country style ribs

My son has been doing some remodeling,,, mostly in the basement where I have a pottery studio. He built some shelves which are lighted. He also added some lighting under the cabinets so the counters are lit.

I found some good looking Country style ribs.  It was one big and thick hunk of meat with bones in it.

While I was looking through an old cookbook that I kept before I had a computer, I came across home made corn chips and thought I'd try them again and see how the would compare to todays store bought ones.  They are OK but the taste is not a developed as they have become after all those years.  

We also had fried okra, which both love but seldom have it more than a couple times a year.  Grocery stores don't have it fresh and it is only in season for a short time.

Finally Povitica bread is BOGO this time of the year and we had some of that too.

Country Style Pork Ribs

You won't believe how easy it is to make oven baked Country Style Pork Ribs. You don't need a grill, smoker, or slow cooker to make tender, juicy, country style pork ribs that your whole family will love 

Prep Time 10mins Cook Time 2hours  30mins Total Time 2hourshrs 40mins  Chef Dennis Littley

Equipment

• sheet pan or baking dish

Ingredients

• 3 lbs country-style pork ribs
• 2 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt -       more or less to taste
• 2 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper more or less to taste
• 1 cup barbecue sauce your favorite brand

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 250°F.
  •Add the coarse sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and sweet paprika to a small bowl and mix well to combine the seasonings.
  •Season the ribs liberally with the dry rub.
  •Place the seasoned ribs in a baking dish or on a foil lined sheet pan fatty side up.
  •Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place it on the center rack of the preheated oven. Cook the ribs for 2 - 2 ¼ hours or until a meat thermometer reads 195-205 degrees F.
  •Remove the pan from the oven and very carefully remove the foil covering from the pan.
  •Give the ribs a generous coating of barbecue sauce and return the ribs to the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes.
  •If you like a crisp caramelized exterior, place the ribs under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.
  •Remove the ribs from the oven and brush with barbecue sauce.
  

NotesCooking time will vary depending upon how big the ribs are.  Smaller ribs will take less time and larger ribs will take longer to cook.

Fried Okra 

COOK: 20 MIN TOTAL: 35 MINSERVINGS: 8

Ingredients 

• 1-2 lbs. fresh okra
• 1 cup corn meal
• ¼ cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk (optional)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup canola oil

Instructions 

• Wash okra and pat dry, then slice into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding the tops.
• Mix together cornmeal, flour, salt, and pepper.
• Optional: Dip okra in buttermilk then place in strainer before dredging in cornmeal mixture. (This is if you want a thicker batter.)
• Dredge okra in cornmeal and shake off excess.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter and about 4 tablespoons oil in skillet on medium-high. When the oil is hot, add some of the okra and cook on one side until nicely browned, then flip to the other side. Don’t crowd the pan!
• Turn the heat down a little and continue cooking and stirring around a little until okra is nicely browned on all sides. Watch it because it will brown quickly!
• Repeat until all the okra is fried. Add oil and butter as needed.
• Remove from skillet with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain
  

The corn chips were made with 3/4 C. masa flour, 1 c. warm water and salt, put in a icing bag and piped from a ribbon strip nozzel into hot oil. 

Corn bread casserole with okra and green beans

 No recipes, the okra was breaded with corn meal, flour and garlic salt and pan fried until crispy.  The green bean cooked in the Instant pot and the casserole was left over chili with corn and taco seasoning added and topped with corn bread mixed with cheddar cheese

Chile for dinner tonight

 The Office Chili KC Star Nov 2022

1 T. veg oil

1 med. yellow onion  (8 oz), chopped

1 lar. bell pepper (7 oz)  seeded and chopped

2 cl. garlic, chopped

2 lbs. Lean ground beef (90 % or +)

One ( six oz) can no salt added tomato paste

24 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes 

16 oz can no salt added tomato sauce

1/2 C. water (optional)

4 tsp chili powder

4 tso dried oregano

2 tso ancho chil powder

2 tsp fine salt, more if needed

1 tsp sugar

1/2 rap black pepper + more as needed

one )16 oz can) Bush’s pinto beans in mild chili sauce, undrained

Shredded cheese, avocado chunks, chopped red onion or pickled jalapeños and sour cream for serving (optional

in a large pot over med-high heat, heat oil until it simmers. Add onions, green peppers & garlic, stirring onions until translucent, about 3 min.

Add meat & cook 3-5 minutes, (still a little pink)  Add tomatoes and cook until meat  is thoroughly cooked & tomato darkens-about 5 min.

Stir in remaining ingredients except beans.  Cover, simmer 30 minutes. Stir in beans, cover, simmer another 20 minutes and at the desired consistency 

Taste for seasoning and correct if needed. Also add water if needed.

Spoon into bowls and top with desired toppings. 

Norm’s suggestions, When making this I used half a bottle of beer instead or water. After making this, I added 1 1/ tsp cumin, heaping tsp. cocoa powder and  a cup of salsa.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

 

Mary Cain posted this recently on facebook.  I made it today. It is good.

Pumpkin Crumb Cake  

Pumpkin Crumb Cake is a classic New York style coffee cake ~ tall, moist with lots  of crumbs! It's a fall and holiday breakfast tradition!

