Ribs

2 nights ago I made ribs, in the oven. I normally don't make them in the oven... and pretty sure I won't do it again. I wasn't happy with their texture and the sauce burned a lot easier (which made the pan ridiculous to clean.. I was going to throw it away it was that bad, but Aaron cleaned it for me instead)

My version of ribs:
which I learned how to make from my dad, thanks Kenno :)

1-2 lbs of ribs (I have used all different kinds, it truly doesn't matter--western style, spare, baby back, whatever is one sale is usually what I end up with. I think boneless western style are my favorite!)
1 c (approximately) brown sugar
1/4 c ketchup
1/2 c bbq sauce (any kind will do.. to be honest, I buy the cheapest brand because everything else I add with it spices it up)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T mustard
1/8 c (approximately) cider vinegar
garlic salt
onion salt
paprika
salt & pepper

1. Season ribs on both sides with spices listed above

2. Grill ribs for 5-10 minutes on each side

3. Mix together all other ingredients until the right consistency is achieved (those are all approximate measurements, I never use a measuring cup when making the sauce.. I just stop when it looks right, and if you don't have everything listed above, just leave it out!)

4. Place ribs in crock pot and dump sauce on top. Heat on low for 5-7 hours until tender.

**Instead of grilling them first, I have also boiled them in apple cider before putting them in the crock pot, which was also very good!
**If I have them, I may add in a couple quartered onions to the crock pot for extra flavor

Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

*I made this yesterday (10/25) and it turned out great!!! I think it tastes wonderful, I didn't have grapes, so I didn't add them. But I definitely think they would be great in it as well. I was very happy with how it turned out and it was pretty easy really. The worst part was chopping everything up, I wanted the celery, onion, etc.. to be pretty finely chopped. Enjoy!!!! *

By: an old church cookbook, don't remember the name

**I have had this recipe written down forever and have yet to make it. It's my mission to make this weekend, I have a whole chicken in the freezer that I should use and this looks like the perfect recipe to use it for... I will bake my chicken as directed on the package in the oven and then carve the meat off**

3 c sliced, cooked chicken
1 c seedless green grapes cut in halves
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 T diced onion
1/2 c diced celery
1/2 c almonds sliced
1/2 c mayo
1/2 c sour cream
1 t ginger
1/2 t salt

1. Combine chicken, grapes, water chestnuts, onions, celery and nuts.

2. Blend mayo, sour cream, ginger and salt.

3. Pour over chicken mixture, lightly toss, and chill

Banana Nut Bread

By: My Mama

1/2 c soft butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs
3 crushed, ripe bananas
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 c nuts (optional)

1. Crush bananas and whip until light and fluffy.

2. Cream butter, sugar, and eggs. Add flour, soda, and nuts. mix

3. Add bananas to mixture.

4. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes in 2 greased loaf pans.

Mac & Cheese

Sorry for the lack of posts recently... we had quite the scare with ms. raegan, thankfully, we are getting her back to normal and slowly getting back into the routine of cooking meals again! We have some great family and friends who have brought us food so I don't have to worry about that for a while, which has been nice. I have not made this recipe yet, but once I need to cook again, it's first on my list. It looks sooooooooooo good!

by: Family Circle Magazine.. I wish you could see the picture, it looks so yummy.
1 box penne
3/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/2 lb guere cheese (I would just use mild cheddar or whatever was in my fridge, I don't buy the fancy cheese stuff)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
3 T butter
3 T flour
2 c milk
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t salt
1/8 t cayenne pepper

1. Heat oven to 350 and coat casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Bring large pot of water to boil and salt, add penne and cook for 6 minutes. Drain

2. In large bowl toss together cheeses and set aside.

3. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and slightly bubbly. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in onion powder, salt & cayenne. Bring to a boil over medium heat---reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in 2 1/2 c of cheese mixture

4. In casserole dish stir together half the pasta and cheese sauce, sprinkle with generous cup of cheese. Spoon remaining penne mixture into dish and top with remaining cheese.

5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until top is lightly browned.

Hamburger Rice Casserole

This recipe is super easy, and although it doesn't look that appealing, it's actually pretty good. Simple, but good.
by: someone from our church cookbook, I don't know who, sorry.. I actually follow the recipe for this one!

1 lb hamburger
1 onion-diced
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of water (from cr of mush soup can)
1/4 c Worcestershire sauce

1. Brown hamburger and onion until done

2. Place rice in bottom of casserole dish. Add the rest of the ingredients (I actually add the mush soup, water, and worch sauce to the meat and blend it in a little and then pour over top the rice)


3. Bake for 30-45 min at 350 degrees until rice is done

Potato Soup

by: I think I got the base of this recipe from our church cookbook, but I've made it my own :)

4 T butter
1 onion, chopped
10-12 good sized potatoes peeled and diced
1 lb carrots (optional) diced
2-3 stalks of celery (optional) diced
2 bunches of fresh broccoli (optional) diced
5 cups (or more) of chicken stock
2 cups milk
2-3 T paprika
1 T onion salt
2-3 T celery salt

1. Melt butter in big pot over stove and add onions, cook until tender.

2. Add stock, and vegetables as desired (except broccoli) and reduce heat to medium. (be sure that stock covers all veggies) Cook until mixture gets thick and potatoes are done on medium heat. Add broccoli during last 5-8 minutes of cooking

3. Add milk and spices and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes

4. Add shredded cheese as desired (I sometimes crush some crackers and add them in as well if it needs a little thickening)

This is my favorite soup, it's so yummy!!

10 pin

Last night I made... wait, let me re-phrase that.. someone else made my supper!!!

We went to 10pin. I was lazy, and it was good.

Happy Friday!!!!

Buffalo Wings

Aaron also made these last night, he found the recipe online or from his parents, I don't know which for sure..

1/2 c flour
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t salt

1. Mix above ingredients together in ziplock bag and coat wings in mixture. Regrigerate coated wings for at least 1 hour.

2. Deep fry wings for 15-20 minutes.

3. Bake wings with Sauce mixture below for 5-10 minutes at 400

4 T butter
1/4 c hot sauce
dash of pepper
dash of garlic powder
(Melt in pan over low heat until combined)

I don't make these, Aaron does. I think they are entirely too time consuming, but they are very good and he's very good at making them!
ENJOY!

Creamy Chicken and Pasta

I made this last night, very good.. and very easy!!

recipe by: Kraft food magazine (with my minor alterations)

1 1/2 cups rotoni (I only had elbow macaroni and it worked just fine and I didn't meausre, just used about 3/4 a box)
3 cups broccoli (I didn't measure, just used an entire bag of frozen broccoli)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast cut in small cubes
1/2 c chicken broth (I actually used a whole cup instead of 1/2)
2 oz cream cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese (I didn't measure this either, shocking, I know.. just used what looked right)
2 T Parmesan cheese

1. Cook Pasta as directed and add broccoli the last few minutes. Drain.

2. Cook chicken on stove top in olive oil until no longer pink. Stir in chicken broth and simmer for 3 minutes. Add cream cheese until completely melted. Stir in 1/2 mozzarella cheese, remove from heat and let stand to get thick.

3. Add pasta, broccoli and chicken mixture together in casserole dish.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 until melted and creamy. Add remaining cheese to top.