Simple Saturday: Honey Apple Ribs

This grill sauce goes great with chicken,
steaks, pork chops, and more.

This weekend, we're spending our time getting ready for our annual Memorial Day Camping Trip next weekend.  Because I hate chopping, dicing, and general prep work while camping, among other things, I'm spending the weekend making-ahead all of our camping meals.  One recipe I can't wait to dig into around the campfire are these Honey Apple Ribs, made using Tastefully Simple Honey Apple Grill Sauce.

Ingredients
1-2 Racks Pork Ribs
1 Jar Tastefully Simple Honey Apple Grill Sauce
1/2 Onion, chopped

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Place raw ribs in a 6-qt slow cooker.
• Pour 1/4 jar Honey Apple Grill Sauce into small freezer bag; set aside.
• Sprinkle on onion, and pour remaining Honey Apple Grill Sauce over all ingredients.
• Cook on low 7-8 hours.
• Let cool.  Place entire contents of slow cooker in a freezer bag.  Place rib bag plus bag of sauce into another bag and freeze.

To Serve

• Pre-heat gas or campfire grill.
• Place ribs on grill; brush frequently with remaining sauce from rib bag.  Cook until heated through.
• Use extra bag of sauce for spreading or dipping.

Here's what else we'll be enjoying at camping this weekend:

Grandma Peterson's Flank Steak Marinade

White Chicken Chili

Chipotle Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Need equipment?  Check out some of our favorites:

Coleman All-In-One Cooking System

Magma Nestable Non-Stick Cookware

Simple Saturday: Simple Beef Stroganoff

This is a great meal to make-ahead and toss in your slow cooker in the morning, for a great dinner all ready when you get home.  Or, make this a 15-minute meal by browning the beef in a skillet, then mixing in the other ingredients.  Either way, it will be simple and delicious!

Ingredients

• 2 T Onion Onion
• 1 T Garlic Garlic
• 1 tsp Seasoned Salt
• 1.5 lbs cubed beef stew meat
• 14.5 oz can beef broth
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 7.3 oz jar sliced mushrooms
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 c egg noodles, uncooked

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Combine Onion Onion through pepper in a gallon-sized freezer bag.
• Measure sour cream into a sandwich-sized freezer bag.
• Measure egg noodles into sandwich-sized freezer bag.
• Combine all bags into another - seal and freeze.

To Serve

• Thaw completely.
• Place beef mixture into a greased slow cooker.  Cook on low 8 hours (or more, up to 10).
• Stir in sour cream just before serving.
• Cook noodles according to package directions.
• Spoon beef mixture over cooked noodles and enjoy.

Serves: 4

Simple Saturday: Savory Grilled Chicken

This is a light, healthy dish you can cook up in just a few minutes - and if you're on a freezer cooking kick, it's worth making in several batches for that impromptu dinner party get-together.  It is also very versatile, and you'll find it just as satisfying right off the grill in the summer, or hot out of the oven in winter.

Use your leftover Onion Onion mix to prepare
Onion Onion dip - great for a backyard barbecue!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. Onion Onion
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag.  Freeze.

To Serve

• Thaw completely.
• Arrange chicken on preheated grill.  Discard extra marinade.  Grill chicken to reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
• Or, place chicken on a brimmed cookie sheet or broiling pan.  Pour extra marinade over chicken.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.

Try these complementary side dishes with it:

Baked Baby Reds

Light and Delicious Veggie Grill

Baked Baby Reds

This is a versatile side dish that goes very well with savory winter dishes and can be cooked in the oven.  But it also makes a great summer side by using a grilling basket (we highly recommend this Weber version) to cook these potatoes up on the grill!

In general, potatoes don't freeze well (although blanching first can help).  But, they can last up to 30 days in a cool, dry, and dark location, so you can always keep a bag of baby reds on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 lb baby reds, washed and quartered
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T Onion Onion
• 1 T Garlic Garlic
• 1 tsp Seasoned Salt

To Serve

• Toss all ingredients together in a bowl.
• Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange potatoes in single layer on a brimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, until tender when tested with a fork.
• Grill Method:  Place potatoes in grill basket on pre-heated grill.  Cook approximately 30 minutes, tossing frequently.  Potatoes are done when tender.

Try this with the following main dish recipes:

Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs

Apple Cranberry Pork Roast

Garlic Buttered Steak

Simple Saturday: Tikka Chicken

In this recipe, curry powder transforms what would otherwise be a Mexican-flavored dish into a classic Indian-inspired meal.

Fiesta Party Dip Mix, prepared as dip - YUM!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 can (10.75 oz) golden mushroom soup
• 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. Onion Onion
• 1 tsp. Fiesta Party Dip Mix
• 3 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1 c rice (uncooked)

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Combine chicken, soup, mayonnaise, Onion Onion, Fiesta Party Dip Mix, curry powder, and water in a freezer container.
• Measure frozen peas into a separate freezer container.
• Measure rice into separate freezer container.
• Combine containers, label, and freeze.

To Serve

• Thaw completely.
• Place chicken mixture into a greased slow cooker.  Cook on low 3-4 hours.  To cook longer, add 1/3 cup water.
• 30 minutes before serving, stir in peas.  
• Prepare rice as directed.
• Serve chicken and sauce over hot rice.

Try this dish with a side of steamed broccoli cooked in a few tablespoons of chicken broth with some Tastefully Simply Seasoned Salt.  

Have you tried this recipe?  Let us know what you think!

Devon Thurtle Anderson, Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Consultant ID #0119436
http://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dthurtle-anderson

Super Quick Loaded Baked Potato Omelet

At least once a month I serve loaded baked potatoes and soup for dinner because it's a fast and easy meal during the work week. Hold the bacon bits, and it also makes a good meatless Monday meal. The only problem is that my 3 year old usually only eats a few bites of her potato and I end up with almost an entire left over loaded baked potato. This morning, due to all of the snow, I decided to get a little creative and made an omelet out of the left over baked potato. My daughter and husband had seconds because they liked it so much. Here is what I did:

Ingredients:
3/4-1 left over loaded baked potato-sour cream, cheese, bacon bits, chives, skin and all
4 eggs beaten
1 T olive oil

Directions:
Mash up the left over potato making sure to break the skin up into little pieces.
Beat 4 eggs until fluffy
Mix the potato mash in with the beaten eggs

Meanwhile, heat a skillet with the olive oil on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the egg and potato mixture. Let it sit and cook for 3-4 minutes. Once the edges are solid, flip the omelet and add shredded cheese to melt on top. If desired, the omelet is really good topped with sour cream, chives and bacon bits. This recipe makes 4-5 servings.

Slow Cooker Chicken Risotto (8 servings)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 finely chopped onions
1 cup shredded carrot
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 cups water
4 cups uncooked instant white rice
4 tbs butter or margarine
2 cans (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
In 5 to 6-quart slow cooker, mix the chicken, carrots, onions, garlic, and water. Cover; cook on Low heat setting for 6 hours.

Increase heat setting to High. Stir in instant rice and butter. Cover; cook 5 minutes until rice is tender. Stir in soup and cheese. Cover; cook 10 to 15 minutes or until heated.