3 Recipes: 3-Step Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs, Sweet Tangy Slaw, Sweet Potato Roasted Garlic Turnovers

From Denny: These recipes are all crowd pleasers for that tailgating, family gathering or any time and are easy for the busy parent now that school is back in session.

All recipes are easy. Ribs can be intimidating and turn out tough if you don't know how. Well, this recipe is a simple one that delivers the taste and tenderness because of the long time spent in the slow cooker! Step one? Cut the ribs in half to fit the slow cooker. Step two? Make a dry rub and sprinkle on to the ribs. Step three? Now pour 18 ounces of your favorite barbecue sauce over the ribs and let them cook for the next four to five hours. Simple to let the slow cooker do all the hard work!

As far as barbecue sauce is concerned do try to avoid those made with high fructose corn syrup (literally passes go and goes straight to producing fat, no kidding!), MSG (brings on migraine headaches in those allergic to it) and excessively high levels of sodium.

You will enjoy the fun of making the Sweet Potato Garlic Turnovers. All you do is mash together cooked sweet potatoes and garlic, then stuff them as a filling into little pastry rounds from the refrigerated section of your grocery store. These were a bit hit even with children!

The slaw has an Asian accent and is so easy to gather together that you can enlist the kids to be kitchen helpers. Try using a reduced fat version of mayonnaise in this recipe.

Enjoy making these simple pleasures sure to please everyone!

3-Step Baby Back Ribs in the Slow Cooker

From: Tracey Koch, food writer at 2theadvocate (they archive all recipes after a week and then charge to view)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 sides baby back pork ribs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 (18-oz.) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Turn the slow cooker on High and rinse the baby back ribs. Pat them dry and cut them in half to fit into your slow cooker.

2. In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and sprinkle it over the ribs.

3. Place the seasoned ribs into the slow cooker and pour the sauce over them. Cover and cook on High for 4 to 5 hours or until ribs are tender.

Kitchen helpers: Kids love to eat ribs and these take no time to make. Have your kids mix up the dry ingredients and help season the ribs and put them in the slow cooker.

***

Savory Sweet Potato and Roasted Garlic Turnovers

From: Tracey Koch

Makes: about 30 to 32 turnovers when using a 3-1/2-inch round cutter.

Ingredients:

1 head garlic
2 tbls. olive oil
3 large sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks)
2 tsps. melted butter
2 tsps. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup milk
2 pkgs. pie dough (in the refrigerator section)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place the garlic into a piece of foil and drizzle it with the olive oil. Cover up the garlic pod and roast for 30 to 35 minutes or until the garlic is tender. Allow to cool.

2. While the garlic is cooling, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1-1/2 teaspoons salt.

3. Add the cut-up sweet potatoes and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Drain sweet potatoes well and return them to the pot.

5. Squeeze the bulb of roasted garlic out into the drained sweet potatoes and begin mashing them together.

6. Add remaining ingredients and keep mashing until everything is incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

7. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pie dough and, using a 3-1/2-inch round pastry cutter, cut out circles.

8. Place a couple of teaspoonfulsl of the sweet potato filling on one side of the circle, making sure to leave a little room on the edge to crimp. Fold the unfilled side over to form a crescent shape and crimp the edge with a fork to seal.

9. Put turnovers on a baking sheet and freeze in a single layer until frozen. Once the turnovers are frozen, transfer them into a freezer bag until you are ready to bake them.

10. To bake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake as many turnovers as you need at a time. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Kitchen helpers: This is a great do-ahead recipe that your kids will have fun making. From mashing the sweet potatoes to squeezing out the roasted garlic and cutting out the dough, there are plenty of steps to keep little hands busy.

***

Sweet and Tangy Slaw

From: Tracey Koch

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light mayonnaise or spread
1 clove minced garlic
1-1/2 tbls. apple cider vinegar
2 tbls. water
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 bag shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup Craisins
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup chow mein noodles

Directions:

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, garlic, vinegar, water and ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. In a salad bowl, combine cabbage, green onions and Craisins. Toss with dressing; cover and chill for 30 minutes or so. Just before serving, toss in seeds and chow mein noodles.

Kitchen helpers: This is a fun way to get kids to eat cabbage. They’ll love the Craisins, chow mein noodles and sunflower seeds. Have them mix up the dressing and toss the salad together.

Thanks for visiting, everyone, and have a great weekend!

