Crock Pot Spare Ribs

I was a little skeptical about cooking ribs in the crock pot. I had tried them once before and the results were not so great. But these ribs were excellent! Both Nate and I really enjoyed them and we'll definitely be making them again and again. I saw the idea over at Funny Is Family and like I said, they were a hit. I served these ribs with some rolls and a green salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. pork spare ribs
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (we love Lawry's seasoned pepper)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. chili powder

Preparation:
Combine all the dry rub ingredients. Pat ribs dry and trim any silver skin. Cut ribs into sections that will fit into your crock pot. Rub the spice mixture over all the ribs. Put the ribs in your crock pot, meat side down. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I rotated my ribs halfway through the cooking time. That's it, super simple and super delicious! Serve with barbecue sauce for dipping if desired.


We're hoping to adopt, check our profile out at http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800 and feel free to pass it along!

Barbecue, Bacon, and Onion Wrapped Meatloaves

Talk about comfort food! This dinner was really yummy and will be making repeat appearances on our table this fall and winter. I saw this idea over at Hugs and Cookies. The original recipe calls to make 3 meatloaves, but next time I'm going to do 4, just to make it a bit more manageable. We served this with a simple green salad and some red grapes. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 yellow onions
steak seasoning to taste
salt and pepper to taste
dash of Worcestershire sauce
bacon
barbecue sauce

Preparation:
Gently combine meat, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, steak seasoning, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Don't over mix or your meatloaves will be tough. Next, cut the top and bottom off of each onion. Then cut in half, peel off the skin, and separate the onion's outer layers. Evenly divide your meatloaf mixture into 4 portions. Take one portion and ball it in between 2 onion halves. Wrap a slice or two of bacon around each meatloaf and secure with a toothpick. Bake in an oven safe dish with sides (to catch grease) at 425 degrees F or 40-50 minutes or until internal temperature is 160 F. Brush a good coating of barbecue sauce around each meatloaf and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove toothpicks before serving.


We're hoping to adopt, check our profile out at http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800 and feel free to pass it along!

Cajun Chicken and Rice

Nate and I both enjoyed this dinner. I love chicken and rice together and Nate loves spice so I thought this would appeal to both of us. We both decided that this was a keeper recipe, definitely one to make again! I saw the idea over at Kevin and Amanda and I altered a few things to fit our preferences. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice (plus the water and salt to cook it)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
Cajun seasoning
seasoned salt

Preparation:
Cook rice. I always use basmati rice and this is how I prepare it.
While your rice is cooking, cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Season well with Cajun seasoning. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add chicken. Brown on one side, then flip and continue cooking til chicken is done. Once done, remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Turn your heat down to medium, add 1 Tbsp. butter and the bell pepper and onion. Season with a little Cajun seasoning and cook, stirring often until the veggies are softened, 4-5 minutes.
Next, turn heat down to medium-low. Add diced tomatoes to the cooked veggies and heat through. Then add back in the cooked chicken and cooked rice, stirring to combine. Season with any seasoned salt that you require. Make sure the mixture is well combined and hot, then serve.


We're hoping to adopt, check our profile out at http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800 and feel free to pass it along!

Reminder: We are throwing an adoption fundraiser bake sale on Saturday, September 19th at Evergreen Park in American Fork, Utah. If you're a local, come check us out!

Exciting News

Nate and I have some exciting news. We are having an adoption fundraiser bake sale! It is going to be held Saturday, September 19th from 9am-1pm at Evergreen Park in American Fork, Utah. So if you live nearby we'd love to have you stop by! We're going to have lots of treats for sale and even a raffle. It'll be a blast. We're hoping to raise awareness for our adoption profile and get our names out there. Hope to see you there!

We're hoping to adopt, check our profile out at http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800 and feel free to pass it along!

Pepperoni Pasta

This dinner was so good! I feel bad that the picture is so awful. You'll just have to excuse the photo and try this pasta. It is delicious. I have a husband who is not a big fan of pasta at all and he had two helpings and said he could eat this meal every week! Now that is a glowing recommendation! It's also a quick and easy dinner to throw together. Like I said, we really enjoyed this dinner. I got the idea over at Kevin and Amanda and just made a few tweaks. Try this soon!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pepperoni slices (we used Hormel brand turkey pepperoni)
1 (14.5 oz.) can basil, garlic, and oregano diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
2 cups campanelle shaped pasta
2 cups water
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
In a large skillet with a lid add the pepperoni slices, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic bread seasoning, pasta, and water. Stir to mix everything together. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 13-15 minutes until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is mostly absorbed. Top with shredded cheese and let melt. Serve hot with a crisp green salad and enjoy!


We're hoping to adopt, check our profile out at http://adoption.com/profiles/nksmithfamily-1800 and feel free to pass it along!