Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs

Today I decided that the ribs I picked up the other day needed to be eaten. The problem is that I cannot cook these up in 10 minutes and chow down...they require a lot of time to be properly delicious. I would have used a grill, but my knowledge of proper grilling is somewhat stunted since it is usually 100 degrees outside when I want to grill. So I decided to break out my 2 slow cookers from their couple month long siesta.

Ingredients:
2 half-rack's of Baby Back Ribs
Jack Daniel's Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
Spice Rub*

Spice Rub:
Turmeric
Sea Salt
Ancho Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Hot Smoked Spanish Paprika
Chili Powder
Ground Black Pepper
Italian Herbs Mix
Brown Sugar

I began by setting up my two slow cookers and getting the ribs out. I peeled the membrane off, which was almost non-existent, and proceeded to mix the rub together. I did not list an amount of each ingredient for the Spice Mix due to everyone having their own particular tastes. So go with what you think will like best! Personally, I went heavy on the Garlic Powder, Paprika, and Turmeric but that's just me.

I rubbed the spice mix all over the ribs quite thoroughly. Try not to miss a spot for maximum flavoring later on!

I placed the half racks of ribs 1 per slow cooker and placed them meat side down. I have read that this is not the way to do it, but bear with me.

After about 3 hours in the slow cooker, I checked on how they were doing.

I flipped the ribs to bone side down. I chose to go half and half with how they are cooked. I guess an attempt to even out the cooking, oh well.

About 2.5 hours after the Great Flipping of the Ribs, I went to check on them and noticed they appeared to be done. So I used a pair of tongs and plucked them out of the slow cookers and on to a clean plate.

I grabbed my Jack Daniel's Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce and proceeded to pour and brush it all over the half rack of ribs one side at a time.

Once slathered up in delicious BBQ Sauce, I proceeded to use a large non-serrated knife to cut the ribs into single rib pieces to eat easier.

Finally, placing them on a plate to serve. Enjoy.

Beefy Burgers

Yesterday when out food shopping, I picked up 4 'ranchero' burgers from Central Market. This is one of their pre-made burger patty recipes that I wholeheartedly endorse. It appears to be a basic mix of beef, red onions, and jalapeno peppers. So tasty.

Ingredients:
4 Ranchero Burger Patties
4 Wheat Hamburger Buns
Shredded Cheeses
Spicy Mustard
Butter

I chose to cook these in my saucepan since I do not have a grill and the smoke from my cast iron pan is intense. I then put in about 1/2 a stick of butter into the saucepan, which I turned the heat to medium on, and let it mostly melt.

I then put in 2 burger patties at a time to make sure I had enough space to move them around when I flipped them. I flipped them about every 2 minutes to make sure there was an even cook through them.

I did this for probably 10 minutes, which I then cut open 1 patty to check if it was cooked properly. It was, so I served up the 2 that were cooked and put the other 2 on.

Once I took the 2 off, I had 2 of the Wheat Burger Buns waiting, which I cut in half already and put some Spicy Mustard on them. So, it went from bottom to top: burger bun, mustard, burger patty, shredded cheeses, and topped off with the top bun. Such a tasty way to cook burgers, so enjoy!

Stir Fry Salad

I was poking around several cookbooks this past week and noticed several variants of a stir fry salad meal. Well, I like to think of it as a lunchtime snack during the great amount of heat we are getting here in Texas.

So I grabbed the ingredients and went to work. It was quite simple when looking at it since I had everything at hand already.

Ingredients:
3 LG White Button Mushrooms (sliced)
5 Scallions/Green Onions (diced)
1 Handful of Snap Peas
5 Florettes of Broccoli
Frozen Peas and Corn
Sesame Seed Oil
Vegetable Oil
Teriyaki Sauce
Stir Fry Sauce
Soy Sauce
Sake
Salad Mix
Italian Salad Dressing
Parmesan Cheese

I grabbed my trusty Wok and poured some Vegetable Oil into it and let it cover the bottom and part of the side(by moving the Wok around, not putting in an entire bottle of Oil!), then turned the heat on to med-high.

Once I saw that the oil was heated properly, I added in the frozen vegetables. I also added in a little bit of Sesame Seed Oil at this point. Stir. Let them cook for a minute or three since they have more cooking going on since they were frozen.

After that, I added in the Sake, mushrooms, scallions, snap peas, and broccoli. Don't be afraid to be liberal with the Sake since most of it burns off anyways. You will most likely get an amazing blast of vegetable smells at this point. It's amazing. Don't forget to stir a lot here.

A few minutes after this, I added Teriyaki Sauce, Soy Sauce, and Stir Fry Sauce to the mix. Lots of stirring here to make sure the sauces get to everything in the Wok.

Cook until your frequent tastings of the stir fry taste about right. Turn off the heat.

NOW...you grab your Salad Mix and put some on a plate, making sure to wash them as well. Then once those are on the plate, a light dusting of Parmesan Cheese and the plate is ready for stir fry. So pile on however much stir fry you can handle in one sitting on top...or just enough so it is a good mix.

On the side you probably noticed the dipping sauce/salad dressing...well, that is a mix of Sake, Italian Salad Dressing, Teriyaki Sauce, and Soy Sauce. It is quite tasty and simply stirred together. Enjoy.

Capresi Skewers

Today was a great day to stay inside in the AC out of the Texas heat. So naturally, I turned to the kitchen and created Capresi Skewers. I started off with the Capresi Skewers because I wanted to see how it would turn out. To make this dish you need the following: -wood skewers -cherry/small tomatoes -mozzarella cheese -basil leaves -mix of sage, thyme, and oregano spices -EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) (also a food processor or small blender) In the food processor, I combined the basil leaves, spices, and EVOO...and created a great tasting and smelling sauce. I would say it reminded me almost of pesto, but not quite. On the skewers I alternated tomatoes and chunks of cheese(try to keep them somewhat close in size) and placed them on a plate together. Once I had 2 skewers done, I grabbed the food processor and spooned out the sauce on top of the skewers and poured the rest next to them.