Easy, Fall-Off -The-Bone, Ribs

Quick Sunday Meal (or any day) Get your crock pot ready. I turned it on at 8am and it was ready by 12noon (when we got back from church).

Ingredients
Rack of pork ribs, cut in 1/2 to fit in the crock pot.
1 C of Apple Cider vinegar
Lawry's seasoning salt
Lawry's garlic salt
1-2C Bulls Eye BBQ sauce (or your favorite), amount depends on how "saucy" you like your ribs.

Directions
1. Place ribs in the crock pot & season
2. Pour in vinegar, avoid pouring over pork since it might remove the salt.
3. Place on high for 4 hours.
4. Pour BBQ sauce over the top and let it cook for another 30min-1hour while you make your sides. See "patatas a la pobre" for a yummy potato side.

Garlic-Roasted Chicken

Anyone else need a good cleanse as you kick off 2012. Garlic is one of the best things to cleanse, build up your immune system & prevent illness. If only I didn't have to avoid the human population for 48 hours after consumption, but it's worth the benefits. Dr. Weil eats 2 raw cloves {gag} everyday as part of his routine.

{Taken from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast book}:: "Roasting softens and mellows garlic, turning it into a mild, delicious spread for crusty bread. Leftover chicken can be used in dishes like chicken enchiladas. The garlic tops serve as a rack for the chicken. Garlic bottoms are flipped halfway through to soak up juices." And wow...that garlic is SO good spread over fresh bread.

This chicken was moist, full of flavor & EASY! Enjoy.

Serve with your favorite sides. I served it with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe.

Serves 4-6; Prep: 10minutes; Total time: 1 hour, 10minutes

Ingredients:
4 heads of garlic (see I wasn't messing around)
8 sprigs of fresh oregano (I used dried b/c I didn't have fresh)
2 whole chicken breasts (3.5lbs) rinsed and patted dry
2T olive oil
Coarse Salt & Fresh ground pepper.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops from garlic heads, reserving the bottoms; arrange the tops, cut sides down, in the center of an 11-by-17-inch roasting pan. Place 1 sprig of the oregano over each garlic top, and arrange the chicken breasts over the garlic.
2. Place the reserved garlic bottoms, cut sides up, next to the chicken in the pan. Drizzle the chicken and garlic bottoms with the olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; place the remaining 4 sprigs of oregano on top.
3. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes; turn the garlic bottoms cut sides down, and rotate the pan. Continue roasting the chicken until the skin is browned, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more.
4. Pour the pan juices into a measuring cup; skim the fat from the top. Serve the juices with chicken and roasted garlic.

Teriyaki Turkey Meatballs & Stir Fry

Need dinner in 10 minutes (no joke!)? My daughter & I played "Iron Chef" and she timed me. We were both laughing so hard as I literally *threw* items into the wok. A fun memory and a delicious, low-fat & cal, high fiber & protein meal. What more could you ask for?

I grabbed 2 bags from the freezer & all my remaining fresh veggies. Guess what? The WHOLE family LOVED it!

Ingredients:
1 bag of Trader Joe's Turkey Meatballs
1 bag of Trader Joe's Pre-cooked Organic Brown Rice (organic is key, regular = disgusting)
1/2 bag of Trader Joe's broccoli Slaw
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 zucchini, finely chopped
1/2 container of crimini mushrooms
1 handful of mini carrots, finely chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 handful of snap peas, sliced on diagonal
{remember: you can just use any hard vegetables left in your drawer, you don't have to use all of these or you could add more)
2 T peanut or vegetable oil (EVOO will NOT work with stir fry, gets too hot)

Sauce:
1/2 C (or more) Soyyaki sauce
2 T cornstarch
2 T honey

Directions:
1. Turn stove onto high heat (7 or 8); Add oil into Wok.
2. When oil is hot, stir in vegetables, salt & pepper to taste & cook until they begin to look transparent. Remove.
3. While vegetables are cooking, defrost meatballs for 2 minutes in microwave (entire bag).

