Shrimp Gumbo Recipe

image from here

Yesterday I decided I wanted Shrimp Gumbo.
I'm not sure why. I've never had it before. It just sounded good and I'm always up for trying something new.
So I did some research for some recipes, found 3 I liked and combined them.
1. Alton Brown
2. Paula Deen
3. Betty Crocker
Probably Not the most authentic but I didn't have the time, want all of the ingredients, or have the dutch oven to cook in.
So I improvised.
And the results were delicious! At least it was to the those of us who've never had the real thing that live in my house.
Oh and the one of us who's had the authentic-real-deal stuff......well.....he like it too! He liked it to the tune of 3 helpings!
I call that a success.

I thought I'd write down what I did here so I can easily find it when I make it again. And I forgot to take a picture so that's why you get to look at Pepe the King Prawn.

Shrimp Gumbo
1/4 C. Butter or Margarine
1 med. onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 banana pepper
1/4 C. chopped celery
2 cloves garlic mashed and finely chopped
2 Tbl. all purpose flour
3 C. beef broth
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme finely chopped
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper sauce
10 oz. frozen okra
1 (14.5 oz.) can whole tomatoes un-drained (I used one quart jar of my home canned tomatoes)
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1 lb. cooked-frozen shrimp (thawed and rinsed)
1 lb. smoked cooked sausage sliced
3 C. hot cooked rice for serving

• In a stockpot or dutch-oven melt butter of medium heat. Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally for 5 min. or until onion becomes translucent. 
• Add flour and stir well until bubbly.
• Remove from heat and add broth, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, red pepper sauce, tomatoes and tomato paste, okra and sausage.
• Bring to a boil. 
• Reduce heat and simmer 10 - 15 min.
• Add Shrimp, cover and simmer an additional 5 min.
• Serve over rice.

It looks like a lot of ingredients but it came together surprisingly fast and was delicious on a cold February evening.

And just in case you are wondering....Yes it was hard to find Okra in Utah. No one had fresh (of course), No one had canned okra although I was surprised to find canned, sliced potatoes (what's up with that?) and I couldn't find any in the frozen section at a couple of supermarkets plenty for frozen peas, carrots and corn but no okra.

But the man that was ringing up my purchases at Fresh Market in Centerville asked me if I'd found everything I needed. I said "No, I couldn't find any Okra but I guess there's not much of a demand for it here in Utah."

He said, "We have okra. I buy it all the time. I used to live in Louisiana and love okra. I'll go get you some."

He came back with a bag of frozen okra....bless him because I don't think the gumbo would have been the same with-out it.

He wanted to come for dinner but lived too far away and wasn't going to be off work in time.

Maybe I should take some back to Fresh Market today for him to have on his break?

Would that be weird?

Probably.

Anyway, if you decide to try my recipe let me know!

P.S. MDH is already planning on us having it again in a couple of weeks. <3

Traditions, Family Night and a Recipe

I strongly believe that traditions are one thing that help bind a family together.

They are something to look forward to.

And something to look back on fondly.

Yep, I love'em!

I celebrated my birthday this past weekend and according to Sweet Cheeks I am now 80 years old.

Because I'm, "Really, really, really old." as she so kindly put it.

I'm choosing to take it as a compliment because I think she means I have a lot of wisdom and experience;-).

When I was young my mom started a tradition of giving me a Christmas ornament on my birthday.

When I was little she'd put them on my birthday cake. My 5th birthday was amazing, she had a bunch of ice skating and sledding figurines and she made my cake look like an ice skating rink and a snowy hill. All edible of course. (I'll have to dig out the picture and scan it -- it'll take your breath away!).

MDH and the kids have continued this tradition....well they pick me out new ornaments, they don't put them on a cake however but that's okay with me.

I love how they (the kids) pick ones out that they like and it usually applies to what they're into at the time.

Sweet Cheeks picked out the little Snowman baby, with her sister's help, pictured above.

We also have a tradition of getting a Christmas ornament when we travel places.

I have a set of Wedgwood Nativity Ornaments that we purchased at the Wedgwood Factory in Stoke On Trent England.

and

This summer we picked up a carved wooden whale in Friday Harbor Washington.

