MONDAY NIGHT MENUS - A RAINY DAY STAY INSIDE PICNIC

(From the recipe collection of Sheila Gail Landgraf) 

MAKING COOKING AT HOME EASIER
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Are you missing the BBQ grill while the rain is pouring?  

Want a way to bring a little sunshine inside the house on a rainy winter day?  

Here is a way to make the same tasty foods inside!  Smile….The sun will come out tomorrow!  This picnic may take a little planning.  You need to marinate the ribs the day before cooking, and you will need to let them cook for 4 to 6 hours - so plan your schedule accordingly to use the ribs recipe.  You will need to soak the beans for a day before preparing and they will need 8 hours in the crock pot.   It will be worth the trouble; slow-cooked ribs are very tasty, and the beans just naturally go with the flavor of the ribs.

Tonight's menu consist of Rainy Day Ribs with Hot Cheese Mini Muffins, White Shoe-peg Corn And Tomato Salad and Bacon And Bourbon Baked Beans.  

Who cares if it is raining when you've got this feast going on?

HOT CHEESE MINI MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¾ cups buttermilk

1 beaten egg

4 tablespoons softened butter

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degreees.  Mix all ingredients together.  Pour into mini-muffin tray and bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

WHITE SHOE-PEG CORN AND TOMATO SALAD

Ingredients:  

Two cans Green Giant white shoe-peg corn ( or use fresh if available)

2 quarts small cherry tomatoes (washed and halved)

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 medium red onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)

1 tablespoon basil (chopped)

Dash of salt

Dash of Pepper

Directions:

Toss together, chill and serve.

RAINY DAY RIBS

Ingredients:

5  pounds beef ribs –separated

4 tablespoons minced garlic

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons A1 Sauce

 2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon bourbon

5 onions peeled and chopped

Directions:

Mix all ingredients but the ribs and the onions together in a bowl.  Pour mix over ribs into a zip-lock bag and marinate in refrigerator overnight.  Next day pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees.  Line a broiler pan with foil and overlap lots of extra foil on the sides.  Put ribs and onion in the foiled broiler pan and pour marinade over them.  Roast open in oven for 15 minutes.  Take ribs out and cover the ribs and onions tightly with the overlapped foil. Reduce oven to 250 degrees and cook for 4 – 6 hours basting and turning when appropriate.

BACON AND BOURBON BAKED BEANS

Ingredients:

1 pound dry navy beans

10 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups water

¾ can of BBQ sauce

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

¼ cup ketchup

2 tablespoons molasses

1 cup bourbon

1-1/2 tablespoons ground mustard

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Directions:

The night before put beans into a large pot and cover with water.  Drain and wash the next morning and put beans in a pot on the stove and heat until boiling, then let simmer for about 40 minutes.  Cook bacon on stove top until fat is rendered and drain on a paper towel.  Saute the onion in the bacon grease as well as the garlic.  Remove onion and garlic when clear colored and add to a crock pot.  Add bourbon, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, ketchup, molasses, ground mustard, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir well and add in beans and stir again.  Crock on low for about 8 hours, then turn off and let sit for 2 hours to let the beans absorb the sauce and to let the sauce thicken.  It is less trouble to make these the day before and reheat when you serve your meal.  This one of those foods that is even better when it sits in the refrigerator overnight.