4. Turn Wok heat to medium. Add in sauce & stir quickly, add in meatballs. Keep stirring. Don't let sauce burn. Coat meatballs in sauce until saturated and covered.
5. While meatballs are coating in sauce, put rice in microwave & cook.

6. Serve meatballs over rice, vegetables on the side or add on top of rice, then meatballs.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

Ingredients:
1 Pork Shoulder
1 bottle of Jack Daniels Original BBQ Sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1 mini can of pineapple juice
2T of Worcestershire sauce (if you have it)

Directions
1. Put pork shoulder in slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours, until it almost falls off the bone.
2. Once it's completely cooked, skim off fat, remove bone and shred pork. {keep bone for the amazing bean soup recipe posted here}
3. Add in BBQ sauce, sugar & juice - stir. Cook for 1 hour longer (on high or low, depending on when you want to serve it).

Make into "Bro-hams" and serve on a bun with coleslaw, and "patatas a la pobre" {see recipe)

Easy coleslaw: Buy pre-shredded cabbage & mix in with Brianna's poppyseed dressing.

Turkey Meatballs by M. Lazaro

Ingredients:
1lb of ground turkey
1/2 packet of Italian dressing mix
1 C of Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
1T olive oil

Directions:
1. Mix all together, except EVOO
2. Form into meatballs
3. Add EVOO into pan & brown meat balls on all sides
4. Place onto a baking sheet and cook @ 375 for 20-25 minutes (watch).

Serve alone w/ rice OR with your traditional spaghetti and Bolognese or Marinara sauce.

*This is a VERY easy recipe that your children will love to make "by themselves".

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1t of liquid smoke (Opt'l)

DIRECTIONS
2 options:
EASY OPTION: Mix all together and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
OR
EASY, but longer:
1. Season defrosted chicken w/ garlic powder, salt & pepper and put in the slow cooker w/ 2-3C of chicken broth - Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until you can Shred chicken 2. Drain off fat & liquid
3. Put chicken back in the pot - Add in sauce
4. Cook for another 2 hours.

TIPS
*I used a small bottle of Jack Daniel's original BBQ sauce; perfect for kids who don't like a "kick" in their sauce, but parents who like a ton of flavor
*Great with boneless ribs & shredded beef - I follow option 2 w/ this meat.

Mac N Cheese by B. Walker

Here is a fantastic Barefoot Contessa recipe i tried the other night...I left out the nutmeg.. Soo yummy and makes enough for 8 people!

Ingredients

* Kosher salt
* Vegetable oil
* 1 pound elbow macaroni
* 1 quart milk
* 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
* 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
* 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Organic Beef Stew

Jamie (my sister's sister-in-law...follow?) made this on Christmas Eve and said it was the best beef stew she's ever had!

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons Organic Valley Cultured Butter or Pasture Butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Organic Prairie Boneless New York Strip Steaks (each 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bottle (12 ounces) stout beer
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon crushed thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups finely diced carrots

PREPARATION

1) Heat 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Toss beef pieces with the flour and saute until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. (For better browning, do this in two batches.) Add garlic and saute 1 minute.

2) Add beef stock, beer, tomato paste, honey, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, herbs and spices. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3) Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Cook vegetables, stirring often, about 20 minutes.

4) Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes longer.

5) Discard bay leaves. Let beef stew stand off the heat 20 minutes or longer. Spoon off any fat. Reheat before serving.

15 Bean & Ham Soup

Danielle made this last week and it was one of the best soups I've ever had! Such a great winter day recipe.

"15 bean" bag (Albertsons has a *great* one but didn't use the pork seasoning); You have to rinse these beans - you can soak them the night before.
8 cups water (or chicken broth if you don't have a ham bone for extra seasoning)
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped (1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 ham bone or 2 pounds shanks
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices (1 1/2 cups)

1. Heat beans and water to boiling in 4-quart Dutch oven. Boil uncovered 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
2. Stir in onion, celery and pepper. Add ham bone. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 1 hour 30 minutes or until beans are tender.
3. Remove ham bone; remove ham from bone. Trim excess fat from ham; cut ham into 1/2-inch pieces. {I didn't have a ham bone so I skipped this step}
4. Stir ham and carrots into soup. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until carrots are tender and soup is desired consistency.

