I have been hearing about cooking ribs in the slow cooker for a while now. A number of my fellow Volunteer Field Editors from Taste of Home magazine swear by it. I have been holding out on trying this. I really love the way my oven baked ribs come out so tender and fall off the bone. I was not convinced the ribs would come out as tender as the oven baked ribs. Well, both Jim and I really liked these ribs and agreed that they are very, very tender so no matter how you cook your ribs oven or slow cooker, they will come out tender and moist! I am a believer! The only thing I would do differently is have my butcher slice the ribs for me. It was a royal pain in the rear end slicing the ribs into individual pieces as the recipe called for. These ribs were marinated in a Chinese marinade for 24 hours but you can make your favorite ribs using this same method.
INGREDIENTS
2 racks of baby back ribs, trimmed and sliced into individual ribs.
1/4 cup chopped, peeled ginger
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon Chinese chile garlic sauce. (Sambal Oelek)
1/2 cup water
DIRECTIONS
In a blender combine the ginger, garlic, hoisin, honey, soy sauce, molasses, chinese garlic sauce and water in a blender and process until smooth. Pour the mixture over the ribs and toss evenly to coat. Allow to marinate for at least one hour,but up to 24 hours. When you are ready to cook place the ribs and marinade into your slow cooker, cover and cook on high for four hours or low for 8 hours. The meat will be tender but not fall off the bone.
Transfer the ribs to a foil lined baking sheet and strain the juices into a medium size saucepan spooning off as much fat as possible. Boil the pan juices until it is thickened and reduced to about 3/4 of a cup, five to ten minutes.
Preheat the broiler and position the rack about 8 inches from the heat. Brush the ribs with some of the sauce and broil until caramelized, about 5-10 minutes turning the ribs once or twice. Transfer ribs to a platter and drizzle with remaining sauce.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I found this recipe at www.today.com
This is the easiest cake I think I have ever made! Super simple and excellent ! There is also no butter or oil in this cake! Throw all of the ingredients together and bake, that’s it! If you really want to keep it simple you can buy the frosting insead of making it! I won’t tell anyone!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple NOT drained. In its own juice, not syrup.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1/2 cup of butter
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 cup of chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts, optional
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the cake ingredients together in a large bowl, mixing well. Including the juice from the crushed pineapple. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and baked through.
For the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter together until well combined add the vanilla and slowly add the confectioners sugar mixing until well combined. Once the cake is cooled, frost and add the chopped nuts to the top if desired.
Enjoy!
This review is for all of my south Florida friends and anyone that might be visiting the Florida Keys. Mangrove Mama’s is located at 19991 Overseas Highway in Sugarloaf Key, Florida. We were staying in Key West but visiting Bahia Honda National Park in Big Pine Key Florida for some swimming and snorkeling and stopped here for lunch on our way back to Key West.
I was with my good friend Rosalie, who has been to this restaurant and area many times. She knew just how much I would love about this restaurant but what she did not expect is…I would love it so much I wanted to go back a second time during our trip! Mangrove Mama’s is a funky little roadside place that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and is well know by the locals. It is a hopping place no matter what time you go!
I loved that they have live music in the evenings, and inside and outside seating under banana trees and palm trees! There is a great banana tree inside the restaurant that had an huge amazing flower on it. This place has been open for over thirty years and let me tell you they are going strong!
If you follow the blog you know Rosalie is just as much of a foodie as I am. When we are together we always order lots of food and share! I know there are many people who hate to share food so if you are one of them, I apologize in advance! So for starters we ordered Conch Fritters ($9.99). These were absolutely fried to perfection and served with a sauce that had a little spice to it that we really loved! They were crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside with a little kick from the sauce. Darn good way to start the meal!
Did I mention how we spent all morning and early afternoon touring, swimming and snorkeling? Well, we were more than ready for a couple beverages! I had the rum punch and Rosalie had a key lime Mojito. Both were done very well and there was no skimping!
For the main course I ordered the Fried Spiny Lobster Reuben and Rosalie had the Seafood Quesadilla. Well we each really had half of both but anyway, I’ll start with Rosalie’s choice. The quesadilla ($11.99) was served with salsa and a mayo sauce. This was really tasty and filled with plenty of seafood. You did not wonder one bit what kind of quesadilla this was…lots of shrimp, crab and lobster! The theory of not putting cheese with seafood goes out the window with this dish as it was excellent and we would both order this again anytime!
