Game Day Recipes

I've been posting ideas for the Super Bowl for the last few days.  Since the big day is only two days away now, I thought I'd recap and list a few of my favorites!

Sticky Sweet Spicy Chicken
Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ Broccoli Slaw
Oh So Good Pork Spare Ribs
Vegan Potato Salad

I hope you are inspired to make one {or more!} of these fantastic crowd pleasers for your party!

Oh So Good Pork Spare Ribs

In my family, ribs are pretty much a special occasion only meal.  They take a while to cook and they are pretty messy, so they usually only get made on holidays (You know, 4th of July, Memorial Day...).  Anyway, my husband happens to think Super Bowl Sunday is a special holiday and rib-worthy so he brought home a package of ribs from the grocery store the other day.  I decided to make them last night since we have

plans for the big game day and I wanted to make sure I got this recipe written so you could give it a 

try in case you too consider Super Bowl Sunday a rib worth holiday!

First things first, I start by patting the ribs dry with paper towels and placing them in a greased baking dish.

Then I apply the dry rub. (Ingredients below.)

Make sure you really press it into the meat so it sticks.

After the rub is applied, I cover the baking dish with foil and place in the oven to cook low and slow.

At this point you can either BBQ or broil to finish. (See below for BBQ directions.)  After about 2 hours, I remove the ribs and transfer them to a foil lined cookie sheet.  Then I brush the ribs with my favorite BBQ sauce.  Turn the oven up to broil and slide the ribs back in. (I got distracted and completely forgot to take pictures of this step!  Sorry!!!)  Be sure to keep a close eye on them at this point because they can easily burn.  It takes about 5-10 minutes for the BBQ sauce to caramelize.  

Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Ingredients for Dry Rub:

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tbs coarse sea salt

1 tbs paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs onion powder

This makes enough rub for one rack of ribs.  In my family one rack can feed 3-4 people.

Directions for Preparing Ribs: (You need one rack of ribs for this and 1 cup of BBQ sauce.)

Remove your rack of ribs from the package and if necessary pat dry with paper towels.  Place in a greased baking dish.  Coat the ribs with the dry rub.  Press it into the meat so that it really adheres.  At this point you can refrigerate the ribs or go ahead and cook them. (They can marinade with the dry rub overnight which will really give them a ton of flavor, but I promise they're good either way!)  When you are ready to cook them, pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees and place them in there.  Let cook low and slow for about 2 hours. After two hours, remove the baking dish from the oven and transfer the ribs using tongs to a foil lined cookie sheet. (This really helps with clean up!) Then brush them with your favorite BBQ sauce.  I think the Trader Joe's brand is pretty good, but anything you like will work!  Turn your oven up to broil and place the ribs back in there.  Let them cook for 5-10 more minutes until the sauce begins to caramelize and the look fantastic (like the ones above!)

**If the weather is warm, and you like the smoky flavor of BBQ, when you take the ribs out of the oven and slather on that sauce, transfer them to a hot grill.  Again, watch them closely, as the sugar in the BBQ sauce can cause them to burn quickly.  You really just want to get the char marks and a bit of that smoky flavor infused.  Cook them on each side for about 3 minutes, remove from the grill and you're all set!

I served mine with mashed potatoes, but they would be great with my Potato Salad recipe from the other day!

I hope you have a fantastic Game Day!!!

Vegan Potato Salad {Another Game Day Crowd Pleaser}

I have a couple of friends who practice the vegan lifestyle.  Whenever I'm having these friends over for a BBQ or party I always struggle with what I can make.  I want there to be something more for them than the typical veggie platter with hummus.  I came up with this recipe last summer and it was a huge hit among everyone, vegan and non-vegan alike.

Ingredients:
5 red potatoes cut into 2" chunks
4 celery stalks with leaves
2 tbs capers drained
1 handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 heaping tbs of dijon mustard
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp of kosher salt
black pepper to taste

Directions:
First I want to start by discussing the ingredients I use.  You need to check labels to be truly certain that the ingredients are vegan.  Some people aren't extremely picky about this, but some are!  If the label says made on equipment used to process meat, fish, dairy or eggs, then you'll want to check with your guest to see how they feel about this.  I shop primarily at Trader Joe's and know to look for the large V on products signaling that the item is indeed vegan.

See the "V" above?  That's what you're looking for!

Now let's get to the good part and I'll tell you how to make this delicious salad!

