Crock Pot BBQ Ribs.

Cock Pot BBQ Ribs

I am not a grill master. I have never even turned the grill on. But if it can be cooked in the kitchen, I've got it made! So I found away around the grill.  My husband's most favorite food is Ribs. He bought a small rack of ribs a couple of months ago and put them in the freezer. However since we travel for a living, we live in a 40foot 5th wheel and if you know RV's then you understand his ribs were taking up precious freezer space. Working double shifts he never had time to get them on the grill for us. So for his birthday I made him ribs in the Crock Pot. They turned out so yummy and tender. Give them a try! 

4 pounds pork ribs
salt, pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder

For the Sauce:
2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce(I used Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, I'm from Texas)
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano
(optional) 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke (if you like a smokey flavor)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel off the film layer off of the back of the ribs, rub in your desired amount of salt, pepper, garlic powder, & onion powder. Bake for 15 minutes & then turn over bake for 15 more minutes. 

In a medium bowl combine BBQ sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire, oregano, and 

liquid smoke if desired.

Place ribs in a large slow cooker (at least 6 quart). You can cut them in half if you need to. Pour sauce on top & cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender.

If you want to caramelize your BBQ sauce put them back in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Enjoy!

Baked Ziti with Homemade Meatballs

Baked Ziti with Homemade Meatballs 

Hey everyone, I know it's been a long time since my last blog, my apologies, life happened. And so did baby number 3!!!! So it's been very exciting and very busy around our house as of late. I'd like to share a family favorite with you tonight, I hope you enjoy. If you find it's to much to do to make your own meatballs, feel free to grab some out of the freezer section, it will still be a super delicious meal! 

Baked Ziti with Meatballs!

Homemade Meatballs:

¾ Pound Ground Beef

¾ Pound Ground Pork

3 Cloves Minced Garlic

¾ Cup Breadcrumbs

2 Large Eggs

¾ Cup Freshly Graded Parmesan Cheese

¼ Teaspoon Salt

¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

A splash of Milk

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, mix together with hands, to ensure well blended. Roll into 24 1.5inch balls, and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. Bake in the over at 375 for 40 minutes.

Ziti:

1Pound of Ziti Pasta

1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

½ a Large Onion Chopped

1 Container of Sliced Mushrooms

2Tablespoons of Butter

½ Cup of Freshly Graded Parmesan Cheese

2Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning

1Pound of Grated Mozzarella Cheese

¾ of a 32oz Container of Ricotta Cheese

Cook Pasta to desired tenderness and set aside.

In a large frying pan add the Italian Seasoning, Butter, Chopped Onion, & Sliced Mushrooms, cook through on medium heat. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a large bowl add 1 & ½ cups of Spaghetti Sauce, to the mixture you just cooked. Add in ¼ cup of the Grated Parmesan Cheese, all of the Mozzarella Cheese, & the Ricotta Cheese. Fold all of that in together. Add in the meatballs and the pasta and continue to fold in together.

Grease a 9x13 Casserole Dish and pour in the entire mixture and flatten down in the dish with a rubber scraper. Top with the rest of the Spaghetti Sauce and last 1/4 Cup of Freshly Grated Mozzarella Cheese.

Bake uncovered at 375 for 30 minutes, allow resting time for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Clam Chowder, not Clam Sludge!

Never made Clam Chowder because you thought it was to hard?  Clam Chowder has never been more easy! I hope you enjoy this, even my three year old twins enjoy this Chowder recipe. I have always been a lover of Clam Chowder, however never knew how to make it, and anytime I bought a can of Clam Chowder I was always dissapointed, it was like can of Clam Sludge. YUCK! So here you go, enjoy!!!

Ingredients:
2 - 10.5oz Cans of Clams
1/4lb Bacon
1 Medium Onion Diced
4 Cans Diced Potatoes
1 Cup Whipping Cream
1Cup Whole Milk
1Tbls Butter
Salt, Black Pepper, Tony's, Dried Parsley Flakes (to taste)

Directions: 

Cook your bacon up crispy, drain cooked Bacon on layers of paper towel, reserve two tablespoons of bacon grease to fry the onions in. Chop Bacon and set aside.

