Posts filed under ‘Pork’
Barbecue Baby Back Ribs in the Slow Cooker
Don’t forget to sign up for the Gooseberry Patch giveaway. Comment HERE on this post to be entered. Giveaway ends on Thursday!
I know ~ we have a great smoker so why did I put the ribs in my slow cooker? It was cold and Mr. Meat Eater will only smoke ribs that have a rub on them that is too spicy for me. And I like them saucey. So I searched around for a recipe that would meet my criteria and found one on the Betty Crocker site with the one review I was looking for ~ the meat stays on the ribs. I really don’t like it when the meat falls off the ribs. Must be the cave woman in me.
Now, you can easily make your own barbecue sauce to use but in the spirit of laziness, I used Sweet Baby Rays which is my favorite. I used the plain old barbecue sauce. You will need about 2 or 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
Barbecue Baby Back Ribs in the Slow Cooker
Barbecue sauce ~ homemade or store bought
4 lb pork baby back ribs, cut into 3 rib sections
salt
pepper
Spray a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker. Pour about 1 1/2 to 2 cups sauce over the ribs.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-3 1/2 hours or until tender. I cooked mine on LOW for about 3 hours and then upped it to HIGH for another 3-4 hours. My slow cooker does not get really hot so you will have to adjust for your particular slow cooker. Make sure the pork is completely cooked before removing from slow cooker.
Remove from slow cooker and serve with extra barbecue sauce.
Makes 6-8 servings or 3-4 if you are serving Mr. Meat Eater.
Happy Cooking!
Here Comes Peter Cottontail…Ham!
We always have ham for Easter and I always wonder if it’s the baked ham we love or the ham salad sandwiches the day after (that recipe is included), LOL!
Here a few that I’ve made and loved.
The Barefoot Contessa’s Baked Ham and My Mom’s Ham Salad
I don’t know what recipe I’m going to be using but I think I’ll be trying a new one! What about you?
Happy Cooking!
Sausage with Peppers and Onions
First, thank you to everyone who has written and asked about Minnie. She is doing wonderfully. She is starting to play a little bit and exploring the house more. She is still afraid of people but is becoming used to us and has stopped shaking when she is with us. She is walking great on a leash although stairs and door jams are still hard for her. She will be having surgery in May to fix her eye and to spay her so that is our next big hurdle. Zippy is being a great brother and helping her along. Here she is (she’s afraid of the camera):
Baseball season finally started on the 1st and even though I root for a perennial loser and a perennial winner, I always get excited when the season starts. So, in honor of baseball season, I made some baseball park food ~ sausage and peppers and hot dogs.
The sausage recipe came from Food.com and I have made it a few times for get-togethers. It always goes over big and everyone wants the recipe. It was originally posted by yooper and it’s a winner. I add the onion and leave off the cheese ~ just personal preference.
Sausage with Peppers and Onions
3 green bell peppers
3 medium onions, sliced into rings
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb hot Italian sausage, I cut them to make 2 or 3 inch pieces
1/3 cup red wine
Preheat your oven to 350º.
Remove stems and seeds from the green peppers and cut into large chunks and slice onions into rings.
In an ovenproof baking dish that can also be used on top of the stove, saute green peppers and onions in the olive oil until they are soft then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.
Brown sausage in the same dish.
When sausage is browned, add the red wine.
Cover with lid or foil and bake about 40 minutes.
Uncover baking dish and add cooked green peppers and onions.
Bake an additional 30 minutes.
Place sausage and peppers and onions in a hoagie roll and if you like cheese on it, add cheese and stick under the broiler for a few minutes until melted.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
Happy Cooking!
Gong Xi Fa Cai ~ Wishing You To Be Prosperous in the Coming Year
Today begins the year of the Rabbit in Chinese tradition. Chinese new year was a huge deal when we lived in Hawaii and Chinatown in NYC was fun, too. Here in Virginia, not so much. I’m hoping that I wrote it out correctly in my title ~ if not, someone will let me know I’m sure, LOL!.
Since I am just cooking for myself this week, I am not going all out as I usually do. I just made egg rolls and noodles ~ carbs are my friend!
