Sweet and Sour Country Style Spare Ribs

Comfort food. Who doesn't love comfort food? There is a reason this food is given a certain title. It just makes you feel good. To me comfort food is hearty, warm, saucy and...well...tasty. So yes, this Sweet and Sour Country Style Spare Ribs recipe is definitely in the category of comfort foods.

 

You know what? I actually left out a main defining factor of what categorizes a comfort food. Memories! Not just any memories, but the kind of memories that bring a smile to your face, a tear to your eye, a lump in your throat or a laugh in your belly. You get the picture, right? Sitting down and eating a comfort foods meal should transport you back in time feeling safe, warm and loved.

 

"Ribs huh?" That's probably what you're asking yourself right about now. "Ribs do it for you? What kind of gal sits down to a plate of shredded ribs and gets all cozy thinking about her family?" Yeah, that's right. This gal!

 

These ribs were a staple in my home when I was growing up. This entrée reminds me of our typical family dinner. It reminds me of sitting all together at the table, my dad slapping my elbow off the edge every few seconds and reminding me to chew with my mouth closed. I begged my mom to switch seats with me at the table for 15 years. She never agreed, although I do have good manners now. It also reminds me of the oh so daunting after dinner chores that my brother and I swapped every night, sweeping the floors and doing the dishes. We thought our parents were lazy making us do all the work. Ha! Being a mom now, boy was I wrong!

 

Though my memories may not be all mushy gushy, they're memories nonetheless and I wouldn't trade them for the world. And so here I am, making the same good food, sitting around my own kitchen table, telling my own daughter to chew with her mouth closed hoping that someday she will carry on the tradition.

 

These spare ribs are so tender and juicy and the sauce is just splendidly delicious. But isn't ketchup and sugar in anything great? Haha! Hey, this is where the moderation comes in. Just a spoonful of this sauce goes a long way, so start out small with your topping. The taste is perfectly sweet with a slight tang. You can opt to have this dish on top of rice, a baked potato or even in a sandwich. However you choose, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

Sweet and Sour Country Style Spare Ribs

 

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless country style spare ribs (pork or beef)

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 teaspoons salt

dash of pepper

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons tamari sauce (gluten free soy sauce)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon ketchup

4 cups cooked brown rice

1/4 cup chopped green onion for garnishing

 

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water. Bring water to boiling. Place ribs in boiling water, cover and reduce to medium heat. Boil for one hour.

 

2. Meanwhile cook rice (time it so rice finishes cooking about 10 minutes after ribs are done cooking). 10 minutes before ribs are done, begin preparing sauce. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Add water and stir until ingredients dissolve. Add white vinegar, tamari sauce, vegetable oil and ketchup. Stir until combined.

 

 

3. Bring saucepan to a boil while stirring continuously. Continue stirring for an additional minute until thickened. Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally until ready to use.

 

4. Once ribs are cooked, remove from water and transfer to a cutting board. Let sit for 10 minutes and shred by hand, discarding any fatty pieces, into a bowl. Once completely shredded pour enough sauce over the ribs to lightly coat the meat. Stir so ribs are evenly coated.

 

5. Assemble dishes by scooping rice onto plate, topping with saucy shredded ribs, and spooning some additional sauce onto plate. You may also garnish with freshly chopped green onions and cashews.

 

Serves 6



Pork Chile Verde

So I know I claim to be a Texas girl through and through, which I am not denying. I already posted a southern favorite of mine with my San Antonio Stew. But, I also can't deny the Arizona spark that is growing in my heart after years of living here. Sure, I cried when we first drove out here right after college thinking this was the ugliest place on earth. Dessert landscape??? Wait, you call that landscape? I'm still not a huge fan of the Arizona "look", but I am becoming converted to the Arizona "flavor".

I was able to teach high school for the first four and a half years that we lived here to challenged inner city kids. Our principal, who is one amazing lady, really knew how to get our kids motivated and inspire them. I can't tell you how many field trips we went on, dance parties we had and impromptu "teacher vs. student" kickball matches we played just to keep these kids coming to school. One of my favorite activities we had were our potluck parties. Most of our kids were Hispanic, and man could their families cook! They would bring fresh tamales, ceviche and homemade mole. If was so fun to see how proud these kids were to show off their culinary masterpieces.

So, this post is dedicated to each and every student that passed through my classroom doors and made a difference in my life, to each coworker that I had the pleasure of working with and most of all to my dear principal that gave me the opportunity to teach, and is now one of my biggest foodie fans.

This Pork Chile Verde is filled with so much flavor and spice that is sends you straight to Mexico. With the flavors of lime, cilantro and green chilies you might just find yourself throwing a little fiesta!

 

Pork Chile Verde

Ingredients:

1 jalapeno

1/2 onion, skin removed and cut into four wedges

2 cloves of garlic

2 tomatillos, stems and papery skin removed

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 lb. pork stew meat

1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

2 cups chicken broth
1 small can diced green chilies (4 oz.)

1 can navy beans, rinsed and drained

1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 teaspoons honey

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange jalapeno, onion wedges, garlic cloves and tomatillos on foil and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven on top rack for 25 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through, until tender and slightly charred. Remove from oven.

 

 

2. Once vegetables can be handled, remove skins from garlic and stem from jalapeno. Slice open jalapeno and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Discard seeds. Roughly chop the vegetables.

