he told me!  What have I stumbled onto here....maybe a homemade cake that is enjoyable and that will be devoured. That's the way to go.

So here we are back to the 7-minute frosting. This was part of his request. And now I am hyperventilating and my heartbeat is increasing....how can I live up to my Ginny and my mother who can both make this frosting effortlessly. Oh, let me add that this is the icing that the hub's mother use to make for him when he was a kid. Now I have to live up to my Ginny, my mother, AND his mother. Oh the pressure! But, I have a plan (were you surprised?).

Today, it's two days before his official celebration and I've decided to try it out....Can I say SUCCESS??? I am so proud! Big sigh of relief going on over here.

Here's how I made it (not a family secret recipe):

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

What to do:
Mix the sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water and egg whites in the top of a double boiler. Beat with a handheld mixer for one minute. Place pan over boiling water in the bottom of the double boiler. Beat constantly for 7 minutes on high speed with the handheld mixer. Then beat in the vanilla.

That's it! Easy-peasy!


Again, here we are, two days before the celebration and I now have a ton of frosting that I should just throw out. But, I can't do that so I decide to try is to make them into meringue cookies. My version of meringue cookies, that is. Or "7-minute frosting cookies".

I simply dumped the icing into a large zip lock bag, cut a corner off, and piped the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. Then let them bake in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes. I let them cool for a New York minute and then scooped them off of the cookie sheet with a metal spatula to completely cool. They were fluffy and so delicious!

Here they are piped onto the cookie sheet ready for the 250 degree oven. 

Baked and ready to eat!!

Here is The Little who now has a favorite new cookie to enjoy!