Oven Ribs

I had some ribs in our freezer and decided to make them, except I didn't want to grill them. So I decided to cook them in the oven instead. I wasn't sure how long to cook them or what temperature so I Googled oven ribs. I found a couple recipes that I liked and combined them. I don't mean to toot my own horn but they were the best ribs I have ever had. They were really moist and the crust on them was great. I hope you try them, they are worth the time!

Oven Ribs

Rack of Ribs
1/4 cup Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Paprika (more if you want, but taste it first)
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
BBQ Sauce

Mix the salt, sugar, paprika and garlic powder together. Coat ribs with the mixture, making sure it sticks to the ribs. Place in large pan (I just used a glass pan) and fill with 1 inch of water or halfway up the ribs. Cook at 250 degrees for 1 hour. Turn ribs and cook for another hour. Pour the liquid out of the pan and coat the ribs with as much BBQ sauce as you want. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and serve!

Ideas

When I started this blog I decided that it would be a food and craft blog. Well it's mostly turned into a food blog because I haven't crafted anything for awhile. Well I still haven't. I have a lot of ideas swirling in my head but need time and money to make them happen. I got some more ideas from THIS blog as well. I'm in love with her photography and simple craft ideas. I'm sure you can find some ideas from her blog. I will keep you posted on my crafting as it happens!

Mmmmm Good

Fall is here! It is one of my favorite times of the year because the leaves are changing colors, the air is crispy, I love wearing jackets, I love cuddling to keep warm and I love warm comfort food! And one of my favorite comfort foods is chili. Chili is such a simple dish but such a good one. This recipe is one that you can cook on the stove quick or you could put it in the crock pot for a few hours. I prefer the crock pot because your whole house will smell good and yummy! Happy Fall everyone!

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 1/2 cups water
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Add the stewed tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, beans and water.
2. Season with the chili powder, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Crock Pot Way-
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the beef and onion and saute until meat is browned and onion is tender. Combine in crock pot with remaining ingredients and cook on high for 3 hours.

Chick-Fil-A

I'm in love with Chick-Fil-A!!! I probably eat it once a week and ate it 3-4 times a week while I was pregnant. Well I recently found a recipe that claims to be the recipe for Chick-Fil-A nuggets. I'm dying to try it out and see how it compares. So who wants to have a taste test party?

Taco Tuesday

Albertsons has Taco Tuesday every Tuesday-they sell 1 pound of ground beef for $2, a package of tortillas for $2 and a package of cheese for $2. I think $2 for a pound of beef is a good deal so that's when I stock up! And sometimes they are trying to sell the meat before it goes bad so they give you $1 off and then I freeze the meat!

Easy Stuffed Shells

So I posted that I would be making Stuffed Shells and using a recipe by Kneaders Bakery to make them. I decided to tweak a few things in the recipe to make it work for my family. I actually made the shells for some friends and they loved it. They were surprised at how I made the sauce and said it tasted home made! This is the only way that I make spaghetti sauce because it is the way my hubby likes it. This recipe makes a 9X13 pan which fed 4 adults and 2 kids and we had some leftover.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of large pasta shells
• 2 c. Ricotta Cheese
• 3 c. Mozzarella Cheese (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
  
• ½ c. grated Parmesan Cheese (plus extra for sprinkling on top)
• 2 eggs
• 2 T. dried Parsley
  
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Pepper

• 1 lb. Ground beef
• 1 package McCormick Italian Spaghetti sauce (you will need 1 can of tomato paste to make this sauce)

Method:

1-Cook ground beef and drain the grease. Make the spaghetti sauce according to package. Follow the directions for the meat sauce.

2-In a separate pot bring water to a boil. Add shells and cook according to package directions.

3-In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley salt and pepper.

To Assemble:

1-In the bottom of a baking dish (9 by 13) put ¼ cup of the meat sauce mixture.

2-Stuff shells full of cheese mixture and place in the baking dish.

3-Pour the rest of the meat sauce on top of the shells.

4- Sprinkle the extra cheeses on top.

5-Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.

Pork Chops

Most people don't love pork chops because they are too dry and cooked incorrectly. This is the way that I have always cooked them and they have never been dry before!

Pork Chops
2-3 spoonfuls of flour (enough to coat the chops)
2-3 Tablespoons of seasoning (I like to use dry Ranch or Italian Dressing)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the flour, seasoning, salt and pepper into a large Ziploc bag, mix well. Place the chops in the flour, seal the bag and shake. Make sure that the chops are coated well (you might need to press the flour mixture onto the chops to make sure the seasoning sticks). Place on a baking sheet and cook about 45minutes. Pork chops should be a little pink when they are fully cooked.

Weekly Menu

We have been eating way too much take out and my husband is in need of a home cooked meal. So here is our weekly menu:

Monday: Pork Chops and mashed potatoes
Tuesday: Pizza
Wednesday: Tacos
Thursday: Ham Friend Rice
Friday: Stuffed Shells

Making the menu was the first battle of the week. The second battle will be actually getting to the grocery store with a 3 week old!