Coca Cola BBQ Ribs

This is the ONLY rib recipe you will ever need. Sticky and sweet. Absolute perfection!
Serves 6

FOR THE RIBS
1 (1.5 liter) bottle of Coca-Cola (not diet!)
1 large onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 racks baby back ribs (about 4 pounds)
FOR THE SAUCE
2/3 stick unsalted butter
1 small white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
1½ tablespoons yellow mustard
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 (12 ounce) can Coca-Cola (not diet!)
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
In a large pot, add the (1.5 liter) bottle of Coca-Cola, onion, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. Add the ribs and, if necessary a bit of water just to ensure the ribs are submerged completely. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, turning the ribs occasionally, until the meat pulls away from the bone, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, to make the sauce combine the butter, onion, garlic, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and (12 ounces) Coca-Cola in large heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for about 25 minutes stirring often until sauce is thickened and reduced. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool slightly. Using a blender, puree the sauce.
Note: Sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Preheat the grill to high.
Remove the ribs from the pot, pat dry, season with salt and pepper and brush liberally with the sauce. Grill, turning often, until charred on the outside, about 8 minutes. Loosely tent the ribs with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into individual ribs. Serve extra sauce on the side for dipping.

SLOW COOKER SALISBURY STEAK

Original recipe makes 8 servings
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
3/4 cup water

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs, and milk using your hands. Shape into 8 patties.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge the patties in flour just to coat, and quickly brown on both sides in the hot skillet. Place browned patties into the slow cooker stacking alternately like a pyramid. In a medium bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, au jus mix, and water. Pour over the meat. Cook on the Low
setting for 4 or 5 hours, until ground beef is well done.

Sausage Bites

Ingredients
1 lb. hot sausage (pork or turkey)
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
2 packages crescent rolls
Dash salt & ground black pepper

Directions
In a saute pan, brown sausage; drain. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Blend in cream cheese until the cream cheese is melted.
Unroll one package of crescent rolls and place on a baking sheet. With your fingers, gently press the seams together to seal them. Spread the sausage mixture evenly over the crescent roll dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch border along the edges.
Unroll the remaining package of crescent rolls and place on top of the sausage mixture. Press the edges together to seal. Gently press the seams together.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until crescent roll dough is golden brown.
Cut into small squares and serve. (A pizza cutter makes really quick and easy work of the cutting.)

Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of zucchini (about 2 small)
1/2 pound of yellow squash (about 2 small)
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
a bunch of chopped cilantro and parsley
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Olive oil

To serve (optional)
1 cup light or fat free sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Pinches of salt
1 small minced or crushed clove of garlic

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Have a baking sheet ready.

Trim ends off zucchini and squash and grate them using a food processor.
In a large bowl, toss zucchini and squash with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the water of the vegetables. You’ll be surprised by the amount of liquid that will come out, but this will prevent your fritters from becoming soggy.
Return the zucchini and squash shreds to bowl. Add more salt if you think it needs.
Stir in the scallions, parsley, cilantro, egg and some freshly ground black pepper.
In a small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir the mixture into the vegetable batter.
In a large heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the vegetable mixture onto the skillet only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly nudge them flatter with the back of your spatula.
Cook them over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed.
If using the topping, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving and enjoy!
These fritters keep well, in the fridge for the better part of a week, so that you can enjoy them for breakfast the next morning. When you’re ready to use them, simply spread them out on a tray in a 325 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.

ITALIAN CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS & ONIONS

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup sliced yellow onion
1 cup sliced green bell pepper
1 pack Knorr® Roasters™ Roasting Bag & Seasoning Blend for Chicken - Garlic Parmesan & Italian Herb

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place chicken and vegetables inside bag, then sprinkle seasoning blend over chicken and vegetables. Twist bag to close tightly, then secure with blue tie about 2-inches below the opening. Turn bag gently to spread seasoning blend over chicken and vegetables. Lay bag flat in 13 x 9-inch baking dish, arrange chicken in single layer.
Bake 35 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before opening. Carefully cut open bag and serve.

Eggplant Pizza

You’ll Need:
1 eggplant, sliced
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
2 tsp olive oil for brushing
toppings as needed

Slice the eggplant and sprinkle with some salt on each side. Set aside for thirty minutes, then rinse and pat dry. This will take some of the bitterness out of the eggplant, especially if you’re using a larger/older fruit.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Brush each side of the eggplant slices with olive oil, then sprinkle both sides 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Place the eggplants on a cooling rack that’s on a baking sheet, and bake until they are softened and a little brown, about six minutes.
Spoon the tomato sauce on the eggplant slices, then add the cheese and toppings. I’m sure you know how to make pizza! Our favorite toppings are black olives, mushrooms, and nitrate-free pepperoni.
Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another five minutes, until the cheese is melted. Go ahead and broil it for a minute if you’d like some extra crispy toppings.
That’s it! The eggplants are a little more tangy than your everyday pizza crust, but I’ve come to really enjoy their distinct taste as an impromptu pizza crust.

Chicken Bombs

This was tonight's dinner and I got the chicken on sale and bought the rest at Save A Lot. All together it cost me about $10 for 4 servings.
4 Boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded out thin
3 oz. cream cheese
1/2 C shredded colby jack cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Tony's creole seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half lengthwise and seeds removed
8 slices bacon
BBQ sauce (I used a brown sugar based sauce)

After chicken is pounded thin. Mix the cheeses, garlic and creole seasoning in a small bowl. place a heaping spoon of cheese mixture into the half jalapeno. Place jalapeno at the end of the chicken closest to you and roll to where pepper is tucked inside chicken. Wrap the chicken tightly with 2 slices of bacon and place on a baking sheet or in a baking dish and coat with BBQ sauce. Bake uncovered @ 350 for 30-35 minutes.