Sugar Ray's Pork Ribs

Made these for dinner tonight, the husband said...Great Dinner, Honey!!  Really Great!!  WOW!  They were really good!  Hope you like them too!

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup White Sugar
2 Tbs. Salt
1 Tbs. Black Pepper
1 1/2 Tbs. Paprika
Dash Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
3-4 lbs. Pork Ribs  (I used bone-in spare ribs, you could use boneless, but I don't know if they would be as tender).
Barbeque Sauce

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl to make a dry rub.  Rub the ribs with the rub and then wrap in plastic wrap and let marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.  (I did overnight).

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Place ribs in a baking dish lined with foil.  Cover tightly with foil and roast for 2 hours.  Check the meat to make sure it is done and then baste with bbq sauce and cook for about 15 more minutes.

Bourbon Chicken

I felt guilty making dinner last night! I made Bourbon Chicken, it reminds me so much of Cruz, (my away at college son), anyway, I always feel guilty when I make it and he is not home!  Hint, hint Blair....make it for the boys in Logan!!  It is easy and sooooo yummy!

2 lb. boneless, skinless  chicken breasts ( I use tenders about 8-10)
4 Tbs. oil for frying
Cornstarch

Sauce:
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. ketchup
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a large ziplock bag.  Put a 2-3 Tbs. corn starch in bag and shake it up until all pieces are covered.  Heat oil in frying pan and fry up the chicken until it is lightly browned and just a tad crispy.  Place on paper towel to drain.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients.  Pour into pan and bring to a boil.  Add chicken back to pan, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve over rice!  Enjoy!

Chicken Manicotti

I found this recipe long ago on the crafting chicks website, (not at all random, huh), but this is the first time that I have tried it, we decided it was a keeper!

1 Box Manicotti Pasta
1 (6 oz) Box Stove Top Stuffing
1 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Can Cream Of Chicken Soup
2 Cups Grated Cheese (I used mozzarella)
6 Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded. ( I used tenders)

Season & cook the chicken, or you can use a rotisserie chicken. 

Add the manicotti to a pan of boiling water.  Boil for 9-10 minutes, don't overcook.  The noodles will start to tear if overcooked.  It is also a good idea to stir them occasionally so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Prepare the Stove Top according to the directions on the box, easy peasy in the microwave!

In a medium bowl, mix together the soup, sour cream and 1 cup of the grated cheese.  Reserve 1 cup of this mixture and set aside.

Combine the chicken, stuffing and sour cream mixture.

When the noodles are done, drain and rinse.  I place mine on a towel to let them cool and prevent them from sticking to each other.

Now the messy fun part.  I used a butter knife to scoop up the mixture and stuff it into the shell, getting it as full as you can get it.  When the filling is gone, or the noodles are all stuffed cover the noodles with the reserved sour cream mixture and sprinkle the cup of cheese on top.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Yummy!

April Menu

Tell me you missed me???  I haven't posted for a while now, many things happening....and besides that, I didn't know that anyone would miss me.  I have had a few friends tell me they have missed the recipes, thanks for that!  Better late than never.  I have started doing my menu by the month, instead of the week.  So here is April.  If a recipe has already been posted, I will show you where you can find it, if not then I will be posting these this month.

Meatloaf  (January 2011)
Vegetable Soup & Grilled Cheese  (November 2010)
Sweet & Sour Chicken with Rice
Beef Stroganoff & Lion House Rolls
Chicken Manicotti
Bourbon Chicken
BBQ Hamburgers & Fresh French Fries
Lasagna & Buttery Bread Sticks
Beef Paprika (February 2011)
Sweet Pork Tacos & Black Beans  (December 2010)
BBQ Pork Sandwiches on French Bread Rolls
Asian Chicken

Desserts
Lemon Pudding Cake
Rice Pudding
Root Beer Floats
Apple Crisp and Vanilla Ice Cream

Chicken Spaghetti

5-6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or 1 Whole Fryer Chicken
1 - 12 oz. pkg. Spaghetti Noodles
1 - 8 oz. pkg. Velveeta Cheese, Cubed
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Chicken Broth or 2 Cups Reserved Chicken Stock if Whole Chicken is Used

Fill stock pot with water.  Clean and rinse whole fryer or chicken pieces.  Add chicken, add a little seasoning salt, pepper and poultry seasoning while the chicken cooks.  Cook until chicken is done. Remove from pot and let cool, saving the stock if a whole chicken was used.  Cook the spaghetti noodles in the chicken broth or the stock.  Drain the noodles, reserving 2 cups of broth or stock.  Break the chicken into smaller pieces and add to noodles. In a large bowl combine Velveeta, broth and cream of chicken soup.  Place in microwave and cook for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is smooth and cheese is melted.  Add mixture to spaghetti and chicken and stir until combined.  Place in a greased 9 x 13 pan and top with some grated cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Beef Paprika

This recipe has been around my house for a long time.  It is truly a family favorite and I love it, hope you will too!

