Empty Nester Short Rib Saturday

So, my nest is empty...sort of...my daughter is in Oregon and my son is in college in Iowa. It's just my husband, my dog and me at home now. This morning I looked in the freezer and saw a small package of short ribs I had picked up for a great deal at the store. Normally, I wouldn't have looked twice at a package of four meaty short ribs...not enough food to feed my WHOLE family...but, the size of the meals I make now are so different from before.

I had a favorite short rib recipe for the crockpot, but I decided to do a search for a new one for these four lonely short ribs...and I think I found a real winner. I cut the recipe in half to feed the two of us. Feel free to double or triple to meet the needs of your family.

Short Rib Saturday

Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz) tomato sauce
1-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 medium onion, diced or cut into rings (your choice)
1-1/2 pounds beef short ribs
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Ruby Port or a hearty red wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
olive oil
carrots, celery (diced and optional)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a shallow pan, place ribs with bone side down and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Roast in a pre-heated 400* oven to render much of the fat from the short ribs.

2. While ribs are roasting, prepare the sauce. In a sauce pan, heat about 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil and saute the onions, carrots and celery until starting to brown. Add the crushed garlic and then port or wine to deglaze the pan with the vegetables. Most of the alcohol will cook off, but you may substitute more broth or water if you don't want to use the port or wine.

3. Stir in the remaining ingredients, tomato sauce, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, brown sugar, thyme, red pepper flakes and beef broth. Bring to a simmer.

4. When ribs have roasted for about 45 minutes, pour off the rendered fat. If the ribs are very meaty, you may return them to the over to roast for about 15 more minutes.

5. At this point, you may either add this all to a crockpot and let cook all day (or 3-4 hours), or pour the sauce over the ribs, COVER and cook at 325* for 2-1/2 hours or until the meat falls apart and off the bone. Make sure to check about half-way through the cooking time to see if you need to add more liquid.

This would be good served over mashed potatoes or pasta. Served with a green salad and garlic bread. Delicious! I'll be making this again.

Beef Chile Verde

Beef Chili Verde
I needed something hearty to feed my boys (hubby and son).  They both recently started working out again.  The 18 year old is getting ready to go off to college and play football...so, he's lifting a lot of weight to bulk up.  I think the 46 year old boy is feeling his age and trying to keep up...so, here is my contribution...dinner, served with mexican rice and pinto beans.  This would also make a delicious burrito served in a tortilla.

3 lbs. boneless chuck roast
1 can of diced green chiles (or jalapenos if you like it spicy)
1 small onion, diced
minced garlic
salt
pepper
16 oz. jar Salsa Verde (this is a green salsa)
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

Cut the chuck roast into 1-inch pieces and put into a large skillet or saucepan.  Add diced onions, minced or pressed garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer this in its own juices until meat is cooked through (about 35-45 minutes).  Add jar of salsa (red is fine if you can't find green salsa), small can of diced green chilies or jalapenos and one can of diced tomatoes.  Let simmer at least another 10-15 minutes or until it is the consistency you want for serving.  Serves: 8-10 normal servings...for me I will most likely have leftovers for lunch...but, not much.  I'm calling "dibs" on the leftovers.

Like I said, I will serve with mexican rice, pinto beans and warm flour tortillas on the side for dinner tonight.  A green salad would be nice, too...just haven't checked to see if I have that in the fridge yet.

This would also be good in a crockpot.

Enjoy!

Sweet Gingered Carrots

Yummy flavors, orange and ginger combined with the sweetness of cooked carrots.  These can be made ahead of time and reheated without losing their flavor.

7-8 Medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tablespoons butter
Chopped Parsley, optional

Slice your carrots into 1/4-inch thick round disks or ovals.  Cook in boiling salted water, covered for about 7 minutes or until just tender.  Drain and set aside.

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and ginger in a small saucepan.  Add orange juice and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and comes to a boil.  Boil for 1 full minute before adding butter.  Pour over hot carrots and toss.  For added color, garnish with chopped parsley.

Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

I love this meal, but rarely think to look for short ribs at the grocery store.  The other day I happened to see some beautiful meaty short ribs and picked them up.  With a removable insert for your crockpot, you can easily put this together the night before.  Just remember to pull the insert out of the fridge in the morning and turn your crockpot on low to slow cook these yummies all day.  Coming home to wonderful smells of yumminess coming from my kitchen is one of my favorite ways to end a work day.  My family knows these ribs as "Fighting Ribs", mostly because it's a fight to make sure you get your fair serving...because there isn't likely to be any leftovers.



Port from Trader Joe's

8 Short Ribs or about 4 pounds
Coarse Sea Salt
Lawry's Seasoned Pepper (not the seasoning salt)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 medium white or brown onion, diced
1Ttablespoon freshly minced garlic
2 cups ruby port (Trader Joe's usually has a good price on this)
1 cup Merlot (or any dry red wine, I only use something I would drink in a glass)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf

1.  Season the short ribs with a sprinkling of the salt and pepper on all sides, gently rubbing the seasoning into the short ribs.

2.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat.  Sear all sides of the ribs and set in your crockpot.  It's a good idea to sear the ribs in two batches.

3.  Pour off all but about one tablespoon of the oil from your skillet.  Add the carrots, celery and onion to the skillet with the 1 tablespoon of oil, cook over med-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

4.  Turn the heat up to high and add the port.  Cook this until the port is reduced by about half.  This will take 10-15 minutes.


Here's what it looks like after the port has reduced.

Here's what it looks like after adding the port.




5.  Next add the dry red wine of your choosing.  Merlot is good, but lately I've been drinking a Meritage blend and I only cook with a wine I would drink...so, that's what I used this time, a blend.   Cork the rest to serve with your meal (or have a glass now).  :)  Oh, yes, and add the chicken broth and bay leaf now, too.  Bring to a boil and continue cooking for about 2 more minutes.

 6.  Pour the wine/veggie mixture over the ribs in your crockpot.  At this point, you can refrigerate it all to cook within the next 2-3 days, or cook now.

Can't you just smell it?  Look at that steam.

7.  I like to cook on low for 8-10 hours, but you can also cook on high for about 5 hours.  Serve over mashed potatoes or hot buttered egg noodles.  Yummy served with a green salad or asparagus and garlic bread.  Also good served with gingered carrots which I will write up next.

Enjoy.

Chicken Spaghetti

Ah, Happy New Year!  Although many of you are probably starting to eat healthier than you were over the holidays, I've found that living with two men (my hubby and now "adult" son) they really aren't into reducing what they eat.  So, today I give you Chicken Spaghetti with some suggestions for reducing calories and saving time (and maybe some money).  Enjoy!

My mother had a recipe for chicken spaghetti that was similar to the one I recently read in "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" by Ree Drummond.

Here is how I made mine today:

1 Deli Roasted Chicken (it was already cooked, and on sale...less than an uncooked fryer chicken)
16 oz. thin spaghetti
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 oz. pimentos, undrained (or 1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (I used one "healthy" can, and one regular can)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (you choose, full fat or reduced fat)
1 tsp. seasoning salt (like Lawry's brand)
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 boullion cubes, chicken flavored

1.  Start some water in a large pot to boil to cook the thin spaghetti noodles.  Add the boullion cubes to the water.  Break uncooked noodles into thirds over boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes.  When noodles are done cooking, save 2 cups of the cooking water and set aside.  Drain the spaghetti in a collandar and set aside.

2.  While noodles are cooking, if you haven't already...dice the onion and bell pepper.  Remove all of the chicken meat from the deli chicken and chop in bite sized pieces.

3.  In a large casserole dish (mine was about 3 quarts) spray with non-stick cooking spray (optional).  Add the cooked spaghetti noodles and 2 cans of soup.  Mix together and then add the remaining ingredients, including the 2 cups of reserved cooking water.

4.  Cook uncovered in a 350* oven for 45 minutes, or refrigerate to cook later (tomorrow maybe).  If refrigerating for cooking later, add about 15-20 minutes to the cooking time.

We are having ours with a tossed green salad and probably some garlic bread.  I think the "men" will be happy.

Here's my casserole ready to go in the oven.  If you like yours more on the cheesy side, add more cheese to the top before baking.