Sugar Ray's Body Blow Ribs on the Food Network

Sugar Ray's Body Blow Ribs on the Food Network


My sister made Paula's ribs for her hubby's birthday dinner last night and said she has a new favourite recipe! Its an overnight process, but well worth it!

Limoncello Cake

I had some Limoncello liqueur left over from Christmas when I made Limoncello champagne cocktails so I thought, why not use up the last bit for a delicious Italian cake to serve after my Pork Chop and Sauerkraut dinner. It's in the oven now and it's filling up my house with it's gorgeous citrusy fragrance. Life is good!

1 cup of plain Greek Yogurt, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of canola oil, 2 tsp. of pure lemon extract, 1/4 cup of Limoncello, 1 cup of sugar, 1/3 cup of vegetable oil. Mix together. In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients, 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. of baking soda. Add the mixed dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Pour the batter into an 8 inch round prepared pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until the cake is nice and brown and you can insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake and the toothpick comes out clean - which will be about 35 minutes. Take out of the oven and cool.

Then make a "glaze" from another 4 tbsp. of Limoncello and 3/4 cup of icing/confectioners' sugar. Poke tiny holes all over the top of the cake with a fork and spread the glaze over top of the cake. Absolute heaven.

Succulent Slow Cooker Pork Chops With Sauerkraut

I'm taking a break from the BBQ today because it's cloudy here in Vancouver and I feel like trying out a recipe my mom absolutely adored. If you like you can keep your recipe simple like she did only adding the pork chops and the sauerkraut in a slow cooker, or you can get creative and add a few extras. This recipe should take about 6 hours.

slice up 2 granny smith apples, 2 red peppers, 1 onion and add to the slow cooker.

Toss in 3 cups of sauerkraut and add some seasonings. I added a tsp. of minced garlic, salt and pepper. Then add 1/4 cup of brown sugar (I added brown Splenda which is an artificial sweetener). Toss the ingredients around and add 4-6 pork chops (I really never know how many extras we might have for dinner during the summer or on a weekend so I threw in 2 additional pork chops for a total of 6).

Now put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for about 6 hours.

Bon Appetite!

Yummy Twice Baked Potato Skins-using left over baked potato

This may not be the way you're suppose to make authentic potato skins, but I whipped them up for myself last night using a couple of left over baked potatoes from the night before.

Split the potato length-wise so you have 2 halves. Scoop a little of the potato flesh out of each half, dip bottoms in a little olive oil and fill each half with a little green onion, shredded cheese of your choice, and a few cooked bacon bits. Pop into a 350 degree oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Drain the bottoms of the potatoes on paper towel if you need to, and then serve with sour cream.

Here's a Post Script for you and the proper way to make Baked Potato Skins. Scrub your potatoes so they're nice and clean, prick a couple of holes in them so they don't explode in the oven. Rub olive oil on each one and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. Take them out of the oven and cool before you split them in half. Remove most of the potato flesh from each half and put into another bowl for mashing. Now you can get creative and add some cheese, chives, olives, bacon bits, you name it! Pipe or spoon the potato back into each half, top with more ingredients if you like, such as panko bread crumbs or more cheese and bake in the oven for an additional 30 minutes at 400 degrees or until the potato skins are nice and brown. Oh so yum!!!!! Here are some more stuffed baked potato skin ideas:

Camembert Cheese with pancetta bacon; sweet potato with blue cheese and bacon; or a pizza potato skins with olives, a little pizza sauce, mushrooms, Parmesan, and mozzarella; or roasted garlic and Alfredo sauce; rosemary with Gruyere cheese; wine sauteed shrimp stuffed potato skins with sharp cheddar cheese; or crab stuffed with jack or muenster cheese, and last but not least, why not poach some eggs, layer some ham in a potato skin, top with egg and some hollandaise sauce for an eggs benedict potato skin? Let's be honest here, any kind of potato cheesy combo will be good.

Save money and add muscle to your menu

Save money and add muscle to your menu

Panko-Crusted Soft Boiled Eggs

OK - THESE ARE SPECTACULAR!!!!!! I had these on a salad at lunch today at Monk McQueen's in Vancouver and my eyes bulged out of my head (they're fine now) with pure glee. You must make these. I've been searching the Internet for some recipes and found basically the same recipe for panko crusted soft boiled eggs everywhere. I'm definitely making these over the weekend. You may have to boil up a dozen and do some experimenting - I know I will be.

Per 4 eggs use 1/4 cup of flour, 1 beaten egg, 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.


Bring a pot of water to a boil and gently submerge the eggs into the water. Boil for 5-6 minutes and then remove and place in a bowl of ice water. Let the eggs completely cool in the ice water which should take about 10 or 15 minutes.

Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a small saucepan. While that heats, place the flour, the beaten egg and the breadcrumb/parmesan cheese mixture in 3 separate bowls. Mix a little salt and pepper into each bowl. Dredge each peeled soft-boiled egg in the flour, then coat with the egg and then finally with the breadcrumbs. Put eggs in the fridge until ready to fry.