It makes decorating the tree so much fun.

As we pull each ornament out of the box we get to smile and remember what we were doing when we got that particular ornament.

It's one of the things that makes this season enchanting to me.

So we decorated our tree last night.

Every Monday night is Family Night (another tradition I guess you could say)

We have a lot of fun at family night.

Seriously never a dull moment at our house on Monday evening

Start with a prayer

show and tell

song(s) sometimes 5 or more (we like our music)

lesson

activity (game)

treat

&

bed time

Even our teenagers look forward to it.....I think.....

Everyone gets to take turns being in charge of a different part of the evening.

Lately we've been on a Simon Says for game kick.

Yeah, the teenagers don't like this so much.

The elementary age kids think it's hilarious to make us do funny things.

Like

"Simon says, stand on one foot, pat your head, rub your belly, stick out your tongue and sing the ABC's"

When the teenagers complain we kindly remind them that, once upon a time, when Grandma and Grandpa joined us for family night they had them dancing around the room like octopi.

Funny how they tend to forget things like that.

Anyway...

We did have to tell the younger kids that Simon Says it about trying to trick people to get them out not to make them look foolish for your enjoyment.

It's a fine line...

We all ended up laughing anyway.

I was in charge of treat last night.

and

It was a hit, if I do say so myself.

This recipe comes from another Sister-In-Law, Erin.

It's so simple and delicious and perfect for holiday get-togethers.

 I thought I'd share.

I hope that's okay Erin.

Creamy Carmel Fruit Dip

• 8 ounces Cream Cheese softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream together and serve with fruit. 

Apples are my favorite.

Enjoy!

and

It's never too late to start a tradition!

I like to look for rainbows...

It was a very big day around here a couple of weekends ago.
Our son, Mr. Man, was Baptized.

And then we hosted a dinner for our family (on both sides) at our house.
We had about 40 guests.
Like I said it was a very big day!

So how do you decorate when you're hosting a party and the guest of honor is a boy but you still want it to be fun and not just blue plus inexpensive and easy but fabulous and did I mention for a boy?

Question....ponder...wonder......
Call a friend.....
Get a great suggestion and then let the good times roll!

I called my friend Shonda (amazing photographer, creative genius) who said she'd seen a cute rainbow party on a blog somewhere....
Then she reminded me of this song the kids sing at church.

Rainbows! Perfect!

So I used the words from the song and made these two printables. 

I decorated with balloons and crepe paper in rainbow colors.

Each table was covered with a tablecloth one color in the rainbow.

The smaller printable was in the center of the table with pictures of our boy around it.

My daughter helped me make these fabulous cupcakes, (recipe here)

image source OurBestBites.com

Which we proudly displayed on a cupcake stand with one of the small printables I made on top.

My boy loved it.

I loved it.

and guess who didn't get a single picture!

Yep, too busy with everything else and forgot the pictures.

That's okay.

This way you can imagine it as amazing and colorful as you want and I'll just say, "you bet, that's exactly what it looked like!"

Oh Whipped Cream--Thou Art Dangerous

I love me some cream.

I love it in all of it's forms. Whipped, sour, with chocolate, in cakes, on top of fruit, mixed in hot chocolate. The list could go on and on.

I don't love that it can make parts of my body look.....well.....cheese-ish......cottage cheese-ish to be specific. But I love cream nontheless.

MDH went Costco shopping for me.

Look what he picked up!

A 3 pack!

Dangerous I'm telling you. Dangerous but tasty.

So I haven't shared any recipes lately.

For Duder's birthday he requested chocolate cake with chocolate ganache frosting, berry sauce topping and whipped cream.

Oh so decadent! and a great choice for a birthday cake.

I learned about ganache while living in Reno. A lady made a cake for a cub-scout event (of all places) using chocolate ganache frosting. After my first taste I knew my life would never be the same.

Alton Brown (food network) has some great tips for making chocolate ganache glaze and frosting.

So, I thought I'd share.

Click here for the web site.

Ganache Frosting
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004
Prep Time: 12 min Inactive Prep Time: 2 hr 0 min Cook Time: 4 min Level:
Easy Serves:
approximately 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
16 ounces (2 cups) heavy cream

Directions
Place the chopped chocolate into the bowl of a food processor.

