Hawaiian Style Short Ribs

I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe in November's issue of Everyday Food.  I mean...short ribs?  In the crockpot?  REALLY???

But, I was curious enough to try it.  And man...I am SO glad I did.  I served this on a Sunday night about 2 weeks ago.  Theresa's godparents were at our house, and declared this "absolutely delicious."  They are famous for looking me up on Facebook to see what I'm making...then they'll call and ask if they can come over for dinner, LOL.  They even went so far as to say to please call them if I made this dish again, because they would love to help us eat it.  Imagine that!  Hilarious. 

Anyway...all my kids devoured this meal too.  I knew I would be making this again...very soon, and post it.   It was easy to make...most crock pot dishes are no brainers.  So here is a fabulous meal, fancy enough to serve to guests, yet casual enough to eat with your hands.  I mean...y'all eat ribs with your fingers, right? ;-)

Hawaiian Style Short Ribs

barely adapted from Everyday Food

4 pounds beef short ribs (I used 6 pounds for our larger family)

2 red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges (leaving the root ends intact)

6 cloves garlic, smashed

2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar (or 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar)

2 tablespoons molasses*

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce

6 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Sriracha or favorite chili sauce

3 cups fresh, cubed pineapple

Cooked white rice for serving

Chopped green onions for serving

*I usually don't have dark brown sugar on hand, but you can substitute regular, white sugar plus 3 tablespoons molasses to make 1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar, OR 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar plus 2 tablespoons of molasses).  I also didn't use Sriracha...because my kids have sensitive tongues, so I used 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce.  If you like a bit of spice, go for it!

In the bottom of your large crock pot/slow cooker, place the onion, garlic, and ginger.  (You will need a 5-6 quart slow-cooker). 

Put the short ribs on top, in one tight layer.  I had to put the last one in as a second layer because I ran out of room, but don't worry, they'll be fine. 

David and I had a date Friday night.  I wanted to go check out a new international food market downtown.  Phoenicia specializes in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean foods.  They had a new location, and I was hoping for free samples.  There were none but we bought a few items like capers, dried fruit, chocolate, and these awesome looking short ribs.  We ended up at Niko Niko's for dinner...which was fabulous and delicious.  Thanks for tolerating my commerical interruption!

Whisk together the brown sugar, molasses (if using), soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili sauce.  Pour all over the ribs.

Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours  (or on low for 6 hours).  Add the cubed pineapple and continue to cook for another hour (or 2) or until the fruit is tender.  I probably used more than 3 cups, but you know me...I'm not much for measuring. ;-)

Alternatively, you can cook this on low for 8 hours, and add the pineapple the last 2 hours.

When you can't wait any longer, use a pair of tongs or a big spoon to remove the short ribs.  Do this gently, as they'll be tender little babies. ;-).  Then take a big, slotted spoon to remove the onions, pineapple, ginger and garlic. 

Use a ladle or degreasing cup to skim as much fat as possible from the cooking liquid. 

Serve the ribs over some rice, along with the pineapple and onions.  Drizzle some of the cooking liquid over the top...it's the best part, I'm telling ya!  Garnish with the green onions (it adds a nice, fresh flavor, and gives the dish some texture).

When I made this the first time, there was none left over.  At all.  Gracious...I was disappointed!  Oh well, I just won't post it on Facebook next time, ha ha. ;-)  This time, there was enough left over for another meal. 

This is the most incredible Sunday supper.  Easy as pie to make, and your house will smell divine.  Just throw it in the crock pot before church on Sunday, and come dinner time, everyone will be singing your praises!

God bless your table tonight!

Crockpot Ravioli

So now that school is back in session, we're all looking for quick, easy, meals to get on the table, right?  Well, look no further.  A good friend of mine emailed this recipe to me...and I knew I had to try it.  Best of all, I could use jarred pasta sauce and frozen ravioli...yeah!  Okay, I admit, I wasn't going to take the time to make my own pasta sauce, let alone homemade ravioli anyway.  

Here's the link to the original recipe, feel free to tweak it the way your family likes it.  As you'll see, I didn't have any red peppers, so I used a few, chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  I doubled the recipe, and had only one and a half jars of pasta sauce...it worked just fine.  I have an Italian seasoning spice blend, but I decided to use Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle, because I just love it.  I didn't' add the one cup of water...I find most crock-pot meals don't need a lot of added liquid.  And I sprinkled some freshly grated Pecorio-Romano cheese over the top of the finished dish...because you can never have enough cheese if you're serving kids. :-)

Crockpot Ravioli

adapted from Food.com

One bag (25 ounces) frozen beef or cheese ravioli

1 jar (24 ounces) prepared pasta sauce

1 (8 ounces) can tomato sauce

2-3 tablespoons chopped red pepper

Italian seasoning blend

1-2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of your crockpot.  (If you're doubling the recipe, you will definitely need a large, 5 quart slow-cooker). I used a tomato-basil marinara sauce.  

