Big Daddy Ribs

Tonight we're having Big Daddy Ribs to celebrate Labor Day, and while they take a while to cook, this is one meal you don't want to rush. The ribs are first coated in a dry rub, then simmered in the oven in a mixture of Coca-Cola and water. Let them cool a bit, break apart the individual ribs, then slap them with an apple cider sauce and toast up on the grill for a few minutes to make the outside nice and crispy sweet. Mmm mmm good!

We've loved these since the first time we made them years ago, and have even celebrated our wedding anniversary with them. Please don't let the long recipe scare you away from trying these - it all comes together quickly.

Also, we never have buttermilk in the house, so we mix together 1/4 cup milk with 1/4 tbsp lemon juice and let it sit for a few minutes. Easy substitution.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds St. Louis style ribs
• 2 cups Big Daddy Rub, recipe below
• 2 liters Coca-Cola
• 4 cups water
• Apple Cider Buttermilk Dipping Sauce, recipe below

Big Daddy Rub (this recipe makes enough for an extra batch, so store 2 cups in a ziploc bag in the pantry):

• 3 cups brown sugar
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons hot chili powder
• 2 tablespoons cayenne
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

Apple Cider Buttermilk Dipping Sauce:

• 2 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all of the "Big Daddy Rub" ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Rub ribs with 1 cup Big Daddy Rub until evenly coated on both sides. Allow ribs to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Place ribs in 2 large roasting pans and cover with the Coca-Cola and water. Cover with foil and cook in oven for 1 and 1/2 hours. Remove ribs from oven and allow to cool. 
5. Slice ribs into individual-size pieces.
6. Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
7. Place ribs on the grill. Brush on "apple cider buttermilk sauce" (see below)  and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. In a large bowl, toss ribs with another 1 cup of "Big Daddy Rub" until well coated. Spread ribs out on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for an additional 20 minutes until caramelized.
9. Serve alongside the apple cider sauce.

Directions for Apple Cider Buttermilk Dipping Sauce:

1. In a medium pot add apple cider, sugar and red pepper on medium high heat. Reduce by half. 
2. Pour mixture into a separate bowl. 
3. Add buttermilk and mix.
4. Add lemon juice and zest and mix thoroughly.

Parmesan Encrusted Chicken

My new favorite, super-easy and fast chicken parm recipe comes from Hellmann's. My father-in-law made this for us down the shore last week and it was delicious. You can whip this up in no time (great now that school's back in session!), and it takes about 30 minutes to bake if you leave the breasts whole. I prefer to slice them in half, making them a bit thinner, which in turn helps them cook faster. Also, don't try to cut calories and use light mayo, it's not the same and won't cook up nearly as tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine mayonnaise with cheese in a bowl. 
3. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish. Coat with the mayo mixture, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.
4. Pop in the oven and bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes.

*This recipe is straight from the Hellmann's website. I do not claim to have concocted this myself, it is 100% their recipe.

Candy cake

My son has requested a candy cake for his 5th birthday tomorrow. This boy loves desserts, candy, ice cream... Any kind of dessert really. But he only really eats a few bites and then has had enough. We looked at a bunch of cakes in Pinterest, and when he came across this one, he immediately decided that's what he wanted.

I started with a doctored up 1,2,3,4 cake, following Paula Deen's recipe at a base. Then I added in some sour cream and a box of vanilla pudding. 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs 
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 3 cups sifted self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans. 
3. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. 
4. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. 
5. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. 
6. Add pudding and sour cream, amd beat until combined. 
7. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. 
8. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. 
9. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. 
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. 
11. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.

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I used Hershey's chocolate icing for the layers and outside of the cake. Then we covered the sides with kit kats, and poured an entire bag of M&Ms on the top. To.Die.For. This was a huge hit with not just our son, but the entire family!