Years ago when I first started blogging, I posted about slow cooker ribs. To this date, it’s one of the most popular recipes on the blog. My cooking techniques and recipes have evolved over the years and I thought that it might be a good time to make an updated post about my favorite ribs. Instead of baking the ribs first, I bake them after the slow cooking to get the caramelized stickiness that we all know and love. I also start the ribs out with a rub to give them an extra dose of flavor.
I know that some people might consider sticking ribs into the slow cooker sacrilegious, but it works for me and I think the results are pretty stellar! Plus, I don’t know the first thing about starting up a grill. That’s Mike’s domain.
As a side note – that beer you see in the back? Amazing. Two thumbs up for Southern Tier and their amazing Choklat stout.
Slow Cooker Ribs
3 pounds baby back ribs
1/2 cup light beer (don’t use the previously mentioned Choklat!)
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (storebought or homemade), divided
for the rub: 2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Make the rub: mix all ingredients together.
Season ribs evenly with the rub to taste. Brush 1 cup of the barbecue sauce over the ribs. Arrange ribs along the side of the slow cooker insert or cut ribs into thirds or halves and place them in the bottom of the insert. Pour in beer and add onion and garlic cloves. Cook on high for 3.5 – 4 hours or until ribs are tender but not falling off the bone.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer ribs to a baking sheet and baste with remaining barbecue sauce. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes and basting with additional sauce as needed.
How do you make banana bread better? Add booze, of course! This recipe is a “lightened up” version, but the bananas cooked in brown sugar, butter, and rum will make you forget that it’s a bit healthier than your typical banana bread.
Heather at Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks hosted this month’s What’s Baking Challenge: Bread! I can’t wait to see what the other ladies have baked up!
Whip up a batch of this goodness for breakfast or brunch and win over the heart of everyone who takes a bite. Valentine’s Day is coming up (nudge nudge nudge)!
Bananas Foster Bread
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1/4 cup dark rum, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
cooking spray
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350°. Lighting coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons rum in a nonstick pot. Cook over medium heat until bubbly; remove from heat and let cool. Stir in vanilla extract, yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, flaxseed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Whisk together until blended. Carefully pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Plan pan on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Remove bread from pan and place on wire rack.
Combine remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon rum, and powdered sugar; whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the bread. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Asking me to pick between these bourbon fudge brownies and the espresso bourbon brownies I made a few months ago is like asking me to choose between Sour Patch Kids or Sour Skittles. It’s pretty much impossible for me to pick. They’re both delicious. If you have people who aren’t huge coffee fans but still enjoy a nice hint of bourbon, these are the perfect brownie.
Mike likes to eat these with a little glass of bourbon on the side. I love these best when they’re straight from the oven. I mean, seriously, does anyone actually wait for stuff to cool before eating? I’m pretty sure I spend most of my life with a burnt tongue and/or roof of my mouth. I should probably work on my self control.
Bourbon Fudge Brownies
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweeetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Bring bourbon to boil in a small saucepan. Remove pan from heat, add chocolate chips and stir until smooth.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and whisk until combined and lump-free.
Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add vanilla and eggs and beat to combine.
Add bourbon and flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
So, you know your favorite morning pick-me-up? (Yes, I’m talking about coffee). How do you make it better? Add bourbon, duh. And how do you make that better? Turn it into a brownie!
The bourbon taste in this is definitely prominent, so make sure you make it with something drinkable. Another tip: if you like these, hide them. I left mine out and they were completely gone a couple days later. Mike inhaled these at an alarming rate.
Espresso Bourbon Brownies makes 16 brownies
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons espresso granules
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Place butter and unsweetened chocolate into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a small bowl, combine bourbon and espresso until espresso has dissolved. Set aside.
Stir sugar into slightly cooled chocolate mixture until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir bourbon-espresso mixture into the batter. Mix in flour and baking soda until just combined and then fold in the chocolate chips.
Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to make sure batter is evenly distributed and smooth on top. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Remove brownies from the pan and cut into 16 pieces.
I still remember when I made this dish – I had invited my mom over for dinner after she found out I was making mussels. I figured that since she fed them to us a couple weeks ago, it was my turn to host. She declined since they had some guests. Turns out, I am dang happy that she didn’t end up coming over (does that make me a bad daughter?). Mike and I devoured this entire dish by ourselves and were wishing we had more. We couldn’t get enough of how flavorful the curry ale sauce was. Seriously out of this world. Next time, I’m going to whip up a triple batch and force my mom to join us.
