Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs - Low and Slow, Keep These Ribs Tender, Moist and Oh So Delicious!

Nothing compares to ribs out of a real BBQ pit that were slow cooked over wood coals for probably close to twelve hours, tended to by a loving BBQ pit master. Unfortunately, many of us do not have a BBQ pit in our back yard, or we don't live close to what I would call BBQ country; Kansas City or Memphis where one can get true BBQ. So what's a rib lover to do? Turn to the oven I say! With a few simple steps the oven can help you produce some seriously good ribs. However, the one thing they will be lacking is that smoke flavor that accompanies open pit cooking. If you are a smoke lover you can try liquid smoke or a smoky BBQ sauce. Or just forgo the smoke flavor and concentrate on the tender, moist ribs you will be eating in a few hours. Yes, oven ribs are going to take a few hours, but some things just shouldn't be rushed and aren't we already rushing this process by going from a traditional twelve hours to just a few? Trust me, your little bit of effort will be worth it.

Tip: figure half rack of ribs per person

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Equipment needed:

Large skillet
Large roaster with rack inside
Saucepan
Cookie sheet lined with foil
Oven

Ingredients:

Pork ribs, excess fat removed, cut into 3-4 inch slabs
Salt and pepper
Cooking oil
3-4 cups cooking liquid: beef broth, red wine, water or any combination would work
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

When ribs have been cut into slabs and excess fat has been removed sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In large skillet heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. In batches, sear ribs on both sides until golden brown, do not overcrowd pan. Ribs will NOT be cooked through at this point. Also, the underside of the ribs will be difficult to brown, as they will not come in contact with pan, simply heat for a few minutes on the underside.

When ribs are golden brown, place on rack inside large roaster. In a separate saucepan heat your preferred cooking liquid to boiling. Pour cooking liquid into bottom of roaster. Liquid should cover the bottom but not be so high that it's immersing the ribs. Cover ribs and cook at 250 degrees for three hours.

When ribs have finished cooking, remove from oven. Turn broiler on high. Place oven rack 6-8 inches from broiler. Place ribs on cookie sheet underside of ribs facing up. Brush with BBQ sauce. Broil ribs for 2-3 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Watching carefully, they will burn easily! Remove ribs from oven, turn ribs over and brush with BBQ sauce. Broil again for 2-3 minutes or until brown and crispy looking. This last step is to give them a grill-like finish. Enjoy your oven lovin' ribs!

To see a picture of the finished product check out my blog: http://www.homemomcooks.blogspot.com/

Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs - Low and Slow, Keep These Ribs Tender, Moist and Oh So Delicious!

In my past career I taught nutrition information, food safety, and cooking skills to low-income audiences. I have attended recreational cooking classes in both New York and Paris. Cooking, food, and eating are my passions. I recently quit my job to be a full-time mom and home manager. Although my new baby prevents me from traveling far away my enthusiasm for food lives on at my home through cooking, recipe research, and food blogging.

Follow my new blog at: http://www.homemomcooks.blogspot.com/

Delicious and Hearty Chicken Stew Recipes For Your Slow Cooker or Crockpot

Stews make great meals since they combine several food groups, are healthy, hearty and tasty. Making them in your slow cooker or crockpot makes is so nice to come home to a great meal ready to eat. Try these recipes for Chicken Stew with Dumplings or Chinese Chicken Stew.

CHICKEN STEW WITH DUMPLINGS
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 large green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 cans (approx 14-oz each) chicken broth
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 large red potatoes, skin on and cut into bite-size cubes
1 pkg (6-oz) fresh mushrooms, halved
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream (or 1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk)

Biscuit

Combine the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and celery in a slow cooker or crockpot. Stir in the chicken broth, saving 1 cup for later. Place lid on cooker and cook on low setting for 2 hours.

Stir the flour into the 1 cup of saved chicken broth until smooth. Slowly stir the mixture into the mixture in the cooker. Add the chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, peas, and seasonings to the cooker; cover and cook an additional 4 hours until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies are tender. Stir in the cream.

DUMPLINGS:
1 cup biscuit mix
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/8 tsp dried tarragon
1/3 cup low-fat milk

In a small bowl combine the biscuit mix and herbs. Stir in the milk to form a soft dough. Spoon the dough on top of the stew in four large spoonfuls. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes then cover and cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. The dumplings should be firm and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.