 

3. Add vegetables to a food processor along with cilantro and lime juice. Finely puree the mixture.

 

4. In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium high heat and add pork meat. Cook until outside is no longer pink.

 

 

5. Reduce heat to low and add chicken broth, vegetable puree, green chilies, navy beans, great northern beans, cumin, salt, cinnamon, oregano and honey. Stir to combine.

 

 

6. Bring pot to boiling. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove lid and raise heat to keep a low simmer. Simmer an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness is reached.

 

 

7. Serve warm with toppings such as sour cream, cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese, avocado, lime juice, cornbread (recipe to come), tortilla chips, etc. Enjoy the fiesta!

 

Serves 4

 







Brown Rice and Beef Stuffed Acorn Squash

Since beginning this food blog, I've felt so much pressure to create new and interesting recipes instead of the oldies, yet goodies, that I have been cooking for my family for years. I don't know why, the pressure only comes from me. I guess that's what you get when you are a paranoid perfectionist! I had to laugh at myself the other day. I had not just one, but two major kitchen failures in an attempt to be "creative". In the morning I roasted some baking potatoes hoping to make an olive oil based potato salad. Epic disaster! Blah, it was the worst tasting concoction I could have ever created. That went down the drain.

Later for dinner I thought up a "unique" side dish of bacon and ranch roasted green beans. Haha! "Unique" it was! By the time I took them out of the oven, they were sadly limp and the grossest color of green you had ever seen. Those went in the trash...although, I may try a different method of cooking those next time. The flavor combo still sounds good to me.

Nonetheless, when Ben asked what was for dinner tonight and I told him "something new", there was no look of excitement in his eyes. But alas, dedication and determination do eventually pay off because tonight a masterpiece was born! Oh, it tasted so delicious. There was just the right depth of flavor and contrast of texture to make any mouth happy. These stuffed acorn squashes will definitely be added to our dinner rotation. On a side note: Ben's faith in my culinary skills has been reignited.

Brown Rice and Beef Stuffed Acorn Squash

 

Ingredients:

3 large or 4 medium sized acorn squashes

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling

2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (I cooked mine in beef broth for more flavor)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped carrot

1 lb. lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup tightly packed spinach, chopped

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon basil

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% fat free)

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/4 cup bread crumbs

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds and strings from the middle. Lay flesh side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle each with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 45 minutes until flesh is tender when pierced with fork.

 

 

2. While squash is baking begin making filling by cooking rice (I used instant brown rice) according to package directions and chopping vegetables. Set cooked rice and chopped vegetables aside. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat.

 

 

4. Add onions and carrots to saucepan and cook for 3-5 minutes until onions are tender. Add beef, garlic and mushrooms. Cook until beef is no longer pink (3-5 minutes). Add spinach, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until spinach is wilted. Drain any excess fat and return to stove top, reducing heat to low.

 

 

5. Add soup, sour cream, water and rice to saucepan and heat through. Taste mixture and add salt and pepper as desired. Keep on low heat until squash is ready to be taken out of the oven.

 

 

6. Fill each center of acorn squash with beef and rice mixture, evenly distributing among all squashes. Top each with shredded mozzarella cheese. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and mix into bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of cheese.

 

 

7. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and return squash to oven for 5 minutes until heated through and bread crumbs are browning. Dig in, way in, and enjoy!

 





Veggie Packed Meatloaf...AKA, "Loafin'"

Oh Weston, my dear little brother. This post is for you for two reasons. Number one: I will never forget the contagiously sweet and adorable little five year old sitting at the dinner table exclaiming, "Loafin' for dinner?! My favorite!" You had the entire family cracking up and we've never let you live that down. Even after we told you it was called meatloaf, you still couldn't quite shake calling it "loafin'" for a good couple of months.

And reason number two that this post is for you? You are and always will be my master in crime in the kitchen. I love that you have a passion for cooking and creating bold new tastes. I'm sure your college roomies love this trait about you! By the way, I still haven't had the pleasure of tasting your famous empanadas or your award winning pumpkin Oreo dessert. Haha! You're quite different from our other twirpy brother Landon whose food excitement revolves around just how many calories are in the lardy fast food Texas toast burger that he just ate.

So, dear brother, I hope that you appreciate the following recipe. I'm not sure that it will replace your love for the original "loafin'", but this version packs in a lot of nutrition with all the added veggies (especially the spinach...Popeye would be proud) and lean beef option.

 

Veggie Packed Meatloaf

 

Ingredients:

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup milk

2 cups bread pieces, torn into small pieces (about 4 pieces of bread)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, or 3 teaspoons dried

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup tightly packed spinach, chopped (about 1/2 cup after chopped, can use 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained)

1/4 cup chopped onion

3 mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup finely grated or chopped carrots

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1/4 cup catsup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon mustard

 

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk and bread crumbs. Let soak while cutting up veggies.

 

2. Add salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, garlic, spinach, onion, mushrooms and carrots. Stir until ingredients are mixed evenly throughout.

3. Add in ground beef. With your hands, mix until veggie mixture is well incorporated into the beef. Transfer into a casserole dish and mold into desired shape.

4. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from oven and spoon off fat. Combine catsup, brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl. Mix well and spoon on top of the meatloaf. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.
5. Spoon off any additional fat from the sides of the dish. Let sit for 10 minutes. Serve whole or in slices.

 

This homestyle, comfort food meal is best served with good friends or family!!! (Thank you Keime's for enjoying this meal with us) Bon apetite!