Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Country Ribs

It is summer now and I try not to stay in the kitchen for too long to cook so the heat won't get to me.  A lot of times people think cooking with slow cooker is only for Winter meals. But this recipe is so easy and quick that you only need to stay in the kitchen for minutes and a warm meal is ready for you!

Ingredients

*1/2 cup ketchup

*1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

*1/2 cup cider vinegar

*1 tablespoon mustard powder

*1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

*Coarse salt and ground pepper

*4 pounds country-style pork ribs, separated into single ribs

Directions 
1 In slow cooker, whisk together ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard powder, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2) Add ribs to slow cooker, and toss with sauce. Arrange ribs, bone side up, in a single row. Cover; cook on high, 6 hours (or on low, 10 hours).
3) Simmer cooking sauce until thicken. Serve ribs with thicken sauce. 

Chocolate Beet Cakes with Sweet Greek Yogurt

I just started to eat beets about a year ago. I remember I got beets from the farm share and didn't know what to do with them. I usually try a new vegetable by cooking them into something so the vegetable flavor won't be too strong by itself. After looking at all the beets recipes, I decided to try using beets to make cakes and it was delicious! Even Mr. S loved it. Now, I would eat beets on salads and anything with beets.  I made red valvet cake by using beets instead of food coloring.  This time, I added some chocolate in the cake and it is as delicious as the original beet cake. 

Ingredients 

*1 cup whole wheat flour 

*2/3 cup cocoa powder 

*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

*1/2 teaspoon baking soda

*1/8 teaspoon fine salt

*3 large farm eggs

*1 1/4 cups sugar 

*1 cup canola oil

* 1/2 pound organic red beets, boiled, peeled, finely grated

*1/2 cup yogurt

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line an 18-muffin tin with foil cups.

2) Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in one bowl

and the remaining ingredients in another. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Fill each muffin cup half full with the mixture.

3) Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a mini-cake

comes out clean and the mini-cakes start to pull away from the sides of the tin. Cool before serving. Add sweet Greek yogurt(See below for recipe) on top of the cake.

 

Sweet Greek Yogurt:

Ingredients 

*2 cups unsweetened Greek yogurt

*1/4 cup honey

 Directions

1) Combine yogurt and honey in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon so they are just combined. Serve with beet cakes.