BBQ short ribs

These were aaaaaamazing. They were super tasty and very tender. Obviously ribs of any kind are not cheap, but it was definitely worth the money and lots of times you can get short ribs on sale. This is another good one for the working women out there too. It's really quick to throw it all in, in the morning and it's done when you get home. Also, I'm sure these would be just as good if you only used BBQ sauce. I served mine with au gratin potatoes and green beans, which was delicious. But mashed potatoes or baked potatoes with steamed veggies would be good too. (btw what's everyone think of the new layout?)

4 lb beef short ribs
1 onion, sliced
1 C BBQ sauce
1/4 C honey
1 Tbsp mustard

Place the ribs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then place the sliced onions on top. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over meat and onions.

Cook on low for 8 hrs.

The recipe says that it makes 8 servings. So based on that, the nutritional info goes like this....
430 calories
26g fat (10g sat fat)
26g carbs
1g fiber
22g protein

Cheesy Chicken Manicotti

OK, you're going to have to bear with me on this one. I lost the recipe for this after I made it, so this is all from memory.

1 lb uncooked, boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/4 lb Velveeta
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c water (i think? it might have been 1 1/4 c)
12 uncooked manicotti noodles (i actually used 1 box which was 14)
2 cups broccoli
Parmesan cheese

In a bowl, add the Velveeta, cream of chicken soup & the water. Microwave for 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Mix it all together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture on the bottom of a 9X13 dish.

Place the strips of chicken into the noodles and place the filled pasta in the dish.

Top with the broccoli and the remaining sauce then sprinkle with the parm.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

We thought it was really good. I was concerned that it didnt call for any seasoning, but it actually didn't need it. I'm sure you could add some pepper or garlic powder or something, but I didn't.

french dip sandwiches

I tried this one a couple days ago and I forgot to take a picture. It was really good, however when I make it next time, I'll probably make one or two changes. One of which is the beer. To ME it tasted strongly of beer. Generally when you add alcohol to any recipe, it cooks away and you aren't really left with the taste of the particular alcohol. I'm not sure if it was because it was cooked in the crock pot (lower temperature than if I were, say, browning a steak on the stove top). But either way, I really could taste it. Now, if you like beer (like my husband), it wont be an issue for you and I'm sure you will really like it (he did). But if you are like me, and even the smell of beer makes you want to puke, you will prob just want to use another can of broth (or nothing, because quite frankly, it had plenty of liquid).

So, here's the basic jist of it (not really a recipe, just one of those throw it in and do what you want per your taste). In a crock pot add a 4lb chuck roast, 1 can beef broth, 1 can french onion soup, 1 can/bottle of beer, a splash or two of Worcester sauce, a couple cloves of minced garlic, salt and lots of pepper. (again, this is just how I did it. you can adjust to whatever you want). Cook on low for 7 hours. Remove from liquid and slice thinly. Add back to cooking liquid and continue cooking for the rest of the 8 hr low setting (should be about 30-45 minutes). Butter french rolls and bake in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes. Add the sliced meat. Immediately top with sliced cheese (I used provolone, but mozz or swiss would be good too). I made fries with it, and it was really good. You can also put a small dish of the cooking liquid on your plate. We just didn't because it was already super juicy and tender.