In researching egg rolls to see if they were even a Chinese tradition, it seems there are many Asian countries that claim egg rolls as their own, including China. There are as many names for egg rolls as there are fillings to use. The recipe I use is really an Americanized version that I have tweaked a bit to make it easy and less meat-filled than some. The recipe was posted on Food.com by Charmie777 .
The noodles are really good and easy to toss together. I left out the chicken but they are yum with or without it. The recipe was posted on Food.com by papergoddess .
I have some other Asian inspired dishes here on my blog ~ Asian Recipes
Chinese Noodles
3 tbsps vegetable oil
1 -2 tbsp sesame oil (I used 2 tbsps)
2 cups shredded cabbage or Chinese cabbage (I used cole slaw mix)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
8 ounces angel hair pasta
2 -4 tbsps soy sauce (I used more than 4 tbsps)
4 ounces sliced cooked chicken breasts (optional)
1 can bean sprouts, drained (optional) (I used the entire can)
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.
Heat oil and sesame oil in skillet ~ I used my wok. Saute cabbage, green onion and bean sprouts (if using) for about 5 minutes. Add pasta and soy sauce (also chicken if desired) and heat through.
Makes 4-6 servings.
Egg Rolls
12 egg roll wraps
1/2-1 lb ground pork (or chicken or beef) ~ I used about 1/3 lb of pork
2 tsps chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 (16 ounce) bags shredded cabbage and carrot coleslaw mix ~ I used about 2/3 of the bag, the whole bag is too much
4 green onions, sliced ~ I used the whole bunch, chopped
1 eggs, beaten with ~ I didn’t use this at all
1 teaspoon water
oil (for frying)
Brown pork with ginger and garlic in pan; drain any grease.
Mix salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Add to pork and mix well.
In large bowl combine cabbage mix and green onions. Pour hot meat over vegetables and stir well. Let cool slightly.
Lay wrap in front of you so that it looks like a diamond. Place 3 tablespoons pork filling in center of egg roll wrapper. Fold bottom point up over filling and roll once. Fold in right and left points. Brush beaten egg on top point ~ I just use some water on finger. Finish rolling. Set aside and repeat with remaining filling.
Heat 2-3 inches oil in large frying pan to very hot (350ºF). Fry a few egg rolls in pan at a time, 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with your favorite sauce.
COOK’S NOTE: I have made these egg rolls earlier in the day and cooked them, let them cool, wrap, and put in the fridge. At dinnertime, I took them out and put them on a parchment paper lined sheet and baked them at 350º until heated through. Worked great!
Makes 12 egg rolls.
Happy Cooking!
The Neeley’s Barbecued Pork Chops
If you like pork, you have GOT to try these pork chops. I am NOT a pork lover (except for bacon, of course) but I LOVED these chops. It does take some time to make the barbecue sauce. I made the sauce the day before, put the chops in to marinate the next day. They came out so tender and delicious. The Neeley’s have a winner here!
The Neeley’s Barbecued Pork Chops
4 center cut pork chops (not thin sliced or the super thick ones)
Neeley’s seasoning, recipe below
Neeley’s barbecue sauce, recipe below
Rub the seasoning into the chops on both sides. Put the chops in a ziplock bag and add two cups of the barbecue sauce. Marinate in the fridge all day. Grill until chops arae cooked through ~ we grill ours for about 30 minutes on medium. If you want more saucy chops, reapply the sauce after cooking and before serving. The sauce recipe makes enough for the marinating and a little extra to apply before eating. The seasoning makes quite a bit so I put the extra in the freezer.
Neeley’s Seasoning
1 cup paprika (two bottles of paprika is a little more than 1 cup ~ I used it all)
3 1/2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. I put all the extra in a ziplock and put it in the freezer for next time.
Neeley’s Barbecue Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
6 tbsps brown sugar
5 tbsps white sugar
1 1/2 tsps black pepper
1 1/2 tsps onion powder
1 1/2 tsps dry mustard
1 1/2 tsps paprika
1/2 of a fresh lemon, juiced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp light corn syrup
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to prevent sticking. After sauce comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer, uncovered, for at least two hours.
Makes 4 pork chops.
Happy Cooking!
Glazed Ham
Nope, I haven’t had my gall bladder out ~ some days are better than others. May 11 can’t get here soon enough!
