Babyback Ribs

I love babyback ribs and have made them in the past but was hunting for a new recipe.  I found this one at ourbestbites.com.  I loved it and my family loved it.  They told me they were the best ribs they had ever had.  I did make a few changes as I have made them a few times.  I will just post how I have ended up making them.

1 rack babyback ribs (about 2-2.5 pounds; 1 rack feeds two adults)

2 c. pineapple juice

1 cup water

1 ½ c. brown sugar
1 ½ tsp. mustard powder
1/3 c. ketchup
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

Cut your rack into about 4 portions.  I used three racks and still was able to fit them all into the liquid in my large crockpot.  Anyway, cut into portion size and put into your crockpot.  Pour this mixture over them and cook on low for about 6-7 hours.  If you have three racks in there it is going to take longer.  I turned it up on high for a couple of hours so I didn't have to do it any longer.  When the time is up take out of mixture and put onto a broiler pan.  Smear with your favorite bar b que sauce, both sides.  Broil until bubbly and caramelized, both sides.  My favorite bar b que sauce is Bulls Eye.  I mixed 1/2 cup of sauce with 1/4 cup of honey.  When I did three racks, I used 1 cup of bar b que sauce with 1/2 cup of honey.  You could also grill them on the bar b que.  They are fall off the bone tender and delicious.  Enjoy!

Creamy Herb Pork Chops

This is a big hit at our house and a fun way to cook pork.  Technically I think a pork chop has a bone and I usually use the boneless 'pork chops' from Sams/Costco and butterfly them so they aren't too thick.
The original recipe was from Better Homes and Garden's New Cook Book, but I've changed it so much it's probably more mine.

4-6 pork chops
1 Tbls butter
1 Tbls olive oil
parsley
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp basil
1 cube of beef bouillon
1/4 tsp pepper
2/3 cup milk
2 Tbls water

Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over the pork and cook about 5-6 minutes on each side.  If I have thicker chops I will add a lid to make sure the middle gets
done.  Remove the pork and reserve the drippings.  For sauce (or gravy) stir parsley, flour, basil, bouillon and pepper into drippings.  Then add milk all at once.  Stir until thickened and bubbly.  Add water.  Stir until done.  You can put the chops back in and reheat - but I find that if I'm quick with the sauce they don't need to
go back in.  The recipe calls for the sauce on the pork chops, I tend to add a bit extra milk and make enough for gravy for our mashed potatoes as well.

I serve this with mashed potatoes and cooked apple slices.  Mike likes his pork chops with applesauce, but
the kids and I prefer apples.  To make the apples, slice up 1-2 apples thin, toss with lemon juice and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon.  Heat 1-2 Tbls butter in a pan.  Cook your apples, stirring as needed until soft.  They are a big hit!