I’m always flattered when a fellow foodie asks for one of my recipes and this is the one that keeps coming up.  While often thought of as a Summer BBQ favorite, the oven cooking method here makes Baby Back Ribs the perfect comfort food this Fall with only 6 ingredients besides the ribs, salt and pepper and it makes a homemade BBQ sauce from scratch.  It came from my grandma and I even submitted it to my Junior League of Boca Raton cookbook when I was on that committee eons ago.  It’s in there, “Savor the Moment” page 46, a gorgeous specimen of a coffee table book of which I am proud to have been a part.

Barbecued Ribs

Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
5 lbs. baby back ribs
salt and pepper
1 14 oz. bottle chili sauce (my grandma’s recipe called for Brooks Tangy Catsup, but I’ve never seen it again and chili sauce seems to be what that was)
½ (12 oz.) bottle horseradish (I’ve also used pure horseradish, about 2 T. mixed with 3/4 c mayo
½ c packed brown sugar
¼ c worcestershire sauce

1. Spread onions in an oiled 9X13 pan (sometimes I need 2 pans or have to cut the slabs to fit).
2. Sprinkle both sides of the ribs with salt and pepper and arrange over the onions.
3. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.
4. In the meantime, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl to make the BBQ sauce.
5. After the first 2 hours of cooking, remove foil and spread sauce over ribs.
6. Bake uncovered 1 hour.

Talk about perfect fall-off-the bone meaty ribs!  Serve with cornbread, coleslaw, and sweet potato pie (or pumpkin for us yankees!)

So what cooking style do I enjoy most?  Fast, easy and especially at this time of year – FUN!  Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays, so these are the times I jump in with some festive snacks that are simple to prepare and will make the kids smile!  Two favorites that my youngsters always ask for at Halloween are Mummy Dogs and Bug-Eyed Blobs.  I have made these creepy treats “healthier” by using veggie hot dogs and a reduced sugar cake mix, but we also love making them the traditional way too.  These recipes have been around for a while and they are still a hit at our house!

Mummy Dogs

Ingredients
1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
2½ slices American cheese, quartered
10 large hot dogs
Mustard or ketchup, if desired

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles.  Press perforations to seal.
3. Using a pizza cutter, slice each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough.
4. Cut cheese slices into quarters, making a total of 10 pieces of cheese.
5. Place one cheese piece on each hot dog.
6. Wrap hot dog with 4 pieces of dough to look like “bandages”, stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog.  About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate “bandages” so hot dog shows through for “face.”  (Optional:  Using a sharp knife, cut small holes for “eyes”)  Place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down) on ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot.  (Optional:  With mustard, draw features on “face”)

Source:  www.pillsbury.com

Bug-Eyed Blobs Cupcakes

Ingredients
2 cans (16 oz) vanilla frosting
Neon-green food coloring
24 cupcakes
1 bag (16 oz) large marshmallows
Candy eyes (available online if you can’t find in your local store)
Wax paper

1. In large glass bowl, tint frosting bright green using food coloring.
2. Spread a thin layer of frosting on tops of cupcakes.
3. For each cupcake, cut 2 marshmallows in half and place randomly on frosting.
4. Place cupcakes on a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper.  (Optional:  Tape a strip of wax paper around base of cupcake to protect from frosting “runoff”)
5. Microwave frosting 10 to 20 seconds or until frosting is the consistency of whipped cream.
6. Slowly spoon over marshmallows to cover completely.
7. Add candy eyes to cupcakes before frosting hardens.

Source:  Parents October 2005

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team…

Today is the first day of the 2009 World Series and unfortunately my “home” team isn’t playing in the series this year.  And that means just one thing: no nice, warm (over-priced) peanuts and cracker jack from the stadium vendor this October!  My kids and I will be watching our favorite team, the New York Yankees, take on the Philadelphia Phillies from the comfort of our own home on television.  But we all love those stadium peanuts and cracker jack.  So this year, we’re going to try making our own.  Sure, we could buy some roasted peanuts and cracker jack at the grocery, but we thought this might be more fun to try.  If you want to try your hand at making some homemade peanuts and cracker jack with your kids this year, here are two good recipes that are worth trying.  Now all you’ll need to do is find some fun little prizes to stick into your cracker jack and you’re all set!

