Rub - a - Dub Dub Kansas City BBQ Rub

Things are getting slower around my house these days.  Kids are all working, or they are out and about, no one usually home for dinner.  So I am not cooking much anymore, because it's just me and the hubby.  I have to get to a "cooking for two" mentality, so I don't have a lot of wasted food.  It's a little hard adjusting to that way of cooking, after making meals for a large family all these years.  So last night it was dinner for two.  I served up thick, center cut boneless pork chops with
 Kansas City BBQ Rub, hot off the grill.

Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

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Heat your gas grill.  Rub both sides of the chops generously with the Kansas City BBQ Rub. Place the chops on heated grill.  Cook for 10 minutes on each side if the chops are really thick cut, otherwise about

 6 -8 on each side.  Chops are done when juices run clear.  Look how good they look!

For a side dish - cut in 1 inch chunks, 1/2 large orange bell pepper, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 small yellow squash, 1/2 small green zucchini, and 8-10 baby carrots.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil,  and salt and pepper to taste. Place in a grill basket on the heated grill, toss occasionally while roasting.

  TIP:  ALWAYS DRIZZLE VINEGAR BEFORE OIL.

Quiet dinner for two.  OH and by the way,  it was delicious!

 Kansas City BBQ Rub

Ingredients for the rub

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Mix together in a bowl.  Sprinkle on food with a spoon then rub it in with clean hands. Store any remaining unused/untouched  rub in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Rub can be used on pork, beef, chicken and fish.  Makes about 2/3 cup.

Whoo Hoo Barbeque!

Among the fried chicken, potato salad, chili, macaroni and cheese and peanut butter tandy takes, that we made for my daughter when she left to go back to college, we also made barbecue meatballs.  By the time all the other foods were done I was tired.  I decided I needed to save some time, being in the kitchen from sun up to sun down is grueling.  I was going to make these barbecue meatballs that she wanted from scratch, but didn't have the energy to do it.  So, we used frozen, they are not bad just not as good as homemade but good enough in a pinch, and I mixed up a delicious sauce for them.

BBQ Meatballs

1 bag pre-cooked mini meatballs

1 - 28 oz. bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce

2 teaspoons of McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub

1/2 cup Peach Preserves

1/4 cup honey

Put the meatballs into a large sauce pan or use a crock pot.  In a medium size bowl, mix the BBQ sauce, pork rub, peach preserves and honey.  Stir until all is combined.  Add to the meatballs and cook over medium high heat for 40 minutes.  Serve hot.

OH SALAD, I LOVE YOU

One of my favorite quick meals is a salad.  You can do alot with lettuce.  Mix anything into it and it's a meal.  This is my very own concoction.  I call it the Southwestern Chicken Salad with BBQ Ranch Dressing, its filling and tasty.  The recipe is below the pictures.  ENJOY!

So, chop 1/2 head of romaine lettuce put into a bowl.  I always use white because it looks so pretty 

Now add the 1/2 bag of mixed baby lettuces.  Looks good, right

Now add the black olives, avocado, onion and corn. Looks better, right

Now add the cabbage, carrots, cucumber, radishes and jalepeno. Yummy!

 Now, finish it off with the tomatoes, cheese, chicken and the cilantro.  This is looking good!

Now it's always nice to share.  Put the dressing on, can't let the salad go naked

Top with the crunchy tortilla strips. And OLE! You have dinner tonight all in one bowl.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN SALAD

6 oz grilled chicken - I use Tyson grilled chicken strips then warm them up in a little olive oil in a frying pan.

1/2 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 bag of mixed baby lettuces

1 - small can of sliced black olives

1 - lime, juiced

1 - avocado, seeded and scooped

1/2 red onion, sliced

1/2 cup of frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage - I use bagged

1/2 cup of carrots - I use bagged shredded or baby carrots sliced

1/2 cup of cucumber - I use English cukes they have barely any seeds

2 radishes, sliced

1/2 jalepeno pepper, minced - if you don't like a little heat don't put it in

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tsp - chopped cilantro

Cook the chicken if you like. I do just to get it a little brown.  Start building the salad with the lettuces.  Dice up the avocado and sprinkle with the lime juice (then discard the juice). This keeps it green and from turning brown . Start layering the rest of your ingredients ending with the cilantro. Serve with the dressing.  Recipe is below.  I recommend not putting the dressing on the whole salad just in case you have leftovers (you won't), it's just a suggestion.

BBQ RANCH DRESSING

1 cup of ranch dressing -I use Hidden Valley Ranch

3 TBLS. bbq sauce - I use Sweet Baby Ray's - because is sweet baby!

3/4 cup cruncy tortilla strips, I use Fresh Express

Put ranch dressing and bbq sauce into a container or jar with a lid and shake, shake , shake your booty until it's all combined! Serve with the salad then top the salad with tortilla strips.