Baked Beans

from Corliss Whitehead

1 lb ground beef, finely browned and all grease dabbed off
1 lb bacon, fried well and cut up small
2 medium-sized onion,s finely diced
1 large can Bush's baked beans
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed well
1 can kidney beans
1 can small red beans
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (or your favorite bbq sauce)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp mustard
2 tsp vinegar
Dash of salt, pepper, & garlic powder

Mix all together and put in crockpot on high for 1 hour, then turn to low for 4-5 hours. Beans should be soft and onions translucent. Serve with your favorite main dish! We like to serve it with babyback ribs or bbq chicken. Great for a group!

Note: If you prefer your beans not to have hamburger, go ahead and leave it out, but don't skimp on the bacon! It adds GREAT flavor! I didn't use hamburger this time (see picture) and it still tasted great. I have never been a baked bean fan until I had these baked beans at a community get together. I am always on the hunt for a tried & true recipe so I asked for it. Thankfully the recipe is easy and delicious! This recipe makes plenty for my family of 6 with leftovers. However, I asked my friend about doubling the recipe and she said when she doubles it, she ONLY doubles the beans and leaves the rest the same with great flavor. :) 

Memphis Dry Rub Ribs

from Renee

2 racks baby back ribs (4 to 5 pounds)

For the rub:
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Wash the ribs and blot dry. Remove the thin papery skin on the back of each rack of ribs. (Pull it off in a sheet with your fingers, using a corner of a dish towel to gain a secure grip.)
Combine the ingredients for the rub (the paprika, black pepper, sugar, salt, celery salt, cayenne, garlic powder, mustard, and cumin) in mixing bowl and stir with your fingers to mix. Rub 2/3 of this mixture on the ribs on both sides. Transfer the ribs to a roasting pan and let marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Cover cookie sheet with tin foil and place on pan. Bake at 350 oven for 2-3 hours. Enjoy with your favorite BBQ sauce!

Quickie BBQ Chicken Pizza

I realize this is hardly a recipe. But we've enjoyed making them so much I figured I might as well post them on the blog.

This is a great recipe to use left over chicken. Plus, it is a nice for a quick lunch for the kids or a snack after school. I think they'd even be okay for a casual appetizer with friends.

Chicken, cooked and shredded
BBQ Sauce
Grated cheese
Tortillas (these were the small size)

Cook chicken. Shred it. Pour BBQ sauce over it until it has the desired amount. Place tortillas on a rack and place under HI broil for 1 minute (or a little less) on each side. This helps them to dry out a little bit so the chicken doesn't make them dough.

Remove from oven and spread chicken over the tortilla. Sprinkle cheese over top.Broil on HI for about 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and entirely melted.
Cut into triangles and serve!

A Family Favorite: Sloppy Joes

from Mom

2 lbs hamburger
2 1/2 Tbsp + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
8 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 Tbsp Worcestershire
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp minced onions
1/4 tsp mustard
2 -3 bay leaves

Brown hamburger and drain. Add all ingredients and simmer until desired consistency. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve on toasted buns.

Note: The recipe above is for a half recipe. (Sometimes I even do a half of a half!) A full recipe calls for 4 lbs hamburger, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 cups ketchup, 16 oz tomato sauce, 2 cups water, 2 Tbsp Worcestershire, 2 Tbsp white vinegar, 2 Tbsp minced onions, 1/2 tsp mustard, 5 bay leaves. My mom prefers to make a whole batch and freeze the rest. It freezes really well.

Lo-fat tip: Use ground turkey in place of the hamburger.

Easy BBQ Chicken sandwiches

2-3 frozen chicken breasts (depends on how many people you are feeding)
1+ Cups BBQ Sauce (We use Sweet Baby Rays, and also love Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy)
Buns, or hoagie rolls

I squirt a bit of BBQ sauce in my crockpot, then add the frozen chicken breasts. Then add the rest of the BBQ sauce on top. Cook on high for 2 1/2- 3 hours. I flip them once or twice, but isn't really necessary. Then I get two forks and tear the chicken apart, shredding it. We like our buns toasted, so separate them and put them on a cookie sheet with the insides pointing up. I put a bit of butter, on them and broil them for about 2 min (maybe less depending on your oven... may need to keep a close eye on them.) Then add the BBQ chicken, and you have a tasty chicken sandwich. This one is a staple in our house... great to get ready before church, and nice to come home to!

BBQ Sparerib Meatballs

From my own brain
I thought of these one night when I was craving spareribs but didn't have any spareribs. So I tried them out and they've been a hit in our family ever since.

1 to 2 lbs of hamburger, thawed (1 lb makes 20-30 balls, 2lbs makes about 40-60 balls, it depends on how big you make your meatballs)
2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup finely blended oatmeal (almost like an oatmeal flour), I do this in the blender and then store it in a tightly sealed container and use it as I need it.
Mnced onions (desired amount)
dash of salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Mix and assess if you need more blended oatmeal. You want to make sure you have enough but too much will make them dry. 2 Tbsp+ is about right for 1 lb. And 1/4 cup is about right for 2 lbs. Mix well with fork and roll balls into 1 inch balls. Place in 9x13 inch pan (they can be close together.) The picture below is of 2 lbs and 60 meatballs.

Cook for 30 minutes at 375. They may need longer if you are doing 2 lbs.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan make sparerib sauce. It can be any recipe. I like ones that are a little tiny bit sweet and not overly spicy. A sparerib can handle that but it is a lot for a meatball. Or if you want a super fast sauce, just buy it in a bottle. I haven't found one I like yet. If you do, let me know. I'll try it out!

After the meatballs cook, make sure they look mostly done. You want them to be completely brown all the way around. If they're not put them back in for a few more minutes. If you're really adept, hold the pan and pour the drippings into a bowl. I'm not super adept so I usually just remove them from the oven and put them on a large plate. Then I pour out the drippings and wipe out pan and put the meatballs back in.

Pour some sparerib sauce over the meatballs. (I don't usually ending up needing all of it so I store it in a bowl and use it later for chicken or for another smaller batch of meatballs.) Put meatballs back in oven and cook for another 20 minutes. I usually pull one out and cut it in half and make sure it is all the way done. Serve with mashed potatoes, any flavor of rice, or use for hors d'oeuvres. Very good!

For appetizers, serve meatballs on a plate with a toothpick in each.

***Lo-Fat suggestion: Instead of hamburger, use ground turkey. That will at least off set some of the calories/fat from any sauce you use. Unless you're able to find a low fat sauce... and then you're set!