Curried Mussels in White Ale
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 large fresh lemongrass stalk, bottom two-thirds of the bulb smashed and chopped
2/3 cup Shaoxing wine
15 ounce can low fat coconut milk
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, plus 1/4 cup chopped
2 12-ounce bottles Belgian white ale
2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded; toss any that do not close tightly when tapped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
crusty bread for serving
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add curry paste, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the Shaoxing wine, coconut milk, soy sauce, fish sauce and basil leaves. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Strain the sauce into a bowl; discard the solids.
Rinse the saucepan out and then bring the ale to a boil over high heat. Add the mussels, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mussels to four bowls, discarding any that are not open.
Add the red curry sauce to the ale and bring to a boil. Let cook for 1 minute and spoon over the mussels. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped Thai basil and cilantro and serve.
Long ago, in my college years, I loved drinking gin (and got the nickname Ginni). Now, I’m loving whiskey. Whiskey sours, whiskey Cokes and most recently I’ve been diggin’ it with some root beer. You know the saying “don’t cook with alcohol you won’t drink?” Well, I prefer Kessler in my drinks (flame away, people), but I used Bulleit in these cinnamon rolls.
I used my cinnamon roll dough (but used dairy ingredients compared to non-dairy) as the starting point and made three batches of caramel before I finally got it right.
These bourbon-glazed cinnamon rolls are a decadent morning pick-me-up. Some people like coffee in the morning. Some people like tea. Everybody likes boozy cinnamon rolls. So, go into your kitchen, whip up a batch of these bad boys, and present them to someone who has a case of the morning grumpies.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Bourbon Glaze makes 12 cinnamon rolls
for the dough:
3/4 cup 1% milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (110°F)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
for the filling:
4 cups diced crisp, tart apples (3 – 4 apples) – I used a combination of gala and granny smith
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup 1% milk, warmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
for the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon (I used Bulleit)
2 teaspoons 1% milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
to make the dough:
Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Add in butter and vanilla and stir until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, combine yeast with warm water in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes or until mixture is foamy.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or in a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour, sugar, and salt.
Whisk egg into the milk mixture until well combined. Pour milk and yeast mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until dough forms a sticky ball. Add in remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time, kneading well after each addition, until dough turns smooth and soft but still slightly sticky. The amount of flour you use will vary, but I usually use about 3 1/4 cups.
Lightly oil a large bowl. Form dough into a ball and place in bowl, turning to coat in oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
to make the filling:
Place apples in a pan over medium heat and cook until softened, about 3 – 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Next, prepare the caramel. Place granulated sugar in an even layer in a large pot over medium heat. Let cook, undisturbed, until sugar just starts to melt. Then, start stirring occasionally until sugar turns golden brown. Remove pot from heat and slowly (and carefully!) stir in warmed milk. Stir until well combined. If sugar hardens, don’t fret! Return the pot to the burner and cook slowly over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the hardened sugar melts. This could take 15 minutes or longer. Continue to cook until caramel reaches desired consistency. Stir in salt and remove from heat to let cool.
Stir 1/3 cup of the caramel sauce in with the cooked apples and set aside. Reserve the remainder of the caramel to drizzle over the cooked cinnamon rolls.
Combine brown sugar with the cinnamon and set aside.
to assemble the cinnamon rolls:
Lightly flour your work surface. Turn dough out onto floured surface and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll dough out into a 20×13-inch rectangle. Spread butter onto the surface. Sprinkle with brown sugar and spread apple mixture evenly onto the surface, making sure to get it all the way to the edges.
Starting at the long end closest to you, tightly roll the cinnamon roll up. Gently pinch the end to seal and turn the roll seam-side down. Cut into 12 even pieces. Place rolls cut-side down into a lightly greased 9×12-inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F.. Remove plastic wrap from the cinnamon rolls and bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool slightly before icing so they have a chance to soak up the caramel and cinnamon sugar.
While the rolls are cooling, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, bourbon, milk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Drizzle glaze and caramel over the cinnamon rolls and serve.
DoughSeeDough 