Country Style Ribs

Welcome to the weekend! 

Hope you have some exciting plans, 

maybe soak up some of the warmer temps!

We are super excited to be heading out with our kids 

to their sporting events this weekend. 

Ryker refueling between events.

Ryker's last swim meet tonight!

I'm guessing he'll set some more PRs (personal records)

just like he has continued to do all season!

It has been a blast! 

Landon and his buddy Tyler after a Free-Throw contest.

Landon's last basketball tournament this Saturday in Lodi. 

Last weekend they really came together as a team and won the tournament in Rockford. 

Alayna and her pal Haley. 

Lastly, but certainly not least, 

Sunday we will be cheering on Alayna and her team at her home tournament!

So, when we are on the road supporting our kids, 

it is such a treat to come home and make a quick dinner

that tastes like it has been cooking all day!

Enter, 

Country Style Ribs.

Not only are these boneless ribs much more economical than a rack of ribs,

They can be baked up in less than an hour

with a sweet and smokey flavor that melts-in-your-mouth! 

Of course, with a house full of boys, 

ribs are requested quite often…

but it is not in the budget to be spending nearly $30 on a racks of ribs all the time. 

So, these ribs have been a life-saver! 

They have been paired with both chicken and seafood in our house

for a complete guy-pleasing meal. 

Let's get started...

Just whip up a quick rub…

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

These sugar and spices come together so nicely to make a sweet and smokey rub. 

When all mixed up, looks mostly like brown sugar, 

but don't let that fool you! 

Right into the store-packaging, 

the first side of 2# of boneless country style ribs are rubbed. 

I love to take any advantage I can of minimizing mess! 

Then, on a foil-lined baking sheet

(speaking of mess-minimizing)

The ribs are flipped out and topped with the rest of the rub. 

Cover those bad boys with some foil and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. 

Next slather on your BBQ sauce of choice

and spread it out with a brush or the back of a spoon works just fine too! 

Pop 'em back in the oven for another 20 minutes

and these babies are ready. 

Call in the troops! 

These were served up with some delicious roasted brussel sprouts. 

Now, I love a mess with the best of them, 

but I'm not sad that these can be neatly eaten with a knife and fork! 

And, there are NEVER any leftovers! 

RECIPE:

Bake Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2# of boneless country style ribs

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground red pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

BBQ sauce

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. 
• Mix up smokey brown sugar rub. 
• Rub on both sides of ribs. 
• Placed on foil-lined baking sheet. 
• Cover and bake for 30 minutes. 
• Add BBQ sauce and bake for another 20 minutes. 

Baked BBQ Monterey Chicken

Welcome to November and all of the wonderful things that come along with it,
including an extra hour in your day and brighter mornings.  

How did you use your extra hour yesterday?

We definitely felt less rushed all day and enjoyed a long evening
including baking as well as a couple games of Scattegories and Would You Rather?

I think we are going to have to implement some evening walks or something else active 

to break up the evening and fend off my desire to go to bed at 7 pm.

Despite having longer evening hours, 

I am certain that doesn't mean you want to spend more time cooking, 

so this easy Baked BBQ Monterey Chicken recipe is just the recipe for you.

Just start with a layer of BBQ sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

Then, place the chicken in the dish.  

I used 4 large chicken breasts, about 3 lbs, that I cut into 3 tenders each.

The tenders were topped with more BBQ sauce and brushed to spread evenly.

Then baked at 375 F for about 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked to 165 F.  

Finally, the BBQ chicken was topped with
shredded cheese and crumbled bacon 

 and broiled for the last 5 minutes before serving to your hungry dinner guests!

Knowing what I know now, 

I would have loved to serve these tasty chicken tenders over a bed of lettuce 

for a perfect combination of flavors and textures.

Seems like once the cooler temps move in, so do the cooked veggies, 

as I'm always looking for something to warm the body and soul.  

But warm and flavorful protein on a bed of lettuce 
would be an ideal combination!

RECIPE:

Serves 4

Prep time : 5 minutes

Cooking time : 35 minutes

Ingredients:

3# Chicken Breasts - cut into 3 tenders each

BBQ sauce of your choice - we use Sweet Baby Rays
2 cups Shredded Cheddar cheese 
6 slices of bacon - crumbled

Directions:
Prepare the 9x13 baking pan with a layer of BBQ sauce. 
Place the chicken tenders in the pan and top with more BBQ sauce. Spread evenly. 
Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 F. 
Top with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon. 
Broil for 5 minutes. 

Serve with rice and a salad.