Round 3: Slow Cooker Ribs

My husband loves ribs. Absolutely loves them in a way that he just discovered in the past year or two. Being newly married, I now have all sorts of kitchen appliances that I wasn't aware I needed but am adoring - one of which is my brand-spankin' new slow cooker. Here's my newly perfected rib recipe that he loves. Warning: They've got a bit of spice.

Kelly's Slow Cooker Ribs #3

2 racks pork, country-style ribs, cut into 2 to 3 rib portions

Premade spice rub*
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons hot sauce (or chipotle-in-adobo sauce works too!)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take ribs and cut into 2-3 rib sections and rub liberally with the premade spice rub. Take a cookie sheet (with a lip on the edge!) and place your ribs bone-side down and bake for 1 hour. Combine all other ingredients (except ribs) in a bowl and stir together. (If you like a smooth sauce, you can puree in the food processor or blender).

Transfer ribs to the slow cooker and pour sauce all over them. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-2.5 hours. Serves 4 normal people or 2 like my husband and his coworkers. :) Easy and delicious!

*If you don't want to use a premade spice rub, you can use a lot of the same spices above to achieve the same deliiiicious flavor. Here's my recipe for my spice rub - make a little extra and keep it onhand for your next ribfest.

Rib Rub

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

The Famous Wedding Pecans

If you were cool enough to be invited to our wedding and an out of towner - you were treated to the famous Candied Pecans of Texas. All my California peeps - we have been missing out. The great part is - they're easy to make!

Marco Wedding Pecans

1 egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound pecan halves
1 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. In a small bowl, whip the egg white and tablespoon of water together until frothy. In another small bowl, mix together the sugar, the salt, and the cinnamon until combined. This next step is important or your pecans will transform from awesome to a total pain in the rear. In a large bowl, put your pecans and pour on the egg white mixture. Grab your spatula and turn until they're coated. Trust me, it will happen. In a gallon Ziploc bag, put your sugar mixture before adding in all the coated pecans. Close the baggie and shake it like a Polaroid picture. Get the pecans good and coated.

Grease/PAM a baking sheet with edges and lay out all the pecans in a decent attempt at 1 layer. Place them in the oven for 1 hour - stirring with your spatula on the baking sheet every 15 minutes. If you don't do this - they will be permanently adhered to your baking sheet and you will be ticked. :)

Enjoy!

Kelly's famous Asian marinade

One way I'm able to take a huge package of chicken and not get sick of it is that I cook it and marinate it in all different ways. I've used the marinade below for everything from salmon to chicken. The ingredients might sound expensive, but I promise you that they'll last for quite some time and this recipe is one you'll be repeating!

Kelly's Famous Asian Marinade

• Microwave safe bowl
• 1/3 c. soy sauce (low sodium works great!)
• 2 T. sesame oil (dark or roasted works best)
• 3. T honey
• 1 T. minced garlic*
• 1 T. minced ginger*
• 1 chopped green onion

*If you're in a rush - you can just slice these into big chunks and throw them in the marinade- it works just as well!





Microwave for about 40 seconds to melt honey into marinade and stir with a whisk. Pour into Gallon-size Ziploc freezer bag and add salmon/chicken/veggies/random meat and marinate for at least 4 hours in the fridge (I marinate mine overnight and do not worry- it will color the meat if marinated that long!).



Enjoy!

For the love of tilapia..

My sister and I were talking today about how she wanted to learn some recipes for tilapia so she could introduce her kids to fish. Aaron loves tilapia, and I love to try out new recipes. A kitchen marriage made in heaven.

Tilapia & Vegetable Packets

• Tinfoil


• Cookie sheet (preferably with a lip to it)


• 3-4 tilapia fillets (can be adjusted depending on the amount of tilapia you have/want)


• 1 T. Fresh Rosemary, minced


• Salt, as desired


• Pepper, as desired


• 2 cloves of garlic, minced


• 1 red bell pepper, cut as mentioned below


• 1 yellow onion, cut as mentioned below


• 2 lemons

Here comes the variation part - the veggies. I've used everything from red bell peppers, onions, zucchini, squash, etc. The main point is to cut these into sticks about the size of one bar of a Kit Kat. You don't want them smaller or they'll turn to mush before the fish is finished cooking. Not pretty.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and begin assembling your tilapia packets. You will need one piece of tinfoil for each packet. Begin by placing the cut veggies on the bottom of the packet - you want a little bed about as large as the piece of tilapia you're using. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and the minced rosemary on both sides of the tilapia and place it on top of the vegetables. Take a few slices of lemon (3-4 usually works) and place them on top of the tilapia fillet.

Grab the two longest sides of the foil and pull them together on top of the fish, leaving some room so it can steam the fish. Roll the two edges together (like a lunch bag) and then roll each of the other two sides separately to keep in all the juice while it cooks. After assembling all the packets, place them on a cookie sheet in the 350 degree oven, checking them after 20 minutes. When the fish is no longer opaque and more of a white, it is done!

Happy eating!

This is why I don't have a blog...

Sorry for the random 8 month delay since my last post. Life has gotten in the way.

Since then:

I've gotten married.
I've gotten laid off.
I went on the world's best honeymoon.
I'm kicking my own butt with Crossfit's challenge.
I have been obsessed with watching the Olympics.
I have been cooking like a fiend.

This post is in the vein of that last point - a recipe for love. I made this for my honey on Valentine's Day - hopefully you'll make it for yours someday. It's worth it.


Tuscan Lemon Chicken
2 large chicken breasts
Salt, as desired
1 T olive oil
1 T. grated lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
3 T minced garlic
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
Pepper, as desired
Combine all the ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Marinade overnight (highly recommended) or for 8+ hours, turning once.

I highly recommend mixing up the marinade in a bowl then using God's gift to people with small fridges - the Ziploc bag to marinade. Please use the freezer ones so you don't spend two hours scrubbing it out of your fridge. :)

Grill until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees - or if you don't want to rock the grill in these awful temperatures - put it in a clear glass baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees and then check temperature. When juices run clear - you're good!

Pucker up your lips, like dis...

I'm not one to rant about the awesomeness of products. There are few that I would take to the mountaintops and joyously shout the praises of.

But in a world full of disappointing products and drawers full of products that didn't make the grade - I have found a winner.

My coworkers and friends know that I have recently become a crazed couponer. So when I received a coupon for $3 on a Neutrogena face product - I figured I would try it. I've been on the hunt for a lip gloss that didn't feel like the first ingredient was glue, and wouldn't make my lips as dry as the Sahara. The Neutrogena MoistureShine gloss is my new favorite. I've worn it and *gasp* actually reapplied it for the past few days! I bought it in Whisper and after my trusty coupon - it was a whopping $4. Can't beat that!

Truer words were never spoken.

In case I haven't mentioned it - I love to cook. Not just for myself, but for guests in our home, my coworkers, total strangers - you name it, I love to cook. In my random watchings of the Food Network, I heard it said that cooking is a way to show your love and appreciation for people. I greatly agree - anyone can stop and pick up some flowers, when you spend time in the kitchen and take time out of your day to make something for someone, it's highly personal.





All that to say, this made me smile. It's true. Pancakes do make people happy.