Easy Key West Ribs From the Slow Cooker

From Denny: Many a person from Louisiana holidays in sunny Florida and we often share recipes since both areas are Southern and boast lots of wonderful seafood. While Texas is known for their awesome barbecued ribs so are a lot of other places in the South, and Florida has their version.

Seems the Pillsbury folks were equally intrigued and created a recipe to show us just how easy it is to make ribs in a slow cooker version. Can cooking good tasting recipes get any easier? :)

Seriously though, as the weather gets colder it sure is wonderful to know you can have a recipe for ribs that does not require use of the oven for hours or the outside grill. A slow cooker version of ribs is just the ticket! This would also be a great recipe to make during football season when you want to tailgate like we do at LSU Tiger games around here. A lot of people go just to enjoy the tailgating atmosphere! This recipe is a real time-saver as you could put it on the night before the game and then drive out in the morning with a ready-made meal to go for your guests.

***

Key West Ribs

From: Pillsbury Doughboy Slow Cooker Recipes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2-1/2 lbs. country-style pork loin ribs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite or homemade)
1 tsp. grated orange peel
1 tsp. grated lime peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tbls. lime juice

(Note from Denny: I'd also add 2 Tablespoons each of fresh minced garlic and fresh parsley.)

Directions:

1. Place pork ribs in 3-1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour over ribs.

2. Cover; cook on Low setting for 7 to 9 hours. Spoon sauce over ribs.

*** Then I would sqeeze fresh lime juice all over these ribs right before serving to instensify the BBQ flavors. - Denny

Recipe: Slow Cooker Shrimp Creole

Image by billmichalski via Flickr

From Denny: You are in a rush but want to eat something simply divine and are craving seafood. This recipe is the answer to your food prayers! Cook everything but the shrimp the night before or if you work part time cook it right before you get home. If you are out for the afternoon running errands and playing school taxi for the kids then this recipe is tailored for you. Cook the shrimp the last hour before dinner when you are home to tend it.

Normally, when cooking on the stove top you add the shrimp at the last minute before serving as it cooks up in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. With the slow cooker it is a much slower process. Cooking the sauce is the secret to any meal and the slow cooker specializes in that perfect slow blending of flavors we love so well in Louisiana!

Dedicating this awesome and easy recipe to the shrimp fishermen down Lafayette way who bring us these tasty crustaceans. The annual Shrimp Festival is going on right now and this weekend in Delcambre, Louisiana - make sure you pay them a visit!

From: Julie Kay @ 2theadvocate.com

Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup flour

1 onion, chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

1 (10-ounce) can Ro-tel brand tomatoes, mild

1 cup water

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 pounds raw, peeled shrimp

Hot cooked rice


Directions:

1. Put flour and oil in microwave dish and microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes until light brown in color. Add in onions, bell pepper, garlic and Creole seasoning and microwave on HIGH for 2 additional minutes.

2. Transfer to slow cooker and add in Ro-tel tomatoes, water, green onions and parsley. Cook on LOW for 5 hours.

3. Add in shrimp and turn cooker to HIGH. Cook another hour, until shrimp are pink.

4. Spoon shrimp over hot cooked rice to serve. Enjoy!



Slow cooker, shrimp creole, Shrimp Festival, Baton Rouge Louisiana, Cajun, Creole

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

From Denny: Use a larger slow cooker for this recipe, a 5 to 6 quart size is better as anything smaller is filled to the brim and may bubble over! Before you know the cats may be jumping up on the counter to lick up all the gumbo goodness... :)

From: Delicious Tabasco Recipes for your Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients:

1 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 cup celery, coarsely chopped

1 cup green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts

1/2 pound andouille sausage or kielbasa sausage, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Tabasco brand pepper sauce, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 quarts water

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

Hot cooked rice


Directions:

Image via Wikipedia

1. Add onion, celery, green bell pepper and garlic to bottom of stoneware. In skillet, over medium-high heat, brown chicken pieces in 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil until almost golden. Add sausage to skillet and continue cooking meat until chicken is golden brown.

2. Add all browned meat and poultry to stoneware on top of the vegetables. Add parsley, bay leaves, thyme, Tabasco pepper sauce, salt and pepper to stoneware. Pour water over all. Cover and cook on Low 5 to 7 hours or on High 2 to 4 hours.