Yield: 4 servings.

CHINESE CHICKEN STEW
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp peanut or canola oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-oz) chicken broth, divided
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 large or 3 medium green onions, cut into half-inch pieces
3 cups hot cooked rice, optional
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, optional

In a bowl, toss the cut-up chicken pieces with the Chinese spice. Stir in the red pepper flakes.

In a large skillet, heat the peanut or canola oil and add the onion and chicken; cook, stirring, about 5 minutes or until the chicken is browned. Add the mushrooms and garlic, cooking until the chicken is cooked through.

Combine 1/4 cup chicken broth and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside. Place the cooked chicken mixture into a slow cooker or crockpot. Add the remaining broth, bell pepper, and soy sauce; stir to blend. Place lid on the cooker and cook for 3 1/2 hours or until the bell pepper is tender.

Stir in the cornstarch mixture, sesame oil, and the green onions. Cook another 30 to 45 minutes until the juices have thickened.

To serve, ladle into soup bowls and scoop a half cup rice, if using,into center of each bowl. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Delicious and Hearty Chicken Stew Recipes For Your Slow Cooker or Crockpot

For more of Linda's slow cooker/crockpot recipes visit http://grandmasslowcookerrecipes.blogspot.com She also shares her old fashion recipes at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com

Easy Sugar Cookie Recipes: From Delicious Drop Cookies To Fun, Tasty Cut-Outs

If you're in the mood for something sweet, there are a lot of easy sugar cookie recipes to choose from. But sugar cookies come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes. They can be as simple as drop cookies, a spoonful of dough dropped onto a cookie sheet, or as elaborate as carefully cut-out cookies decorated with pretty, colorful icing.

So which one of those easy sugar cookie recipes should you pick? Which one will give you the best results for the type of sugar cookie you're trying to make?

Cookie

The truth is, most easy sugar cookie recipes use the same basic list of ingredients, with maybe an added spice here or there. What it really comes down to are the quantities of each ingredients, and how you treat the dough.

Each ingredient in a sugar cookie has a specific role, and tweaking its quantity will give you a slightly different cookie. So what goes in a sugar cookie?

• Flour. Flour gives the cookie its structure. When you mix flour in liquids, it forms tough strands of gluten. The more you mix it, and the more flour you add, the tougher a cookie you get.
• Butter. Butter doesn't just add flavor. It also helps the cookie stay more tender by preventing too much gluten from forming. It also lets the cookie spread out more.
• Sugar. Sugar helps the cookies be more fluffy by trapping air inside the butter when you cream it. Also, if you don't cream it enough, the undissolved sugar will make the cookie spread out more.
• Eggs. The yolks help make a more tender cookie, and the whites help give it structure. They also add some moisture.
• Baking powder. Baking powder helps the cookie rise.
• Baking soda. Baking soda makes the cookies brown faster, and makes the cookie more tender.
• Vanilla. Vanilla is just there for flavor, but it really does make all the difference.
• Salt. Like vanilla, the salt is just there for flavor, although it can toughen the cookie, too.

But it's not just the ingredients that matter in easy sugar cookie recipes. How you handle the dough will affect what kind of cookie you get.

• The longer you cream the butter and sugar, the fluffier a cookie you'll get. It also won't spread as much, perfect to help cut out cookies keep their shape.
• The longer you mix the flour with the wet ingredients, the tougher a cookie you'll get. If you're looking for something fluffy, avoid over-mixing.
• If you want to roll out the dough, you'll need to refrigerate it until it's firm enough to work with.
• You can also refrigerate the raw cookies once they're shaped. It helps them keep their shape in the oven.

When you're baking, it's always a good idea to start with a recipe. But once you have a decent recipe, you can tweak it to suit your tastes and purposes, and make your own easy sugar cookie recipes.

Easy Sugar Cookie Recipes: From Delicious Drop Cookies To Fun, Tasty Cut-Outs

Cooking is Melanie Steele's passion. She created www.enjoy-how-to-cook.com to inspire that love of cooking in others. Visit her site to discover her delicious cookie recipes.