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.

MONDAY WEEK NIGHT MENUS - SHEPHERD'S PIE AND BLACK EYED PEA SUCCOTOSH

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Here are a few more very winter dishes to enjoy!

These recipes are designed to make week-night meal choices and planning easier and more delicious.  I call these "use every day" recipes.  They will feed a family of four, so adjust accordingly.  Most of the recipes (except the desserts) are chosen with health and nutrition in mind for week day meals.  If you are trying to watch your weight - leave off the deserts the bread and cut the cheese portions and sugar and butter in half!  Skip the potatoes.   Otherwise, enjoy making these pre-planned, nutritious and healthy menus for Winter:

MENU:  Creamy Cole Slaw, Best Buttermilk Cornbread Ever, Shepherd’s Pie, Black-Eyed Peas Succatash, Follow The Star Cookies

Salad:

CREAMY COLE SLAW

Ingredients:

1 head green cabbage finely shredded

2 large carrots finely shredded

¾ cup best quality mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons grated purple onion

2 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons celery salt

Dash of salt and fresh ground pepper

1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream

Directions:

Combine the shredded cabbage and carrots and grated onions in a large bowl.  Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, salt and pepper in a medium bowl, then add to the cabbage mixture.  Mix well to combine and do a taste test for the seasoning.  Add or subtract seasonings as desired to your own taste.  When all is mixed and ready to serve, stir in one tablespoon of heavy cream.  This is the secret to making the cole slaw stay creamy.
Bread:

BEST BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD EVER

Ingredients:

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup yellow cornmeal (or white if you prefer)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. sugar

¼ cup melted butter

1 large egg

1 -1/4 cup buttermilk

3 tsp. canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees and drop the canola oil into a 12- inch cast iron skillet.  Heat for about 15 minutes until just hot; but not smoking.  Mix dry ingredients well; then mix wet ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix lightly until blended, but do not over-mix.  Pour cornbread mix into the hot skillet and return to oven for 20 minutes.  When the top is golden brown remove from oven and let cool until cool enough to place a plate over top of skillet and invert to remove cornbread onto the plate.

Main Dish:

SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients:
1 Large Onion Quartered and Sliced

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 cups cooked diced roast beef

2 cups brown or beef gravy (use any beef gravy mix)

½ cup diced carrots

1 cup frozen peas, cooked

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg yolk

2 cups mashed potatoes

Directions:
Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat; add onions.  Saute onions until tender; add diced beef, gravy, carrots and peas.  Heat through; season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a baking dish.  Beat the egg yolk into potatoes and spoon potatoes over the meat and vegetables (press potatoes through a pastry tube if desired).  Bake shepherd’s pie at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until mashed potatoes are browned and gravy is bubbling. 

 Side Dish:

BLACK-EYED PEA SUCCOTOSH

Ingredients:

6 cups water

 1-1/3 cup dried black-eyed peas

1 teaspoon salt

 1 bay leaf

 ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

 1 tablespoon honey

 5 drops hot pepper sauce

 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 16-ounce package frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained

½ cup finely diced red onioin

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

1/3  cup diced red bell pepper

1/3 cup finely diced green bell pepper

Directions:

Combine water, black-eyed peas, salt and bay leaf in a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until peas are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.  Drain well; discard bay leaf.  Whisk rice vinegar, honey, and hot pepper sauce in medium bowl to blend.  Gradually whisk in oil.  Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.  Mix into black-eyed pea mixture. 

 Dessert:

FOLLOW THE STAR SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:

1-½ cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 Egg

2-1/2 cups self-rising flour

1 can white pre-mixed icing

Blue food coloring

Directions:

 Make the batter for this recipe the night before and leave the batter in the refrigerator overnight before baking.   Mix all ingredients except icing and food coloring and refrigerate overnight.   Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.     Divide dough in half.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch.  Use 2-1/2 inch star cookie cutters dipped in flour to cut out star shapes.  Place on tray for baking.  Repeat until all dough is used up.   Bake 7 to 8 minutes until edges are slightly brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  After cooled mix blue food coloring into one half of pre-mixed icing of your choice until it is the color you desire.  Alternate colors of white and blue.  Spread on top of cooled cookies.