Chipotle Beef Ribs {Crock Pot Recipe}

I love using the crock pot, especially in the summer. That sounds weird, I know, since most people use their slow cookers the most for soups, stews and other hearty dishes in the dead of winter. But I appreciate not having to add more heat to the house when turning on the oven during the summer.

You'll keep your house cooler by using the crock pot, but this meal is still HOT, HOT, HOT!!! These are totally melt in your mouth, succulent beef ribs with just the right amount of spicy kick! I will encourage you immediately to double this recipe. You won't be able to get enough of these ribs, and any leftovers can be shredded and used for tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, beef sandwiches, etc, you get the idea. Just double it. You'll be glad you did. (And it's not hard to double it - especially since all you do is dump everything into the slow cooker and turn it on! It couldn't be easier!)

Start (and end, ha!) by layering all the ingredients in your slow cooker - ribs, onion, garlic,

chipotle chilis and adobo sauce, tomato sauce, water,

cumin,

salt and pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours until meat is tender. You'll want to serve these ribs with the accumulated sauce in the crock over rice or potatoes. Yum, yum, yum.

One year ago: Spice Rubbed Salmon with Cucumber Relish
Two years ago: Chicken with Zucchini and Mushrooms
Three years ago: Rhubarb Blueberry Muffins
Four years ago: Summer Pasta

Find more great ideas at Hearth and Soul, Cast Party Wednesday, Whatcha Whipped Up, What's Cooking, Wicked Good Wednesdays, What's Cooking Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday's Treasures, Foodie Friday, Food on Fridays, Foodie Friday (#2), Friday Flash Blog, TGIF.

Chipotle Beef Ribs

2 pounds boneless beef ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a 4 to 6-quart crock pot, combine the ribs, onion, garlic, tomato paste, chipotles, cumin, water, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove from the crock pot and serve over rice or potatoes with the accumulated sauce in the crock pot.

Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

Here is a fun baked oatmeal recipe using that wonderful strawberry rhubarb fruit combo. Eating this is almost like eating dessert for breakfast, but in a totally socially acceptable way. (Not that brownies for breakfast aren't socially acceptable, but, well, you know...) I really enjoyed this with yogurt - hearty grains, yummy fruit, creamy yogurt - it's a great way to start the day.

Start by chopping up the strawberries and slicing the rhubarb. I used some strawberries that I had frozen earlier in the season, and they worked well. Super fresh would also be good.

Place the fruit in a bowl and add the honey.

and the cornstarch.

Stir well to coat all the fruit. Slice the banana and lay the slices in the bottom of a 9-inch baking dish. Spoon the strawberry/rhubarb mixture over the bananas.

Now in another small bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, egg, honey, milk

and vanilla.

Stir well to combine, then carefully spread over the fruit mixture.

Sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake for 40 minutes,

then enjoy warm, with yogurt, if you like! Good morning!

One year ago: Black Bean and Veggie Quesadillas
Two years ago: Crispy Orange Beef
Three years ago: Banana Sherbet
Four years ago: Peanut Butter Banana Cream Pie


Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 cup rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium ripe banana, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. honey, divided
1 cup oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Place sliced bananas in the bottom of a lightly greased 9-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, 1/3 cup honey and cornstarch. Stir well to coat all the fruit, then carefully spread the strawberry mixture over the bananas.

In another bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the egg, 1 Tbsp. of honey, vanilla and milk, and stir well to combine. Pour the oats over the strawberry mixture and then sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve warm, with yogurt, if you like.

Best of Summer Recipes

Today, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite summer recipes from years past. Summer is so short - at least here in these Northern parts - that I always want to use fresh seasonal ingredients as much as possible during this time, while they last! Take advantage of the yummy fruits and vegetables while they're available, and whip up some of these great salads, main dishes and desserts!

Lemon Raspberry Tart with Poppyseed Crust

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

Spice Rubbed Salmon with Cucumber Relish

Sweet Corn Pizza

Coconut Macadamia Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Spicy Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Canteloupe Sorbet

Peach and Blackberry Tart

BokChoy Chicken Salad

Chicken and Zucchini Pasta

Summer Pasta

Marinated London Broil

Summer Cucumber Salad

Oriental Coleslaw

Raspberry Crumb Bars

It's another month, and time again for Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day. This month, I was assigned to Chris' blog, Mele Cotte and I had fun looking through all the recipes on her site. There are a lot to choose from. Ultimately, I chose these raspberry crumb bars cause they seemed like the perfect treat for midsummer. Also, in case you hadn't noticed, I have been on a bit of a "crumble" kick lately with strawberry rhubarb crumble cake and blackberry pie bars.

So, it seemed only natural to continue the trend with these yummy raspberry crumb bars...

I modified the recipe from Chris just slightly - the original called for 1 cup of butter and I reduced it to 1/2 cup and added some vanilla yogurt to make up the difference. I also subbed in cinnamon instead of the cardamom in the original recipe. It turned out great, and I think I'll be making these again and again once my raspberry bushes start producing!!

The base and the topping for these bars is made by cutting butter into a flour/sugar mixture - I like to use my food processor for this. If you don't have one, just use a bowl for the ingredients and cut in the butter with two knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers...

Combine the flour, 1 cup of the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in the bowl of a food processor, then pulse a few times so the ingredients mix together. Then add in the cut up butter

and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer this to a large bowl, then add the eggs, almond extract and vanilla.