Arrange the ravioli over the sauce.  

Pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the spice blend...about 2 teaspoons. 

Add the tomato sauce, and sprinkle on a bit more spice blend ( wanted some herbal flavor in between the layers).  Top with the chopped peppers (I used sun-dried tomatoes).  

Sprinkle the cheese over everything and cover.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until the ravioli is heated through. 

Here's what my pot looked like after 4.5 hours.  

Voila!  And I didn't have to do any cooking at all!  :-)

Garnish with a little freshly chopped basil and some grated parmesan cheese if desired.  

The pickiest eater in our house (Christina) LOVED this, and get this...she asked for seconds.  I'm telling you, that never, ever, happens, so I was thrilled!  

Enjoy, and God bless your table tonight!

Italian Style Cube Steak with Tomatoes and Peppers

I was planning out our meals for this week, and realized I hadn't made anything with beef in a while.  I sure don't want the hubby to get cranky and suffer from beef withdrawl.  I've made this before, but didn't blog it, so here's a easy-as-pie, skillet supper that is tasty to boot.

My mom never made cube steak growing up.  She would buy sirloin steaks or other "higher" quality beef and use it for her stir-frys.  David grew up eating cube steak, and I have made chicken fried steak a few times.  But I'll have to save that for another post.  CFC isn't hard, but it is a technique, and I didn't have the time to make it properly tonight. 

Because....

My van's transmission is out, so I dropped it off at the dealership this morning, and their shuttle took me and Gabriel home.  We found out later the van would not be ready until sometime tomorrow, so I called a rental car place.  They said they'd come "pick me up."  Well, 45 minutes later, no ride.  I am beyond frustrated because I live 3 minutes from them...literally.  There's NO WAY this driver could get lost.  I called 2x and said, "Um...where's my ride???"  Turns out the gal they sent out was brand new...first day on the job, first day in town, period.  Well Lord have mercy! 

Finally, nearly an hour later, my ride shows up.  This gal (not the original driver they sent out) apologized profusely, got me to their office, and very expediently got my rental ready to go in under 5 minutes, plus she threw in a 10% discount.  All righty...I get the keys and high tail it home so I can get dinner going. 

So now it's past 5:00, but thankfully, I'd already done all my prep work, so I got everything in the pan and I had dinner on the table just before 6:30.  Whew!  I can't do any 30 minute meals, but I can cook under pressure!

Hopefully you can make this meal at your leisure, and not speed cook like I did!

Italian Style Cube Steak with Tomatoes and Peppers

6-8 cube steaks, (make 8 if you're feeding a family of 6 like ours)

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 can (15 ounces) Italian style diced tomatoes

1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

1/2 cup red wine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound  penne or other tube-shaped pasta

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in a large, zip-top plastic bag.

Place the cube steaks in the bag, 2 at a time, and shake to coat.  Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining steaks. 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown the cube steaks on both sides.  I cooked just 4 at a time because you don't want to crowd the pan.  This will only take 2-3 minutes per side. 

Once you've browned all the cube steaks return them to the pan.  Add the onions, peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,  red wine, and garlic. 

You can give everything a stir at this point, but I usually wait until later.  I like keeping the tomatoes, onions, and peppers on top...it keeps the meat moist while it's cooking.  And if you don't want to used color peppers (I know they can be expensive...I got mine for $1 each on sale this week at Kroger), green bell peppers will work just fine.  You might like to add a pinch or two of sugar to conteract the acidity of the tomatoes.  Red, yellow, and orange bell peppers have enough natural sugars, so you don't need to add any extra sugar to the dish.  I also threw some Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle in the pan strictly on a whim...if you don't have any, more Italian seasoning will work just fine. 

Cover the pan and simmer the steaks for 45 minutes to an hour.  The meat should be nice and tender...no knife required!  The flour used to coat the steaks should have thickened the sauce...if you like it thinner, you can add a bit of water or wine.   

During the last 10 minutes of the cooking time, drop your pasta and cook until al dente. 

To serve, make a bed of pasta on a plate.  Top with one of the steaks, and and some of the sauce. 

Doesn't this look like a perfect meal for a cold, rainy night? 

All of the kids (except Christina) inhaled their dinner...Gabriel had seconds! 

Hope you get a chance to make this comforting meal for you family sometime.  I wanted to post something that wasn't meatless.  But I'll be back in a couple of days for a meatless entree for Friday!

God bless your table tonight!

