Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs

2 bottles of barbecue sauce, whatever you like
1-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper or Cola, again whatever you like
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Mix it all up in your slow cooker and add some meat! I use either 10 pounds of country style pork ribs OR 6 pounds of ribs and 4 pounds of chicken.

If you're using just ribs, cook 10 hours on low.
If you're using ribs and chicken, cook ribs for 4-5 hours, then add your chicken and cook for another 5-6 hours, for a total of 10 hours on low.

You can spice up the sauce any way you like. I've added green pepper and onion in the past, garlic is always good :) grill or cajun spices work well also. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker London Broil

We had this for dinner tonight and it turned out so yummy I just had to post the recipe! I've never been able to prepare a London Broil so it was tender and not dry, but I did it today :)

1 London Broil (mine was about 2 pounds)
2 cups hot black tea
2 cubes beef bouillon
10 potatoes, peeled and cut in half
1 small bag baby carrots
1 small head of cabbage, cut into chunks
1 onion, sliced
1 cup water
**Adjust amount of veggies to the size of your family - I made dinner for 5, including a teenage boy!

Season meat to your liking, or use a rub and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour.

Pour 2 cups hot tea into slow cooker, drop in bouillon, add meat. Place carrots and potatoes on top of meat. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours.

Reduce heat to low. Continue to cook for 2-3 hours. Add cabbage and onion, pour 1 cup of water over everything. Cook for another 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your London Broil. My total cooking time was 6.5 hours.

That's it! Serve and enjoy!

Tater Tot Casserole

This is my version of Tater Tot Casserole - I think it's absolutely yummy!

1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 package frozen corn (or mixed veggies)
4 ounces velvetta cheese, cut into 8 slices - you can also use shredded cheese if you prefer
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can milk
1 package tater tots

Brown beef with onion, drain. Layer in bottom of casserole dish sprayed with Pam.
Add frozen veggies and spread evenly over beef.
Layer cheese slices over veggies.
Mix soup and milk until smooth, pour evenly over entire mixture.
Top with tater tots and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Straight From The Farm!

The following few recipes are straight from my Great-Aunt Lenora's farm kitchen in Massena, Iowa. I enjoyed these growing up as a kid when we visited in the summer to work the farm - um, my mom called it a vacation!! All the hard work was worth it when we had Aunt Lenora's home-cooked meals as a reward!

Kolaches

1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup very warm water
1 package yeast
2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients, cover and leave in warm place about 1 hour or until doubled in size (yeast sponge)

Yeast dough:

1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup oleo
Yeast Sponge
3-1/2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten

Mix all and let rise until double in size. Punch down dough and form into 1 inch balls and place inches apart on well greased baking sheet.
Set in warm place, let rise again until double in size.
Brush tops with egg; make a slight depression in top of each ball. Fil with prune filling. Bake 18-22 minutes at 350 or until golden brown.

Prune Filling:

3 dozen pitted prunes
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons oleo

Cook prunes, mash well, stir in remaining ingredients and cook over low heat, stirring frequently until thick - about 10 minutes.

Green Tomato Cake

3/4 cup oleo
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups diced or minced green tomatoes
2 teaspoons orange flavoring
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk

Cream oleo and sugar; beat in eggs. Stir in green tomatoes, nuts and flavorings.
Combine dry ingredients and add alternately with milk.
Pour into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Cool and frost if desired

Luscious Apple Bread

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oleo
1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons buttermilk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups raw apples, finely chopped
1/2 cups nuts, chopped

Cream sugar, oleo, and butter flavoring. Add soda to buttermilk, stir well and add to sugar mixture. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan.

Combine topping:
2 tablespoons oleo
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

and drop in dabs over top of batter.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes