Korean-style Beef Ribs

It's Tuesday, and during the school year, the kids and I are gone from the house from 8 until about 5, so dinner makes a dive into the crock pot in the morning and all I need to do is make the sides (or in this case, ask Nate to text David and ask him to put the rice on the stove and cook the green beans).  The short ribs were boneless and on sale at HG Hills, so it was an easy choice to make. The result was delicious and filling, even if it was a bit spicy. I had a long day, so I'll just get right to the recipe.



Korean-style Beef Ribs in the Crock Pot

8-10 boneless short ribs (go for the bone-in ones, if you want)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
4 T. red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 - 1 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. sliced green onion
1/2 c. grated carrot

Place the ribs in the crock pot. Combine the remaining ingredients (except onions and carrots) and whisk together until well-blended. Top ribs with the green onions and carrots and then pour the sauce over the top. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 3-4. Remove the ribs from the sauce and pour sauce into a small pan. Thicken with 1/2 c. water combined with 1 T of cornstarch (repeat the procedure if it is not quite thick enough). Serve with rice and top with thickened sauce and additional green onions and sesame seeds.

I hope you enjoy this. My whole family ate it. I think yours might too :)
Until next time, stay full and loved, my friends!

Slaw Dogs and Sprained Ankles

Thursday was interesting. One minute I was up and the next I was on the floor with my head smashed into the metal frame of a chair and my ankle pulsating with pain... and a room full (ok, there were five, but still...) of adults staring me down. Well, not actually staring me down, two of them catapulted from their chairs and were at my side in seconds, another tossed over a bottle of ibuprofen. Two boys were dispatched to find ice packs and I sat on the floor for a good thirty minutes waiting for the pain to subside, which it never really did. I sat for 2 hours with my foot encased in ice and then headed to Baptist Sports Medicine (thanks, Cher) to let a PT look at it and decide if it was broken, torn or sprained. Thankfully it was the latter. She encased it again in ice (much colder than any ice pack I had ever had in my life), gave me a stretchy band and some exercises and sent me on my merry way... R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and ibuprofen was her diagnosis.

Friday am I called the doctor's office and headed in for their diagnosis. They concurred and gave me a slightly (make that really really) stronger medicine and again sent me on my merry way - back to the couch, ice packs and rest.

Today I was back to teaching - thankfully able to sit for two of the three hours that I taught. Then I did the brilliant thing and went grocery shopping for an hour... but I had little choice. And now we have food :) Tonight's dinner was Slaw dogs and curly fries. I made the slaw, and Kami threw the fries in the oven and the hot dogs on the stove to cook. Slaw is something that I throw together quite often. I'm pretty sure that you have all the makings for a delicious dressing in your refrigerator and pantry. Don't by the bottled stuff - save some $$ and make a much tastier dressing at home. Here is my recipe that makes enough dressing for two small (1 lb.) bags of slaw mix from the produce section of the grocery store.

Slaw Dressing
1 c. mayonnaise (NOT miracle whip/salad dressing)
4 T. red wine vinegar
6 T. honey
1/2 - 1 t. salt
1/2 - 1 t. fresh cracked pepper
(if you want to play with the flavors, you can add 1/2 t. celery seed or garlic powder, possibly some brown or Dijon mustard. You could add some fresh herbs like cilantro and replace the vinegar for lime juice and make a Mexican slaw... or just keep it simple. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until well-combined, then pour over the cabbage and combine well. I always allow mine to sit for a little while before serving. Some of the liquid from the cabbage will come out and make the dressing a little more wet, so give it a good stir before serving. Tonight I piled mine on hot dogs, but it is good with barbecue, burgers, ham, pork, fried or grilled chicken.

I hope you enjoy it. Until next time, stay warm (or cool - the weather is so fickle in the fall) and full and loved, my friends!!

Steak Wrapped Asparagus

I can often find thin sliced steaks on sale - Milenese-style, or so they are called. I love them because they absorb the marinade easily and quickly. They cook up fast and they are juicy and delicious! I had these done in about 15 minutes tonight. That is quick for a steak dinner!

Steak Wrapped Asparagus

5-10 thin sliced sirloin steaks
1-2 bunches thin asparagus, washed and ends snapped
2 T olive oil
2 T vegetable oil
4 T pomegranate infused red wine vinegar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1-2 T. steak seasoning

In a large bowl whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Add the steaks and allow to marinate for an hour or two. In a microwave safe bowl, put the prepped asparagus along with 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes until crisp but tender.

Remove steak from marinade and lay flat. Put 4-5 stalks of asparagus on one end and roll up. You can secure with a toothpick, if you'd like to, or just lay seam side down. Repeat with all steaks and asparagus. Grill for a few minutes on each side until steak is cooked through to desired doneness.

Serve with those crispy potatoes, from my earlier post.

It's a long week. Somehow I need to fit grocery shopping in so I can continue to feed this crew. For some reason I can't just cook one meal a week and expect them to be happy. I must have done something wrong!

Until next time, stay full and loved!!

Crispy Baked Potatoes

This is a simple and very tasty baked potato dish. You can pump up the volume by adding some garlic or any other seasoning. It is delicious with a sour cream cilantro sauce. Both recipes follow.

Crispy Baked Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes
6 T butter
salt
pepper
olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Scrub the potatoes thoroughly. Lay them on the counter between the handles of two wooden spoons. Slice the potato into 1/8-inch slices, stopping when the knife hits the handles of the spoon, so you don't cut all the way through the potato.

Lay the potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Dot each potato with 1 T butter.

Bake at 425 for 45 minutes until potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Drizzle with sour cream cilantro sauce.
1 c. sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Combine all in a food processor. Chill before serving.