Fry your onions in the two tablespoons of Bacon grease over medium heat until clear.

In a large measuring cup, drain your clams reserving the liquid, add enough water to your clam juice to make three cups of liquid.

Drain your diced potatoes, do not reserve the liquid. 

In a large stock pot put your Clam Juice/Water, Clams, Potatoes, Bacon, Onions, Whipping Cream, Whole Milk, Butter, and mix. Cook on medium high for 30 minutes, add your Salt, Black Pepper, Tony's and Dried Parsley Flakes to taste, mix well and serve! 

Enjoy! 

Jess' Cajun Pasta Creation!

Oh Cajun food, how do I love thee, let me count the ways! Cajun food is something I have loved since the first time I ever went to Louisiana, the summer after seventh grade, 1995. Especially CRAWFISH! Oh sweet little red mud-bug, you are like heaven in my mouth! I spent a few years living and learning some amazing Cajun traditions and recipes in my years on and off in Louisiana. I hope you enjoy this amazing pasta recipe!

Ingredients:

1Pound of Fettuccine
6Tbl Butter
1/2 of a Medium Yellow Onion, Chopped
1Package of Sliced Mushrooms
2Tbl Minced Garlic
1Tbl Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1Tsp Ground Black Pepper
2Tsp Ground Garlic Powder
1/4Cup Cheap White Wine
2Cups Heavy Cream
1Tbl Lemon Juice
1Pound Crawfish Tails (I bought a package out of the freezer section)
1Pound Cooked Shrimp (I bought a package out of the freezer section)

Directions:

In a large stock pot boil your Fettuccine to desired tenderness, drain and return to pot. 

While you're water is boiling for your pasta, get started on your sauce.

In a large skillet melt your six tablespoons of Butter over medium heat and cook your onions until tender, when your onions have become tender add your sliced mushrooms and continue to stir and cook until mushrooms are nice and tender as well. 

Add your Minced Garlic, Tony's, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, turn your heat up to high and mix all your spices and cook for about a minute. 

Add your Cheap White Whine and cook on high until sauce thickens just a little and becomes a dark caramel color. This will take a few minutes. 

Turn your heat down to medium and add your Heavy Cream and Lemon Juice. Do not let it boil, cook for about five minutes, then add your Crawfish Tails and Shrimp, and cook on medium-low for another five minutes to heat your seafood. After this time if your pasta isn't done turn your fire down to low and allow the mixture to simmer.

Once your sauce is done and your pasta is done, put some pasta in a bowl, ladle on your sauce. 

ENJOY!  

.

The Wold's Best Homemade Buttercream Icing!

I am not a cake and desert person. However if I'm going to eat cake, it is going to be super moist amazing white or yellow cake with to DIE for Buttercream Icing! I hate store bought icing, and even more than canned store bought icing, is that disgusting whipped frosting they put on store bought birthday cake! YUCK!!! So this is a recipe for The World's Best Buttecream Icing! Give it a try you won't regret it!!!!

Ingredients:
2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
1 Stick of Salted Butter (room temperature)
4 1/2 Cups of Powdered Sugar
3 Tbl Heavy Cream
1 1/2Tsp Vanilla

Directions:

I used a kitchen aid stand mixer, if you don't have one get a good sized bowl and your hand mixer out. Place the three sticks of room temperature butter in the bowl and mix on medium speed for eight(8) minutes. When you're done your butter should be very fluffy looking and white. 

(If using a kitchen aid mixer use your whisk attachment)  

Next put in your Powdered Sugar, Heavy Cream, & Vanilla. Mix on low until the powdered sugar is all moist (otherwise it will FLY everywhere, trust me I know from experience!!!!), (if you plan to color your icing this would be the time to add your coloring) then switch over to high and mix for five(5) minutes.

 Ice your cakes or cup cake right away, don't refrigerate the icing. 