Anyway, I made this ham recipe on Easter. It really flavored up the ham really well and it was fairly easy. The hardest thing was toothpicking the pineapple and cherries on. I adapted the recipe from Taste of Home.
Glazed Ham
1 (8-10 pound) ham
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices
maraschino cherries
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Put the ham on a rack in a baking pan. Place pineapple and cherries on ham with toothpicks.
Pat the brown sugar over the entire ham. Gently pour the pineapple juice (leftover from slices) over the top of the ham. Some of the brown sugar will fall off ~ that’s OK.
Bake uncovered, according to the directions that come with your ham. Mine baked for about 3 hours. While the ham is baking, baste frequently with the brown sugar/pineapple juice in the bottom of the pan.
Makes 18-20 servings.
Happy Cooking!
Lasagna Roll-Ups
If you want to change up your usual lasagna, this is a good recipe to do it with. I usually make all my red-sauced pasta meals with no meat and this one was no exception. Although if I had used meat, I would have used ground beef instead of sausage ~ just personal preference ~ either one would be fine. I also found that you can cook the entire package of noodles and have enough ricotta mixture for them all.
I think this would be a great OAMC dish if you doubled it or tripled it and it would also be a good dish for a potluck or to send to a neighbor or friend in need. Just add a salad and some bread and you’re good to go.
Lasagna Roll-Ups
11 lasagna noodles
1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
26 ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup white wine
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italiam seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook noodles according to package, drain. Cut in half crosswise.
Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a deep skillet. Stir until sausage crumbles and is completely cooked, drain.
Add spaghetti sauce, wine, parsley and salt, stirring well. Cover and simmer meat sauce 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, set aside.
Combine ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, bread crumbs, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a medium bowl. Spread mixture evenly over one side of each doodle. Roll up starting at short end. Place in a lightly greased baking dish seam side down.
Pour meat sauce over the rolls and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Serves 6-8
Happy Cooking!
Recipes from Blogs Challenge Pick #1!
Baked Pork Chops with Parmesan~Sage Crust from Alosha’s Kitchen !!!!!!!!!!!!!
O.M.G. ~ these pork chops are DELICIOUS! I am ambivalent about pork chops. I guess it’s from eating them as a kid when it was said to REALLY cook pork or you would get trichinosis. So we ate overcooked pork chops. I carried that in my head even when I got married and continued to overcook my pork until the past 5 years or so ~ funny how things you were told as a kid stay with you, LOL. I still wasn’t thrilled with pork chops and pork in general. I have NO idea what made me choose this recipe for my first pick but I’m super glad I did. I guess it was wanting to get away from shake and bake.
The pork chops were tender and cooked to perfection. The coating was very good and, best of all, easy to make. DH and I yummed our way through them and these will definately be a repeat in our house. Melissa, I am so glad you found this recipe and posted it ~ it’s a keeper and I hope more people try it!
Melissa has some wonderful recipes and photos on her blog so I hope you will check it out if you haven’t been there already.
Happy Cooking!
Mexican Pork Chops
In the next month or so, I will be doing some of my posts a little different. Over at Recipezaar we have an event twice a year called Pick A Chef . I will be making 42 recipes from 14 different people (and photographing and reviewing them) with a deadline of October 19. Some of my posts here will be the review and photograph and link to the recipe ~ I can only cook so much, LOL!
On to today’s recipe ~ I found this recipe in a cookbook that I worked on back in the 80′s. It’s quick to put together and tastes good. Since the rice cooks in the baking dish with the pork chops, just add a salad and you are good to go. I serve with my Mexican Salad for a delicious meal with a Mexican flair.
The pictures don’t really show the chops too much ~ DH was chomping at the bit to eat so I am lucky I got any pictures at all, LOL!
Mexican Pork Chops
6 pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup rice, uncooked
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup grated monterey jack cheese
1 green pepper, sliced into 6 rings
Preheat oven to 350º.
Brown pork chops and arrange in 9×13 baking pan. Season with salt. Sprinkle rice around chops. Combine taco seasoning mix, tomato sauce, and water. Pour over chops and rice, cover tightly with foil. Bake for 1 hour.
Remove from oven, uncover, sprinkle with cheese and add a pepper ring to the top of each chop. Recover and bake 10 minutes more.
Makes 6 servings.
Happy Cooking!
Recent Comments