Grilled London Broil with Roasted Vegetables

For whatever reason, I haven't bought veggies in a while.  Can't figure out why (brain is not on yet this AM).

Oh yes...now I remember why. 

3 weeks ago, David tore up everything in the garden, (except the pepper plants) roto-tilled for 2 days, and replanted the beds with fall stuff...which means beans, broccoli, lettuce, onions, kale, and a couple of other things I can't recall at this moment. 

It does means in about another month, I'll have some more fresh veggies to pick.  Until then, I had to go see what was at the store yesterday.  Everything was on special, well...everything I wanted to buy anyway ;-).  I bought all of this:

And this doesn't include the bag of baby spinach, a second bunch of asparagus, and the 4 other red peppers I bought ('cause I can't help myself...Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce anyone?).  The asparagus was $1.77 /lb, the peppers were 4 for $5.  What a deal! 

As you know by now, David always keeps his eyes peeled for a good piece of beef.  Last time he went to the store, he saw a London Broil marked down.  I of course, threw it right into the freezer for later.  Later has come folks...and paired with a pan of roasted veggies, this was a quick, simple weekday dinner.

Grilled London Broil with Roasted Vegetables

1 London broil (about 2 pounds) or steak of choice

1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend (like McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak)

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1 small zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch

1 small yellow squash, sliced 1/4 inch

1/2 red onion, quartered

1/2 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed

salt and black pepper

1/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Season the steak on both sides with the grill seasoning.  Let it hang out in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, prep all your vegetables and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle some olive oil on a large sheet pan.  Toss the vegetables with the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, basil, and a little more olive oil.  Then spread it out on the sheet pan. 

Mama always said, "You need to eat your vegetables!"  Don't forget to call her and tell her you did.  (No need to thank me...and you're welcome ;-).

Roast the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until they're tender (but not soft...we want a bit of crunch still).  Give the pan a little shake and rotate it about halfway through the cooking time. 

While the veggies are roasting, let's grill the steak up.  I like London Broil on the rare side, but you cook your beef the way you want to.  I grilled ours over medium flame on the gas grill outside for about 8 minutes per side. 

Let the steak rest for a good 10 minutes before serving.  This redistributes all the juices and the beef will stay nice and tender.

Serve the steak with the roasted veggies on the side.

If you prefer other vegetables, by all means roast 'em instead of using what I did.  My kids love roasted green beans, and Roasted Broccoli, (which comes out especially good with the broccoli from our garden). 

So there you have it, a steak dinner, with vegetables and no guilt involved.  Unless you eat a brownie afterwards, which I most certainly did not do. 

Okay...I did.  But I only had half of it.  I gave Gabriel the other half.  He was happy.  I mourned. 

God bless your table tonight!

Oven Baked Beef Brisket

A while back (well, back in March), David bought a brisket on sale at the store, and I promptly threw it into the deep freezer.  I was digging in there this week, looking for the homemade cranberry to use for Cranberry Chicken Bake when I found the brisket on the very bottom.  I decided I'd better make it before it started to get freezer burn. 

Once the brisket was thawed, I saw that all the fat had been trimmed away.  I've made briskets before, and you really need to have the big cap of fat on it.  The fat is pretty unattractive, but it adds flavor and moisture to the brisket while it bakes. And you can just cut it off before you call everyone to the table. 

Ree Drummond, "The Pioneer Woman" has a brisket recipe I want to try sometime.  She leaves the fat cap on too, and her method is almost the same as mine.  My recipe is from my MIL, and it's as easy as pie. 

So we'll just pretend this poor side of beef has the fat still on it, and doesn't look like the butcher got a little too carried away.  This brisket really doesn't have that soft, triangular shape I'm used to seeing...maybe the butcher was having a bad day? 

I had a whole mess of orange and red peppers from the garden that needed to be used up, so I decided to cut 'em up and put them on top of the brisket while it baked.  I do this with ribs sometimes, so I figured it wouldn't be an injustice to try it with brisket.

Fat cap on or off, peppers and onions or not, let's cook this big boy, shall we?

Oven Baked Beef Brisket

1 large beef brisket, 5-7 pounds (it really depends on how big the crowd is)

2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce

1 (4 ounce bottle) liquid smoke (I used a mesquite flavor)

1 tablespoon each onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and celery salt

Lay out the brisket on one sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.  Make sure the foil is big enough to enclose the brisket.  Sprinkle both sides with the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and celery salt.  I used a smoked paprika...regular sweet paprika is just fine. 

Line a 9x13 pan with another sheet of aluminum foil.  Carefully place the brisket and the foil sheet underneath it into the pan.  You'll see I have one sheet of foil laying horizontal, and one vertical. 