Cracker Jack

Ingredients
4 quarts popcorn, popped
1 cup  Spanish peanuts
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
¼ teaspoon  Salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Combine popcorn and peanuts in a metal bowl or on a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven.
3. Combine all remaining ingredients in a saucepan.
4. Stirring over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Using a cooking thermometer, bring the mixture to the hard-ball stage (260-275 degrees). This will take about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove the popcorn and peanuts from the oven.  Using a pot or bowl which is large enough to hold all of the peanuts and  popcorn, quickly combine the peanuts and popcorn and the caramel mixture, stirring and tossing to mix thoroughly using a large spoon or spatula greased with butter.. Caution: The caramel mixture is very hot, so if you’re making this with kids, you might want to have them stand clear at this point.
7. Then place them back in the oven for 15 minutes. Mix well every five minutes, so that all of the popcorn is coated.
8. Cool and store in a covered container to preserve freshness.

Yield: 4 Servings

Source: Public domain recipe

Roasted Ballpark Peanuts

Ingredients
2 pounds in-shell raw peanuts*
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 to 2 tablespoons kosher salt

*Cooks note: If eating peanuts roasted right out of the shell, use Virginia or Valencia peanuts.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse the peanuts under cool water to remove excess dirt. Pat dry and place in a large bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt until well coated.
3. Place on 2 half sheet pans, making sure to spread them out into a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Once you remove the peanuts from the oven, let them cool slightly before eating. They will continue to “cook” and become crunchy as they cool.

Yield: About 2 pounds of roasted peanuts

Source: This recipe comes from the inimitable Alton Brown

A couple years ago, my then-preschooler went on a field trip to the Garbage Garage and learned about recycling and the amount of waste caused by baggies.  I pack 5+ lunches each day, and usually would use about 5 baggies per lunch.  That means I would go through a 50 count box every 2 days – Yikes!  Besides the environmental impact, I’m way too frugal for that vicious cycle.  To appease my son, and do my little part for the environment, I resolved to try not to use baggies unless absolutely necessary.

For the younger set, 12 and under, my new-found bento investments (see Go Bento) are just the ticket, just big enough for their appetites and still cool in elementary school.  It’s the older set- middle schoolers, high schoolers and husbands- who want old school : the brown bag.  My challenge was to find containers that fit into brown bags.  I was determined to adhere to the “baggie-less” motto so I reuse lots of bread bags which can be recycled right in the lunchroom at school.  Still, there has to be a way to ensure fresh, healthy, beautiful and economical lunches in brown bags without relying on the plastic that inevitably comes home from the market.  I found that I can fit Rubbermaid’s divided rectangle (which happens to be one of their BPA-free products) into a brown bag and my son usually remembers to put it back in his backpack instead of the trash after lunch.  Ah ha, DIY Bento Boxes!  Another great discovery- larger size brown bags (for the same $2 you get 50 instead of 100) fit two divided rectangles.  Ahhhh, more fresh food that isn’t smooshed!

Plus, I don’t like being limited to packing non-perishable lunches so where to put the icee in a brown bag?  Sandwiches can be frozen, sans mayo and lettuce, but with a little herbed butter is great, and they seem to act as an icee and defrost  by lunch time.

This is just the next challenge in my mission to eliminate waste and create healthy, beautiful, and economical lunches.  I welcome any and all tips so I’m ready when the next set enters middle school!

If you’ve ever wandered through a gourmet specialty food shop you know what a sight to behold a piece of roasted vegetable lasagna can be.  Here is a pretty simple way to make it from scratch and for a fraction of the cost.  First you have to roast some vegetables, and you can use any combination you like or happen to have; sliced red, yellow, or orange peppers, portobello mushrooms, onions, zucchini, etc.  I arrange them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast in a 400° F oven for about 15 minutes.  Make extra to keep in the fridge for wraps and quesadillas during the week.  The kitchen smells amazing already! To make it a meal, serve with caesar salad and garlic bread.

