Slow Cooker Barbecued Ribs

These ribs are so good! They're fall off the bone tender and have great flavor. My whole family loved them, especially my husband. I'm so glad I found another great crockpot recipe. This one is from The Food Nanny Cookbook. I made a sauce/gravy from the drippings in the crockpot and it was so good served over the ribs. I highly recommend this recipe!

Slow Cooker Barbecued Ribs

4 lbs country-style pork ribs (you could probably use country style beef short ribs too)
1 can tomato soup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon chili powder

Sauce:
drippings from slow cooker
2 tablespoons cornstarch
water

Place ribs in slow cooker. In a bowl combine soup, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, celery salt, and chili powder. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Remove ribs to a platter and cover tightly with foil to keep them hot while you make the sauce.

Strain juices from the slow cooker into a large measuring cup. Allow to sit for a minute and then spoon off as much of the fat as you can from the top. Pour juices into a saucepan. In a small bowl mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch with enough water to make it smooth and pourable.  Whisk this cornstarch mixture into the hot juices and bring to a boil. Boil until thickened. Serve over the ribs.

Frog Eye Salad

I actually call this Pineapple & Marshmallow Salad so my youngest two will eat it, but it is more widely known as Frog Eye Salad. A rose (pasta salad) by any other name in this case does not smell (taste) as sweet.:) Honestly, I can't believe I haven't made this salad in the last few years. I love it! It is sweet and fruity and I love the texture - I'm a huge tapioca pudding fan too. It makes tons so I usually only take it to church activities or barbecues, but I wanted a picnicy/summery sort of dinner tonight so I made it. And of course we have tons of leftovers so I'll be having it for lunch for a while. :) Oh, make sure you get this started the night before. It needs 8 hours to sit before adding the final ingredients.

Frog Eye Salad

2 cups or 16 oz package acini di pepe pasta
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 3/4 cups pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 oz container Cool Whip, thawed
14 oz can crushed pineapple, drained
20 oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
4-5 cups multi-colored mini marshmallows
2, 11 oz cans mandarin oranges, drained

Prep the Night Before:
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, pineapple juice, sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring/whisking constantly until thickened.

Drain pasta a put in a large bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and stir until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Day of Serving:
Fold Cool Whip into the pasta loosening and mixing the chilled pasta mixture (I use my hands to bread up all the pasta - it's messy, but fast). Fold in pineapple tidbits, crushed pineapple, marshmallows and mandarin oranges. Cover and chill until serving.

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

Wow cake batter is all over the place on cooking blogs and Pinterest. I've seen cake batter shakes, cheesecake, pancakes, chex mix... All manner of wonderfully delicious sounding cake-battery treats. Well this is the rice krispie treat version and it is fun. The treats really do have a cake batter taste. Yum! I made it for my daughter to take to a church activity and it was a hit. I got the recipe from Six Sisters' Recipes and modified it slightly to my taste.

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry funfetti or yellow cake mix
10 oz bag  + 1 cup mini marshmallows (about 13 oz - I like my treats more marshmallowy than the original recipe)
6 cups rice krispies
1.75 oz container of sprinkles (a little less than 1/3 cup)

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. In a saucepan melt 4 tablespoons butter, add mini marshmallows and as they melt add dry cake mix a little at a time to make sure it is evenly distributed. Once marshmallows have completely melted, remove from heat and mix in rice krispies and half of the sprinkles. Mix well and spread into the greased 9x13, pressing with greased hands to spread it out evenly. Top with remaining sprinkles and press into the rice krispie mixture. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

I think these are my new favorite pumpkin muffins. They taste like big pumpkin cookies. YUM. I mixed in chocolate chips, but you could leave them plain or mix in raisins or craisins. My kids got a kick out of the Halloween muffin cups. Hey they need to get used sometime and they had pumpkins on them.:)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter (I wonder if canola oil would work)
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (depending on how you like it)
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Fit 2 muffin tins with paper liners (makes about 15 muffins).

In a large bowl whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar, and melted butter. Add eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix until just blended, making sure all the flour is worked in, but you don't want to over mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter or scoop with a large cookie scoop into lined muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes.

Super Easy Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

My kids love fruit and yogurt parfaits from McDonalds, so I thought I'd try an at home version that I can make the night before and have ready in the fridge for breakfasts and packing lunches. They are made with frozen fruit, so as they sit overnight the fruit thaws and gets a little syrupy. Spoon a little granola on top in the morning and they are ready to go. I've found that the perfect containers are 8 ounce plastic freezer jam jars.

Super Easy Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

large container vanilla yogurt
frozen blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries (or a mixture)
granola

Layer the yogurt and frozen fruit in the jars. Put lids on and refrigerate overnight. Top with granola to serve. Parfaits will keep for a few days in fridge.

Simple Oven Omelet

What an easy and scrumptious breakfast casserole this is. It is just like an omelet or quiche without the crust. So good. Of course you can switch up the meat used and add some veggies if you'd like. This is the plain version and my family loved it. I served it with some muffins and canned peaches and it was a super fast dinner to throw together.

Simple Oven Omelet

1 dozen eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups, or 1, 16 oz container sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese (I used 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup Swiss - it's what I had on hand)
3 tablespoons dry minced onions
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups diced ham (I used 1 cup chopped deli ham and 1/2 cup crumbled bacon)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 baking dish well with cooking spray.

In a bowl beat together eggs, salt, and sour cream until foamy. Stir in cheese, dry minced onions, pepper, and ham. Pour into the 9x13 baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until eggs are set and edges are slightly browned. Serve with salsa if desired.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

This is a great crockpot recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I love stroganoff and since this stroganoff is made in the crockpot it is 10 times easier the stove-top version. The beef is fall apart tender and the sauce is so yummy and favorfull (without relying on cream of mushroom soup like so many crockpot recipes). I know I'll make this one again.

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff

2-3 lbs beef stew meat (I cut a 3 lb chuck roast into cubes)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth or stock
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/3 cup flour
7 tablespoons water or beef broth
8 oz sliced mushrooms (I used baby bella)
1/2 cup sour cream

Combine stew meat, salt, pepper, and onion in crockpot. In a bowl combine garlic salt, worcestershire sauce, beef broth, and ketchup. Pour over the meat. Cook on low for 7-9 hours (or 4-5 hours on high). About 30 minutes before serving, combine flour and water or beef broth in a bowl, whisking vigorously to mix well. Pour the flour mixture into the crockpot, stirring well to avoid lumps. Add the mushrooms and stir. Finish cooking on high for 30 minutes. Turn off crockpot and stir in sour cream. Serve over noodles or rice.