Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (40 page)

Slow-Cooked Short Ribs

Jean A. Shaner

York, PA

Barbara L. McGinnis

Jupiter, FL

Makes 12 servings

Prep. Time: 35 minutes

Cooking Time: 9-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.

⅔ cup flour

2 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

4-4½ lbs. boneless beef short ribs,
or
6-7 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs

oil,
or
butter

1 large onion, chopped

1½ cups beef broth

¾ cup wine,
or
cider vinegar

½-¾ cup packed brown sugar, according to your taste preference

½ cup chili sauce

⅓ cup ketchup

⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce

5 garlic cloves, minced

1½ tsp. chili powder

1. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in plastic bag. Add ribs, a few at a time, and shake to coat.

2. Brown meat in small amount of oil, or in butter, in batches in skillet. Transfer to slow cooker. Reserve drippings in skillet.

3. Combine remaining ingredients in skillet. Cook, stirring up browned drippings, until mixture comes to a boil. Pour over ribs.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 9-10 hours.

5. Debone and serve.

Serving suggestion: Serve over
rice
or
noodles
.

Tip:

It is ideal to cook these ribs one day in advance of serving. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove layer of congealed fat before serving.

Christmas is all year for me. Most of the gifts I give are homemade. This year I made six kinds of jelly, apple butter, chow-chow, and bread-and-butter pickles. This works well for people like me who are on a limited income. Plus I can be done early and share gifts from the heart.

Janet Batdorf, Harrisburg, PA

Beef Ribs with Sauerkraut

Rosaria Strachan

Fairfield, CT

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.

3-4 lbs. beef short ribs

32-oz. bag,
or
27-oz. can, sauerkraut, drained

2 Tbsp. caraway seeds

¼ cup water

1. Put ribs in 6-qt. slow cooker.

2. Place sauerkraut and caraway seeds on top of ribs.

3. Pour in water.

4. Cover. Cook on High 3-4 hours or on Low 7-8 hours.

Serving suggestion: These need
mashed potatoes
to complete the meal!

Variation:

If you really enjoy sauerkraut, double the amount of sauerkraut, and divide the recipe between 2 4- or 5-qt. cookers.

Ribs and Limas

Miriam Friesen

Staunton, VA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 5½-12½ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt.

3 lbs. beef short ribs

2 Tbsp. oil

1 onion, chopped

4 carrots, sliced

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

2 tsp. dry mustard

1½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1¼ cups water

¼ cup cider vinegar

1 large bay leaf, broken in half

10-oz. pkg. frozen lima beans,
or
peas

1. Cut ribs into serving-size pieces. Brown ribs in large skillet in batches in oil.

2. Place onions and carrots in slow cooker. Add ribs.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in water and vinegar until smooth. Pour over ribs. Push bay leaf pieces into liquid.

4. Cover. Cook on High 5-6 hours or on Low 10-12 hours.

5. Stir in lima beans.

6. Cover. Cook on High 20-30 minutes.

7. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Serving suggestion: We like this with a
citrus salad
and
crusty rolls
.

Tender Texas-Style Steaks

Janice Muller

Derwood, MD

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

6 ½-¾-lb. steaks,
or
chops

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

salt to taste

pepper to taste

few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1. Lay steaks in bottom of slow cooker.

2. Combine brown sugar and ketchup in a mixing bowl. Pour over steaks

3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

4. Cover. Cook on High 3 hours and on Low 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender but not dry.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
wide egg noodles
,
green beans
, and
applesauce
.

Tip:

I spoon some of the juice from the cooker over the noodles. Sometimes I stir 2-4 Tbsp. flour into the hot broth (after lifting the meat onto a platter) until it becomes smooth. By cooking it a few more minutes, the broth thickens into a gravy.

Swiss Steak

Marie Shank

Harrisonburg, VA

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2-lb. round steak, cut into serving pieces

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 large onion, sliced,
or
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

16-oz. can tomatoes

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 6-10 hours or on High 3-4 hours, just until meat is fork tender.

Tip:

You may want to omit the salt if you use the onion soup mix.