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna (with or without chicken)

Ingredients
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 tsp basil, dried
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2-3 cups roasted vegetables
2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped – if using
16 oz. cottage cheese
1 egg
8 oz. mozzarella cheese (I definitely use more, and sometimes get the shredded Italian 6 cheese blend)
6 lasagna noodles (no need to pre-cook)
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375° F
2. Melt butter in a saucepan.
3. Blend in flour with a whisk.
4. Add basil, salt and pepper and stir in vegetable or chicken broth.  Cook on high, stirring until mixture thickens and comes to a boil.
5. Remove from heat and add roasted vegetables and chicken, if using.
6. In a separate bowl, combine cottage cheese with egg and mozzarella cheese.
7. In a greased 9X13 pan, spread 1 cup of the sauce mixture, layer 3 noodles, 2 cups cheese mixture, 2 more cups sauce, 3 noodles, 2 more cups cheese mixture, ending with 2 cups sauce.
8. Pour about 1/2 cup water around the inside edge of the pan (it will help “cook” the noodles).
9. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until bubbly and heated through.
10. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Serves 6.

I was relieved when my kids reported they would need to bring their own snack to school each day this year.  I resolved to send freshness everyday, following Dr. Sears’ The Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood list of amazingly nutritious, energy providing snacks – a complex carbohydrate with a protein.  I started with so many great ideas: ham and turkey roll-ups with cheese cubes, mini whole wheat bagels with cream cheese, tortillas with peanut butter, trail mix.  I even made peanut butter banana chocolate chip bread with whole wheat pastry flour.

One month in and I’m sorry to admit I’m fizzling, feeling like I’m under attack to come up with better and better ideas.  Seems like many of my “mom heroines” are as well.  I even had to send cheese popcorn in baggies one day (couldn’t find a single reusable container to put it in) because I was out of everything else.  I tried to justify that it has to be more nutritious than chips because popcorn=carb and cheese=protein, right?  Wrong.

Taking some time to think it through a bit, I came up with a few ideas to help simplify daily snack packing:

• GET ORGANIZED.  Keep one fridge drawer stocked with healthy snacks in large, reusable containers.  I use three rectangle containers: one for meat and cheese slices, one for prepped veggies, and one for homemade treats like banana bread.  This keeps them all in one place and easy to grab.  Keep another fridge drawer filled with lunch supplies (read Go Bento! for a new trend in easy, appetizing lunch production).  Do the same with your non-perishable snacks.  Pick a shelf and keep them together.  Whether this discourages or encourages late-night snacking is yet to be determined!
• GO BEYOND PRE-PACKAGED. Stock meats and cheeses, plus fruits and veggies.  Wash and prep fruits and veggies into the reusable containers right when you get home from the store.
• MAKE YOUR OWN MIX. You’ll be amazed at how making dry mixes ahead of time really comes in handy for making fresh, baked goods.  I have mixes ready for various banana breads and granola bars.  While the oven is preheating, I just pick a dry mix and add any perishable ingredients (like butter, eggs, vanilla, sour cream, yogurt, fruit or vegetables).  Much less daunting than starting from scratch!

I am looking forward to getting any other ideas from our clever readers, because it’s bad enough hearing the proverbial “What’s for Dinner” question every afternoon.  Together, we can all be ready for the morning rush out the door by knowing “What’s for Snack!”

This month we share sites that solicit your best recipes and may pay you big money!  Entering recipes in these online contests is quick and simple, you just need to put your best ones out there, and we would love to know when one of our readers does secure a victory.  Here’s a list of upcoming contests and their deadlines:

• The first upcoming deadline is October 12, 2009 for www.smuckers.com, share a family recipe (and a short essay) using 1/4 cup of one of Smuckers many products and you could win a trip for 8 people to Walt Disney World!
• The next deadline is October 24, 2009 for Better Homes and Gardens, www.bhg.com/recipes/win-money/, where you can submit recipes for veggie burgers and cereal cookies and bars – 2 $400 winners, 2 $200 winners and 10 $50 winners, with a chance for $10,000 at a future date!
• Finally, French’s www.frenchs.com/Contest offers a grand prize of $25,000 for the best recipe using one of their mustard, worcestershire, or fried onions products – deadline, October 31, 2009.

