Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Country Style Ribs, Brown Rice Casserole

So I have made quite a few recipes lately, but keep putting off posting them!! Sunday I made dinner for my wonderful parents. Had to bake some cookies for my Daddy since they are his favorite and this one is a classic. It is literally found on the inside of the lid of Quaker rolled oats. I have made the "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookie" for ages. I took these to work and they said they were the best oatmeal cookies that they had ever had. It is no fail so give it a try...if you haven't already.

These other recipes are some go to recipes in my family. My grandmother likes to make these ribs which literally fall apart. It is important to slow bake them on a low temperature because they will otherwise be tough instead of melt in your mouth. The rice casserole recipe is actually a hybrid of two recipes that I have gotten from friends over the years. Don't let the name of it fool you...it is really made with white rice but it is lightly browned in butter before baking...kinda zaps any hope you had for a healthy recipe huh? :)

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies (from the Quaker Oats Can)

2 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker Oats, uncooked
1 cup raisins



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.  Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Slow Baked Country Style Ribs
Desired number of country style pork ribs (boneless) - figure about 2-3 per person
Seasoned salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Barbeque sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs generously with seasoned salt. Brown ribs on all sides then place in a baking dish; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Cook for 2 1/2-3 hours until fork tender. Cover ribs with barbeque sauce then recover and cook for 20-30 additional minutes.

Brown Rice Casserole
1 stick butter
1 cup white long grain rice, uncooked
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can beef consomme
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 small can diced pimentos, drained

Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion and rice. Cook until rice is lightly browned. Add both cans of soup and melt. Add mushrooms and pimentos. Put in a casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until rice is tender. I like to keep casserole covered with aluminum foil until about the last 15 minutes so the rice on top won't get overcooked. Can double the recipe for a crowd.

Mama's Birthday Dinner: Marinated Pork Loin, Mac and Cheese, and Peach Crumble Recipes

So...I decided to start a food blog since I like to cook and try new (and old) recipes. I figured this way if anyone was interested they could have them too. So my first post will be about my mom's birthday dinner that I cooked on Sunday night.

Menu
Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Baked Macaroni and Cheese (Lady and Sons Recipe)
Broccoli Salad (Scooter Store Recipe from Jason Ketchum)
Black Eyed Peas
Peach Crumble

Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins
1 can of ginger ale

Mix all ingredients in large ziploc bag and make sure pork is well covered with marinade. Place in refrigerator and let marinate overnight. If going to marinate a shorter amount of time, omit the ginger ale. Then discard marinade and put tenderloins on grill or roast in oven (350) until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
Lady's Cheesy Mac
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper, to taste
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Place cooked macaroni in a large bowl and add cheese. Combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni and cheese. Pour macaroni and cheese into a greased casserole dish and bake for 30-45 minutes. Can top with additional cheese if desired (add a few minutes before taking out of oven.

Peach Crumble
Crumble:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely chopped nuts

Pudding Mixture:
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped peaches
(must either use canned peaches or fresh peaches that have been macerated with sugar overnight)

For crumble, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together egg, sugar and nuts and spread out thinly on a buttered cookie sheet (works better if you use parchment paper or a silpat to line the cookie sheet instead of buttering it). Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and hardened. Take out of over and allow to cool completely. Then, crumble the sheet into chunky pieces and set aside.

For the pudding, mix together vanilla pudding, milk, sour cream, and peaches and allow to set up in the fridge.

For serving: Right before serving, place a layer of crumble in the bottom of a dessert bowl or parfait glass. Top with pudding mixture and then place additional crumble on top. (Makes about 6 individual desserts).

This recipe is very simple but elegant and it is very tasty! Give it a try!!