Crock pot BBQ Ribs

BBQ ribs in the Crockpot

Yeah...I know...I wondered too if they would be as good as those done on the grill, but the Mister and I LOVED them.  They are so easy to make and come out incredibly tender.

I tweaked a couple of the recipes I was looking at and here is my version.

Crock Pot BBQ Ribs

Ingredients

One rack of extra meaty pork ribs

One jar of Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar BBQ sauce (or your favorite sauce)

Rub

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 T paprika

1/2 t. ground red pepper (or to taste-we like 'em spicy)

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper

1/2 T chili powder

Cut up your rib section into quarters.  You can leave the membrane on the back, as it helps to hold the ribs together during the long cooking process.  Place the ribs sections on a plate or waxed paper.

Mix the rub ingredients all together, then slather the ribs with mixture.  You can do this the night before, wrap them up and refrigerate, but I just did it right before I placed them in the slow cooker.

Place the rib sections so that they lean again the sides of the slow cooker.  Don't just lay them in the bottom on top of each other.

Pour 3/4 of the bottle of BBQ sauce over the ribs, making sure to drizzle as much as possible on the ribs themselves. Reserve the rest for extra dipping sauce at the table.  Set your slow cooker to High and cook for 5 hours or Low for 7 hours.  I used the high temp.

If you are home, baste the ribs occasionally with the BBQ sauce.

Several of the recipes I saw said to take the ribs out and broil them quickly before serving.  Mine looked fantastic as they were, so I did skip this step.  We used the additional sauce for dippin' at the table.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do.  When I told our son, Scott (an avid griller), about them, he was very, very skeptical that they could turn out so well...I'm going to make them the next time they come over just to prove to him that you can make awesome ribs in a crockpot! 

Enjoy!

The Crow's Nest

Brunswick Stew

   

Here is a tasty recipe that is sure to warm your gizzard on a cool and damp day.

Brunswick Stew

 

2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

(you can also use one of those rotisserie chickens and take the chicken from there)

2 large cans of chicken broth

4 Large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

4 slices (or more) of bacon, uncooked and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 c of frozen lima beans

2 c of frozen corn

1- 8 oz can of tomato sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 t paprika

4 dashes of ground red pepper (or to taste)

Put the chicken broth, chicken, bacon and onions into a large pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, lima beans, corn and salt and pepper.  Simmer another 15 minutes.  Add the paprika and red pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Serve with homemade bread or a crusty store-bought  bread.

This seems to be a somewhat strange combination, but give it a try, because it is so delicious!  ENJOY

 

The Crow's nest

 

Nana's old fashioned coffee cake

Nana's Coffee Cake

A family favorite in our home - now you can make it too.

Sift together

2 1/2 c flour, 1/2 t. salt and 2 1/2 t. baking powder

In separate bowl, mix

1/2 c shortening

1 c sugar

2 t. vanilla extract

Cream well, then add

2 eggs and mix just until blended - do not overbeat

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with

1 c milk

Beat just until blended and spread into a 13 x 9 pan

In food processor, combine 1 c sugar, 1 c flour, one stick butter and 1 - 2 T cinnamon.  Blend until combine and butter is in small pieces.  Top batter with crumb mixture and place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Cool completely before serving.

The Crow's nest

Almond Joy Bars are a real joy!

Good morning everyone.

A couple weeks ago I made these luscious cookie bars for coffee hour at church....well the ladies LOVED them and several wanted the recipe.   I found the recipe on Pinterest and altered it a bit.  The results were amazing, so I thought I would pass it along to all of you.

Almond Joy Bars

Adapted from a recipe compliments of Glorious Treats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour
1-14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1-14 oz bag sweetened, shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Toast the almonds by spreading them in a thin layer on a baking sheet and baking at 375*F for 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, so they don't over bake. They should be a light golden brown.

Line a 9"x13" baking pan with foil that hangs over the edge (for easy removal). Spray the foil with a light layer of cooking spray.

Make the crust-
With a mixer, or food processor, blend the butter and sugar until smooth and fully combined. Add flour and salt, and blend lightly until almost incorporated. Add 1 cup of cooled, toasted almonds, and blend until just combined.
Press crust into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake 5-6 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 350*F.

Make the coconut filling-
In a bowl, mix the sweetened condensed milk, coconut and vanilla. Spoon the mixture onto the crust, spreading gently, so you don't disturb the crust.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the coconut is a nice golden brown.
Remove from oven.  Sprinkle with bag of chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes.  The chips should be melted by now.
Spread the melted chocolate over the baked coconut bars.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup toasted almonds on top melted chocolate.

Place coconut bars in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, until chocolate has hardened.

When fully chilled, remove entire dessert from the pan by pulling up on the foil liner. Slice into small bars, using a sharp knife, cleaning the knife (with warm water) between cuts if you want nice, sharp bars.

Bars may be served at room temperature, or directly from the fridge. Store remaining bars in the refrigerator, wrapped well. Can be made 2-3 days in advance.

ENJOY!!!!!!

The Crow's nest

Easy Bacon/Egg Cups for a Crowd

Easy Bacon/Egg Cups for a Crowd 

When all the kids were over or we have guests, preparing this yummy and simple recipe for breakfast is a must!  We have an abundance of farm fresh eggs, so I like to use some of them up while everyone was here.  The recipe uses a muffin tin,  so in no time at all, we had breakfast for us all!  Yumm....give them a try.

12 slices of wheat bread, crusts cut off (or bread of your choice)

12 eggs

6 strips of bacon, pre-cooked and crumbled

Lightly spray your muffin tin with cooking spray.

After cutting the crusts from your bread, push each slice into a muffin tin cup, making sure to not rip or tear the bread, and working it up around the sides of the tin.

  

Next, crack an egg into each bread cup (I used smaller eggs because my tin is a bit on the small side, and the regular eggs were overflowing).

Top the egg with crumbled bacon pieces (I cooked mine the day before so it was all ready, but you can easily 'zap' some in the microwave the day you are preparing these).

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes - you will want to check occasionally so they are cooked they way you like them.

Other options you could try is sprinkling with cheese or using ham instead of the bacon.

Hope you get a chance to try these!

The Crow's Nest

Craw-fish & Sausage Gumbo

Here is a great meal to warm you up during the winter months.  Or, serve this to add a New Orleans flair to your Super Bowl party!

Ingredients List :

1 lb Craw-fish (ours came seasoned & gave the dish a spicy kick.)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb Andouille Sausage, cut into half coins
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 Celery Stalk, chopped
1 clove of Garlic, diced
3 tbs Vegetable Oil
4 tbs Flour
1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Cajun Seasoning
1 C Okra, cut in coins

Directions:

- Boil whole craw-fish in 3 C of water with bouillon cubes for half an hour.
- Remove craw-fish with slotted spoon, remove tails and extract tail-meat and set aside.  Keep head and tail shells and return to broth kept on low until later use.
- Saute onions, celery, and garlic until onions are translucent.  Remove from pan and set aside.
- Put oil and flour in pan and whisk until dark brown to make a roux on medium-high heat do not let it burn.
- Add onions, celery, and garlic previously set aside to the roux and saute for a minute.
- Add can of diced tomatoes to roux mixture.  Do not drain.
- Strain craw-fish broth into roux and tomatoes.  Save the heads for garnish.  (No this is not morbid, they have great flavor!)
- Add sausage, okra, worcestershire sauce, cajun seasoning, and salt to taste.  Allow to simmer for 30 minutes while making white rice.

Serve over rice and garnish with craw-fish heads.  (Suck on the ends of the heads for additional flavor.)

Enjoy!

~ The Moose Lodge