Baby-Back BBQ Ribs

A good summer favorite or year round favorite of ours! I always loved my mom's BBQ ribs which were fall of the bone delicious! The smell as they cooked was mouth watering and the taste was to die for. Of course I may be over exaggerating some, but I do know that when my mom makes her ribs with her own BBQ rub, they quickly disappear at the dinner table. Now I am fortunate enough to have the recipe handed down to me :)

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Ingredients
1 rack baby back ribs
Dijon Mustard
Your favorite BBQ rub (or my mom's)
Fruit juice or Beer

Ingredients for my mom's rub
 1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tsp black pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic or garlic powder
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
cayenne pepper or chilli flakes (for spice) <---optional

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 Assebly

Place ribs in a foil-lined baking dish with sides, you may have to cut the rack into two or three pieces to fit. Coat the ribs with a very thin layer of mustard on both sides. Sprinkle with rub and pat in. let sit for 1/2 hour while preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Add 2/3 cup fruit juice (or beer) along sides of ribs in pan. DO NOT add to top of rub. Cover tightly with foil and bake in center rack of oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and take off top foil and cool for 10 mins. Drain off all the liquid and fat, then spoon on your favorite BBQ sauce over top. Place under the broiler until caramelized (about 5-7 minutes). Make sure to watch carefully so that the ribs don't burn. When finished cooking cut ribs into pieces and enjoy!

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Final Thoughts

This is directly from my mom, who was always better at being short and to the point. Serve this with a side of salad or some fresh fruit and they make a meal of themselves! Also if you have any left over meat, you can peel it off the bone, pull it apart and make a nice BBQ pork sandwich for the next day! Hope you enjoy, happy eats! :)

Chicken Pot Pie

Alright, I admit that I have been very slacking! No new recipes in QUITE a while. Guess life is catching up to me! Hope with all this crazy winter weather everyone stays nice and toasty warm! One thing is for sure if you have the ingredients for this recipe on hand, it makes for a nice, warm, comfort food meal on a cold day!

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Ingredients
2 chicken breasts **you can also use left over chicken or a rotisserie chicken
2 medium potatoes
1 small onion
2 fresh carrots (or you can use baby carrots) diced
3/4 cup peas
1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
seasoning (herbs, salt, pepper...I generally just use a basic chicken herb mix)
1 box pie crust

Assembly
Start by preheating your oven to about 350 degrees, remember that oven temperatures may vary. Cook the 2 chicken breasts in the oven for about 30 minutes. When finished let the chicken cool, remove the skin and bones, and cube the meat. If you're in a hurry, like I often am, you can also use a small rotisserie chicken and just chunk up the meat. While you wait for your meat to cook peel your potatoes and dice into 3/4 inch pieces. Put your diced potatoes and carrots into a saucepan with the can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer the vegetables until tender (about 10-12 minutes) then drain.

In a large bowl combine the diced meat, vegetables, peas, cream of chicken soup, and herbs until well mixed together. When the mixture is complete fill your pie pans with the filling and top with the pie crust. Seal the edges and cut slits to allow the steam to rise, then bake in the oven until the crust is light brown (about 20-30 minutes). Let it cool a bit and then enjoy!

Final Thoughts
May seem like a lot but it's a nice quick meal. You can also put a pie crust lining on the bottom of the pie pans to seal the goodness inside. As an extra treat if you get the mini pie pans you can make individual servings and freeze the leftovers! That's my mom's favorite way to make it! Simple homemade goodness in a convenient size! Don't forget to experiment! Happy eats!

Meatloaf for the Soul

So with the coming of fall weather I'm seeking new recipes that I grew up with! On my way home from work today I had my usual call to talk to my parents on the long ride. Watching the fall leaves in the mountains and the cooling weather I've just had a craving for warm, filling, foods. One that came to mind right away...my mom's meatloaf! Not only did she make it the 'loaf' way, but I always loved her 'individual' sized meatloafs for on the go! May sound strange, but my mom's meatloaf...there was just somethign about it on a nice fall day! It was a quick, simple meal that filled me up right quick! So of course I had to get the recipe from her so I could pick up the ingredients for dinner tonight! So here it is, my mom's meatloaf!

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Ingredients
1 package ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 onion (finely diced)
breadcrumbs (handfull)
worcestershire sauce (few shakes)
salt/pepper (for taste)
ketchup
bbq sauce (opt)
minced garlic (opt)
bacon (one strip for individual loaf or enough to cover top)

Assembly
Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees (depending on your oven). Cover cookie sheet with piece of aluminum foil and set aside. In a medium sized bowl combine ground turkey, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, worcestershire sauce, salt/pepper, garlic, and few squirts of ketchup and bbq sauce. I mixed this together with my bare hands (make sure to wash hands!!). When well mixed shape your meatloaf on the cookie sheet! You can make one large loaf or (my fav way) individual loafs (1 package ground turkey makes about 5 individual loafs). After loafs are formed top each with a covering of ketchup and then finish with a strip of bacon crossed on top! Pop in the oven for about 35-40 mins and enjoy.

Final Thoughts
As you can see i coupled my meatloaf with some green beans (and the blank spot is for my potato which is still cooking haha). A great meal that's quick and simple and delicious! Experiment and enjoy! Happy eats!