An Easy Sunday Dinner

I bought pork ribs at Lee's the other day. The checker, named Ken, gave me a great idea on how to prepare those bad boys. So here is an easy Sunday dinner courtesy of Ken, the checker at Lee's in Smithfield. If you are in at Lee's go through his line and chat with him. He will tell you all about pulled pork and Ireland. Thanks for dinner, my checker friend!
One other thing: I got the french fries at Walmart. They are the Great Value brand seasoned fries. They are really good. Try them with this dinner.

Pulled Pork

• 3-4 lbs. country style pork ribs
• 1 can Dr. Pepper (or be like me and buy a liter, you can drink the extra with your dinner)
• 1 bottle of Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce (yes you read that right. I didn't even know it existed before I chatted with Ken. They have it at Lee's.)
• 1 dozen mini hoagie buns- They also have these at Lee's. I found them to be the perfect size for these sandwiches.
  

Throw the pork ribs in your crock pot. Pour the can of Dr. Pepper over the top. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. This is why this dinner is so easy. I don't use my crock pot nearly as much as I should, but I love it when I do. After 6-7 hours, drain meat and then shred it using two forks. Return to crock pot and cover with the entire bottle of barbecue sauce. I put a little extra Dr. Pepper in the bottle and shook it up to get all the sauce out. Another reason to buy a whole liter. Combine well and let the meat heat through.

Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

I was in the mood to make cookies the other day. I asked Shawn what kind of cookies he would like. He started talking about a cookie his mom used to make that had carrots in it, and he remembers really liking them. I was dubious but went searching for a recipe. I found this one at allrecipes.com. I have to admit he converted me. These are tasty little gems. And maybe you can feel less guilty about eating them because they are so healthy, right? Right. Oh, and Shawn also said they are pretty darn close to what his mom used to make. Hope you enjoy!


Carrot Cookies with Orange Glaze

• 1 c. shortening
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 c. cooked, mashed carrots- Just a note here: you want them very soft for easy mashing, so boil the crap out of those carrots. I was also surprised at the number of carrots it took to make a cup, mashed. I would boil 2-3 cups raw carrots.
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Beat shortening and sugar. Add egg, vanilla, and carrots. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to carrot mixture. Mix well. Drop by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Move to a cooling rack. Glaze cookies while they are still warm. Store in an air-tight container. If you stack the cookies in the container, place waxed paper between the layers to keep the cookies from sticking together. Makes 2 dozen cookies.


Orange Glaze

• juice of 1/2 orange- about 3-4 Tbs.
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add orange juice and powdered sugar. Mix well. Add orange zest and mix well. Glaze cookies by placing a cookie sheet beneath cookie cooling rack. Pour warm glaze over cookies and let cool.

Broccoli Cauliflower Soup and Breadsticks

First of all, I apologize to any of you who actually read this blog. I guess I have been busy lately. Claire has kind of turned into a um, high maintenance child. Syd's homework load has been unbelievable this year. I love her teacher, but we have an hour to 1 1/2 hours of homework on a good night. Plus Brynn has ballet, Syd has Tae Kwon Do, I have a new calling which keeps me hopping (Stake YW Sports Director) and Shawn is the 2nd counselor/Scoutmaster for the Young Men. So we are busy.
So I decided I will aim for one post a week. We will see how that works. I've stockpiled a few so we should be good for a while. Here is a double header for today.



Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This is a recipe I got from my mother-in-law, Julie, when Shawn and I first got married. I don't use a recipe to make it so it has morphed into something a little different, but it is still easy and yummy! Shawn's family calls it Relief Society Soup. I think Julie got the recipe at RS or used to take it to RS lots or something. This recipe is very much a to-your-taste recipe. Just combine things until it reaches the right consistency and flavor for you.

• 1 head broccoli
• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cube- 1 cube butter
  
• instant potatoes- I like the potato pearls you get from the church cannery but potato flakes also work
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbs. Lawry's seasoning

Wash and cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Place in a large stock pot and just cover with water. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Boil until veggies are fork-tender. Without draining veggies, pour in milk and add butter and Lawry's seasoning. I use less butter, but if you want more of that flavor add the whole cube. When butter is melted, add instant potatoes. I usually add 3-4 cups of potatoes. Add one cup at a time and mix well between cups. Stop adding when soup reaches the consistency you like. Remember soup will continue to thicken a little bit. When potatoes have been absorbed well add cheese. Serve soup hot. This soup reheats well, or can be made earlier in the day and kept in a crock pot on low.



Breadsticks

These are some great breadsticks that my mom used to make. They are best if eaten the day they are made.

• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 c. flour
• 2 Tbs. melted butter
• Garlic salt
• Parmesan cheese
  

Combine warm water and sugar and let dissolve. Then add yeast and let it rise for 10 minutes. Pour yeast water in a large bowl or Kitchen Aid. Add salt and flour. Mix well. Let dough raise 10 minutes. Roll out dough on a floured surface until it's 1/2-3/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into bread sticks. Place on 2 greased cookie sheets. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and/or Parmesan cheese. Let breadsticks raise 20 minute or until double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve hot with yummy Broccoli Cauliflower soup.

French Toast

Shawn is the master of French Toast. He taught me how to make it when we first got married. I continue to use the same method 10 years later. Thanks honey!

French Toast

2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla (or almond) extract
Dash of cinnamon
1 loaf good quality white bread

Crack eggs into a shallow bowl or container. (I use a square Tupperware made for holding sandwiches). Beat eggs thoroughly. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Beat into eggs. Beat in milk.
Working one slice of bread at a time, coat each side of bread in egg mixture. Place on a hot griddle heated to approximately 300 degrees. Cook until lightly brown, then flip and repeat. Serve toast hot with butter, syrup, powdered sugar, and jam. Very yummy, and fairly fast. Or make it for brinner. We love that at our house.

Peach Blackberry Trifle

Peaches will be coming on soon. They are one of our favorite treats around here. We usually get a bushel to can and a bushel to eat. Very yummy. Here is a easy and tasty dessert to use those fresh peaches. I used frozen blackberries and let them thaw on the counter for about 5 minutes before I assemble this dessert.


Peach Blackberry Trifle

1 yellow cake mix
4-5 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 package of frozen blackberries
1 pint of heavy whipping cream

Bake yellow cake according to package directions. Let cool completely then cut into bit-sized pieces. Place peaches in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes before assembling dessert. Do the same thing with the blackberries. While the fruit sits, whip the cream. Add 1 tsp. vanilla and about1/2 c. sugar to cream after it starts to form soft peaks. You may want more or less sugar. Do it according to taste.
In a trifle bowl layer 1/2 of each of the ingredients in this order: cake, peaches, berries, then cream. Repeat until all ingredients are used. You are done. Easy as that. Dish into individual dishes, then eat and enjoy, but before you do, make everyone ooooo and aaaaaa over your pretty dessert!
This could also be done in individual dessert dishes.

Candied Chicken

This chicken is on of Grandma's classics. We had this at her house on lots ofs different occsions. I love it!
I served this chicken with steamed green beans. They are so tasty! I like the way they squeak when you eat them.

4 chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbs. soy saouce
1/2 c. green onions- chopped
1/4 c. prepared mustard
1/2 c. ketchup

Flour chicken breasts them brown over medium heat. Remove chicken from pan and place in a glass pyrex casserole dish. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients. Pour into and simmer in same pan that you browned the chicken in. Let simmer for 3 minutes. Pour of chicken in casserole. Place in a 250 degree oven and bake, uncovered, for 2 2/1 hours.
Modified (this is how I usually cook it): Brown chicken then pour combined sauce over chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yay, a new post! I did not intentionally take the whole summer off. It just happened. We had a super busy summer. But now the girls are back in school and I will maybe have some time to devote to food blogging. I'm sure the two of you who read this blog are really excited.

Anyway moving onto cookies. I found this cookie recipe back in February and have made them over and over. But we eat them so fast that I have never gotten a picture before. So the three cookies in this picture were held hostage for a day until I got around to taking some pictures. They are now long gone.
I got this recipe off all recipes.com. I read the comments and lots of people modified it. So I did the same. I changed from all white sugar to 1/2 white and 1/2 brown. And I also split the butter content in 1/2 and used some shortening because I like how chewy shortening makes cookies. I had never messed with a recipe like this before and it was kind of scary, but also very liberating. I have always heard that with baking, you have to be precise and don't estimate. But you can! And I did! And it was fun! So here you go: This recipe is fantastic! The cookies are chewy and rich. I like to make mine with mint chocolate chips, but they would also be good with white chocolate chips or semi-sweet. Enjoy!



Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
1 c. shortening
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
5 c. flour
1 1/3 c. cocoa
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chocolate chips of your choice

Blend butter and shortening well, them add sugars. Blend. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add vanilla and mix. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Then add chocolate chips and mix gently. Place rounded tablespoons of dough (I really did about 1/8 c. per cookie. I like them big) on prepared cookie sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes at 350. Eat them hot with milk. Super yummy and gooey!