{this recipe can also substitute beans for split peas}

Chicken Verde

The title sounds good but it was SO yummy. Get ready for the easiest meal of your life...just made it up!

2 chicken breasts - butterfly cut them so they're thin
1 can of TJ's verde salsa
1 small yellow onion
* yep! that's it. The salsa is so mild but FULL of flavor, it's all you need.

Directions:
1. Sautee onions in 2T of olive oil until onions are caramelized/clear.
2. Place chicken in a 9x9 pan.
3. Drizzle onions over chicken.
4. Cover with the entire bottle of verde salsa
5. Cover with tin foil.
Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes (until cooked all the way through).

*Serve with black beans, corn & rice. Could be great w/ mashed potatoes too, instead of a Mexican meal, make it an American one.

Poppy Seed Chicken by J. Robinson

An old southern favorite {so lots of butter}. My friend Jen passed this on.

Boil 3 chicken breast with salt and pepper and tear apart
1 can cream of chicken (I prefer cream of mushroom, but up to you)
1 cup sour cream
about a tablespoons of poppy seeds (really it is just to add "color")
a cup or more of cheese (I like more!)
Mix all of that together and pour into medium casserole dish
Crumble one sleeve of ritz crackers and mix with 1/2 stick of melted butter and spread over top.

350* for about 20 - 30 minutes

Lemon Chicken by. M Ivans

This family recipe has been around for decades. My aunt reminded me of it. Yummy & Easy!

2 whole chicken breasts-split, boned, skinned (I use chicken strips, tenders)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 Tbsp. olive/vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 thin lemon slices.

Directions:
1.In skillet in hot oil, cook chicken 10 min. or until browned on both sides.
2.Spoon off fat.
3.Combine soup and milk, stir in lemon juice and pepper; pour over chicken .
4.Top with lemon slices, reduce heat to low; simmer 5 min. or until chicken is fork tender, stirring occasionally.

I serve with Chicken Rice-a-Roni or wild rice, whatever you like and veggies. Such a fast, tasty dinner.

Simple Italian Chicken & Linguini by T.Krupa

Saute (on low) chicken breast in bite size in chopped cilantro, basil, garlic, olive oil and cooking white wine. Serve over linguini with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and top with Parmesan cheese. Red pepper flakes optional.

Braised Chicken w/ Mushrooms & Oven Baked Polenta

Serves 4

Ingredients
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/2-inch-thick
* 4 garlic cloves, halved
* 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
* 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
* 1 Trader Joe's polenta. I sliced it 1" think and served them round. {Follow instructions...can be baked while chicken is cooking.}

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Add chicken, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
2. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic, and season with salt. Cover; and cook over medium heat until mushrooms release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove lid. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add wine, and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add broth and parsley, cook over medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender and liquid is reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Return chicken to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve chicken topped with mushrooms, and drizzled with cooking liquid. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Southern Chicken Crunch by J.Robinson

This is my friend's "go-to" recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but seems easy and she says it's "yummy!"

3-4 chicken breasts - cubed and sautéed with salt and pepper

1 can cream of chicken {I think cream of mushroom tastes better}

1 cup sour cream

2 T mayo

2 T milk

1 small bag sliced almonds

1 can sliced water chestnuts

2 cans fried onions

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except one can of onions and bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Top with can of onions and bake an extra 5-10 minutes or until onions brown (you could always turn on the broiler if you are in a hurry).