1/4 C. Shortening
2 lb. Stew Meat
1 Onion Sliced
3/4 C. Ketchup
2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard
1 1/2 C. Water

Place diced stew meat and onion in skillet with shortening. stir until the meat is brown and the onion is tender.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, sugar, salt, paprika, mustard and water.  Cover and place in oven at 250 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and
mix 2 Tbs. flour with 1/4 Cup Water and gradually add to the mixture, you can put this back on the stove and heat to boiling stirring constantly for one minute to help thicken it up a little. Serve over rice or noodles.

Brown Sugar Ham In The Crock Pot

I really like ham, but this is a really yummy, easy, juicy way to make a ham. I found this on My Kitchen Cafe and will be making this my go to ham recipe!!

6 ish Pound Ham Bone-In
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Cups Pineapple Juice
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup ( I splurged and bought the real thing)

Put the ham into the crockpot witht the flat side down.  Rub brown sugar all over the sides of the ham.  Pour on pineapple juice and syrup.  Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours.  Baste with the juice before serving.

Honey Lime Pork Enchiladas

Don't you just hate it when you have to come back from vacation and get back into the whole routine of cooking and laundry and all that comes with that?  Well we got back from Hawaii a week ago and I am just now sitting down to post. I found this recipe on Sisters Cafe.  I really did feed my family last week and then it was my turn to cook for the cousin dinner as well on Sunday.  There are 22 of us now at dinner every Sunday, that is crazy!  Anyway I have made these in the past with chicken, but I think I like them even better with pork. This is what I made for them last night! 

1.5 lbs. Pork, cooked and shredded ( I used a pork loin)
Sauce:
1/3 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
1 Tbs. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

2 -3 (10oz.) Cans Green Enchilada Sauce
Equal parts mixed together of:
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
Flour Tortillas

Mix together sauce ingredients then add to shredded pork.  I put mine in a large ziplock bag and let mix it all together.  Let it soak into the meat for about 30 minutes.

Spray your pans with cooking spray.  Pour green enchilada sauce into pans to coat the entire bottom.  Fill the tortillas with shredded meat and desired amount of cheese.  Roll and place in dish.

Pour remainder of sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle more cheese on top.  If you have to open another can of sauce then do, it tastes really good with the sauce.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then turn on broiler and place enchiladas nearer the top of the oven.  Let it broil until the cheese is slightly brown and crispy.  Watch them close, it doesn't take long.  Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ok, so here is the recipe.  It is my all time favorite soup.  It is the one meal Cruz, my son, always asks for, and it is what I made Tristen, my daughter, when she brought her babies home from the hospital!  I hope your family will love it as much as mine!  I got a version of this recipe about 25 years ago from a relief society newsletter, but I have changed it here and there, but this has been it for the past 10 years or so.  Enjoy!

16 Cups Water                                                       Carrots,chopped                                                     
20 Chicken Bouillon Cubes                                  Celery, chopped                               
1/4 tsp. Allspice Seasoning                                  Onion, sliced
3/4 tsp. Poultry Seasoning                                    Chicken
1/4 tsp. Salt                                                             32 oz. Chicken Stock
1/4 tsp. Pepper                                                       1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 Cup Half and Half                                             Noodles

Start with the chicken.  You can use whatever you have in the freezer or a rotisserie chicken works great as well.  Just cook, shred and set aside.
Bring water, bouillon cubes, seasonings, salt , pepper, carrots, celery and onion to a boil and cook until vegetables are tender.  When vegetables are done put in your noodles.  You can again use whatever you have.  My favorite are Grandmas Noodles, available in the freezer section.  I use one package.  Add noodles to soup and cook until noodles are tender.  Add chicken to soup and let simmer for 30 minutes.  When done, mix the can of soup with the 1/4 cup half and half and mix well to get the lumps out then add to soup.  Bring to a boil again and then reduce heat and serve. 