Heat the heavy cream in a quart-sized, microwavable container and microwave for 3 to 4 minutes on high, or until it just begins to simmer; be careful not to allow cream to boil over. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Process by pulsing several times until chocolate mixture is smooth. Use as is for glazing. If you wish to make a lighter frosting, allow it to come to room temperature, approximately 2 hours. Once at room temperature, place in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high for 2 to 3 minutes.

A couple of changes I made.

I don't have a food processor and I don't buy expensive chocolate in the big blocks, so, I just use chocolate chips and whisk the heated cream and chips by hand. Really no need for a food processor and it turns out tasty every time. I've even been known to add a little vanilla, also very tasty.

Enjoy!

Feeling Ethnic, Feeling English

NICOLE A. friend, chef, woman extraordinaire

shared seasonings and recipe for an Indian Chicken dish with me and I finally tried it out this weekend.

Oh man YUMMY! Thanks NICOLE A.!

I also made naan bread (sans poppy seeds called for in recipe) to go with it. (recipe click here)

First time for me.

It was a hit with the chillens'.

When grandma asked them what naan bread was like they said,

"It's this really good bread that's Indian, like from India."

(There was more non-descriptive descriptions but that's all I remember.)

Hope that clears it up for you grandma.

AND

This weekend my dear sis-in-law was missing England so she held an England party.

SO MUCH FUN!

of course I forgot the camera but trust me there were cute decorations, great fish and chips, wonderful company, and big laughs all around.

Thanks Tawn!

While we were in England 3 years ago (has it really been that long?)

@ The crown (actually in Scotland)

MDH tried a dessert, mostly because it sounded warm (we were freezing) and it sounded tasty.

Sticky Toffee Pudding (recipe here) became an instant hit with our group.

So of course I had to try to make some for the party. LUCKILY it turned out! It was just as good as we remembered. I got the recipe from www.foodnetwork.com.

I pretty much followed the recipe except I exchanged the white sugar for brown and I would recommend boiling the sauce for 4-5 min. instead of 8 or just watch it and when it starts to thicken a little, it's done.

So in honor of the fun party and feeling a little homesick for England I thought I'd post a few inconsequential photos from our trip.

Bananas

So it would seem I've become a
Blog Slacker
Which lead me to the question
Would that be a
Blacker?
or a
Slogger?
I think I'm going to go with Slogger (Slacking Blogger) it just sounds a little nicer!
THE MAN had a birthday a couple of weeks ago.....
and......I haven't dedicated a birthday post to him OR posted his birthday pictures.
SLOGGERM (slacking blogger mom)!!!!
So in an attempt to redeem myself
TODAY
I will post a
RECIPE
and BIRTHDAY PHOTOS!!!!!

The Man requested BANANA PANCAKES for his birthday.
I really have no idea why.
I've never made them for him before.
AND Usually he's not a very adventurous eater AT ALL (unlike his brothers, side note by brother Duder).
So, I really didn't know if it would be worth the trouble to find a recipe and make them.
BUT, he was persistent, and I decided that he probably wanted to try them because of
Jack Johnson.

So, I relented and I found this

fabulous recipe at foodnetwork.com. It ranks a TASTY in our family's book, so, I thought I'd share.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

By the Barefoot Contessa

1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
2 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Unsalted butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed, plus extra for serving
Pure maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, bananas and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

We also served ours with vanilla yogurt, fresh peaches and walnuts.

TASTY

I hope you enjoy the recipe let me know what you think if you give it a try!

yet another muffin

With the big move less than 1 week away you may be a little surprised to hear that I'm baking. Well, I am too. The kitchen isn't packed yet. I had a little time today and yesterday whilst packing I found this recipe that I printed (or MDH printed) off the Internet almost 18 months ago so I decided to try it. FRENCH BREAKFAST MUFFINS are a winner! IT WAS YUMMO-TASTY.
So, of course, I had to share, and well, I didn't want to loose it again, what better place to keep it safe than on my blog?
It's a Family Fun Magazine recipe, so even better I don't have to type it. Click HERE for the recipe.
ENJOY!!!

tasty!

