Pork Ribs

3 pounds long spareribs
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp onion powder
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp liquid smoke (Mesquite flavored)

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a small bowl to make a paste. Place your ribs in a large casserole dish. Massage the spices all over both sides. If you want them to taste really smokey you could brush some liquid smoke onto your ribs before applying the spices. Cover the ribs with foil and let them sit in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight).

When you are ready to cook them, preheat your oven to 350. Pour a cup of liquid (water, white wine beer, apple juice, etc.) into your casserole dish with your ribs. Cover with some foil and pop them in the oven, making sure the side with the most meat is facing down. Bake them for 2-2 and 1/2 hours.

While your ribs are cooking you will want to make the BBQ sauce:

3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp liquid smoke

Mix everything together with a whisk in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will be kinda thin, if you don’t like it that way there is an easy solution. Mix about 1-2 tsp. cornstarch in a small bowl with just enough cold water to dissolve it, then pour it into the sauce for the last minute of simmering. You can make it as thick as you would like that way. Never pour cornstarch directly into a sauce, unless you like lumpy sauce lol. If you would like a bit of a kick you can also add some red pepper flakes to taste.

Once your ribs are finished baking and your sauce is complete, take the foil off and brush your ribs with some of the BBQ sauce. Then flip them over onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. This part can get tricky because they are so tender. You may want to have someone help you, or cut your rack of ribs in half to make it easier. The side of the ribs with the most meat should be facing up at this point.

Brush some of your BBQ sauce onto this side, then stick them back in the oven under the broiler (on high). Please do NOT walk away, you will need to check them literally every minute so you don’t burn them. I usually leave them in until the sauce starts bubbling, add more sauce, and put them back in again. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it only takes a few minutes. Again, keep checking them so you do not burn them. I take my ribs out when they start getting little charred spots, like as if they were cooked on the grill. 

Black Forest Pavlova

Ingredients:

For the meringue:

8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons dutch cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee
680 gram (24 ounce) jar of morello (or black) cherries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
dark chocolate curls and shavings

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a sheet of baking paper on two large baking tray and draw 8-inch rounds.

Separate your eggs making utmost care not to contaminate the egg whites with any egg yolk. Any fat in the egg whites will prevent them from beating properly and will weigh them down.

Beat your egg whites until they are stiff and add your sugar slowly, one tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks form. Turn your bowl upside down to make sure the whites are stiff enough. If not, beat another minute or so then check again.

Sift the cocoa powder into the meringue and fold through carefully ensuring you leave streaks of cocoa rather than fully incorporating it.

Shape the meringue into the two rounds on the baking paper/trays. Place meringues into oven and immediately turn temperature down to 250 degrees F. Bake for 90 minutes then turn off oven, do not remove meringues until oven is cool.

Topping:

Drain the cherries into a colander with a bowl underneath it to catch the syrup. Give the cherries a shake to make sure the syrup drains out of them. You will want the cherries quite dry so give them a bit of time to drain.

Pour the cherry syrup into a saucepan and over medium heat reduce it down to a honey-like consistency (about 5-10 minutes). If you over-reduce you can add a little bit of water and whisk through to make it more liquid again. Set aside.

Beat the cream with the coffee until stiff peaks form. With a silicone spatula spread half of the cream over the bottom meringue, place cherries on the cream along with half of the chopped walnuts. Sprinkle half of the chocolate shavings over the meringue.

Place the top meringue layer over the bottom. Spread the remaining cream over it along with the cherries, nuts and chocolate shavings. Top with the chocolate curls. Drizzle the cherry syrup over the entire pavlova.

Crock Pot Brown and Maple Sugar Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients

2 pounds pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp real maple syrup
4 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp cornstarch


Directions

Place tenderloin in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Combine together garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme, maple syrup. Pour over pork. Turn pork to coat. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

Remove pork and cover with foil to keep warm.

Put juices in pan and bring to a boil over heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes and then add in cornstarch that has been mixed into cold water. Whisk into juices and cook for one minute longer until thickened. Pour juices over pork.

Merlot Beef Stew

 

Ingredients

 

4 slices bacon, cut into pieces
2 pounds chuck roast cut into 2 inch pieces (or stew meat)
1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup A1 sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup Merlot

1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound pearl onions

1/2 pound button mushrooms, chopped or sliced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

 

 

Instructions

In a heavy bottomed pot or a dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy and browned. Reserve bacon pieces in a small bowl lined with a paper towel.

Dry the beef pieces with paper towels and then brown in bacon grease until browned on all sides. Add salt, pepper and flour and toss to coat evenly. Add reserved bacon, A1 sauce, sugar, wine, water, thyme and garlic. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

Add onions and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and parsley and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Allergy-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

4 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp flaxmeal
1-1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1/2 cup millet flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup dairy-free margarine (I used soy-free Earth Balance)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups dairy-free chocolate chips (use a brand like Enjoy Life for soy-free)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line your cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Combine the water and ground flaxseeds in a mixing bowl, and set aside while you combine the dry ingredients.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flours, xanthan or guar gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Back in your flax bowl, add the margarine, sugars, and vanilla, beating until nice and creamy. Stir or beat in the flour mixture until well combined, then stir in the chocolate chips. Drop the dough by the large tablespoonful onto your baking sheet, or if you prefer a firmer dough, refrigerate it for at least an hour to firm up.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they just barely begin to brown around the edges – they don’t really brown much at all, so do not be tempted to bake them for too long! Cook them for less time (12 min) if you prefer chewy, more for crispy.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before removing them to indulge.
They will be soft and chewy while warm, but do firm up after a day on the counter (though still a bit chewy). They can be stored in the fridge or freezer if desired.