I know my grandma’s BBQ Ribs recipe made it into a fancy cookbook so I’m going to go back through those precious recipe card treasures and possibly cash in big!  At the very least, my family will benefit from all the testing I plan to put them through.

At the grocery store today, I saw the ever-present mountains of soda. This time of year, they are covered in halloween decorations, but usually they encourage you to throw a football party or celebrate March Madness. The pile that caught my eye consisted of Pepsi products which, I will admit, I enjoy from time to time. Today there was a new box – a retro looking beverage called Pepsi-Cola Throwback. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the fine print: the cool thing about Throwback is that it is made with natural sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup!

Controversy surrounds high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). There is evidence that suggests HFCS causes health problems, and evidence that suggests that it isn’t any worse for you than sugar – depends who funds the studies, I think. I’m not going to enter that debate, but I think most people can agree that the more natural the product is, the better we feel about consuming it and giving it to our kids. If we’re going to eat sweet things, sugar seems like the best, most time-tested choice. Between the two varieties of Pepsi, caloric content is the same but the real sugar variety has 1 less mg of carbohydrates and has 10 mg more sodium. But let’s focus on what’s really important- how does it taste?

In a very informal blind taste test, my husband was quick to spot the real sugar in the Throwback. Really, they are quite easy to tell apart- the Pepsi containing HFCS is much sweeter, but not in a good way. The Throwback was plenty sweet, but the sugar had a more subtle taste which allowed other flavors to come through. I didn’t remember soda having other flavors, so it was a pleasant surprise. Pepsi Throwback tastes great! The flavor is less harsh and much more enjoyable, and if you’re in the mood to drink a soda this is the one you want!

I hope Pepsi Throwback is a sign of a trend to produce more natural products, which as a mom I’m all for. While we all need to be responsible consumers and watch our sugar intake overall (sorry, Pepsi still isn’t a health food), I support their efforts. I’ll probably buy another case or two, and maybe have that football party after all.

I was traveling down the slippery slope to laughable lunches.  My kids’ lunchboxes were looking like science experiments…gross ones!  Alas, it was time for Spring Break, and a break from packing lunches was  just what I needed.  This is also the time when I treat myself to a new magazine every year.  Standing in front of the display at Whole Foods, a bright cover with some gorgeous freshly steamed asparagus jumped into my foodie view.  I knew I would be devouring this magazine called Eating Well cover-to-cover for the entire week.

You expect to see lots of articles dealing with packing healthy, nutritious lunches at the beginning of each school year.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the April 2009 issue only to find an article called  “Green Bag It: Lunches to Go!”  More time thinking about packing lunches?  Ughhh! But, here’s the kicker:  it was all about reusable bento-style lunch containers!  The bento box idea originated in Japan long ago and truly makes modern school lunches “to go” my new “go to”.  The food just looks so appetizing and fresh, you can see all the healthful colors and it looks so gourmet when it’s packed in the neat little bento boxes. The article even highlighted a few brands, namely www.laptoplunches.com for kids.  The photos of these lunches were like nothing I’d ever seen and everything I wanted my kids to have.

As soon as I could, I went to Green Logic to see if they had heard of these bento beauties.  When I stepped into the store, the very first shelf that caught my eye was loaded with the exact brand I craved in a myriad of colors.  Granted, they are a significant investment.  But for $40 you get the outer insulated case, the inner BPA-free shell with five inner containers (two with tops to prevent dips and dressings from leaking), silverware, and a twelve ounce beverage container, plus room for an icee in the top’s inside mesh pocket.  You bet I bought two; a blue one for my fifth grade son (which would easily pass down to my kindergarten son since I have to be realistic about middle school next year) and a pink for my second grade daughter which could last through fifth grade. It fits just enough for a fifth grader and I would recommend bigger ones for the older set.

I couldn’t wait to get these great investments loaded with delicacies for testing the next day.  I had so much fun preparing my own creations. How did I do?  Two  home runs!  My son said the lunchroom teachers were even asking where he got such an amazing vessel.  And since I know the thing is basically leak-proof I told the kids to throw NOTHING out.  Not only do I get to see what they really ate, the food still looks good enough to eat at the end of the day and they have what’s left for snack on our 20-minute car ride home.