I'm still doing it.

To the consternation of my family they are still being subjected to eating my muffin concoctions.

Really --- I think they kind of enjoy it.

My latest recipe is by far my favorite.

So, I thought I'd post it for two reasons

1. It really is good enough to share.
2. If I don't write it down I'll forget it and I want to make these again --- probably today!

Lemon Yogurt Muffins

• Ingredients:
  
  1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 egg
• 1 cup lemon or plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (if using plain yogurt)
• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• lemon juice from one lemon

Method

1. In a large bowl sift together the first five ingredients. Stir in lemon zest.
2. In another bowl whisk together the egg, yogurt, butter and lemon juice.
3. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened. (The batter will be thick)
4. Fill greased muffin cups, bake 375 degrees, mini muffins 10 - 11 minutes, regular muffins 16-17 minutes.
5. Let cool in pan 5 minutes.

Glaze

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• enough confectioners sugar to make a glaze (about 1/2 cup)

Method

1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.
2. Remove muffins from pan and dip tops in glaze.
3. Place on wire rack to cool completely.
4. Enjoy!

Muffins

I recently purchased a mini muffin pan.

How have I lived so long without one?

I feel like a more rounded person now that I own one. LITERALLY!

Because, now I have it I want to use it.

I tried out a new recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/

They were a big hit with the family. So, I thought I'd share it with you.

Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until just moistened. Will be lumpy. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Mini muffins for 10 - 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 - 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Amazingly, I didn't tinker with this recipe. I just made it as is.

Loved it.

I hope you do to!

ironic

Last week my friend Tara wrote on her blog (here) about how she has always had trouble making bread and really wanted to be able to make really good homemade bread. She discovered her problem had been her yeast. I left her a comment that said something like keep at it, I had problems like that too, blah..blah..blah, etc.
While I was reading her blog and commenting I was in fact in the midst of making bread--rolls to be specific--for our enrichment activity. The first batch turned out fantastic!!! The second batch (on the right of the pics) didn't work out so great.

It turns out the yeast I used for the second batch expired in 2006. (I didn't even know I had any that old in my drawer). By the time I discovered there was a problem there was no time to go to the store, buy more yeast and make more rolls. So I decided if there were a lot of ladies at enrichment I would cut the rolls in half and call them "diet rolls".
Luckily, one pan was the perfect amount, the whole evening turned out great, (I'll post more about that later) and my kids didn't mind eating hockey pucks with their jam.

So, Here's to making mistakes and celebrating the irony of life!

and here's the roll recipe

written by Elaine Staheli

given to me by Andrea

by way of Sis. Hiatt

A good recipe deserves to be shared!

Quick Dinner Rolls

• 3 Cups very warm water
• 8 Tablespoons oil
• 8 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Salt
• 1 egg
• 3 Tablespoons Yeast
• 8 - 10 Cups Sifted Flour (enough to make a soft dough)

Mix all ingredients, except flour, together. Cover and let yeast dissolve for about 20 minutes. Add flour and knead for 10 minutes in electric mixer or 20 min.by hand. Do not let dough rise at this point. With greased hands shape as desired and let rise in greased pan. Bake at 400 – 425 degrees about 12 to 15 minutes until brown. I get about 30 big rolls.

HELP!!!!!

I just decided to put together a hand-out for our enrichment activity on Thursday.

I thought it would be nice to include some fun/great/informative cooking blogs or web-sites.

I know a few, but if you have one you love will you please share it with me so I can share it with the ladies in our ward?

Just leave me a comment with the web address or blog address.

You don't have to have a blogger account to leave me a comment you can just click on the one on the comment page that says name/url. (url is not required) I would like to have your name though so I can give you credit on the hand-out.

