Baby Back Ribs

I love ribs. I've never made them in the slow cooker before--this was an awesome surprise! And something to make when ribs are on sale! I got this recipe from the book that came with my crock pot!

Baby Back Ribs

• 2 racks of ribs, cut into 3-4 pieces each
• 2-4 cups of barbecue sauce
• 2 chopped onions

Place ribs in crock pot. Top with onions and barbecue sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high 4-5 hours or until meat is tender.

Serve with extra sauce as desired.

The Changes

I bought spare ribs instead of baby back ribs. I don't think the type of ribs really matters, personal preferences more than anything!

The Lessons

Everything turned out great!

The Verdit

5/5. There was nothing we could've done better or worse. Only experimenting can make these better. These weren't the greatest ribs I've ever had, but the best ribs I've ever made. The easiness of the recipe also helps with the verdict.

Swiss Steak Dinner--Never Again

I have never cooked with cube steak before. Truthfully, this recipe has kind of ruined that again. Another new tag I've added to the blog is the Never Again. Recipes that we have tried but don't even want to experiment with will be tagged with this. Hopefully there won't be too many, but we all know that cooking is a bunch of experiments!

This recipe is fromt he cheap and easy cookbook I got as a gift. Sorry I forgot to take a picture.

Swiss Steak Dinner

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 pounds beef cube steaks
• 29 ounce can tomato sauce
• 14 3/4 ounce can beef gravy
• 28 ounce package frozen diced potatoes with green pepper and onion, thawed

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; brown steaks. Drain; place in large stockpot. Add tomato sauce, gravy and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

The Changes

I did add seasoning to the sauce: garlic, onion, seasoned salt, and pepper. It was too bland without it.

The Lessons

If a recipe seems as though it has too much of something, it probably does. We thought all 28 ounces of tomato sauce would bee too much, but put it all in anyway. The amount of tomato was part of what ruined this dish.

The Verdict

1.5/5. We gave this more than a one only because we were able to eat it. We did not enjoy it. As I said before, the tomato sauce was too much. If I made it again, I would double the gravy and halve the tomato sauce. 

Beef Burrito Skillet

I absolutely love tacos, enchiladas, burritos--pretty much any type of Mexican food! Especially at home, because it's so easy to make! This is a simple recipe you could make in less than 30 minutes any day of the week! Just throw in what you have laying around.


Beef Burrito Skillet

• 1/2 cup dried kidney beans
• 3/4 pound ground beef
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 4 corn tortillas, cut in 1 1/2 inch squares
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, black olive-for garnish, if desired

Soak the dried kidney beans overnight, or bring to a boil in a generous amount of water, remove from the heat and let soak for at least 2 hours in the hot water. Drain and rinse the beans. Add the soaked beans to ma medium saucepan with at least 2 inches of water covering them. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft.

While the beans finish cooking, brown the ground meat in a skillet and drain the excess fat. Return the meat to the skillet and add the cooked beans, salsa, cumin, salt and pepper,  and 1/2 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Stir in the corn tortilla strips, and top with the cheese. Remove the skillet from the heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes, to allow the cheese to melt.

Garnish with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, onion, tomato, and black olives, if desired.

The Changes
Once again, I used ground turkey instead of beef but I can barely tell the difference. I did not boil the beans the full hour and a half before hand and that worked out fine. I added onions and black olives to the skillet as well, because I always have those in my tacos. You could add whatever you like to this dish!

The Lessons
I soaked the beans overnight, and therefor did not need to boil them nearly as long as the recipe calls for. This definitely needs seasoning, even just a packet of taco seasoning would add so much to this dish. The corn tortillas got a little soggy. You could crush some tortilla chips instead to make it much better!

The Verdict
3/5 stars. There is still work to do on the dish to make it excellent. I think the next time I make it I will use a can of refried beans, just 'cause I like them better. One of the favorite things I enjoy about this dish is that I cooked the beef the night before, so it was all ready to go for dinner, I just needed to heat it up. Seriously a delicious meal that can be done in way less than 30 minutes.

Beer Cheese Soup

Scott and I LOVE beer cheese soup! When Scott came across this recipe in one of my Pillsbury cookbooks, he instantly wanted to make it! We still need to play with this recipe a bit because we weren't in love with it, but overall it was good! It was so yummy on a chilly day!

The Changes
Because it was a little bland, we added garlic, Tabasco, seasoned salt, and a little lemon juice. We used a little more cheese and flour to thicken it as well.

The Lessons
We used a bag of frozen vegetables with carrots celery and onions already mixed together. We threw them into the food processor. It turned out great!

The Verdict
3/5 stars. We thoroughly enjoyed it but there is definitely something missing and we will make it again!

Beer Cheese Soup-Adapted from Pillsbury
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Serves 5

1/2

cup butter or margarine

3/4

cup finely chopped carrots

1/2

cup finely chopped celery

1/4

cup finely chopped onion

1

cup quick-mixing flour

1/2

teaspoon paprika

1/8

teaspoon black pepper

1/8

teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

3

cups chicken broth 

1

cup whipping cream

4

cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (16 oz)

1

can (12 oz) beer

• In 4-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion; cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until celery and onions are transparent.
• Stir in flour, paprika, black pepper and ground red pepper. Add broth; heat to boiling over medium heat. Boil and stir 1 minute.
• Reduce heat; stir in whipping cream and cheese. Heat until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in beer. If desired, serve with popcorn.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Individual Campfire Stew

I was really excited to make this meal! It was something completely different that I had never tried before! I don't know if I would make this again, because I did not like it, but everyone else I made it for enjoyed it!

The Changes
I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. Normally I do not have a problem, but for this recipe I would definitely suggest using ground beef for both the texture and the visual aspects.

The Lessons
It was hard to tell with this recipe if the meat was cooked thoroughly. It was partially because of the stew, and I think partially because of the turkey, which is why I would suggest using beef.
Like I said before, I would add some cheese, onions or garlic to the beef for extra flavor. The beef itself ends up kind of bland.

The Verdict
3/5 Stars. That rating is by everyone else that ate this meal. I was not a fan of the texture for the most part. Definitely try it though!

Individual Campfire Stew-Picture by Taste of Home

Individual Campfire Stew

• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1/4 cup milk

• Prepare grill for indirect heat. In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into four patties. Place each patty on a greased double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square); sprinkle each with potatoes and carrots.
• Combine soup and milk; spoon over meat and vegetables. Fold foil around mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

Serves 4

Total Time: 35 minutes