Baby Back Ribs

If you're looking for a simple, out-of-this-world meal you've come to the right place.  I'm not a huge pork or beef fan, but given the choice between chicken and baby back ribs I'd definitely choose the ribs!  

Several years ago my uncle and cousin came to visit.  To thank us for everything my uncle decided to make us a "special dinner."  Baby back ribs with his homemade barbecue sauce.  What the heck are baby back ribs?!  I don't even like ribs...  That night was the easiest dinner clean up yet.  No leftovers!  Not a single drop of barbecue sauce or scrap of mean.  Nothing!  Just perfectly clean bones.  They were delicious!!  

Now every year my sister and I request them for our special birthday dinner.  Baby back ribs and Ice Cream Cake.  Talk about a perfect meal...  And now this is the only barbecue sauce we use.  We even started canning it!  No store bought brand comes close to this deliciousness!  

Baby Back Ribs

:Ingredients:

2 racks baby back pork ribs

1/2 cup strawberry or grape jam
2/3 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s original barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 quarter-sized squirts yellow mustard

:Directions:

Boil ribs in a large pot for 2 hours. 

Combine remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. 

Cook on low until jam is melted, stirring frequently. Add more mustard if too sweet.

Preheat oven to 325º F.  

Place ribs in a glass dish and completely cover with barbecue sauce.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes uncovered.

Copyright © 2014, Grace George. Simple and Sweet Creations. All Rights Reserved.

Click for printable recipe.

Unique Halloween Costumes

What to be for Halloween?  A cat, a ghost, a witch, a princess, a cheerleader? Been there done that!  I like to be something unique!! But every year it seems like we wait until the the last minute to do our Halloween costumes.  Most of the time we don't even know what we're doing until the night before!  

This year may have been my best idea ever.  What you may ask could be the ultimate Halloween costume?  Well let me start by saying I don't like anything too scary, bloody, difficult, etc.  Family and kid friendly is the way to go.  :)  

So what was I this year? (drumroll please.....) A CHRISTMAS TREE!!  And you know what?!  It was so easy!  

Here was my Pinspiration.  Not too bad (for the night before) if you ask me! All I did was take a green crew neck sweatshirt and pin on garland and Christmas ornaments.  With leggings and boots you're good to go!

Now if you want to go all out, you can add ribbon and bows to your boots.  (Presents under the tree)  And wear yellow gloves.  (A star)  

You'll have to stand with your hands above your head to get the full effect.  Now when you're our trick-or-treating use a gift bag to carry your candy.

Our English class also had some great costume ideas.  Yes, it's a class of all girls...and it's the most amazing class ever!  But anyways back to the point.  One girl was even a leaf blower! Definitely going to keep the flower and energizer bunny on tabs for next year!

Banana Nutella Muffins

WARNING: If you like bananas and Nutella then be prepared to become addicted to these muffins.

Long story short, my friend is obsessed with the hazlenut spread. Her and I started a board on Pinterest where we can pin all our Nutella recipes.  Dangerous and wonderful all at the same time! Occasionally we'll get together at one of our houses, each choose a Nutella recipe from our board, and have a "baking day".  I don't think we've made a bad thing yet!  

On our first "experiment day" I choose these Nutella Banana Swirl Muffins.  That was over a year ago. Guess how many times I've made them since?  Bigillions!  We ALWAYS have at least a dozen in the freezer...just incase something terrible would happen to bananas or Nutella.  Help us all if either one becomes scare...

Banana Nutella Muffins

by Simple and Sweet Creations

6071143

Ingredients (24 muffins)

• 4 over-ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Nutella

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease or line two regular muffin pans with liners.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in egg, vegetable oil and vanilla.

Slowly stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until no lumps remain.

Fill tins 3/4 full and top with about 1 teaspoon Nutella. Using a toothpick, swirl Nutella into batter.

Bake 15-17 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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Cut Out Sugar Cookies

These are my aunt's favorite cookies!  When we make them for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner she swears she could eat them all.  Sometimes she even makes us hide them from her!  Yes, they're that delicious.

I made these for my bake sale last week (red, white, and blue stars for Veterans) and they were a hit.  An elementary teacher came over and bought (not lying) at least a dozen.  By Saturday night she said they were all gone.  So much for freezing them for the holidays...

I'm pretty picky when it comes to cookies.  Nothing too crunchy, too sweet, too dry, too soft.  Let's just say I'm pretty hard to please.  (You can blame my mother for that one!  I've been spoiled since day one with delicious homemade cooking!)

These may be the only sugar cookies I'll eat.  They're firm, but not too hard.  Soft, but not fall apart in your hand.  Sweet, but not that you can't finish the whole cookie.  (You could will easily eat more than one!)  

Oh...and don't forget to sample the dough!  You can always tell if a cookie is going to be good by tasting the dough. :)

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

by Simple and Sweet Creations

6071080

Ingredients

Cookie

• 1 cup margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tarter
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Frosting

• 3 cups confectionery sugar
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer.

