Slow-Cooker Korean Pork Ribs

Every so often, out of laziness, brokeness, or just not wanting to go grocery shopping, I'll take an inventory of the freezers. I've got the regular ol' above-the-fridge freezer, and a 5.0 cu. ft. chest freezer - it has a really small footprint, but holds a LOT. Honestly, I don't know how I ever got by without one!

Anyway, I TRIED to make a list once, taking everything out of the freezer, and even making a super-nerdy Excel spreadsheet. It worked great...for about 2 weeks. Then I quit crossing things off or adding new purchases. So, I rooted around in the freezer and was SURPRISED to find about 5 pounds of country-style pork ribs, bought when Winn-Dixie had a really good sale! 

I decided to try something different instead of regular BBQ ribs or my usual sticky sweet Thai chili ribs. I've been craving Korean food lately (we don't have many Korean restaurants here, and the big 'fancy' one was absolutely HORRIBLE the last time the BF and I ate there), so I decided to try to make galbi (kalbi) style ribs...in the slow cooker (told you I was lazy)!

I actually like to make the sauce the night before - just combine all of the ingredients in a jar, put the lid on, and shake it up! Then, in the morning, all you have to do is plop the ribs in your slow cooker, pour the sauce on, and turn it on - EASY!

Kiwi-Mango Quinoa Salad w/ Lime-Ginger Vinaigrette

Y'all. Make this salad...like, RIGHT NOW. 

My good friend and running buddy Amanda (HAY GURL!) messaged me on Facebook not too long ago. I think the message was something along the lines of OMG YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS THE DRESSING IS AMAZING. 

I checked out the recipe and it looked great. Amanda mentioned that she used corn and feta in her salad. I looked at the ingredients, checked the fridge and pantry, and decided I could make my own version of the salad, substituting minced bell pepper for the red onion, and adding in some canned mandarin oranges.

I didn't make any changes to the vinaigrette, and I am SO GLAD I DIDN'T. It honestly makes this salad. I could probably pour this vinaigrette on a pile of dirty running socks and make them taste amazing. I won't try it, though - those socks aren't cheap! 

I ate a TON of this salad. As in, I had seconds. And thirds. Luckily, since quinoa is such a superfood, I didn't feel any guilt at all for indulging! 

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

As a Southerner, I definitely love chicken pot pie. Creamy sauce, tons of chicken, and a super buttery biscuit topping - what's not to love?? I can make it the traditional (slow) way, pull a casserole shortcut, or forgo the biscuit topping altogether and use PASTA instead. 

I know - totally not traditional...

Am I concerned? Nope - this tastes WAY too good for me to worry about being traditional/authentic, plus, it's SUPER quick and easy to prepare! If you REALLY miss those biscuits, just make a batch (canned/frozen or homemade) and serve them on the side!

Basil, Mozzarella & Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Chicken

Every spring I go a little bit plant-crazy. It always starts with an innocent trip to somewhere like Lowe's or Home Depot, usually for something like a grill cover, and ends with me hauling a crapload of tiny herb and vegetable plants home. 

I can't resist them. Usually all I can find are Bonnie plants, which are from right here in Alabama. About a month ago, Home Depot had a sale where all of their vegetable plants were 5/$10. After hitting up the Birmingham Botanical Gardens' Spring Sale that same weekend, I ended up with two heirloom tomato plants, FIVE pepper plants, foxtail rosemary, sweet mint, Mexican oregano, thyme and a TON (ok, 6 individual plants) of sweet basil. 

The basil is growing like kudzu. It's everywhere. I've added it to my chicken parmesan, made mini insalata caprese at least 3 times, and even decided to make some basil-infused olive oil. Then, I decided to use it in stuffed chicken...

This recipe is SUPER easy - simply stuff butterflied chicken breasts with roasted red peppers, mozzarella and basil. Bake, top with cheese, and enjoy!

Also, sorry, but it REALLY doesn't photograph well. You'll just have to trust me - it's GOOD.

Pork Chili Verde for Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is upon us, and we're expecting/experiencing record low temperatures here in Alabama, along with nonstop rain. This grody weather isn't exactly festive for sitting out on the porch with ice-cold Pacificos or Lime-a-Ritas, so I had to bring the party inside, with a warming, comforting Mexican dish - pork chili verde!

Note: I was DEAD-SET on making some awesome ceviche (three kinds!!) for Cinco de Mayo, but this is NOT the weather for it. Ceviche is for hot weather, not this remix edition of the wintry condition we're having here. But, this is Alabama, so it will probably be sweltering in a few weeks  - perfect ceviche weather! 

Chili verde is an amazing dish hailing from Northern Mexico - it's basically a stew (not a "traditional" chili), usually made from pork shoulder slow-cooked in chicken broth with tons of tomatillos, making the dish "verde", or "green". There are no tomatoes, unlike more traditional chilis. It's honestly closer to "white" chili than other chilis! 

I've actually made a pulled pork chili before - this is completely different. I've taken a few shortcuts; instead of making my own pulled pork, I've purchased some from a local FANTASTIC BBQ restaurant. Instead of making my own salsa verde, I purchased some at the grocery store. However, if you WANT to go the homemade route, I've posted links to the pulled pork and salsa verde recipes below in the ingredient list! These shortcuts make this dish VERY easy to whip together - everything goes in one pot, and takes about an hour, freeing up more time for celebration and libations! 

Pollo alla Parmagiana (Chicken Parmesan)

"Pollo alla Parmagiana" - sounds REALLY classy, doesn't it?? Especially compared to "chicken parmesan", which is an absolutely AWESOME Italian dish that gets a really bad rap thanks to being poorly prepared by SO many places. 

In this Italian classic, tender chicken is fried, then baked in a tomato-sauce and covered in cheese. Unfortunately, this usually results in the breading becoming soggy and greasy. Also, a lot of recipes go WAY overboard on the sauce. In this version, the chicken is baked (healthier!!), but placed ON TOP of the sauce instead of swimming in it. There's still PLENTY of cheese, and lots of fresh herbs, too. 

Don't let the ingredient list and recipe steps scare you - this is still a VERY easy recipe to make. And you know what goes GREAT with it? Some crusty, no-knead "rustic" bread, of course!