Crock•Pot Korean Pork Ribs

These past two weeks have been crazy. Between constantly doing homework, working nonstop, my birthday, and Adam's birthday, I've barely had time to breathe let alone cook. The chaos is finally over and now I can start to get my much needed rest and relaxation. I've been beyond worn out lately which means my Crock•Pot has found a permanent spot on our counter. 

I've been wanting to cook a lot of new foods lately and ribs has been on the list for a while, so I found a way to cook them in my Crock•Pot with an Asian twist. Luckily for me, country style ribs were on sale so I bought a hefty 4lbs for only $5! I put together the sauce, threw it all in the Crock•Pot and thought about/drooled over these ribs all day at work. As soon as I got home, I could smell the ribs from the front door. I don't think these could have turned out any better; they literally fell off the bone as I tried to put them on my plate (believe me, if the Crock•Pot weren't so hot I would have picked it up and ate them right out of there). 

These ribs were so good that after just one bite, I decided I was going back to the grocery store to stock up on more ribs to make them again next week...and probably again the next week. 

Crock•Pot Korean Pork Ribs

• 3.5-4lbs country style ribs
• 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 in. piece of ginger, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Green onions for garnish

In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, molasses, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, lemon juice, sweet chili sauce, red pepper flakes, chili powder, and black pepper. Using a microplane, grate the ginger and garlic and add to the sauce; whisk to combine.

Place the ribs in the slow cooker and pour in the sauce. Cook on low 8-9 hours. Once ribs are done, remove from Crock•Pot. There will be a lot of sauce in the bottom of the Crock•Pot so mix cornstarch with a little bit of cold water and mix it into the sauce. Let it cook for a few minutes to thicken. Pour extra over ribs or serve on the side. Serve ribs with steamed rice or rice noodles and garnish with green onions.

Recipe adapted from: Kayotic Kitchen

Pumpkin Cake Roll with Toffee Cream Cheese Filling

Just because it was my birthday yesterday did not mean I was going to give myself a break from cooking. I had no intention of making something awesome for dinner - I planned on being taken out for that. I decided instead to make myself a cake. I know, I know, I hate cake. This is pumpkin we're talking about though. Pumpkin...toffee...cream cheese. Even the most cake-hating people can't resist those four words. I found this recipe and decided that my birthday was the perfect day to test it out.

Pumpkin Cake Roll with Toffee Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 cup plus 3 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp molasses
• 6 oz. Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup Heath bits
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat oven to 375°. Cut parchment paper to fit on bottom of a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside. Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and salt; set aside.

Using a mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed for roughly 4 minutes or until fluffy. Stir in pumpkin puree and lemon juice then slowly add the flour mixture.

Place 1/4 cup of the batter in a small bowl with 3 tbsp flour and molasses. Mix then transfer to a ziploc bag. Cut one of the corners and pipe designs onto the parchment paper in the pan (I did swirls). Place in freezer for 15-20 minutes. Once frozen, spread remaining batter over designs then quickly smooth.

Bake 16-17 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and turn cake onto a wire rack. Gently remove parchment paper and turn cake over onto a tea towel, design side down. Dust top of cake with flour then roll the cake to form a log, wrapping with the towel as you roll (start at the short end). Allow to cool in towel.

In a bowl, mix together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix. Stir in toffee and pecans. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until firm peaks form. Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream until completely mixed.

Gently unroll cooled cake and remove towel. Spread the filling on the cake and reroll. Place seam side down on serving platter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. 

Adapted from: Ladies' Home Journal, November 2013

Lasagna Soup

With fall finally getting its grasp on us, I want nothing more than to relax on gloomy days and warm up with a bowl of soup. When I'm not too exhausted, I like to make my own soups from scratch. I found a recipe a while ago for lasagna soup but never got around to making it. It actually ended up in a pile in my closet of old recipes I wanted to test out but never did. While at the store the other day I found these:

Most people would look at these noodles and wonder what to do with them. My mind went straight to lasagna soup! These noodles could not be more perfect or easier to use. Lasagna soup recipes call for, well, lasagna noodles. You can't cook the entire noodle though, it needs to be broken up and then put in the soup. These noodles on the other hand are already broken and require no work other than tossing them in the pot.

My plan was to make this soup for dinner but I got anxious and made it for lunch instead...then ate more again for dinner. I'm sure you will understand my impatience just by looking at the ingredients. 

Lasagna Soup

Yield: 6-8 servings

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 lb Italian pork and chicken sausage, casings removed
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (32-ounce) container reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can no salt added petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 8 ounces Pantacce pasta
• 3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan
• Reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick Dutch oven. Add sausage (breaking it up into small pieces with your hands), onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook until sausage is browned and onions are translucent (8 minutes). 

Add chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add noodles and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until noodles are cooked through (10-12 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese. Top with mozzarella cheese and serve with toasted French bread. 