You can omit the last step of adding the soup and half and half if you do not want it creamy.

Will Post Tomorrow

I have had so many people ask me for my Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe.  I am so happy to share, but the problem is, I don't measure when I make it.  So tonight I am making this for dinner, I will slow down and measure and will post the recipe tomorrow.  Have a great day!! :)

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

I love Chinese food!  Ok, I love food!!  Anyway...this might be a new favorite!  I was so excited to try this, it came out of a ward cookbook, but I changed it just a bit.  It was so, so yummy!!  The family loved it!

2 Pkgs. Udon Noodles, Beef Flavored (found in the produce dept. I got mine at Harmons)
1 tsp. Dark Sesame Oil                                         12 oz. Sirloin (ask the butcher to slice it thin)
1 Cup Sliced Onion                                                3 Tbs. Beef Broth
3 Cups Chopped Broccoli                                     3 Tbs. Soy Sauce
1 Tbs. Minced, Peeled Ginger                              2 Tbs. Brown Sugar
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced                                        1 Tbs. Hoisin Sauce

Open the noodles and run them under hot water to separate noodles.  Place noodles in a bowl with 2/3 cup hot water and the seasoning packet that comes in the noodles, set aside. Heat a few Tbs. of vegetable oil in a skillet or wok and add onion and broccoli.  Stir fry about 4 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic and keep stirring and cooking while adding beef, cook until beef is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.  In a small bowl mix beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar and hoisin sauce.   Back to the noodles, drain the water out of the noodles and toss the noodles with the sesame oil, then toss the noodles with the beef broth mixture then add to skillet.  Heat through.  You can also add pea pods if desired.

Oven Barbecued Chicken and Yummy Potatoes

This chicken is so good!  I love the sauce!  I got this from a great cook in my neighborhood, thanks Lindsey!!  The potatoes I found in a magazine somewhere and ripped it out a while ago, but had never tried it, so good!!

Barbecued Chicken

1 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Cup Vinegar
1 Cup Sugar
6 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Mustard
1 tsp. Garlic Salt

Mix all ingredients and pour over cut up chicken.  Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours.  *When the chicken is done add some cornstarch and water to thicken up the sauce, it is really good!!

Yummy Potatoes

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Packet Onion Soup Mix
5-8 Red Potatoes (Cut into chunks)

I used a large ziplock baggie and shook everything up and then poured it into a greased baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or if you're cooking it with the chicken I just put them in at the same time and they were perfect.

Skookie Pizzas

Do you own a skookie pan?  I loved mine so much that I bought 4!!  They are perfect for individual pizzas or yummy chocolate cookie desserts!  It makes a big cookie and then you put ice cream on it and carmel or hot fudge, soooo good!!  Anyway...back to dinner!

I usually get a pizza dough from the bakery at Harmons. I make them into individual size pizza's add the sauce, cheese and whatever else you love on your pizza.  This is one of my little girls favorite meals, she loves to make her own pizza.

If you don't have a skookie pan, get one, if you're not sure, borrow mine! :)

Meatloaf

Happy New Year!!  I totally enjoyed the craziness of Christmas and the break from cooking every night!  But today is the day to get back to the status quo.... School is back on and the tree is down.  This recipe is so old and is Todd's Dads favorite meal!!  Whenever he does something for us, fix a car, an appliance, you name it this is what he gets as a thank you!!  My children, with the exception of Maddie, despise this!  If you are not a ketchup fan, I don't recommend it!

1 1/2 Pounds Hamburger
3/4 Cup Oatmeal
1 Egg
Ketchup ( Just enough to hold it all together and it looks ketchupy) So scientific, huh!
2 Tbsp. Milk
Mustard (Just a squirt)
1 Small Brick of Cheese (cut into cubes)
Seasonall
Salt & Pepper

Mix altogether by hand.  It is really messy, I use a rubber glove! :)
Place in a greased 9 x 13 pan , I kind of mold it into a loaf shape!  Can you tell this is kind of a made up recipe? 

Sauce:

1 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Vinegar

Simmer in a sauce pan until it is glazy, it only takes a few minutes.  Pour over the meat and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.