Country Style Pork Ribs in the Crock Pot

Awesome deal alert! Country style pork ribs are on sale at Stop & Shop this week for $1.29 lb. What? Yes - really! Here's what you do with them. CROCK POT!! Stock up, people - this is winter comfort food at its best.
Each package contains 7-8 "ribs".
Mix up 1-1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper.
Slice 1 large onion - put in bottom of crock pot.
Sprinkle both sides of pork ribs with seasoning. Brown both sides in a little oil, then place on top of onions in crock pot.
Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup dry white wine. Add another cup to cup & 1/2 of water or chicken both, dump liquid in crock pot.
Cook on high for @ 5 hours or low for @ 8.
YUM!!!
We serve this with mashed potatoes and whatever veggie we feel like - corn or peas are favs of mine!

Just got a cool present from my husband! I'm always looking for ways to trim our grocery budget, and while I do pretty well, I can always do better.

I did make the mistake of reading  the chapter on duck eggs. The author tells of her time as a duck owner. Being the current owner of 2 male pekin ducks, I realize she is just woefully ignorant on the subject and was trying to be funny when she wrote that chapter.

Trust me. It wasn't funny.

Please, people. Do not buy any animal without first understanding what you are getting yourself (and the poor animal!) into.

I digress. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the book and learning how to make pot stickers and creme fraiche!

It's been HOW LONG since my last blog entry?

Holy cow, September 9th! Shame on me! It's not like I stopped cooking for 4...no FIVE months...geez louize!

Anyhow, I've been trolling around the internet and other cooking blogs, getting hugely disappointed at every click of the mouse. Everybody is so put together, nice pictures, guest bloggers, companies paying to advertise. I mean, why not me, know what I mean?

Yesterday I made a meal for a sick friend. Today, I attended MOPS in Manchester (I'm one of the mentor moms). Everytime I participate in these sorts of activities, I'm reminded of why I started this blog in the first place. Reminded of why I cook - oh, yes, I know, it's to feed my family - but it's more than that. I want to be a blessing to others. Whether that's in helping a young mom get over her fear of a whole roasted chicken, or learning how to keep meals ready to go for when a neighbor needs a little TLC - I want to be there to help. Because this is what I know how to do.

I don't do tragedy well. I don't cope with others being sick. I'm not a very good listener, although I am trying to get better every day. I'm trying to be a better friend. I know how to cook. When hardship comes, I can bring food. It's what I do. And not just food - I can bring good, homemade food.

Stream of consciousness, yes siree..

What's for dinner at my house tonight, you ask? Autumn Pork Roast. Yes, I know, it's not autumn, and fresh butternut squash isn't even available in the market up here, but I was determined. It's in the oven right now, here's a link to the recipe.

I love Allrecipes. Yes, much of it is "add a packet of onion soup mix" or "open a can of cream of whatever soup" - but it's a great starting point for a beginning cook. It's accessible - that's the word I was looking for. Occasionally you find a real gem that becomes a family favorite. I have high hopes for this one!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

It's getting to be that time of year! Let's dust off those slow cookers!

Ingredients:

3 pounds stew beef, cubed
4 potatoes, peeled & cubed
4 carrots, peeled thickly sliced
1 onion, peeled & cut in wedges
2 ribs celery thickly sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups beef broth
dash Worcestershire sauce
and/or dash balsamic vinegar


Directions:

Place potatoes, carrots and onions in bottom of large crock pot. In a gallon ziplock bag, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Place stew beef in the bag and coat with flour mixture.
Heat oil over med-high heat in a large heavy skillet. Sear the beef in the oil, and place on top of vegetables in crock pot.
De-glaze the pan with the beef broth, scraping all that great burnt stuff off the bottom, and pour it over the roast. Sprinkle with a dash of both Worcestershire sauce and/or balsamic vinegar - you can use one or the other or both depending on your taste.
Depending on your slow cooker, cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours. Stew is done when meat is fork tender. Remove the meat & vegetables and thicken the broth with flour if desired.

Note: You can substitute any spices that suit your taste in the flour mixture, oregano is just a suggestion that has worked well for me in the past. Let me know what you try!

How to make ice cubes

Words cannot describe how funny this is - especially the comments. You MUST read the comments! Here's the link: http://www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398

Goulash

So I did an image search on "goulash" today and this is what came up.

When I was growing up, my dad and mom made goulash, which was basically a cheap way to feed 4 hungry kids. Elbow noodles, ground beef and tomato sauce. Always topped with "sprinkle cheese."

When I got to college, I learned rather abruptly that my beloved "goulash" as I called it was, in reality, called "American Chop Suey." Wow, major letdown, lemmetellya.

So I did a Google image search on "american chop suey" and this is what came up. Not so different! Except all the authentic Hungarian, Czech and Russian versions weren't included.

This all got me thinking - how do you all make "goulash?" And if it's not authentic Eastern European fare, what do you call it?

Would anyone be interested in posting their goulash (American Chop Suey) recipes here, and maybe I'll even try making them and we can have a little contest to discover who's goulash reigns supreme? Yea, a little nod to the Iron Chef there...

Post away! I can't guarantee the privacy of your family secrets here, but if you don't mind sharing with the world, let's see what you've got!

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Click the link below to watch. What do you all think of this video? It's well worth the time to watch it, as Dr. Greger is highly entertaining and there is a lot of great information.

Does it motivate you to change your eating habits? Why or why not?

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death | NutritionFacts.org