Sleeping Baby Cupcakes

These cupcakes are so easy! Mini-Nilla Wafers, food coloring faces put on in advance with a toothpick; Starbursts, microwaved for a few seconds and rolled out with a rolling pin in advance; and Teddy Grahams stuck on with a dab of icing. Ta-da!

The decorating was so easy, I even filled the cupcakes. Some had a raspberry-cream cheese filling (1/4c raspberry jam and 4 oz cream cheese, blended) baked in, others had a chocolate pudding and whip cream filling piped in. I preferred the chocolate, but fruity cream cheese stuff has a sweet place in my heart, too.

Country Style Pork Ribs

1 1/2 lbs bonesless country-style pork ribs (we found out the boneless part is important)
1 med onion, sliced
2 c tomato juice
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c cider vinegar
1/4 c ketchup
2 T Worchestershire sauce
1 t ground mustard
1/4 t chili powder

Place ribs and onion in a 3 qt crock pot. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over ribs. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160.

BBQ Meatballs

This is a recipe I tried out tonight. It is easy ( I love crock pots!) and kid friendly. I saw a few other meatball recipes I want to try, but they're more involved and spicier looking, perhaps more to my taste, but I have kids. This sauce was very mild, like the topping on my grandma's meatloaf.

1 egg, beaten
1/2c shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1/4c seasoned bread crumbs
1/4c finely chopped onion
2 lbs ground beef

SAUCE:
2c ketchup
2T mustard
1T brown sugar
1T cider vinegar
1T lemon juice
1T soy sauce

In a large bowl, combine egg, cheese, bread crumbs and onion. Crumble beef over micture and mix well. Shape into 1 1/2 in balls. (You can form the mixture into a 1 in thick rectangle and cut into 24 squares, which you roll into balls for equal sized meatballs.) Place in a 3 qt crock pot.

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is no longer pink.

Green Bean Casserole

Mix:
16 oz. Sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom

In 9x13, layer french cut green beans (can use 2 cans per layer)
spread above mixture over the cheese and repeat layers.

Top with french fried onions.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Pear Sandwiches

Melt butter in skillet
Mix in pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, and mace
Slice pears and either spread with cream cheese on bread or slice mild cheese (havarti, etc.)
Toast in skillet like a grilled cheese

Apple-Sausage Rigatoni

6 oz. dried rigatoni (about 2 cups)
8 oz. cooked smoked Keilbasa sausage, halved lengthwise, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 golden delicious apples, cored and cut into 1/2" thick slices
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
snipped fresh basil (to sprinkle on top)

In 4 quart dutch oven, cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Set aside.

In same dutch oven, cook sausage until lightly browned. Add apples; cook stirring occasionally, until apples are lightly golden, 5-7 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta the whipping cream and cheese. Heat through. Garnish with basil. Makes 4 servings