Prep Time 15mins  Cook Time 55mins  Total Time 1hr 10mins

9x9 baking pan

Ingredients

• 3 cups AP flour 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 Tbsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon plus another 1/4 for topping
• 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pie filling!
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350F.
  
• Spray a 9x9 square baking dish with cooking spray. I like to line it with sheets of parchment with long ends, so I can lift it out after baking for easy cutting. This is totally optional.
  
• Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Pulse to combine everything well.
• Cut the cold butter into pieces and add them to the processor. Process by pulsing repeatedly until the butter has been incorporated and the mixture has a crumbly texture. About 20-30 pulses, more or less.
• Remove a cup of the dry mixture and put in a small bowl. Toss with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside for the topping.

Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Shallots & Spinach and Dutch Apple Dumplings

 Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Shallots & Spinach

Prep 35 min refrigerate leftovers 3 days

3 large shallots

2 unpeeled large sweet apples   (Honeycrisp, Gala) 

3 T. olive oil, divided

2 T. balsamic vinegar, divided

1 T. ch.fresh thyme

1T. ch. fresh sage

1/4 tsp. fine salt + to taste

3 tsp.fresh ground black pepper + to taste

3 tsp. Dijon mustard, divided

1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, silverskin removed

1/3 C. no salt chicken broth or water

1 tsp. honey

3 C. baby spinach

Position racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Halve and peel the shallots, then cut each half lengthwise into three wedges so that each wedge retains a bit of the core to hold it together. You will wind up with 18 wedges of shallot. Core the apples, then cut each apple into 12 wedges, so that you have 24 wedges total.

Place the apple and shallot wedges on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil and roast for 10 minutes on the middle rack, then toss, and continue to roast for another 10 minutes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the balsamic vinegar, toss to coat, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the apples and shallots are tender, browned in spots and nicely glazed.

While the apples and shallots are roasting, in a small bowl combine the thyme, sage, and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Rub 1 teaspoon of the mustard all over the pork, then sprinkle the herb mixture all over it, pressing it in to adhere.

In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the pork and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees and is slightly blushed in the center, 15 to 18 minutes. (When you add the skillet to the oven, transfer the baking sheet with the apples and shallots to the lower rack, if necessary.)

Transfer the pork to a cutting board to rest, and return the skillet to the stovetop (remember the handle will be hot). Add the chicken broth or water to the skillet and heat over high heat, scraping up the bits in the pan with a spoon, until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons of the mustard and the honey. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.

Dutch Apple Dumplings 

Active time: 1 hour  Total time: 2 hours  6 servings

These rich apple dumplings are baked in hot, bubbling butterscotch syrup, so using a tart baking apple, such as Granny Smith, adds a nice contrast. These are great with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.

Refrigerate leftovers, lidded , for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost completely in the refrigerator. To reheat: Microwave in 1-minute increments until they’re as hot as you’d like them to be. 

For the dumplings: 

Generous 3 3/4 C. AP flour+ for rolling out

1 T. baking powder

1/2 tsp. fine salt

2 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter

1 C. whole milk

6 med-lar. baking apples ( Honeycrisp, Granny Smith)

1/3 C. light brown sugar

1 T. ground cinnamon

For the butter sauce:

2 C. packed light brown sugar

2 1/2 C. water

1//2 tsp. fine salt

1 1/2 stick unsalted butter

Heavy cream for serving ( I used melted vanilla ice cream) (one was enough for the two of us)

Make the dumpling dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the cold butter into quarters lengthwise, then cut into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients, tossing them until they are evenly coated. Press the butter pieces between your thumbs and forefingers into small, flat pieces. Add the milk, and mix gently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon until a shaggy, soft dough forms. It shouldn’t look too wet, but it shouldn’t have large clumps of bone-dry ingredients either.

Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with a piece of plastic wrap and transfer the dough on top, patting it into a 1-inch-thick rectangle. Wrap well and refrigerate while you make the butterscotch, about 10 minutes.

Make the butterscotch syrup: In a medium saucepan over high heat, whisk together the 2 cups of brown sugar, the water and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat so the liquid is at a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until fully melted and the syrup is smooth. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and set aside.

Peel and core the apples. About halfway through prepping the apples, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it soften on the counter, about 5 minutes.

Assemble and bake the dumplings: Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough once horizontally and twice vertically into six square-ish pieces. (It’s OK if they’re not perfect. The size of the rectangle will depend on the size of your apples.)

Place an apple in the center of each dough square. Mix the 1/3 cup of brown sugar and the cinnamon together in a small bowl and sprinkle into the hollowed apple. Wrap the apples fully in the pastry, pinching off pieces of dough to patch holes as needed, then briefly roll in your hands while applying a bit of pressure to smooth them out. Transfer to the freezer to firm up the dough, about 10 minutes.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

Arrange the apples in the butterscotch syrup in the pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until you can easily pierce into the dough-encased apple. (Place a large, rimmed baking sheet on the rack beneath the apple dumplings to catch any drips.)

Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan. Then, using a large spoon, scoop an apple and some of the sauce into each bowl and serve warm, with cold cream for pouring on top.

When the apples and shallots are done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, and add the spinach to the sheet pan and all but a few tablespoons of the sauce from the skillet. Toss to combine, allowing the spinach to wilt somewhat.

Thinly slice the pork and serve it over the vegetable-apple mixture, drizzled with the remaining sauce.