Caribbean Spiced Ribs

These tasted so good! My only mistake was that I bought beef ribs instead of pork so they were really fatty. That kind of grossed me out but it definitely won't keep me from making this again. (Next time with pork of course)

3 lb. pork loin back ribs
2 tablespoons instant minced onion (I substituted onion powder)
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium onion, sliced (I omitted)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce

1. Spray inside of a 5- 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray

2. In small bowl, mix instant minced onion, mustard, red pepper, allspice, cinnamon and garlic powder, Rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into 4-inch pieces. Layer ribs and sliced onions in slow cooker. Pour water over ribs.

3. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 8 to 9 hours.

4. Remove ribs from cooker; drain and discard liquid from cooker. Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl; dip ribs into sauce. Place ribs in cooker. Por any remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 1 hour.

- from Betty Crocker Cookbook pg. 158

Pork Roast with Italian Dressing

This was incredible! It was so tender and juicy. Although Nick won't take full credit, he actually made it.

Pork Shoulder (Mine was 5.5 lbs.)
Italian Dressing (16 oz. bottle)

Put pork in crock-pot and smother with entire bottle of Italian dressing. We cooked it on high for 8 hours. I served it with Mary B's Buttertaste biscuits (these are found in the frozen food section of Wal-Mart and they are fabulous!), mashed potatoes and green beans. It was the perfect home-cooked, conuntry meal.

Poppyseed Chicken

How about the easiest meal ever? This is it! My mom made this and said that it was better the second day. She said that the first night they ate it, it was a little soupy but the next night it was more like a casserole. So, I made it and refridgerated it until the next night. It was delicious.

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1- 8 oz. container Sour Cream
1 sleeve Ritz Crackers
1 stick melted butter
1 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds (I didn't measure. I just sprinkled until it looked good.)

Mix Chicken, Soup and Sour Cream. Spread in casserole dish. Crumble up crackers and mix with melted butter. Sprinkle crackers on chicken mixture. Sprinkle poppy seeds on top. Bake at 350 until bubbly.

Fudgy Brownies

This was my first attempt at making brownies from scratch and they were fabulous! Okay, I lie...the first time I made them was when I was responsible for dessert on pizza night at Nick's parent's house. Since I am so into cooking now, I can't do anything simple anymore. If I am asked to bring brownies, I can't make them from the box, I have to go all out and make them from scratch. So, the first time I made them I didn't have enough time to let them finish baking in my oven and had to take them out half-way through and finished baking them in my mother-in-law's oven. They came out as pure brown goo. Don't get me wrong, they tasted amazing but they had to be eaten with a fork. The second time I made them however, they were perfect. Perfectly fudgy and moist. Nick even said that they were the best brownies he has ever had. He's such a tease. :) I was so amazed at how easy they were to make! I'll never make brownies from the box again. (No offense Betty Crocker)

Fudgy Brownies from Martha Stewart

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and more for pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides. Set aside.
Melt butter and chocolate together using double boiler method. Remove from heat, and let cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Stir sugar into chocolate mixture until combined. Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking until smooth after each. Whisk in vanilla. Gently fold in flour and salt.
Pour batter into pan, and smooth top. Bake until a tester comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 40-45 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack to cool completely.
Run a knife or offset spatula around the edges of the pan. Using parchment, remove brownies from pan and onto the rack. Cut into squares. Brownies can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Lilcrablegs from my cooking board shared this wonderful recipe with me. Thank you Bethany! http://bethanyjg.blogspot.com/search/label/Dessert

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Yum! This is the easiest cheesecake recipe ever and we all know that I love easy.

1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese , softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup caramel topping
12 pecan halves (I omitted)
2 tablespoons chopped pecans (I omitted)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Remove 3/4 cup of apple pie filling and set aside. Spoon remaining filling into pie crust. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs and beat well. Pour over apple filling.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until center is set. Cool on a wire rack.
Combine reserved apple pie filling and caramel topping in a small saucepan. Heat over moderate heat until spreadable, but not hot. Spoon over cooled cheesecake and spread evenly. Decorate the edge with pecan halves and sprinkle the top with chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Submitted by Mary Gordon to cooksrecipes.com

BBQ Pork

This was so incredibly easy. My very sweet husband said that this was the best BBQ he has ever had.

1 Hormel Mesquite BBQ pre-seasoned pork tenderloin
1 bottle Kraft Thick and Spicy BBQ sauce

Put the tenderloin in a crock pot on high. Pour a little water over the tenderloin to keep it moist. Let it cook for several hours. (I'm sorry I don't know the exact amount of time) When it is no longer pink, pour the bottle of BBQ sauce in with the pork. Fill the empty bottle half-way with water and pour in the crock-pot. Serve as a sandwich on garlic bread.

Vegetable Soup

According to my sweet husband, this is the best vegetable soup he has ever had. Awww...
And talk about easy!!

1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey (browned and drained)
1 jar Ragu Traditional spaghetti sauce (Any brand of spaghetti sauce would probably work but Ragu has a sweet flavor which is perfect for vegetable soup)
1 bag frozen vegetables for soup
1 cup chicken broth (1 can)
1 can Rotel tomatoes (Original flavor added the perfect amount of spice for us)
A couple of dashes of onion powder (we don't eat onions so I use this as a substitute)
Lots of dashes of salt
Ritz crackers (vegetable soup isn't vegetable soup without Ritz crackers)

Throw ingredients in crock pot for several hours or on stove for a shorter amount of time. It's ready when the veggies are tender.

- Compliments of my wonderful mother