Stir this well to combine, then stir in the yogurt.

The mixture will be really sticky, but just be persistent. It will turn out fine. Now press 2/3 of this mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-inch baking dish.

Now place the raspberries in another bowl, and add the remaining sugar and cornstarch.

Stir well to coat all the berries, then spoon them over the crust mixture.

Dollop the remaining batter over the top of the raspberries.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is golden and the raspberry filling is bubbly.

Isn't that gorgeous?? Let cool on a wire rack and then refrigerate for a couple hours to help the bars set up before you slice them.

One year ago: Baby Bella Fries
Two years ago: Shaved Asparagus and Boursin Pizza
Three years ago: Cherry Chicken Salad
Four years ago: Frosty Coffee Pie

Raspberry Crumb Bars

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (if using frozen, do not thaw)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse briefly to combine. Add the cut up butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Tranfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in eggs, yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts. Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 9-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining sugar; add berries and gently toss. Spoon over crust. Top with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake at 375° for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate the bars for a couple hours to help firm up before cutting. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 16 bars.

Snickers Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake laced with snickers. Have you heard of anything better? And it sits on an oreo crust. I made these for Mother's Day and they were a huge hit with my mom, and with everyone else. They are a delicious, rich treat and you'll want a cup of coffee or glass of milk...and then you'll want another one!

Start by making the crust. Pulse the cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can pound the cookies with a rolling pin, or use another favorite method. Combine the cookies with melted butter

and stir well until the crumbs are all coated. Press the cookies into a 9-inch pan that you've lined with foil.

Now bake the crust for about 8 minutes. While it bakes, chop up the Snickers. This is the hardest part, because it's difficult to not just pick up each piece and eat it!! Try to resist, because you'll want to add them to the cheesecake later!

(Snickers satisfies, indeed!)

Now for the filling, beat together the cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar.

When it's smooth, stir in the Snickers.

Pour the batter onto the Oreo crust

then sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cheesecake is mostly set and golden around the edges.

Cool the bars on a wire rack for about an hour, then cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut into bars, and store these in the refrigerator.

One year ago: Cilantro Lime Rice
Two years ago: Spinach, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza
Three years ago: Blueberry Ice Cream Tart
Four years ago: Italian Sausage and Bow Ties

Find more great stuff at Cast Party Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday, Wicked Good Wednesday, What's Cooking Wednesday (#2), Full Plate Thursday, Thursday's Treasures.

Snickers Cheesecake Bars

20 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened (low fat is ok)
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 full size snickers candy bars, chopped (about 1.5 cups total)
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips

In a food processor or blender, pulse the cookies into a fine crumb. Stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together and then press into a 9-inch pan lined with foil. Bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes. Cool the crust while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy, about 3 full minutes. Fold in the Snickers and spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Top with chocolate chips. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set up and the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool completely in the refrigerator for at least three hours. Lift the foil out of the pan and cut into squares. Makes 16 bars.

Recipe Source: Sally's Baking Addiction

Fudge Brownies with Cookie Butter Frosting

I know I'm a little late to the cookie butter party. I've seen lots of recipes and great ideas for this neat treat, but just recently obtained my first jar of it, a gift from a friend. And it is delicious. I can't wait to try other great recipes using this fun new (to me, at least) find.

These yummy bars have a fudgy brownie base topped with frosting made from cookie butter. The brownies come together quickly, and you can just stir them right up in the saucepan you use to melt the chocolate! Fewer dishes to wash is a good thing - you'll be dirtying up plenty of milk glasses to help wash down this dessert!

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, chocolate chips

and cocoa.

Heat this over medium low heat until the butter is melted, stirring often. Once the butter and most of the chocolate chips have melted, remove from the heat and stir until the mixture is smooth.

Stir in the sugar, then add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time,

and stir vigorously to mix. Gently stir in the salt, baking powder and flour

just until all the ingredients are incorporated. Pour the batter into a greased 9-inch baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, just until set. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting, combine the butter, cookie butter, vanilla and powdered sugar until a thick paste form. Believe me, it will be thick!!

Add a little bit of milk and stir -

until the mixture is smooth and a good frosting consistency.

Spread the frosting (carefully!) over the cooled brownies.

Sprinkle with miniature chocolate chips.

These taste as delicious as they look...

Get yourself out to Trader Joe's and pick up some cookie butter, stat!

One year ago: Strawberry Frozen Yogurt
Two years ago: Fettucine with Ham and Broccoli
Three years ago: Buckeye Brownies
Four years ago: Chocolate Caramel Bars

Find more great ideas at Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Mop it Up Monday, Mix it Up Monday, On the Menu, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasteful Tuesday, Tuesday Talent Show, Clever Chicks, Try a New Recipe.

Fudge Brownies with Cookie Butter Frosting

Brownies:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour

Frosting:
3 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. cookie butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 cup miniature chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, chocolate chips and cocoa together over medium low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time and vanilla. Gently stir in the flour, baking powder and salt until just incorporated. Pour into a greased 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until just set. Cool on wire rack.

For the frosting, stir butter, cookie butter, vanilla and powdered sugar together until a thick paste forms. Stir in milk carefully and then mix vigorously to smooth out any lumps. Spread over brownies, then sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Makes 16-20 bars.

Recipe Source: Lauren's Latest