The star of the day and the dish that brought us back the second time was the Fried Spiny Lobster Reuben ($14.99)…OMG…words do not do this sandwich justice. Rosalie and I each took a bite and we were silent, no words….not one! My mouth is watering just thinking about this dish. So freaking del
icious! The lobster was perfectly fried in a very light batter, crisp, tender and sweet coleslaw, fresh and crisp, layer of Swiss and Thousand Island dressing brings it all together on toasted bread! YES, PLEASE! I would love to re-create this at home with Maine lobster. As much as I hate to fry this sandwich will take me there! Absolutely mouth watering. One of the best sandwiches I have ever had.
The menu does not stop there. They have everything for both seafood lovers as well as the meat eaters. They also have fantastic unique pizza choices that they deliver to the locals. I’m wishing I was a local right now! They really know how to feature the local seafood in many different ways as well as keep those familiar items on the menu for those not as adventurous. We went for a late lunch on both days but you can choose everything from salad, soup, appetizers to some amazing lunch and dinner items. From the Lobster Ruben to Spicy Mahi tacos, burgers, seafood baskets, pasta primavera or maybe a grilled tuna steak or plantain encrusted hogfish!
I mentioned the pizza earlier although we did not try any of them, the choices were fantastic. Everything from a Maui Wowie, Funky Chicken, taco pizza and a veggie delight…and a shrimp Alfredo pizza! I’m pretty sure I would enjoy any of these! The prices are excellent, the food was beyond anything I would have expected and the service was outstanding both times! This is a must visit for anyone in the area and I know I can’t wait to get back!
Enjoy!
I am excited to share one of Jim’s recipes with you. Everyone thinks I am the cook in the house, but I can tell you Jim can make some amazing plates of food! He does not cook often as he does not have the time but when he cooks it is always delicious! Sadly I did not get to taste this dish as he made it while I was enjoying some sunshine in Key West, Florida. Thankfully for me, he wrote the recipe down to share with all of us!
INGREDIENTS
1 package boneless chicken thighs
3 Tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup White Zinfindel wine
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons of flour, divided
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 Tablespoon roasted garlic purée
1/2 pound penne pasta
DIRECTIONS
Place one cup of the flour in a large bowl and coat the chicken thighs in the flour coating all of the chicken.
Heat your oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. When the oil is heated, add the chicken and cook both sides of the chicken until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate while you make the sauce.
Turn the pan to medium heat, add the 3 tablespoons of flour, salt, pepper and the roasted garlic. Mix well stirring up all of the chicken drippings in the pan. Add the wine and the chicken stock whisking until thick and bubbling. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the chicken back into the pan and cover. Continue to cook for 40 minutes.
When the chicken is almost done, cook your pasta in boiling salted water until al dante (about ten minutes). Drain.
To serve place the pasta on your plate and top with the chicken and sauce.
Enjoy!
This is one of our family favorite recipes and I can’t believe it has taken me so long to post it! Jim has asked a couple times recently for this dish. I was getting ready for a vacation away with a close friend so I used this opportunity to make this for him to eat while I was away. Needless to say he was very pleased and did not go hungry! I found the original recipe on Food Network, but have changed it to fit my family’s taste so feel free to change it your way as well! We like this with some crusty bread and a side salad! Did I mention this is a one pot dish and I use a rotisserie chicken? Easy and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 rotisserie chicken, with the meat pulled off
1 package taco seasoning (gluten free for Robby)
2 (4 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) jar of medium spice salsa (gluten free for Robby)
1 (14 ounce) can of corn (omit for Robby)
1 (16 ounce) black beans, rinsed
30 ounces of chicken broth (or more depending on how thick you want your soup)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (dairy and gluten free for Robby. Kate Hill Brand)
OPTIONAL
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips
Crusty Bread
DIRECTIONS
Sauté onion, green pepper and garlic in the vegetable oil for just a couple minutes. Add the chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, corn, beans, tomato paste and chicken broth. Adjust the broth to your preference of thickness. Bring the ingredients to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Slice the cream cheese into pieces and add to the soup, stir often letting the cream cheese melt and incorporate into the soup. Simmer for another ten minutes. Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese if desired and serve with tortilla chips or crusty bread.
Enjoy!
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