You can visit www.laptoplunches.com for photos and helpful tips on packing your own bento lunch.  And, thank you Eating Well for introducing me to the world of lunchtime bento!

UPDATE: Laptop Lunches has contacted us and is extending a special offer of 10% off purchases at www.laptoplunches.com for Five Hens readers.  Just use the coupon code fivehens. Thanks Laptop Lunches!

Okay, so you’ve had a rough day. Little Suzie cut Johnnie’s hair, the fridge died and the dog threw up. But take heart, you can still get a good laugh! My favorite blog (other than this one of course) is Cake Wrecks, where we all enjoy “when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong.” If you can devote a couple minutes a day, you are sure to get a chuckle. But be warned: click on any of the Fan Faves or Classics, and you’ll find yourself laughing hysterically for a very long time (Seasonal Non Sequiturs is a good place to start). The author, Jen Yates, is a very funny writer, and it’s always worth reading her commentary. She’s found so many fantastically horrific cakes that now she’s got a Cake Wrecks book out. So give yourself a break and go have a little fun at Cake Wrecks!

And, by the way, if you live in the Denver metro area (like we do), Jen Yates will be appearing at the Tattered Cover Book Store at 1628 16th Street in Denver tonight (September 29) at 7:30 pm in support of her U.S. Cake Wrecks Book Tour.  You can RSVP if you plan on attending the event right here.

This easy cheesecake recipe comes out creamy smooth with just the right touch of chocolate and almond.

Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
3/4 cup ground blanched almonds
4 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp melted butter

Filling
3 pkg 8 oz. cream cheese – softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp flour
3 eggs
4 tsp amaretto (or 2 tsp almond extract)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate block for shavings (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Mix wafers through butter and pack in bottom of springform pan, going 1/2” up sides.

2. Bake crust 8-10 minutes.  Let cool while preparing filling.

3. Heat oven to 425°.  In large bowl, mix cream cheese through flour, blend with electric mixer until smooth.

4. Add eggs, amaretto and vanilla.  Beat well and pour into baked crust.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 250° and bake for 55 minutes.  Center should be firm when pan is shaken (don’t touch filling or it will crack).  Allow to cool completely.  Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.

Can you remember a time when chocolate made you smile?  Share it with us!

The end of summer is nearing, and I have a confession to make: I am almost sick of my garden tomatoes. They are ripening in such big bunches now that we can barely keep up with them, and I’m looking for new ways to eat them. This is a delicious recipe I got from my aunt. She gave me a photocopy of a photocopy that was from a magazine (I think), but I have no idea where the recipe originated. I’d love to give the right person credit for it, so if anybody out there knows the origin of the recipe, please let me know. It’s chock full of fresh veggies and tastes like summer itself. And with one person to grill the corn and one to chop, it’s a quick meal to prepare.

Quesadillas with Heirloom Tomatoes and Sweet Corn Salsa

2 lbs assorted heirloom or other tomatoes, coarsely chopped (I use regular tomatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
4 ears of fresh corn, husks removed
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large, ripe avocado halved, pitted and peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 c minced onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 or 2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced (I skip these so the kids will eat it)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
8 large flour tortillas
1/2 lb Monterey jack or other mild cheese, shredded

1. Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill or heat up the propane grill.

2. Place the chopped tomatoes in a bowl and add 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Stir to mix and set aside.

3. Brush the ears of corn with 1 Tablespoon of oil. When the grill is medium- hot, place the corn on the grill rack and grill, turning often, until tender and lightly bronzed, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the grill rack and cool.

4. In a bowl, combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, chiles, garlic, lime juice, chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and add to the avocado mixture. Stir well and set aside.

5. In a frying pan over medium- high heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil (or use non-stick and omit the oil). When it is hot, place 1 tortilla in the pan and cook until the edges begin to curl slightly. Sprinkle some cheese down the center. Using a spatula, fold the tortilla in half and press down on the top. Cook until the underside is golden brown, then turn and continue to cook on the second side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm. repeat until all the tortillas are cooked.

6. Spoon several tablespoons of the tomatoes and the corn salsa inside each quesadilla and serve at once.

Give them a try- you’ll thank me. And please, send me your summer tomato ideas!