*Even if we don't formally know each other, you are welcome to comment. I'd love it if you would because I really need some help!*

Thanks everyone!

culinary calamities vs. cooking karma

There are days when my culinary calamities reach epic proportions, when I shouldn't be allowed to touch

• the stove
• oven
• refrigerator
• any utensils
• knives
• dishtowels
• any dish what-so-ever
• any food what-so-ever
• the pantry
• can opener
• or water

and definitely days when I need to keep handy

• the fire-extinguisher
• a lid
• baking soda
• neosporin
• band-aids
• the phone and a list of our favorite carry-out places

Days like these really get me down when I want our meal to turn out "nice", when I really want to do something good for our family or when I have to take the food to another family. Mostly, my family is very understanding when I have these days. My husband is always understanding when I have these days. But really these days tick me off BIG TIME!!!!!! (5 exclamation points)
Then ,there are those days when

• the planets align
• I scrunch my face in the right position
• I hold my breath and then sigh at just the right moment
• cooking karma smiles on me

And I can do no wrong. I really REALLY REALLY like these days. Lucky for me AND my family yesterday was one of these days.

For dinner we had:

• Grilled Tri-Tip w/Nicole's marinade ---awesome!
• Crash Hot Potatoes, from The Pioneer Woman Cooks ----so good!
• Grilled Corn on the Cob, I've never had that before ---oh mama -it was good!
• Watermelon --the sweetest one so far this year!

I won't share Nicole's marinade because it is hers after all, I linked Crash Hot Potatoes to that recipe, and there's really not a recipe for watermelon so I thought I'd share the

Grilled Corn on the Cob (from Taste of Home Picnics, Potlucks & Barbecues cook book)

• 8 medium ears sweet corn
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 Tablespoons, minced fresh basil
• 2 Tablespoons, minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Soak corn in cold water for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the butter, basil, parsley and salt. carefully peel back corn husks to within 1 in. of bottoms; remove silk. Spread butter mixture over corn. Re-wrap corn in husks and secure with kitchen string. Grill corn, covered (lid closed), over medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Cut strings and peel back husks. ENJOY!

SO HERE'S HOPING COOKING KARMA SMILES KINDLY ON YOU AND IF YOU TRY THESE RECIPES YOU ENJOY THEM AS MUCH AS WE DID.

cowboy cookies - for nicole!

I made cowboy cookies the other day for Nicole and family.

Apparently I've been holding out on her. ;0)

Honestly I had no idea she would like them so much, they are just cowboy cookies after all! - After I found out she liked them I decided to post the recipe - from a ward cookbook printed in 1982.

They're Duder's favorite cookie and if I remember correctly my mom likes them a lot too. Really, I don't make them very often though - kind of keeps them special.

Cowboy Cookies
1 C. brown sugar
1 C. white sugar
1 C. shortening (butter flavor Crisco)
2 eggs
2 C. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. oatmeal
1 C. chocolate chips.