Cover and chill several hours before rolling.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Roll and cut out on a generously floured surface.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes.

Allow to cool before frosting.

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Christmas Wreath

Nothing says football like a Christmas Wreath.  No, not a wreath like you hang on the door in December.  A chicken Christmas Wreath!  This is my dad's absolute favorite game day appetizer. He waits all year for it...no lie.

I was in the kitchen this weekend baking for my bake sale and decided to whip this up for dinner.  A good football game was about to start, my dad had been asking for it for weeks, and the oven was already on.  It was the perfect time!

It's super simple, I really don't know why we don't make it more often.  Just crescent rolls, chicken, soup, cheese, and veggies. The hardest part is waiting for it to bake!

Start by laying the crescent rolls in a circle on a baking stone.  You want the point to be facing in, like so. And made sure you overlap the edges slightly.  

Mix the remaining ingredients and spoon around the outer edge.  

Now here's the tricky part.  One at a time, pull the tips of the crescent rolls over the mixture and off to the side.  Lightly press to the edge so it stays.  Bake bake at 325º for 30 to 45 minutes.

Christmas Wreath

Ingredients

• 2 cans crescent rolls
• 1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped
• 1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
• 1/4 cup water chestnuts, cooked and chopped
• 1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 can cream of chicken soup

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325° F.
In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except crescent rolls.
Lay crescent rolls around baking stone with points in the center.
Spoon mixture evenly around edges.
Pull points to the outside to form a wreath.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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S&P Chicken

Would you believe it was 75 and sunny today? September... Ohio... 75... sunny... Something definitely isn't right.  I guess mother nature is just getting ready to shock us with winter. With our luck we'll get 10 feet of snow before Thanksgiving.

Now I probably just jinxed myself saying that...shoot.  Oh well, what are you going to do.  We Ohioans are used to 40 degree changes everyday.  It's why I keep my shorts and jeans in the closet all year round.  Who knows, I could be wearing flip flops for Christmas!

Since today was such a beautiful day, I didn't feel like starting the oven to cook dinner.  Why heat up the house when it's already hot outside?  And it just sounded like a good day for a salad.  Dinner Solution: Chicken Salads

When I plan on making salads for dinner, I usually make Italian Chicken.  But today...today just wasn't an Italian Chicken day. Wasn't feeling it.  So instead I whipped up some S&P Chicken. (yes...nothing like good old salt and pepper)

Cook it on the stove in a frying pan, in the oven in a glass dish, or even on the grill.  I've done them all!  Chop into bite size pieces and throw on a salad or sandwich...wallah!  Bon appetit!

Start by sprinkling your chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Since mine were a little bigger and I wanted them to cook fast, I cut them into smaller pieces.

Here's the many ways you could cook it...

Frying Pan: Place in a lightly greased frying pan and cook on medium heat until no longer pink.  

Oven: Place in a lightly greased glass baking dish and bake in a pre-heated 350* F oven for 30 minutes or until no longer pink.  Baking times will vary depending on your oven!

Grill: Grill until no longer pink.

Chop up for a salad or leave whole for a sandwich.

S & P Chicken

6071025

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.

Choose your cooking method...

Chop into bite size pieces for a salad or leave whole for a sandwich.

Oven:

     Place in a lightly greased glass baking dish and bake at 350* F for 30 

     minutes or until no longer pink.

Frying Pan:

     Place in a lightly greased frying pan and cook over medium heat until no 

     longer pink.

Grill:

     Grill until no longer pink.

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Peach Smoothie

Every time I go to the mall and walk through the food court, I'm temped to stop at Frullati for one of their delicious smoothies. Unfortunately, I can't rationalize spending $4 or $5 on a drink.  I guess I'm just cheap.  

One day at Walmart I came across a small blender on the sale rack.  For $10 (two smoothies!!) I picked up one of the best kitchen appliances. Now I can make my own frosty drinks whenever I want!! It's a dream come true :)

It took several bad smoothies (un-drinkable may be more accurate) to finally find the right combination but I'm proud to say this one is a winner!

Peaches weren't the best this year so I have to be careful how many times I whip up this delicious treat!  With peaches, yogurt, milk, and cinnamon, this is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day...or if you're like me you'll still be making these in the middle of December!!  

Start by combining all ingredients in a blender.  I find it best to put liquids on the bottom.

Blend until smooth...

Yum!!! 

Peach Smoothie

by Simple and Sweet Creations

6071151

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 3/4 cup greek yogurt
• 2/3 cup sliced peaches
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon sweetener

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into glass and enjoy!

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Chicken Alfredo

Every weekend I try to plan out our dinners for the upcoming week and make a grocery list.  I've found we throw out less food, spend less at Walmart, and eat less of the same things.  I even made up a "master list" of all our favorite main dishes, side dishes, and vegetables.  It really helps when your trying to plan a week ahead!

