Slow Cooker Dry Rub Ribs

Recently our  party planner (a coworker) retired which meant that work parties would have to be planned by someone else.  We unfortunately figured this out a week or two before our Chief Residents graduated so we had to scramble and put something together without our usual leader.

Thankfully everyone pulled through and we had an abundance of food.  I figured a meat entree would be welcome and it was very well received.  I had the butcher cut the ribs individually to make it easier for everyone to take one and it did well in the slow cooker.  The dry rub was so good that no one missed the sauce.

Thanks to Judith at Dance While You Cook!

Dry-Rub Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:

1-2 racks pork baby back ribs (approx. 3-4 lbs)

1/3 C brown sugar

1 TBS paprika

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp white pepper

3/4 tsp oregano, dried and crushed

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (half this amount if you prefer less heat)

1/4 tsp sugar

The Preparation Method:

You'll need to get a large crock-pot ready to receive the rubbed ribs.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.

Shake the spices over your racks of ribs. Cover completely. Be generous.

Use your fingers to rub the spices into the meat. Repeat on the backside (bone side) of the rack.

Place the ribs inside the crockpot standing on their edges.

Set on low-heat. Cover. Walk away. Let cook for 8-10 hours. Follow the cardinal rule of crockery cooking: Don't remove the cover.

Meat should fall off the bone easily.  Enjoy!

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

The challenge:

1. Food for a bridal shower
2. Not too heavy (she was watching her weight for the wedding)
3. Elegant/interesting enough for a wine-tasting themed party

The answer: Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad, thanks to the powers of Pinterest and DJ, RN.

Yummy, summery, and moderately healthy?  We served it with tortilla chips but you could probably just eat it with a fork.

Thanks to Gina of SkinnyTaste!

Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad

• 1 lb jumbo cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped*
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 hass avocado, diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced fine
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 limes, juice of
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion.

In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Peach Cobbler

There's debate as to whether this is really a cobbler or not.  I think someone described it as closer to a "buckle" (I would agree) but regardless it went well with our Southern Food-themed Super Bowl get-together.

I used a frozen fruit mix (thawed) and added canned peaches because that's all I had on hand.  I'd recommend at least 20 ounces of fruit.  The recipe looked really weird going into the oven but came out delicious and normal-looking.  I also used 1/4 cup of sugar for the fruit.

Thanks to Suellen Anderson for posting this on Food.com!

Peach Cobbler

Batter
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup room temperature milk
1 room temperature egg

Filling
1 (28 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1 Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2 Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.
3 Stir in milk & egg.
4 Pour evenly over melted butter.
5 Combine peaches, sugar & spices and spread over batter-DO NOT STIR!
6 Bake 35-45 minutes at 350°F until batter comes to the top and is golden brown.
7 Serve warm with ice cream.