*Cream sugars and shortening together, add egg and vanilla. Sift together and add flour, salt baking powder and soda. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 9 - 10 minutes.
-Cassie Williams-

~~~~

So when I decided to post this recipe there was only 1 cookie left. I thought it would be nice to have a picture of the cookie to go with the recipe. I asked Mr. Man to help me with the pictures, first he held the cookie for me, then he pretended to eat it.

Suddenly this little pirate ran up, grabbed the cookie and took a bite. I pointed the camera her direction as quickly as I could and snapped a couple of pictures, that's why they're so blurry.

Then she laid down on the ground and thoroughly enjoyed her plunder!

It didn't take long for her sweet acquisition to be reduced to a slimy, chocolaty, tasty mess.

If these photos don't make you want to try-out this recipe and devour some delicious goodness yourself - NOTHING WILL!

WOW!

I made these this weekend. About half way through making them I noticed on the bottom of the recipe was the nutritional and caloric information. This is what it said:

Each Bar 307 cal.,............ Daily Values: 7% vit. C, 3 % calcium, 8% iron.

First I thought: 307 Calories per 2x2 bar! You have got to be kidding me!

Then I thought: Wow, this recipe had better be worth it! and at least you get some vit. C, calcium and iron.

Finally I thought: It's probably a good thing I haven't read the calorie information on other goodies I've made and I'll probably never read that info. again as far as homemade treats are concerned.

So the family loved the Lemon-Lime Bars and they are so worth the 307 calories. They earned the TASTY stamp of approval from our household. Enjoy!

Lemon-Lime Bars

2/3 cup butter, softened (NOT margarine)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

4 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel, divided

6 eggs

2 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. finely shredded lime peel

2 Tbsp. sifted powdered sugar

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13x9x2-inch pan with heavy foil; set aside.

2) For crust, in large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Beat in 2 cups of the flour until crumbly. Stir in 2 teaspoons of the lemon peel. Evenly press on bottom of prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

3) Meanwhile, for filling, in medium bowl combine eggs, granulated sugar, remaining 1/2 cup flour. lemon juice, baking powder, and nutmeg. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Stir in remaining lemon peel and the lime peel. Pour over hot crust. Bake 20 minutes more or until edges are browned and center appears set. Remove to rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours

4) To serve, sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar. Lift from pan using foil; cut into bars. Store covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes 16 - 20 bars.

After you try this recipe............

.....you are going to want to kiss me! Well, my husband did!

It's BBQ Ribs in the crockpot - Come on you can't beat that! Enough said? - Just try it!

Ripped from the pages of BH&G. Tested in my kitchen last Sunday - oh so good with new red potatoes.

Barbecue Pork Ribs

3 - 3 1/2 pounds pork country-style ribs (I used boneless)

1 Cup Ketchup (the bottle NOT broken by the earthquake)

1/2 Cup finely chopped onion

1/4 Cup packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (Mmm-mm tasty stuff)

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (I used hickory flavor, this stuff was not as expensive as I thought it would be - actually I got quite a bit for about $2)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce (I just used a couple of dashes because the kids and I are wimps when it comes to spicy things. My husband added more to his later.)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

2 Tablespoons cold water

1) Place ribs in a 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, onion, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, liquid smoke, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce. Pour over ribs in cooker, turning ribs to coat.

2)Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-6 hours.

3) Transfer ribs to a casserole dish, cover to keep warm. Skim fat from surface of sauce; pour sauce into a medium saucepan. Mix cornstarch into cold water, make sure there are no lumps, combine with sauce. Bring sauce to a boil reduce heat slightly let boil for 1 min. or until slightly thickened.

Alternate: Skim fat from sauce - transfer to med. pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat let boil 7 - 10 min. or until thickened.

4) Pour sauce over ribs in casserole dish and serve.

LEFT OVERS CAN BE SHREDDED FOR SANDWICHES - LOVE THAT!

ENJOY!

birthday cupcakes

This handsome man gets to celebrate his birthday at school today!!

He's going to be 10 YEARS OLD!!!!!!

After consulting the Internet this is what we came up with for him to take to class for his treat.

Honestly, I was surprised they turned out so well. If the truth be known I have no skills in the cake decorating department or for flower arranging, for that matter (but we won't discuss flowers today). Give me a piece of fabric and I can come up with things that will amaze and delight. Hand me a cake and some frosting and you'll get a big ol' glob of cake crumbs and frosting. So you know if I can make these cupcakes turn-out half decent they can't be too hard.

Click me

for a link to the instructions.

My Question is;

How much does the treat you take to school for your birthday affect your social standing in fourth grade?

It's been a while since I've run in fourth grade social circles, but I did have my question in mind as my son and I were deciding what to make for his treat. I didn't want to do anything too girly and have the boys think it was stupid - we did want to do something fun and original - oh and TASTY too. The tasty part was important because -----I decided that 4th grade boys are really men in training and by this stage in the game they've learned that

Food = Tasty = MM-M-M = Cool Guy

Girls on the other hand

Food = Cute = tasty = Cool

I think we were able to fulfill both criteria - tasty & cute.

As we were deciding what to make I did council with my personal food guru - Nicole - I think I've mentioned before she is amazing. I want to say thanks for the advice and vote of confidence - I could hear the bit of a laugh and practically see the sparkle in your eye (through the phone) as we were discussing the possibility of me decorating a cake item, though. ;) I know the thought of me doing it is funny ---- but look I did it!

So, while researching cupcakes I was surprised to learn that there is quite a community of Cupcake enthusiasts out there.

I found these fun little cupcake pops on a blog and they were featured on Martha Stewart last week as well. I'm going to try these out next time I need to make a fancy little treat. Maybe I'll throw a baby shower for some random person just so I can have an excuse to make some.:)

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