The Best Baby Back Ribs

I LOVE good ribs.

This recipe is easy, because it's all done in the oven.

Give it a try.

Ingredients

1 rack of pork baby back ribs.

Dry rub (you can use whatever spices you like, but definitely don't leave out the brown sugar)

4 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon or less of cayenne pepper (unless you

like it HOT)

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

mix it all up.

Preparation

Prep the ribs:  On the back of the ribs will be a very thin but very tough membrane that you must remove. You can't really see it well, but trust me that it's there. I usually use a knife to pry up a corner of the membrane, then I just pull it down the entire length of the ribs. A paper towel may help to grab and hold on to the membrane.  Sometimes it tears and you have to try a few times, but you definitely don't want to skip this step. 

Once the membrane is removed, put the dry rub all over the ribs (both sides) and rub it in. The meat will take on some of the colors in the dry rub and look a little reddish.

Wrap the ribs in some heavy duty tin foil and let them hang out in the fridge till you're ready to cook them.

Cook the ribs: At 250 degrees, place the ribs wrapped securely in tin foil onto a cookie sheet (sometimes juice/fat can escape the tin foil) and place them in the oven. cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours, pull them out and open the tin foil to take a look. At this point you can add a little apple juice on top of them, but that's not really necessary. Re-wrap them, and put them back in for another 1/2 hour. Pull them out again and open the tin foil completely.

At this point you can brush some BBQ sauce on them, or leave them the way they are. Crank up the heat to 350 and put the ribs back in the oven with the tin foil open. After half an hour, they're done! You can always do this last part on a BBQ, but watch the ribs and make sure they don't burn from the sugar.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

When I was growing up, this was my father's favorite cake.  So mother made it often.
I haven't had it lately, so maybe it's time to make it again.  How about you?   ~Shelly

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

9 slices pineapple in juice (from 20-oz can), drained

9 maraschino cherries without stems, if desired

1 1/3 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup shortening

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

Steps

Heat oven to 350°F. In 9-inch square pan, melt butter in oven. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over melted butter. Arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar. Place cherry in center of each pineapple slice.

In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over pineapple and cherries.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Leave pan over cake a few minutes so brown sugar mixture can drizzle over cake; remove pan. Serve warm. Store cake loosely covered.

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Considered a classic American cake, pineapple-upside down cake first appeared when canned pineapple become available. But the method of creating a lusciously caramel-like topping for a cake, pastries (like caramel rolls), or bread has a long baking history.

Update this cake by using sliced fresh pineapple, peaches, apples or pear with fresh chopped herbs or dried spices added to the brown sugar and butter mixture.

Keep the ratio of butter and brown sugar fairly low, enough to create the rich syrup in the pan, but not so much that the flavor of the fruit is lost.

Skip the brightly colored cherries and replace them with candied or crystallized ginger pieces or a cluster of blueberries or cranberries.

The cake needs to be turned out of the pan shortly after it’s removed from the oven or the fruit will stick. Be armed with hot pads and a cake plate or board. Allow the fruit to stop bubbling, then place the plate on top of the pan. Carefully lift up the pan, holding the plate firmly in place, and invert the pan. Let it stand for a few minutes before lifting the pan off.

Authentic Philly Cheese Steak

 

4 - 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds Harter House Philly Steak Meat (top round steak )

1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion

4-6 bell peppers, any color

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, pepper

1/4 pound sharp provolone cheese, thinly sliced  (Or Provolone Cheez Whiz)

4 to 6 soft hero rolls or hoagie rolls

Step 1 - Purchase Harter House ready sliced Philly Steak Meat 

On sale this week.

OR   

Tightly roll the eye round steak into a torpedo or log shape. Wrap tightly in plastic. Place log in freezer for 45 minutes to firm the beef into a tight but not frozen texture.   Remove plastic, and working quickly, use an electric knife to slice the beef into paper-thin strips, almost shaving the beef. If this does not work well, use a sharp knife and cut the beef into the thinnest slices possible, then flatten the slices using a meat tenderizer. Refrigerate slices until ready to cook.

Step 2

Peel and halve onion. Slice into paper-thin half moon pieces. Halve the peppers, remove and discard seeds, and then slice into thick wedges.

Step 3

Warm 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add onions and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until caramelized and softened, stirring frequently. Do not allow them to brown. Transfer onions to bowl; add pepper to same skillet, still over low heat. Cook peppers 10 to 15 minutes, until soft and tender, flipping often. Transfer to bowl with onions. Season onion-pepper mixture to taste. Cover bowl to keep warm.

Step 4

In a clean skillet, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Cook the beef in 2 batches, until lightly browned and cooked through, stirring often. Add olive oil if necessary.

Step 5

To serve: Pile beef strips, peppers and onions and cheese slices inside a hero roll.

Snickerdoodle Cookie

 

Ingredients

1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
1 ½ cups Sugar

2 large Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
2 ¾ cup Flour
1 ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:

¼ cup Sugar
1 ½ Tablespoons Cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1-2 minutes longer. 
• Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined. 
• In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. 
• If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Roll into small balls until round and smooth.  Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and coat well. Using a spoon, coat for a second time, ensuring the cookie balls are completely covered.  *To make flatter snickerdoodles, press down in the center of the ball before placing in the oven. This helps to keep them from puffing up in the middle. *
• Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes.  Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing from the pan.  

This recipe comes from ModernHoney.com

5 Stars (4.96) from 372 votes

Slow Cooker Pepper Pork Chops

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks really good. 

The recipe calls for marinating overnight, so be sure to plan ahead!   ~Shelly

Prep - 20 Minutes

Marinate - 8 hours

Slow Cooker - 6 hr, 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, slightly crushed
1 pound ice
4 (1 to 1 1/2-inch thick) bone-in pork chops  
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 ounces dried apple slices (Opt. dried apricots or fresh apples)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, julienned
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Combine the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup kosher salt, brown sugar and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook just until the salt and sugar dissolve, then remove from the heat and add the ice. Place the pork chops into a 2-gallon zip-top bag along with the mixture and seal. Place in a plastic container and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the chops from the brine, rinse, and pat dry. Season on both sides with the kosher salt and set aside

Place the apples in the slow cooker.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch stainless steel saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the pork chops on both sides until golden brown, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side. Once browned, place the pork chops into the slow cooker atop the apples.

Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan followed by the onions and saute until they begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Add the black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Transfer this to the slow cooker, set to high, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Decrease the heat to low and continue cooking for another 4 hours and 30 minutes or until the pork is tender and falling away from the bone.   

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

Pairs well with Pinot Noir.       

Recipe on The Food Network.com