Start by cubing your red potatoes.  Add them to a large pot of cold water.  Add a generous amount of salt to flavor the water (same as you do with pasta).  Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook them until they are fork tender, then drain.  While potatoes are cooking, in a measuring cup combine oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard. Whisk until combined.  Thinly slice your celery and give a rough chop to your parsley.  When the potatoes are finished cooking and have drained well, add them to a large bowl and pour the dressing over the top. It may seem like a lot of dressing, but the warm potatoes really soak it up and take on the great flavor.  Add you celery, capers and parsley.  It can be served right away or made in advance and served cold.  The great thing about this salad is there is no mayonnaise so you don't have to worry if it sits out for a little while. 

Serves 4-6 people.  If you  are making it for a huge crowd plan on 1 potato per person.  The dressing can easily be doubled or tripled.

**If you have no vegan guests at this party and you want to kick it up a notch cook up a couple of pieces of bacon and crumble it into the salad.  It's fantastic without it, but for the bacon lover {my husband} it really makes it special!

Sweet Spicy Sticky Chicken {Perfect for Game Day!}

Are you excited about Super Bowl Sunday?  To be honest, I don't really have any idea who is even playing! Oops!  Sorry, I'm sort of oblivious to that sort of thing! But, I do know that my husband is looking forward to it and that he loves his game day snacks!  I've been trying out recipes on him for the last week or two and this is one of his favorites!  You could use the exact same marinade and make wings instead.  I just happened to have drumsticks on hand and decided to use them instead of making an extra trip to the store. These are prefect for game day or any type of party!  I hope you'll give them a try!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 chicken legs (drumsticks) or substitute wings instead.
3/4 cups of Trader Joe's Island Soyaki Sauce (If you don't have Soyaki you could use 1/2 cup of teriyaki sauce and 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce)
2 tbs. honey
generous pinch of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like your wings)
parsley or cilantro to garnish

Directions:
Marinate your drumsticks in sauce for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 8 hours.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place chicken on a broiler pan coated in non-stick spray.  Place chicken in oven.  While chicken is cooking pour excess marinade in a small sauce pan over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil and cook until reduced (5 minutes) then remove from heat.  After chicken has been in the oven for about 10 minutes baste with reduced sauce.  Turn every 5 minutes and baste.  Continue to cook until they look like the ones above (takes about 25 minutes total).  Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.

A Summer Wardrobe {For a Six Year Old!}

I've talked a lot about buying clothes for my children at thrift stores, but really it can't be said enough.  I think it's absolutely ridiculous to pay full retail price for children's clothes.  Today I am going to show you the pictures of everything I bought over the weekend, with the price tags from the thrift store.

First here's a few of my tips for thrifty finds:

• Buy a size or two larger than your child currently is.
• Look for quality.  I know that my favorite brands to buy second hand are Gymboree & Gap.  I can eliminate most of the stock at a thrift store by sticking to what I know is quality and wears well on my kids.
• Shop frequently.  Don't expect to find exactly what you are looking for the first time.  To find the best stuff I really need to shop frequently.
• Be open minded.  I happened to luck out and found a ton of stuff that was exactly what I was looking for, but more often than not I'll come home with a coat two sizes bigger than my daughter wears.  Or, jeans in July.  If I know she needs them come fall and they are a bargain I snatch them up when I see them!

Here are the pictures of my finds from this trip:

Gap Kids Capri Pants $2.99

Gymboree Shorts 4 Pairs .99-$2.99

Gymboree Capri Pants $2.99

Gymboree Skirt $2.99

Gymboree Jeans $3.99

Gymboree Top $2.99 & Shorts $1.99

Gymboree Shorts $2.99

Gymboree Tank Top $2.99

Gymboree Skirt $2.99

Gymboree Vest $3.99

Gymboree Top $2.99 & Shorts $1.99

Here's my actual receipt. 

I hope this inspires you to find some good deals!  Have any questions?  Comment below or send me an email!  I love to hear from my readers!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Soup is one of my favorite things to make in the winter.  Strangely, here in Northern California, we haven't had much of a winter, but that hasn't stopped me from my soup making.  I am in love with this chicken tortilla soup.  It is rich, spicy, creamy, and simply delicious.  It was also surprisingly easy to make!  If you are on the east coast right now you must make this warm me up meal!  And if you're in California where our high is expected to be 72 degrees today, make it anyway, you won't be disappointed!

(The bit of O.C.D. in me wants to point out that I should have wiped the inside of the bowl.  Unfortunately, I didn't notice that when I took the pictures, so please ignore the messy bowl!)