3. In skillet, over medium heat, mex flour with the remaining 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil and cook, stirring constantly until the roux is dark brown. Add 1 cup of hot liquid from the slow-cooker mixture to the roux, a little at a time, stirring until smooth.

4. Stir roux mixture into stoneware, cover and finish cooking, 1 1/2 hours on Low or 1 hour on High. Add green onions at end of cooking time and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving. Remove chicken bones and skin before serving, if desired.

5. Remove from heat and stir in green onion and parsley; adjust seasoning if needed. Let gumbo stand 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, mound about 1/3 cup rice in each soup bowl, then ladle about 1 cup gumbo around rice.

Note: Leave yourself a little time for deboning and removing the skin from the chicken meat, adding to the overall time to prepare this slow cooking dish.



chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, Soups and Stews, gumbo, Slow cooker, slow cooking, Tabasco sauce, Cook, Home, Tabasco, Chicken, chicken and andouille sausage gumbo, Cajun and Creole, Baton Rouge Louisiana, New Orleans

Recipe: Slow Cooker Cheesecake

Another version of a peach cheesecake Image by babe_kl via Flickr

From Denny: This unusual method for baking a cheesecake really caught my eye today! Chef Sandra Lee from the Food Network has launched a new cost effective meals program called Sandra's Money Saving Meals.

This woman is stuffed full of personality AND she can cook well within a budget! Well, Louisiana food is all about the wallet and innovation. We often adopt smart ideas like the one presented today.

We sure love our cheesecake in this state as one version or another in on restaurant menus from diner to sophisticate. Give this one a try and save on your electricity as a slow cooker generally costs about three cents an hour to operate as opposed to a full oven for much more. Definitely more "green." Hope you enjoy!


Slow Cooker Cheesecake

Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 8 servings


Ingredients For Cheesecake:

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 orange, zested

Pinch salt

1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust


For Topping:

1 (15-ounce) can peaches, juice reserved and peaches chopped

1 orange, juiced

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch salt


Directions For Cheesecake:

Puree ricotta in a food processor until smooth. Scraping down the sides. Add the sugar and puree for approximately 1 minute so that it is not grainy. Add the eggs, vanilla, orange zest and salt. Puree until smooth and combined.

Place a small bowl in the bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker and place a small plate on top of the bowl. Place pie crust on top of the plate and pour the filling into the pie crust. Place 4 paper towels over the top of slow cooker bowl making sure not to let the towels touch the top of the cheesecake. Secure with lid and cook on high setting for 1 1/2 hours, or until set. Remove from slow cooker and let sit for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chilled.

For Topping:

In a small pot whisk together the reserved peach juice, orange juice, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Stir in the chopped peaches and heat over medium heat. Cook until liquid thickens about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm over a slice of cheesecake.


* If you prefer to bake in an oven rather than a slow cooker *

Oven Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the pie crust into a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to accommodate the pie tin. Pour the filling into the crust. Add about 1-inch of warm water into the bottom of the baking dish and cover with foil. Using a skewer, pierce about 12 holes into the foil to allow steam to vent. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until cheesecake set. Remove cheesecake from water bath and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes. Then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until chilled.

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Recipe: Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot

Image by Smaku via Flickr

From Denny: From Chow.com this is one of those simple recipes you can do with the kids or if you are a beginner cook. Also good for a weekend when you don't have the time to stop and do several steps for a recipe. Here the slow cooker takes care of it all!

Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot

Ingredients:

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 pint sour cream

1 package instant chocolate pudding (any size)

1 (6 oz.) package chocolate chips

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup water

Directions:

Spray crock-pot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients, pour into crock pot. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Do Not Lift Lid!

Serve hot in the crockpot with ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe: Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot

Image by Smaku via Flickr

From Denny: From Chow.com this is one of those simple recipes you can do with the kids or if you are a beginner cook. Also good for a weekend when you don't have the time to stop and do several steps for a recipe. Here the slow cooker takes care of it all!

Triple Chocolate Mess in a Crock Pot

Ingredients:

1 package chocolate cake mix

1 pint sour cream

1 package instant chocolate pudding (any size)

1 (6 oz.) package chocolate chips

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup water

Directions:

Spray crock-pot with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients, pour into crock pot. Cook on low 6-7 hours. Do Not Lift Lid!

Serve hot in the crockpot with ice cream or whipped cream.