Kristie's Craziness

All the random things in life that I think we should talk about.

Recent Posts

  • Mississippi-Style Boneless Ribs

    Mississippi-Style Boneless Ribs

    Hello Lovelies

    There is something rather OCD in my neurodivergent brain. I created my list of locations and recipe ideas, and now because I started in Michigan, I feel compelled to move alphabetically to the next location.

    So today I will take you to Mississippi to make some barbecue. There’s nothing quite as tasty as southern barbecue and the taste is all in the dry rub.

    My local grocery store only had boneless country-style ribs. If you are using bone-in ribs, add an extra hour onto your cooking time.

    Mississippi-Style Boneless Ribs

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds country-style boneless pork ribs
    • 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
    • 1/8 cup light brown sugar
    • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
    • 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce

    Directions

    1. Pat the ribs dry with paper towels, then lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet
    2. In a small bowl, stir together the salt, black pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and thyme. Coat the ribs on all sides with the dry rub, then arrange in a single layer. Let sit at room temperature while the oven reaches temperature.
    3. Preheat your oven to 250-degrees F and place one rack in the bottom third position and the other rack in the top third position, about 6 inches away from the broiler.
    4. Cover the pan tightly with foil, then place on the bottom rack and bake until an inserted digital thermometer reads 195-degrees F and the ribs are tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
    5. Carefully remove the ribs from the oven and set the oven to broil. Uncover the ribs and carefully drain and discard the cooking juices. Brush the BBQ sauce onto the ribs, turning to coat each rib completely.
    6. Return the uncovered pan to the top rack and broil until the sauce thickens and the tops of the ribs begin to caramelize, about 2 minutes on each side. Watch closely, so the sauce doesn’t burn.
    7. Remove from the oven, place the ribs on a serving platter.

    Makes 4 servings.

    Let’s be clear. This is not a low calorie meal, although it does have an adequate amount of protein. But these ribs melt in your mouth, and I dare you not to let an “Mmmm” escape your lips while you’re eating.

    I served these ribs with mac and cheese, corn and of course corn bread. It was the perfect Sunday dinner to get us ready for the week.

    Kristie

  • Garlic Roasted Green Beans

    Garlic Roasted Green Beans

    Hello Lovelies

    For my next jaunt in Cooking around the World, I’m not going far from Michigan. Heck, I’m even staying in the Midwest. Today I’m presenting Minnesota Garlic Roasted Green Beans.

    I had considered making Elegant Green Beans, which are a Minnesota spin on Green Bean Casserole, but I couldn’t bring myself to do 2 fall recipes in a row. But I’m really craving green beans and it’s almost time to get your seeds planted at the end of the month. So today we will roast our green beans to bring out the flavor and keep them from becoming SAD like Uncle Roger describes vegetables.

    Garlic Roasted Green Beans

    Ingredients

    • 3 heaping cups chopped, fresh green beans; ends trimmed and discarded
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • ¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt
    • pinch pepper

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.
    2. Drizzle olive oil over green beans. Toss to coat. Then sprinkle the garlic powder, salt and pepper over the beans and toss again.
    3. Spread the green beans onto a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, shaking after 10 minutes to keep the beans from sticking to the pan.

    Makes 4 servings.

    I served these green beans with Italian chicken thighs and vermicelli. The girls enjoyed them so much that they had seconds. We will definitely make this again.

    Kristie

  • Michigan Apple-Cranberry Pie

    Michigan Apple-Cranberry Pie

    Hello Lovelies.

    Welcome to the first installment of Cooking around the World. I’ve decided to start with what I know and get back in touch with my roots as the Michigan Mama by sharing my favorite Apple-Cranberry Pie.

    Yes friends. I just made a fall pie in the spring. All I can say is that my apple trees are in full bloom and I got a little over excited.

    MY CHEATS

    • I use a Pillsbury premade pie crust. It saves me time, bakes nicely and is only slightly less buttery than my homemade crust.
    • Frozen cranberries are a great substitute when you can’t find fresh in the store, but you need to completely defrost them. Then put the cranberries into a pot and stir in 2 TBSP of cornstarch. Heat them over medium low heat until jammy.

    APPLE-CRANBERRY PIE

    INGREDIENTS

    • 2 Pilsbury refrigerated pie crusts
    • 5 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Honeycrisp apples
    • 2 cups fresh cranberries, or jammy cranberries from frozen
    • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
    • 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
    • Granulated sugar (for sweetening the crust)
    • Vanilla ice cream (for serving)

    DIRECTIONS

    1. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples and cranberries. Then, sprinkle in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice. Toss everything gently to make sure the fruit is well coated with the sugars and spices.
    3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the pie crusts and place it into a 9-inch pie plate. Press it gently to fit into the plate, making sure to cover the bottom and sides.
    4. Pour the fruit mixture into the crust, spreading it out evenly. Then dot the filling with small pieces of butter so it melts into the fruit while baking.
    5. Cut the second crust into strips to make a lovely lattice top. Seal the edges between the top and bottom crust with your fingers or a fork.
    6. Brush the top of your crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle a little granulated sugar over it, which will give it a beautiful finish once baked.
    7. Put your pie plate on a baking sheet and then bake the pie at the high temperature of 425-degrees F for the first 15 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350-degrees F and continue baking for about 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. Cover the the edges with foil if the crust is browning too quickly.
    8. Once baked, remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours.
    9. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

    Makes 8 servings

    This may not be my healthiest recipe, but it is authentic. I love visiting cider mills in the fall and picking cranberries at DeGrandchamp farm. I foresee this pie being featured in a Thanksgiving recipe roundup in November.

    Happy baking.

    Kristie

  • Cooking around the World

    Cooking around the World

    Hello Lovelies.

    It’s been a busy couple of weeks. We’ve had cheer clinics and practices. I had an ear infection that was so bad, I couldn’t hear for 3 days. We also bought property “up north”, solidifying my former title of Michigan Mama.

    Don’t worry. I’m not changing the name of the blog again. I’m just trying to figure out how to incorporate all my ideas into this blog.

    There is a famous bakery in Ann Arbor, called Zingerman’s Bakehouse. They sell the most delicious breads. I took a dumpling class there a few years ago. Over the winter, I learned that they also offer food tours where you can travel and experience authentic foods. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to take off any significant amount of time, nor am I comfortable traveling while our country is at war, but I started thinking.

    What if I put together a series of recipes from each of those regions and shared them with you? As I brain stormed countries and cuisines, I got really excited.

    My goal is to share at least one recipe a week and tell you the region it comes from and why I chose it. I want to share things I know, along with things I’m experimenting with. There will be a lot of recipes from each U.S. State and North America, along with Europe and Asia.

    So come hungry and let’s see what we can make.

    Kristie

  • Book Review: Summoned

    Book Review: Summoned

    I needed a break from reality, so I went with the tried and true method of finding a good book. I was drawn to Summoned by Michael Anderle by phrases like “Don’t stop believing in fairy tales”, and a talking skull possessed by one of the brothers Grimm.

    Alternate reality novels are not my normal go to, but I kinda like the idea of a world filled with Zeppelin balloons and where Hitler didn’t murder millions of people. Sadly, I appreciate the perspective that government corruption will exist, no matter what. At least in the book’s timeline, magic exists as well.

    Kara Greims learns about the magic after her brother was murdered. She joins a mystical court that gets justice when the normal system fails. With the magical guidance of Grimm and the mortal assistance of her trainers and lawyer friends, she tries to get justice for her brother.

    This was the best book I have read in a long time. 5/5 definitely recommend