This week we strayed a little from our plan.  Oh well...I write in pencil for a reason.  We were supposed to have Ham on Tuesday, Lasagna Rolls on Wednesday, leftovers Thursday, and Chicken Alfredo on Friday.  But lasagna got bumped up to Tuesday and we needed another quick meal tonight so Chicken Alfredo it was!

This whole dish can come together in 30 minutes if you know what you're doing. It's one of the main reasons we make it so often. Anything quick, easy, and delicious is a crowd-pleaser at my house! The recipe is written for a single batch, but it can easily be doubled. We like to double the sauce (soup, parmesan cheese, pepper, and milk) and the more broccoli the better!

Start by melting the butter in a pan.  Add the chicken and cook until no it's longer pink.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta and broccoli according to package directions.  You can use linguine, rotini, or just about any other type of pasta.

When the chicken is fully cooked, stir in condensed soup, milk, parmesan cheese, and pepper.  Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta, broccoli, and chicken mixture.  That's it!

In under 30 minutes you can make a delicious meal and even have leftovers for lunch...

Chicken Alfredo

Ingredients

• 8 ounces linguine or other pasta
• 1 bag frozen broccoli florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

Heat butter in skillet. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring often.

Cook pasta and broccoli according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

When chicken is fully cooked, add soup, milk, cheese and pepper and heat through.

Combine pasta, broccoli, and chicken mixture in a large bowl.

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Italian Chicken

Without a doubt, I think chicken is my favorite meat.  No matter what you do to it (besides burn it!) it tastes amazing!  Some of my favorite chicken dishes Chicken and Rice, Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Nuggets, S&P Chicken, and this Italian Chicken.

Quick and easy, it makes a perfect weeknight dinner.  Especially when I forget to set something out or I need leftovers for the rest of the week.  Usually I end up making extra for lunches!  I'll either cube it up add it to a salad, mix in a little BBQ sauce and put it on a sandwich, or throw it in a container and eat it as is.  No matter which way I reuse it, it still tastes amazing on Friday.  

It's best not to over marinate the chicken.  I've found that it becomes a little dry sitting for over an hour.  If you have to choose between 15 minutes or 1 hour and 15 minutes, do the 15 minutes.  It will still taste fine!  And this recipe is written for a conventional oven, but in the summertime we love to throw it on the grill!

Start by cutting your chicken into cubes.  I've found it's easiest (and safest!) to use scissors.  Place chunks in a small bowl.

Pour Italian dressing over the chicken.  Be generous here!  You want the chicken completely covered.

Slide the marinated chicken cubes on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil on high 8-10 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink inside. You'll have to watch carefully.  Unfortunately the cooking time varies with every oven.

Serve with a salad or baked potato for the perfect meal!

Italian Chicken

6071022

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken breast
• Italian dressing

Instructions

Cut chicken into chunks and place in a small bowl. Cover with Italian dressing and marinate in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes.

Slide marinated chicken chunks on skewers and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil on high 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Cooking time may vary depending on your oven.

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Lasagna Rolls

It's always a struggle deciding what to make when people are coming for dinner.  The meal can't be too messy, or too plain, or too difficult but at the same time has to be delicious, presentable, and sometimes even make ahead. Would you laugh if I suggested lasagna?

What!  Lasagna is so messy!  It falls apart right when you cut it!  

Calm down, calm down.  Don't worry I would never serve traditional lasagna to guests...but these lasagna rolls.  Now that's a different story...

I got the idea from Pinterest and tweaked our family recipe to make my own version.  The result...beautiful, delicious, everyone-asking-for-seconds thirds lasagna rolls you can even serve for a fancy dinner.  And the best part, you can make each roll however you'd like!

For example, Abby only likes sausage in hers.  But my dad wants peppers, onions, sausage, meatballs, and whatever else I can find in his.  With lasagna rolls everyone's is made just the way they like it. Yay when everyone's happy!!

Start by cooking the lasagna noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, combine the shredded cheeses, cottage cheese, egg, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well.

Carefully lay the noodles on a flat surface and evenly spread with cheese mixture.

Add your favorite toppings.  (ex. sausage, meatballs, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, peppers, zucchini, etc.)

Cover the bottom of a baking dish with spaghetti sauce.

Roll up and place in prepared pan.  Cover each roll up completely with sauce or the noodles will burn.  Cover with foil and bake in a 350*F oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and sprinkle the tops with mozzarella cheese.  Bake another 5 minutes, uncovered or until cheese is melted.

Look how beautiful!  But let them sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Lasagna Rolls

by Simple and Sweet Creations

6071034

Ingredients

• 6 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
• 16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
• 1 large egg
• salt and pepper
• 2 quarts spaghetti sauce
• Optional fillings (sausage, meatballs, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, peppers, zucchini, etc.)

Instructions

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Cool slightly before assembling.

Cover bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan with sauce.

In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, colby jack, and cottage cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.

Lay noodles on a flat surface and spread evenly with cheese mixture. Add fillings and roll.

Place in prepared baking pan and spread tops with sauce.

Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes in a preheated 350*F oven.

Remove foil and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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