Pour over the worchestershire sauce and the liquid smoke.  If you've got 'em, place the peppers and onions over the brisket.  Otherwise, just wrap the brisket tightly using the aluminum foil.  Crimp the edges really well; we don't want anything to leak out. 

Bake the brisket at 350 degrees for one hour.  Then turn the temperature down to 250 degrees and bake the brisket for an additional hour per pound.  My brisket was 4.98 pounds, so I baked mine for about 6 hours.  I checked it after 5.5 hours, and saw that it was done, so the last 1/2 hour I just turned the temp down to 200 to keep it warm.

Let the meat stand for about 10-15 minutes before serving.  Grab a big cutting board...this get a bit messy.

Take a portion of the meat (it should be very tender, and fall apart when you try to cut it), and either shred or cut into slices against the grain.  I sliced some for David and I and shredded some for the kids. 

Serve with the pan juices, and peppers and onions (if you had 'em).  I made some baked beans and corn-on-the-cob on the side.  David loves his brisket with barbeque sauce. 

Since it's Labor Day weekend, I hope you go get a nice big slab of beef and try this recipe.  It's easy and foolproof.  That's the best thing about brisket...it's hard to mess up.  Just throw it in the oven and bake until it gives up ;-). 

God bless your table tonight!

Messed Up Meatloaf

What? Are you thinking I've lost it? Well, don't worry, I haven't. Although my brain is at risk for overheating...literally. It's been over 95 degrees for nearly 8 weeks in a row now...with a heat index of over 100. Should I try to fry an egg on the sidewalk? What do y'all think? Oh, and at this very moment, the wind is blowing and there's thunder in the air...but you know what? It's all a scam...I'll bet you $100 right now this storm system will pass right over without giving up a single drop of rain! (And sure enough, while I was working on this post, the sun came out, there was no rain, and it's now 99 degrees instead of 100. Whoo hoo!)

Instead of experimenting outside....let's get going INSIDE my lovely air-conditioned kitchen and throw some meatloaf together. This recipe is about 5 years in in the making...I've made it dozens of times now, and I really think I've tweaked it to death. The best part about this meatloaf is the secret ingredient...and yes, your kids and hubby will never know.

I like to use one pound of ground sirloin and one pound of ground pork. The pork adds great flavor...and you don't end up with just a loaf of beef. And if you know me well enough by now, there's lots of fresh thyme, involved too. Lastly, I put bacon on top, because it browns up so well in the oven. I get complaints if I leave it off!

Messed Up Meatloaf

1 pound ground sirloin

1 pound ground pork

1/2 cup pureed carrots (don't worry, I'll show you :-)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 can mild Rotel, well drained

4 tablespoons barbecue sauce (I used a honey mesquite)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

4 slices bacon

First things first...we're going to steam the carrots. Use your vegetable steamer and steam one small package of baby carrots until tender, 14-16 minutes. Save the cooking liquid at the bottom of the steamer. If you don't have a veggie steamer, you can steam the carrots in the microwave or in a medium pot over the stove.

Take the cooked carrots and dump 'em into a blender/food processor and puree the carrots to a smooth consistency. Use about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid if necessary, but you don't want carrot soup here, so use it sparingly.

And if you want to skip this step entirely, just buy 2 jars of pureed carrots in the baby food aisle. I had a bag of carrots in the fridge that needed to be used up.

In a medium skillet, saute the onions until nice and soft, 10-12 minutes.

I find putting raw onions in the meatloaf means the kids will see them later on, resulting in more complaints at dinnertime. Cooking the onions first assures they'll be milder tasting in the finished meatloaf.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the bacon. Use your hands to mix everything together, but be gentle...otherwise the meatloaf will be too dense.

Darn, I forgot the barbecue sauce!

Now, line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and pack the meat mixture gently, but firmly into the pan.

Have a sheet pan ready; invert the loaf pan onto the sheet, then remove the plastic wrap.

Place the bacon strips lengthwise over the meatloaf.

I like to bake the meatloaf on a sheet pan for 2 reasons. 1) You can wrap the bacon around 3 sides instead of just putting it on the top, and 2) The meatloaf cooks more evenly since 3 sides are exposed to the oven heat.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until the internal temperature is 165. If you haven't got a meat thermometer...I've been telling you to go get one right? Trust me...you'll love it...it'll be one of your favorite kitchen tools. Most of the fat will cook out, and make a mess on the sheet pan, but it'll clean up easy...don't worry!

Let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with ketchup, barbecue sauce, or condiment of choice. I made roasted green beans and cheesy mashed potatoes on the side, even though only Rebecca and I eat the potatoes. I personally think it's a crime to have meatloaf without mashed potatoes.

This makes enough to feed us for 2 nights. I guess when the kids are teenagers, I'll be making 2 meatloaves...or more!

God bless your table tonight!