In my cooking, I'm one who typically doesn't experiment much. I guess I'm more of a recipe girl than an inventor; after all, inventing something is just so iffy. You never know how it may turn out! I know, I know, I'm probably a stick in the mud. :) Anyway, I made a concoction of leftovers this week that actually turned out to be very yummy! It's nothing spectacular, mind you, but I was please to have come up with it anyway.
This all started with barbecued boneless ribs that I made in the crockpot. The recipe for these is super easy: Take 3-4 lbs. of boneless pork ribs (the country style is what I usually get) and put them in the crockpot. Sprinkle liberally with whatever seasoning you like . . . the original recipe, I believe, called for lemon pepper, but we have used Montreal steak seasoning and Mrs. Dash Original with great results. Cook them all day on low, or 4-5 hours on high. About a half hour to an hour before you want to eat, drain off the liquid and add a cup of your favorite barbecue sauce to the crockpot. Use less if you have less ribs . . . this is really up to you how much you want to use. The ribs turn out tender and delicious!! Enjoy!
Now, here's the recipe that I concocted with the leftover ribs:
Barbecue Shepherd's Pie
Take a bunch of the leftover ribs and chop them up into bite-sized pieces. Depending how many ribs you have, or how big you want to make the pie, will determine how many you use. Just estimate. :) For us, I usually use a round Pyrex dish or a 9x9" square dish. Put the rib pieces in a skillet with some extra barbecue sauce and a cup of frozen mixed veggies (or whatever veggies you like). Heat until the veggies are tender and everything is warm. Transfer this mixture to a greased baking dish. Now prepare a package of instant mashed potatoes according to directions (or use homemade, if you prefer. Spread the potatoes on top of the meat. Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350 or until heated through.
This is definitely one I'll be making again, as we really enjoyed it! I've been thinking of other variations to try, too, such as putting a cornbread crust on top rather than the potatoes, but when I mentioned it to Jim, he basically said, "Don't mess with a good thing." :) So we'll see.
Today I tried another experiment, making my own shampoo. I haven't been thrilled with any of the shampoos I've used lately; it doesn't seem to matter if they're cheapies or salon brands. I thought it would be neat to try making some natural shampoo without all the chemicals in commercial varieties. I found a recipe for "Sunshine Shampoo for Blond Hair" at this site. It requires only 4 ingredients: liquid castile soap, water, fresh lemon juice, and lemon peel. You heat it up in the microwave and then after it's cooled, strain out the lemon peel and store it in a bottle. I'll be trying it tomorrow for the first time, so we'll see how it works! I hope I have a good report to make. I've also been wanting to try the "Beautiful Hair" herb mixture from Bulk Herb Store. This is a deep conditioning treatment that you can mix with olive oil and spread on your hair, then wrap it in a warm towel for a while. It's supposed to make hair shining and beautiful for several months at a time.
Well, I had planned to write more tonight, but it's getting late and I need to get to bed. Hopefully I'll have a chance to post more thoughts tomorrow.
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