Honey BBQ Oven Ribs

My husband and I usually only eat barbeque that has been smoked.  And while I have to be true to the fact that there is no real substitute for smoked meat, this recipe was an easy and delicious week night version of one of our favorite meals.

Ingredients:  paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, dried oregano, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, beef ribs (the recipe calls for short ribs, but I couldn't find them and country style ribs worked just fine) and honey.

Combine the spices in a bowl to make the rub.

Coat all sides of the ribs in the rub and place them snugly in a baking dish.  Let them sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours to soak up the spices.

Cover tightly with foil.

And bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.  Remove from the oven and drizzle with a generous amount of honey.

Put them back in the oven at 425 for 10-15 minutes.  They will be sweet, spicy and fork tender.  I like mine drenched in barbeque sauce.  YUM!

Link to the printable recipe:

Honey BBQ Oven Ribs

Source:  Sunny Anderson

Murh's Mexican Casserole

I'm in the mood for some family recipes this week.  My husband's family gave me a wonderful book of his late grandmother's recipes.  I found this one; a comforting, delicious, churchy pot-luck kind of dish that tastes like deconstructed beef enchiladas.  I'm usually not a huge fan of recipes made mostly from canned ingredients but if it's in Murh's cookbook, it's going to be good!

Ingredients:  canned cream of mushroom soup, canned cream of chicken soup, canned enchilada sauce (any kind), canned green chilies, canned chipotles in adobo, ground beef, onion, tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese.

Heat some oil in a skillet and cook a chopped onion for several minutes until softened.

Then add the ground beef and cook for several minutes until browned.

Next add in all of the canned ingredients.  I added the chipotle peppers to the original recipe because I adore them.  If using, chop them up before adding and make sure you get a little of the adobo sauce in there too.  But be careful not to overdo it - they are very spicy!

In a baking dish, layer the beef mixture.

Some tortilla chips and then a generous sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese (sorry, no picture of this step : / )

Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and melted.

I have to honestly say that I prefer Pioneer Woman's Beef Enchiladas, but this takes about 1/4 of the time to make and has a very similar flavor with the added crunch of tortilla chips.  So I'd say this recipe is a winner!  You could also easily adapt it to chicken and make the filling with sour cream instead of enchilada sauce for a quickie version of deconstructed chicken enchiladas.  Yum!

Copy and paste the recipe below into Word for printable version:

Murh's Mexican Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans enchilada sauce, any kind (I used 1 green, 1 medium red)
1 can chopped green chilies
1/2 can chipotles in adobo, chopped + 1/2 tbsp. adobo sauce
1 1/2 lb. hamburger meat
1 small onion
tortilla chips
3/4 lb. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown meat with onion.  Mix in canned ingredients.  Layer meat mixture, tortilla chips and cheese in baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs

My husband loves good meatballs.  So naturally, as soon as we got married I began searching for the perfect meatball recipe.  I believe I have found it!  There are lots of things to consider when choosing a meatball recipe.  Here are the things I love about this one:

1.  They are all beef.
2.  You cook them entirely in the oven.
3.  They are made with simple, basic, fresh ingredients.
4.  They are absolutely delicious!

The sauce is also to die for.  I discovered the recipe while watching an episode of "Throw Down with Bobby Flay."  The recipe is from Maroni restaurant in New York.  It is classic and simple...just the way I like it ;)

Ingredients:  ground chuck, dried bread crumbs, eggs, milk, pecorino romano cheese, onion, garlic, parsley and basil.

Coarsely chop the garlic, onion, parsley and basil and add it to the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse until finely chopped and combined.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, grated romano cheese, dried bread crumbs, eggs, milk and the fresh herb mixture.

Dig in with your hands and mix it all together until it's well combined.

Roll it into golf ball sized balls and place them on a greased baking sheet.

I forgot to get a picture of the finished meatballs :(  But after baking them in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes - turning half way through - they will be browned on both sides and they will smell incredible!  Cover them with foil and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

To make the sauce, you'll need olive oil (NOT extra virgin...not sure why, but I tend to follow recipes exactly as they are written so I buy light olive oil specifically for this recipe), garlic, onion, canned crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper and fresh basil.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot and cook the diced onions and garlic for several minutes until they are soft and slightly brown.

Add the canned tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring it to a simmer.  Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  At first it will look really oily, but as it simmers the oil will combine nicely with the tomatoes.

And that's it!  So easy!

Layer the meatballs on top of a big pile of spaghetti, slather it with the sauce and grate some fresh pecorino cheese on the top.  Classic.

Link to the printable recipes:

Maroni Meatballs

Maroni Sauce

Source:  Food Network

THE Steak Marinade

STEAK = HEAVEN.  I am a red meat lover.  And believe it or not, one of the perks of living in Durant, OK is that we have a local butcher who sells killer cuts of beef, among other wonderful things.

I learned how to marinate a steak from my uncle, Bubba, who learned from my grandfather, Dedo, both of whom are actually named Floyd.  The general rule is you put a little bit of everything in your refrigerator into the marinade that could possibly taste good on a steak...and believe me, it works every time.  Over the past few years I've become a little more consistent with my marinade.  I'll share it with you.

But first let's talk about the meat itself.

Tonight we had filets.  GORGEOUS filets from Maxwell's Meats.  Aren't they beautiful?

The first thing I do (after I open up the package and swoon a little) is tenderize the meat.  No matter what the cut is I always do this.  It just seems to make the steak that much more good.  First I lightly pound them with a meat tenderizer (or more vigorously for a tougher cut).  Then I sprinkle both sides generously with seasoned meat tenderizer and let them sit for about 10 minutes or so.

In the meantime, I make the marinade.

Ingredients:  A1, Worcestershire sauce, Dale's steak seasoning, liquid smoke, balsamic vinegar and McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning.

First I add about 2 tablespoons or so of A1.

Then about the same amount of Worcestershire.

And about the same amount of Dale's.

Then a splash of liquid smoke (maybe a teaspoon or so).

Then a splash of balsamic vinegar, about the same as the liquid smoke.

And about a teaspoon or so of the steak seasoning.

Then I whisk it all together.

Coat the steaks in the marinade.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.  Then turn the steaks over and refrigerate a couple more hours.

Then I have my wonderful husband who is the best griller EVER (taught by his father) cook them to a pink, juicy, succulent medium-rare.

And that's it ladies and gentlemen.  The best steak you've ever made in your life, I promise!  Definitely better than anything you can get at a restaurant around these parts.

I don't really have a recipe for this one.  I just kind of go for it.  If you're unsure, start with 2 tbsp. each of A1, Worcestershire and Dale's, 1 tsp. each of liquid smoke, balsamic vinegar and steak seasoning.  You can taste it and adjust the measurements from there.  There is really no wrong way to do it.

Also, if you can't find Dale's, it is basically glorified soy sauce.  I would imagine teriyaki sauce would also be a good substitute.