****Easy Filling Idea For Piping Bags****

Open your piping bag and place it in a cup on the counter, fold the bag down over the sides of the cup and scoop the icing into the bag! Awesome!

Enjoy!

Twin Tested, Twin Approved! 

To die for pancakes from the pancake masters themselves!

Love going to Ihop, specifically for the pancakes?  I do too! However times are tough and money is tight. So what is better than going to Ihop for those famous pancakes you ask???? MAKING THEM AT HOME OF COURSE!!!!  Oh my goodness y'all, you have no idea, these pancakes taste just like Ihop, they're heaven in your mouth! Try them once and you'll start making them at home and pocketing the extra change!!!!!  If you're in for a super big breakfast, side them with some eggs and bacon. But for our family the pancakes were enough!

Ingredients: 
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1Tsp. Baking Powder
1Tsp. Baking Soda
A Dash of Salt
1 Beaten Egg
1 1/4 Cup Buttermilk
2Tbl. Melted Butter (not margarine)
1/4 Cup Sugar

****Buttermilk! Okay so you don't have buttermilk laying around? Come on what kind of cook are you? Just kidding, you're like me, you don't keep Buttermilk in the house? What would you EVER need Buttermilk for? Exactly, so today I'll teach you to make your own for this recipe!  In a large measuring cup, put in 1Tbl of Lemon Juice, and 3/4Tsp. of Lemon Juice, then pour milk in on top of it until you reach 1 1/4 Cup. Let sit in the measuring cup for 5 solid minutes. Presto you have Buttermilk!****

Directions:

Stir the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, & Salt together.  After you've beaten the Egg, add it to the Buttermilk. Then add the Egg/Buttermilk to the flour mixture, make sure you stir like crazy, because no one likes lumpy pancakes! Add the melted Butter and Sugar last and stir again make sure all is smooth, the pancakes lumpy mean you'll bite into a burst of sugar, makes for interesting breakfast, but not exactly yummy. 

I poured my pancake batter back into my large measuring cup then, heated up my frying pan. Medium heat, and greased it with a little vegetable oil. When my pan was good and hot, I poured in my batter to the desired size about five inch pancakes. Cook on each side anywhere from 45 seconds to 1 minute, to desired brown color. Toss each one on a plate and butter straight away, so it's all yummy and melty. Done this way you'll make 8 pancakes, we served four with this recipe! 

I hope you enjoy, and save some money at the same time!!!!!

The Most Amazing Chili EVER!

I am NOT a chili fan. I have had one other kind of chili that I though was "good".  But a week ago Mr. Amazing, the twins, and I were invited over to our favorite friend's house to enjoy some chili. I went into the evening hoping it would be "good" chili. I was so shocked and surprised to find it was AMAZING CHILI!!!! I asked her for her recipe right away, it was truly the most delicious chili I ever had in my life!!!! So whether you're a chili fan or not, give this a try you won't be sorry!!!! It's super simple to make and the taste is out of this world!!!!

Ingredients:

2lbs of Ground Beef OR Ground Turkey 

4TBLS Chili Powder

3TBLS Sugar

1tsp Salt

1tsp Oregano

1 Finely Chopped Yellow Onion

1 Finely Chopped Green Bell Pepper

1 - 15 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
1 - 15 oz Can of Rotel

2 - 8oz Cans of Tomato Sauce

1 Cup of Water

2 - Cans of Red Kidney Beans (optional, Mr. Amazing says beans have no place in Chili, I think they're delicious)

Directions:

Brown the two pounds of meat in a frying pan on the stove. (I have had it both ways (ground beef and ground turkey) the chili taste is so rich in flavor I couldn't taste a difference in the meat.Ground Turkey does take off some calories of course.) Drain the meat very well, you don't want to add that grease to your recipe. 

In a Crockpot add all ingredients EXCEPT the beans. Cook all ingredients on HIGH for 6 hours. Then add the beans and cook for two more hours. Whether or not you add the beans, cook on HIGH for 8 hours total. 

When the Chili is done turn your Crockpot down to warm. Serve with Sweet Yellow Cornbread. Store leftovers in the fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. 

ENJOY!