Ingredients:
3 tbs butter
1 diced onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
3 tbs flour
6 cups of chicken broth
3/4 cup of half & half
3 tbs taco seasoning
1 cup of salsa (mild or spicy depending on your spice preference, I used mild)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of frozen corn (or substitute one can of drained corn)
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from bones and skin (or you could use a couple of cooked chicken breasts
for garnish- sour cream, shredded cheese, olives, cilantro, corn chips (or anything else you like)

Directions:
In a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat melt butter.  Add onions and garlic.  When soft, about 5 minutes, add three table spoons of flour and stir well until a thick paste is formed.  Cook for a minute or two, then slowly add the broth.  Stir constantly so lumps don't form.  Add the half & half, salsa and taco seasoning.  Stir until smooth and well combined.  Add the tomatoes, beans, corn and chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite garnishes (suggestions above).

Serves 6-8

Sneak Peek {To my spur of the moment shopping spree!}

Today I had an insanely busy day! But not too busy to fit in a quick stop at the thrift store. After my nephew's birthday party, but before my daughter's best friend's dance recital I had about 20 minutes to kill  I knew there was a Goodwill right around the corner and thought I'd stop in really quick and see if they had anything interesting. I ended up walking out with two huge bags and an entire summer wardrobe for my 5 1/2 year old daughter.  I have pictures of everything I bought, but here's a sneak peek at my favorite things!

P.S. If you want to know more about my thrifty finds check out this post Thrift Store Finds!

Chicken Salad

Sometimes I make something and I'm actually surprised by how good it tastes!  This chicken salad is one of those times.  So here's a secret... I hate mayonnaise.  Like, really, really hate it. I wanted to make a recipe for chicken salad with no mayo and I thought greek yogurt might just be the perfect substitute.  Let me tell you, it is!  It really, really is.  Which also makes this salad healthy (although it tastse indulgent enough that you'd never know that!).  It only takes minutes to put together and can be used so many ways!  Here are a few I was thinking of: lettuce wraps, wrapped with a whole grain tortilla, stuffed in a pita, or on whole grain bread (the traditional sandwich).  Oh please, please try this!  You won't be disappointed! 

Ingredients for dressing:

1/2 cup of non-fat greek yogurt

1 tbs of pesto (I really like the kirklannd brand from Costco)

Juice of one lemon

1/2 tsp of sea salt

black pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix yogurt and pesto together.  Add lemon and season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients for salad:

1 large cooked chicken breast cut into 1" cubes (I use a rotisserie chicken)

1 cup of red grapes sliced in half

3 stalks of celery sliced thinly

1/4 cup of pecans roughly chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl combine chicken, celery, grapes and pecans.  Stir in dressing.  Serve as suggested above or in any way you prefer!  

Doesn't it look amazing?!

Fondue {For Four}

Years ago (before kids) my husband took me to a fancy (and expensive) fondue restaurant to celebrate our anniversary.  It was delicious, and I loved it!  But, what stuck with me was that it was so easy to make!  I know this, because they prepared it right at our table, so I knew exactly how they did it!  The other thing that stuck with me was the price!  I had a hard time stomaching the fact that it cost nearly $100 for the two of us to dip apples and bread in cheese sauce.  I knew I could make it at home and for much, much less.  Ever since then, I've been doing just that!  It's actually become one of my family's most requested meals.  Who doesn't love cheese, right?  And my kids love the fact that they can dip their vegetables using those funny little forks.  If you've never made this at home, it should go on your "must make" list.  I promise, you won't be sorry!

Ingredients for Fondue:
2 cups of shredded Gruyere cheese
1 tbs of flour
1 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 tsp of garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place stoneware or casserole dish in oven to heat.  (If you have a fondue pot you can skip the stoneware/casserole dish and prepare the fondue pot according to instructions.)  On the stove top in a sauce pan over medium heat bring wine and chicken broth to a simmer.  In a bowl toss shredded cheese with flour.  When wine comes to a simmer slowly stir in the cheese.  Continue stirring until completely melted. Add seasoning.  When the dish in the oven has preheated (about 20 minutes) remove from oven and spray with non-stick spray.  Pour in cheese and place back in oven for 5 minutes, serve immediately.

Suggested dippers for fondue:
Bread
Diced green apple
Baby carrots, raw or steamed slightly
Broccoli, raw or steamed slightly
Cauliflower, raw or steamed slightly
Green Beans, raw or steamed slightly
Sausage (totally optional, but my husband likes meat at dinner)

I hope you'll give this a try!

P.S.
This would make a great Valentine's Day dinner!