Recipe: Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs

I'm sure you all know by now that I have an obsession with my slow cooker. And I have good reason! The two burner stove in this hotel room just isn't going to work for me. And that's perfectly okay, because I could cook with my crock pot every night and be perfectly happy. My husband on the other hand, eh, not so much.

After eating ribs in Verona, I had a craving for them yesterday. I'd say the feeling was mutual with hubs as well. I, of course, got on pinterest to see what I could find as far as slow cooking ribs. Almost everything I found involved putting them on the grill at some point or another, and since I just couldn't do this, I just went all in with my crock pot. And I'm happy I did! 

Here's what you'll need for savory, tender, fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs:

1. *1-2 racks of baby back ribs *depending on how much you want to eat

2. 1 bottle of BBQ sauce, of your choice. *I'm starting the Paleo diet soon, so I chose a version without refined sugar/corn syrup. 

3. Cayenne Pepper 

4. Red pepper flakes *I chose a kind with garlic, as well.

5. Cajun seasoning (optional)

I try to keep things pretty simple when cooking meat in the slow cooker. I don't want to take away too much from the natural flavor of things. I tend to go a little heavy on the spices though. Being from Louisiana, it's just the natural way to cook things. 

Here's how to cook 'em:

1. Cover thawed ribs in spices. Add as much or as little of these as you like.

2. Place ribs in crock pot and coat evenly with half bottle of BBQ sauce.

3. Cook on medium for 3 hours. *If your crock pot doesn't have this setting, cook 4 hours on low.

4. Pour remainder of sauce on ribs, continue cooking for 1-2 hours(depending on heat setting.)
5. Eat these babies up!!!

Please excuse my messy plate and horrible quality iPhone photo!

I am so very proud of this dinner! I feel like it was very well balanced and extremely filling. This is what most of my recipes will look like once we start the Paleo diet. Meat, veggies, and no grains. I can't wait to start. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes for you! Let me know if you changed anything up as well! 

XOXO, 

Megan

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Soup

Hi!

   Today has probably been my favorite day in Italy. Why? Because I got a European voltage crock pot!!! While the scenery is beautiful and the gelato is amazing, nothing can compare to my love for my crock pot. I think you know you've reached "wifey status" when you've become excited over small kitchen appliances. To each her own, right?
   While I was going to wait until tomorrow to make this yummy dish, I couldn't help myself once I got my crock pot out of the box. So, after having already walked a mile to and from the PX to buy this handy cooking machine, I decided to walk another to make a trip to the commissary. I think hubby was happy that I did, too.
   After scrolling through Pinterest for some easy, filling crock pot recipes, I found one that I liked and altered it just a bit to fit my taste buds. Being from Louisiana, hubs and I tend to like things a little spicier than most, so I almost always alter recipes. I finally settled on a Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup copycat, and pretty much almost changed the entire recipe. Whatever.

 
blah, overexposed!              I cut down the original recipe by almost half, if not more. Here's what I used for my recipe:
   p.s. you can use any brand of these ingredients
*2 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
*1 can College Inn Light&Fat Free Chicken Broth
*1 can Organic Black Beans
*1/2 container Old El Paso Jalepeno slices+juice
*1 package Velveeta Mexican Cheese
*1 bundle Cilantro
*2 cups chopped onions
***Use the next 3 ingreients to your liking***
*2 tbsp Roasted Cumin
*2 tbsp Creole seasoning (added more throughout the cooking process)
*2 tbsp Rep Pepper & Garlic seasoning
*1/2 bag Garden Salsa Sun Chips (optional, for thickening)
*3 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
*1 cup water

Directions:
*Cut Chicken, Onions, Cilantro, Velveta, into desired size pieces
*Add all ingredients EXCLUDING Sun Chips
*Let cook on high for 2 1/2 hours
*Add Sun Chips (optional)
*Cook on low 1 more hour or until chicken is cooked completely

 

   And voila! Your soup is ready to eat! I try to make my meals as simple as possible, and I think I hit this one right on the head. It was SO yummy! This photo is what was left after the husband and I dug into it. I think hubs ate almost half of it by himself! This is definitely a meal that I will be cooking often. I love Mexican dishes, and this one is something that I can actually make. (I'm not the best enchilada maker...)

XOXO,

Megan