Polynesian Pork Chops by, M. Lazaro

Super easy. Lots of flavor. Serve with rice & veggies

Ingredients
4 pork chops (or two from Costco, then butterfly)
1 small yellow onion (if you like onion, add the whole thing chopped, if not cut in 1/2)
1 can Golden Mushroom soup (Campbells)
2T olive oil
3T soy (low sodium)
2T honey
3/4 can of pineapple juice (mini Dole cans)...add the whole thing for extra sauce.
optional: chunks of pineapple

Directions
1. Pat pork chop dry w/ paper towel.
2. Season both sides with garlic or onion powder (I added fresh ground pepper too)
3. Add 2T evoo to Pan on med/high heat
4. Cook pork chops for about 3 minutes, each side (until golden and almost cooked)
5. Once you flip the pork chops, add chopped onion (stir so they don't burn)
*While pork chops are cooking, in a small bowl mix: soup, soy, honey and pineapple juice (and pineapple chunks, if desired).]
6. Add in above mixture (aka sauce), cover w/ a lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Plate pork then spoon sauce over each serving.

Makes a ton of sauce, so no need to double recipe. Start to finish - 20 minutes.

Italian Pot Pie by J. Robinson

• 1 – 1 ½ pound hamburger or turkey
• ½ jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups mozzarella
• 1 tube crescent rolls
• Italian Seasonings
• Sour cream

1. Brown meat and add seasonings to taste. Drain.
2. Spread into 8x8 casserole dish.
3. Pour sauce over meat and spread evenly.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top.
5. Unroll crescent rolls but do not separate. Spread 1-2 spoonfuls of sour cream evenly. Separate and roll. Place 1” apart over cheese.
6. Bake 375 for 30 minutes covered. Uncover and bake additional 10 minutes or until brown.

shrimp and crab enchiladas by J. Allen

INGREDIENTS

• 12 (12 inch) flour tortillas
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained (TJs had a great one!)
• 1 pound cooked medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 (20 ounce) can green enchilada sauce
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Lay tortillas on a flat surface. In the middle of each tortilla place equal amounts of cheese, crab, and shrimp.
3. Set aside some cheese to sprinkle on top of the tortillas.
4. Roll the tortillas to form enchiladas.
5. Arrange side by side in a 9x13 inch baking pan.
6. Pour green enchilada sauce over all of the enchiladas; the green sauce should cover the enchiladas completely.
7. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas.
8. Cover, and bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
9. Remove cover, and continue baking 15 minutes.
10. Top enchiladas with sour cream and green onions to serve.

cream cheese chicken roll ups by J. Allen

ingredients:
4 chix breasts
8oz. cream cheese softened
4 green onions
4 slices of bacon

directions:preheat oven to 375. pound chix breasts to 1/4". mix cream cheese and green onions in a small bowl. spread cream cheese mix on chix and roll it up. then wrap bacon around the chix. bake for 35-45 mins.

Turkey and Veggie Lasagna by C. Kemp

Yummy, easy turkey and veggie lasagna.

8 oz (1/2 package) lasagna noodles, uncooked
15 oz container ricotta cheese (I use lowfat)
2 cups mozzarella (I use part-skim), divided
1/2 cup parmesan (I like the shredded kind)
2 eggs
1 1/2 to 2 jars pasta sauce (depending on how saucy you like it)
1 lb ground turkey, cooked and drained
1 med zucchini, chopped
1 pkg frozen spinach (I think it's 10 oz?)
1 tsp parsley flakes

1. Cook zucchini in pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then set aside. Cook spinach in microwave according to package directions, then squeeze out water thoroughly. Cook ground turkey and drain.

2. Preheat oven 350 F. In medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, parmesan, and eggs, mix well. Cover bottom of 13 X 9 pan with a thin layer of pasta sauce. In separate bowl combine rest of pasta sauce, ground turkey, zucchini, and spinach.

3. Place 1/3 of the uncooked pasta over sauce (I lay 3-4 noodles lengthwise in pan). Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the uncooked pasta; top with 1/3 of remaining meat sauce.

4. Repeat step 3.

5. Top with remaining uncooked pasta and meat sauce. Cover with foil. Bake 1 hour.

6. Uncover and sprinkle with reserved mozzarella and parsley flakes. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand 15 mins before cutting and serving. Bon appetit!