Recipe adapted from: Deen Bros

Cashew Chicken

Ever since high school, every single Friday I get crazy Chinese food cravings. I'm not sure what it is about Fridays but for some reason my body craves sushi, steamed rice, and any type of gluttonous, gooey, MSG filled entree. The old me would order take-out on Friday nights and call it a day but the new me is a little more cautious about what goes into my body. 

Typical Chinese takeout is loaded with fat, calories, carbohydrates and most likely 50 other things I can't even pronounce. Now every once in a while it's okay to indulge but I prefer to indulge in foods that don't put me into a food coma or make me feel like a slug for the rest of the day. 

This past Friday I got my sushi fix but I wasn't able to get my Chinese food fix because we ended up going grocery shopping after work. It's now Sunday and I am STILL craving Chinese so I decided to make one of my favorite dishes for dinner: cashew chicken. It's one of the few Chinese dishes that I do not feel guilty about eating so there are typically no leftovers...you will understand why when you make this dish!

Cashew Chicken

Yield: 2 servings

• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 10 ounces), cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine
• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 dashes white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 small green bell pepper, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 inch grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil (canola or vegetable)
• 1/2 cup cashews
• Salt to taste

Marinate the chicken in the baking soda for 15-20 minutes. Rinse chicken thoroughly, making sure that the chicken is rinsed clean of the baking soda. Pat chicken dry and marinate in corn starch and rice wine for 15 minutes.

While chicken is marinating, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, water, white pepper, sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Heat wok with 1 tablespoon cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until edges turn white (or until half-cooked). Remove chicken from wok and set aside. Add another tablespoon of cooking oil to wok then add green pepper and grated ginger. Stir-fry until you begin to smell the green pepper (about 2 minutes). Return the chicken to the wok. Add the sauce and continuously stir until the chicken is cook through and coated with sauce. Once chicken is cooked, add cashews and stir only a few times to mix. Serve over steamed rice. 

Note: if you do not have a wok, feel free to use a large skillet

Recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Shrimp Ravioli with Rosa Vodka Sauce

There is almost nothing I love more than seafood, specifically shrimp. Adam and I finally had time to grocery shop and luckily for us, gulf shrimp was on sale. I bought a pound and thought about what to do with it, going back and forth between ideas - Italian eventually trumped Asian. I didn't want just normal pasta though, we practically live off of it when we have no other groceries. Then it hit me: ravioli. The last batch I made was just ok. I was not crazy about the spinach filling so I figured this time I would make a shrimp filling. It turned out great, so great that I only have 6 leftover...

Shrimp Ravioli with Vodka Sauce

• 1 lb raw shrimp (peeled, deveined, and tails removed)
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 ounce) container light ricotta cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic and onion spice blend (I prefer The Gourmet Collection)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Fresh chopped parsley
• 44 wonton wrappers
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup vodka
• 3/4 cup fat free half and half
• 1 (28 ounce) can pureed tomatoes (no salt added)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Cook shrimp in 3 tablespoons butter with 2 cloves garlic until pink. Drain and place shrimp in food processor to roughly chop (do NOT puree). Once chopped, pour in medium bowl. Add ricotta cheese, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, garlic and onion spice blend, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Mix and set aside.

Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly brush water along the edges of wonton wrapper and place a second wonton wrapper on top, enclosing the filling completely. Using a fork, crimp the edges of the ravioli and set on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers (you will end up with 22 ravioli total). Ravioli can be refrigerated for up to 2 hours.

As ravioli sets, melt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter in a saucepan. Add red pepper flakes and 2 cloves garlic - cook for one minute. Add vodka and simmer for 4 minutes or until alcohol has mostly cooked out. Add pureed tomatoes, half and half, chopped parsley (I used about 1/4 cup), and garlic salt. Simmer for 10 minutes and add salt to taste.

While sauce is cooking, work in batches and cook ravioli in a large pot of salted and oiled boiling water for 4 minutes per batch (the oil will keep the ravioli from sticking to each other). Transfer ravioli to a large shallow bowl or plate and top with vodka sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. 

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

I'm finally in my final week of classes for the first fall session which means I haven't fully grocery shopped in about 2 weeks (it's slowly killing me). Adam and I have been living off soup and crackers so the other day, I was determined to scavenge up whatever I could find in the condo and make an actual meal out of it. I found some ground chicken in the freezer and an abundance of pasta in the pantry. The obvious answer was to make meatballs. I didn't want just normal meatballs though so I decided to think outside of the box. 

Here is a little breakdown of my thought process: meatballs → Italian → pasta → chicken parm. and pasta → meatballs → chicken parm meatballs! I love chicken Parmesan and I love meatballs so why not make a meal out of both? These meatballs were a hit and beyond addicting. If I had not made pasta to go with it, I'm sure we would have devoured every single meatball.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

• 1 lb. 95% lean ground chicken
• 1 1/2 cups garlic and herb breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 ounces fresh grated Parmesan cheese (do not use the grated cheese that comes in a plastic container; grate it fresh yourself)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Mozzarella cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°.

