Honey Barbequed Ribs

Before I post a recipe I wanted to share something I do to make dinner easier for me. So often we get in a rut always making the same things. Why? Because when I am tired or "Mommied Out" for the day I think of the easiest thing to make because my brain just doesn't go deep into my memory well.

So sometime in the last year I created a dinner idea list. It is 3 pages long and divided into categories such as Chicken: raw or cooked or need to marinate. Something in the raw category starts with raw chicken while a cooked chicken recipe starts with precooked chicken. Beef and pork have similar categories. I also have a Pasta category, Mexican, and side dishes which is subdivided into beans, rice, potato, etc.

I went through all my fave recipes and cookbooks and files and listed them in the appropriate category. Now when I cannot think of what to make I go to the list and search for ideas rather than flipping through a cookbook or file. I also use the list when making my grocery list. It helps me. Now to a great recipe from the list. This is a pork one. Sorry I do not have a pic.

Honey Barbequed Ribs

3 lbs boneless pork ribs (I have used bone in as well)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbl liquid smoke

Place pork ribs in bottom of slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours. Drain and discard liquid. Reduce heat to Low. In a bowl, combine garlic salt, pepper, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke. Mix well. Pour over ribs in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 3 hours. Remove from slow cooker and allow to cool. Place in freezer bag. Label and freeze. To serve: Thaw. Heat until hot throughout.

Just a note, This is usually fall apart pork so I tend to pull it and use it for sandwiches or over potatoes. It is so yummy! Enjoy!

Skillet Enchiladas

I've posted this on my personal blog before, but thought I'd put it here too for people who didn't see it. I made it again for dinner tonight...we love it! -Julia

Skillet Enchiladas
Serves: 4

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom
1-10 oz can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 T chopped green chilies
8-10 corn tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Brown ground beef and onion- drain grease
2. Stir in soup, enchilada sauce, milk, chilies
3. Reduce heat- simmer 10 minutes- stir occasionally
4. Soften tortillas (in microwave, in oil, or over stove)
5. Place 1/4 cup cheese in each tortilla (or just whatever looks right) and roll up
6. Place tortillas in sauce, cover, and cook until heated through (about 5 minutes)
7. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover, and cook until cheese melts

Blender pancakes

Here's one that my kids love and it uses food storage (bonus!)

Blender Pancakes

1 3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup uncooked wheat
1/4 cup powdered milk
3 Tbs oil
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp soda
1/4 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla

Put water and wheat in blender. Blend for about 2 min. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
(to adjust thickness for your liking add water or flour) Cook on hot griddle. For waffles add 1-2 Tbs more oil.

Parker House Pizza

Homemade pizza has become an obsession. I admit it. When I was first married, I was given a homemade pizza recipe from my great-aunt Buhla, a rancher's wife who raised eight kids and knew how to cook for a crowd. It was a good basic recipe, but over the years I've experimented with a few things of my own. The dough recipe has remained unchanged, but the manipulations to the dough afterwards have made all the difference. The biggest secret in making homemade pizza taste and look professional is heat. You have to bake at 500 degrees to make the dough crisp and golden brown on the outside, and chewy but done on the inside. It also makes a nice golden hue on the cheese, while not robbing the cheese of all the moisture. A couple of other tips are to use high protein bread flour, not all-purpose, use a good pizza stone, and take it easy on the sauce -- don't over apply.

Pizza Dough:

1 T. yeast

1 c. slightly hot water

1 T. sugar

1 T. oil

Combine in a large glass measuring cup and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

In an electric mixer with a dough hook combine:

2 1/4 c. bread flour

2 t. salt

While mixing, slowly add the wet ingredients. After the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together, continue to knead dough for two minutes. Add flour if dough is still too sticky. Dough should form a ball. Remove dough and pour 1 T. oil in the bottom of bowl. Return dough to bowl and roll around in the oil to completely coat. Cover bowl with dish towl and let rise one hour or until double in size. Punch down dough and turn out onto a counter dusted in cornmeal. Roll out in a circle about two inches larger in diameter than your pizza stone. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour before folding it in half to move it to the stone. Roll edges of dough over twice to form a nice crust around the edge of the pizza stone.

Pizza Sauce:

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1/4 c. parmesean cheese

1 t. garlic salt

1 t. Italian herb seasoning

1 t. sugar

1 t. pepper

1 T. water

Combine and spread on the inside of pizza crust. I usually have enough for two pizzas.

Top with any topping of your choice: browned sausage, pepperoni, canadian bacon, pineapple tidbits, chopped green pepper, fresh sliced mushrooms, olives, etc. Finally top with fresh mozzarella, asagio, or parmesean cheese, or a mixture of any cheeses you like.

Bake in a preheated oven at 500 degrees for 7 - 8 minutes. Watch it carefully since you are baking at such a high heat and take the pizza out when the cheese starts to brown and bubble. If you leave it in too long, your cheese will dry out and the crust will burn.

Chicken Strips

This is one of my family's favorite meals. It is super yummy, not fried, and quick. It goes well with mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, and a green salad. Hope you enjoy.

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into strips

3/4 C Bisquick

1/2 C Parmesan Cheese, grated

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp paprika

1 egg

Put the Bisquick, Parmesan cheese, salt and paprika into a zip lock bag and mix. In a bowl, whisk the egg. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg and then put into the bag with the Bisquick mixture. Shake the bag to coat the chicken. Place chicken on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 17 minutes or until cooked through.