When ready put an egg into into a pot of hot oil - and please be careful and take your time. If you have a deep fryer, that's even better. Using a stainless steel slotted spoon, gently place one egg at a time into the hot oil. Gently turn the egg to brown on all sides - for about 30 seconds. Carefully remove the egg to a paper towel and continue with the rest of the eggs.

These can be eaten immediately or you can put back into the fridge in a tightly covered container for up to a week. To serve, re-warm on a small baking sheet in a low oven for about 10 minutes. My eggs were served slightly warmed, and split in half over a prawn salad. Can I hear an AMEN???

Artichoke Parmesan Strudel

These are great appies to make and delicious too. I'm serving mine this weekend at a family party. You'll need puff pastry which is why these things are so damn good. Makes about 2 dozen.

1 15 ounce box of frozen puff pastry, thawed, 2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened, 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided, 5 large eggs, divided, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp. dried thyme, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 2 14 ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13X9X2 inch pan set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll each puff pastry sheet into a 10X14 inch rectangle. Place one sheet in bottom of prepared pan; prick bottom with fork. Bake for 8 minutes; set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, 4 eggs, parsley lemon juice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Stir in artichokes until well combined. Spread artichoke mixture on bottom crust in pan and top with remaining puff pastry sheet. Lightly beat remaining egg and gently brush on top of crust. Bake for 15 minutes, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes and cut into squares. Eat and moan.

Frosty Lemonade Cookies

How gorgeous are these? These are the perfect summer cookies that are oh so perdy.

1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of unsalted butter, softened, 2 large eggs, 1 tbsp. of lemon zest, 1/2 tsp of lemon extract, 4 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. of baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cup sour cream, 1 recipe Lemonade Icing (recipe follows) Garnish: yellow decorator sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, and butter. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, lemon zest, and lemon extract, beating well.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to sugar mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed, blending well after each addition.
Divide dough into thirds; wrap each portion in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. On lightly floured surface roll each portion of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes and cool when done. Decorate with Lemonade Icing. Sprinkle with decorator sugar, if you so desire.

Lemonade Icing - makes 2 cups

3 cups of confectioners' sugar, 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, 6 tbsp. of frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, butter, and lemonade concentrate. Beat with an electric mixer at low speed, until well combined.

Grilled Campfire Pies

I'm on the hunt for a "square cast iron sandwich cooker." Oh I'm so excited. When we go away in a couple of weeks, I'm going to make some campfire pies. Here's what you do.

Get: 1 loaf of white bread, a few cans of pie filling, a little butter.

Per pie:

Butter 2 pieces of bread, like you would a grilled cheese sandwich. Then place the one slice butter side down in the cast iron sandwich cooker and top with a few spoonfuls of a pie filling of your choice (cherry, lemon, blueberry, or apple - if you use apple, top with a little brown sugar and cinnamon). Top the sandwich with the second slice of bread buttered side up. Latch the sandwich maker together and toast over the campfire until the bread is toasty brown. Should be down in about 6 minutes. Remember, these suckers will be hot, so cool them a little before digging in.

The Art of Living Well's Carmelized Onion and Brie Stuffed Sirloin Burger

My Uncle has been stuffing burgers for as long as I can remember, but I've noticed they're really making a gourmet artful comeback in the latest foodie magazines.

1 1 tsp vegetable oil
3 3 cups sliced sweet onion
1 1 Tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 1 lb ground lean sirloin steak
3 3 Tbsp minced green onion
11/4 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs
3 3 Tbsp barbecue sauce pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 oz brie cheese, diced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking oil, add the vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, just until soft. Reduce the heat to low, add the sugar and continue cooking for 10 minutes, until browned and caramelized. Set aside.
To make the burgers, combine the meat, green onion, breadcrumbs, barbecue sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, egg and basil in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly and shape into 5 burgers. Form a pocket in each burger and stuff evenly with the diced brie. Make sure the beef encloses the cheese completely.
Preheat a barbecue or indoor grill and spray with cooking oil. Cook the burgers for about 4 minutes per side, or until no longer pink in the center. Mound the onions on top of each serving and garnish with parsley.

Foil-BBQed Potatoes with Garlic Lemon and Herbs

Oh! Doesn't this sound delicious! I'm having family over this weekend so I'm getting a menu together. I think I'll start with potatoes, these potatoes!

Get 2, 2 1/2 foot long sheets of tin foil, 6 medium red potatoes, 4 garlic cloves, halved and thinly sliced, 3 tbsp. of extra virgin oilive oil, 1 lemon, juiced, 1/4 cup of chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, basil, and parsley, salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Preheat BBQ to medium. Layer sheets of foil and brush top of the foil with 1 Tbsp. of the oil. Slice potatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange in an overlapping single layer on the foil. Place garlic slices between the potatoes. Drizzle potatoes with remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Sprinkle with herbs and season with salt and pepper. Fold the foil over the potatoes and seal the top. Place package on the BBQ, close the lid, and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.