Gingerbread Boys

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law Jessica, who is the cookie baking queen, much to her nieces and nephews delight. My five year old's request:

• 1 box butterscotch pudding mix (not instant)



• 1/2 cup shortening



• 1/2 cup brown sugar



• 1 egg



• 1 1/2 cups flour



• 1 1/2 tsp ginger



• 1/2 tsp cinnamon



• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Cream shortening and sugar, add egg and mix well. Add dry pudding mix, flour and spices. Mix well. Roll dough 1/8 to 1/4 inch think and cut with cookie cutter. This dough is easy to work with. Bake on greased sheet at 350 for 10 minutes.* Cool and add icing.**

* I baked these for 7-8 minutes so they were still a little chewy
**It's best to add m & m's or whatever you're using to decorate, before you bake these.

Ribs, Round 2

I made ribs for, I think the 2nd time in our marriage (3 years :).  This time, they turned out, mostly.

I found this recipe online, Guy Fieri approved recipe.  Not his recipe, just approved by him.  So I figured they had to be good, because he is the expert in bbq-ish type stuff.

My modifications:
** I followed the recipe for Spicy Pork Ribs to a tee.  Put the rub on the ribs. Then I let them sit for a bit. Then placed them in a slow cooker. And the veggies on top. 3 hours on high, 3.5 hrs on low. At this point, they were pretty much fall off the bone, but at least I could still remove them from slow cooker without falling apart. I placed them on a baking sheet with parchment. Slathered them with bbq sauce. Turned the oven on broil, rack up to second highest position. Let them broil until they started getting crusty and the bbq sauce was bubbly. Pretty good.

**We had costco Pork Back Ribs, 2 racks. The recipe worked well for that amount.

**Wasn't really that spicy, which was ok for our liking. The one thing I would change is to be very generous with the bbq sauce, I was a little light on it. And, next time try an actual rib house sauce, like Montana's or Tony Romas (we had Bullseye Guinness).

**After those veggies were in the slow cooker that long, I chose not to serve them, kinda mushy.

**I also didn't pay attention to that slaw recipe below it, I see it now and does that ever look delightful, next time.

Spicy Pork Ribs with Tangy Slaw

Ingredients:

Spicy Pork Ribs:

6 racks baby back ribs

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (12-ounce) bottle of light beer 

1 lemon, zested

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Tangy Slaw:

2 limes, juiced

2 avocados, diced

1 cabbage head, shaved

1 cucumber, seeded and shaved

1 fennel bulb, shaved

1 jalapeno, diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 red onion, shaved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Direction:

For the ribs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the ribs in a deep pan and rub with the cumin paprika, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Let sit 30 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk together the beer, lemon zest and tomato paste. Pour over the ribs. Scatter the ribs with the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic. Cover tightly with foil and bake 3 hours.

While the ribs are cooking, make the slaw: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lime juice and avocado until the avocado is just broken up. Add the cabbage, cucumber, fennel, jalapeno, cilantro and onions and season well with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

To prepare: 

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Remove the ribs from the oven and finish on the grill until the outside is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve the ribs with the slaw on the side.