In a large bowl mix ground chicken, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and cheese (do not over mix). Using your hands or a tablespoon measure, roll mixture into 20 meatballs. Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

After the meatballs have set, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. As soon as the butter is melted, remove from heat and saute 1 cup breadcrumbs. Once mixed, pour breadcrumbs into a shallow bowl. Roll meatballs in the breadcrumb mixture and place on a greased baking rack on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve over pasta and garnish with mozzarella cheese. 

Dark Chocolate and Cinnamon Chip Banana Bread

I am not a baker. I am not a baker because I don't like sweets. That's right, I said it. I don't like cupcakes, I don't like pie, I don't like donuts, and I especially don't like cake. I do however, have a weakness for banana bread. The first time I ever made banana bread I used Greek yogurt and it turned out horrible! It would not cook in the middle and I ended up chopping it up into pieces just to get it to bake in the oven. Definitely not worth it. My second time around, I decided to nix the Greek yogurt and add chocolate chips. It turned out so good that my boyfriend asks me to make more almost every week. 

We had a bunch of bananas that were starting to go old so lucky for Adam, I woke up early to make a loaf of banana bread. It's gloomy out, the leaves are changing colors and falling off the trees, and our condo smells like fresh baked banana bread. I am in heaven.

Dark Chocolate and Cinnamon Chip Banana Bread

• 3 overripe bananas
• 1-2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon skim milk
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons), room temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cinnamon chips
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9x5x3 loaf pan.

In a small bowl mix bananas with milk and cinnamon (I love cinnamon so I use 2 tablespoons). In a large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add eggs to butter and sugar mixture and mix. Slowly fold in banana mixture. 

In another small bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, and cinnamon chips. Adding the chocolate and cinnamon chips to the flour mixture allows the chips to stick to the flour so they do not sink to the bottom of the banana bread.  

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, working in 3 batches. Once mixed, pour into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. 

To make this bread extra special, you can make a chocolate glaze to pour over the top!

Chocolate Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and pour over cooled banana bread. Allow glaze to set for 15-20 minutes. 

Better than IKEA Swedish Meatballs

I have a strong love for IKEA, especially their Swedish meatballs. If it were closer, I would probably go there just for the meatballs. Now, IKEA's meatballs aren't horrible for you but they're definitely dangerous. One serving of 6 meatballs is roughly 200 calories and 13 grams of fat but let's be honest, who stops at just 6 bite sized meatballs? Not me that's for sure. 

I have been going through IKEA withdrawals and was really craving their meatballs so I made a quick trip to the grocery store and picked up my brother and sister on the way (Kaylee and Kyle are the perfect little helpers...)

Just a warning, this is a time consuming recipe. 

Swedish Meatballs

Yield: 6-8 servings

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
• 3 cups low sodium beef stock
• 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 lb. 80% lean ground pork
• 1 lb. 99% lean ground turkey
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon low sodium Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup beef stock in a small bowl and set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent (about 10 minutes). Transfer onion to large bowl.

Add beef, pork, eggs, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, allspice, and nutmeg to the bowl with the onion and mix to combine - use your hands! Add the breadcrumb mixture and mix. Do not over mix! Over mixing the ingredients will result in tough meatballs. Using either your hands or a tablespoon measure, roll mixture into meatballs and place on a greased baking sheet (you will end up with roughly 80 tablespoon meatballs or 40 large ones if you measure by hand). 

Bake meatballs for 15 minutes until just cooked through. Transfer meatballs to a plate and allow to slightly cool. While meatballs are cooling, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and lightly browned. Add remaining beef stock and bring to a simmer, whisking often over medium heat. Add sour cream, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce; whisk to combine.

Return meatballs to pan; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until meatballs are heated through and sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and serve meatballs over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. 

Heavily adapted from: A Farmgirl's Dabbles

Crockpot Jambalaya

It's officially October and even better, it's a Tuesday which means New Girl and The Mindy Project. Unfortunately for me, I tend to work both jobs on Tuesdays and after a long 11 hour day of work, the last thing I want to do is slave over dinner. Come 9pm when I finally get off work, the only thing on my mind is sitting and warm food. 

For those of you who know me, you know I love soup. Making my own soup is something I love to do because I am able to control what I put into it. It's also a lot cheaper! ($5.89 for one bowl of Panera soup or $9.28 for 6-8 servings of this homemade soup - I think the better deal is obvious). 

Making soup can be a long, tedious process which is why I prefer to make it in my Crockpot (courtesy of my mama for my birthday last year). All you have to do is dump all of the ingredients in the Crockpot, go about your day, and come back to a hearty, home cooked meal. Slow cooker meals are meant to be easy and that's exactly what this recipe is!

Crockpot Jambalaya

Yield: 6-8 servings

• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans no salt added petite diced tomatoes
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 14 ounces smoked turkey sausage (andouille would work too), sliced
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasonings
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients, except shrimp and parsley, to slow-cooker. Stir ingredients well and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Before serving, add shrimp to the slow cooker and cook an additional 10 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through (if using cooked shrimp, add to slow cooker to warm for 2 minutes). Serve over rice and garnish with fresh parsley. 

Adapted from: Alaska From Scratch