Pork ribs in whiskey sauce add kick to meal

The recipe mail was brisk this week with recipes coming from Cape Girardeau and Jackson. I look forward to trying a couple of these recipes soon. I hope you enjoy them and don't forget to send in your favorite recipes to share with other readers.

Pork Ribs with Honey Whiskey Sauce

5 pounds pork spareribs

For the honey-whiskey sauce:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup honey

1 cup Irish whiskey

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoon tomato ketchup

Juice of 1 lemon

4 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1/2 cup demi-glaze or concentrated chicken broth

Put the ribs in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 1 hour, skimming the water occasionally to remove the foam. Transfer to a large baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and cook the onion and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the demi-glaze or concentrated chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce reduces by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the demi-glaze. Pour half the sauce over the ribs and bake, turning once, until the ribs begin to brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Slice the meat into four or more ribs per person and serve with remaining sauce. Serves 4 to 6 as a first course.

Mother Hubbard's Spicy Chicken

8 skinless chicken breasts (washed and patted dry)

2 packets dry ranch peppercorn salad dressing mix

2 cups buttermilk (you can sub milk or half-and-half or fat free half-and-half)

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper sauce

2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

1 cup fresh minced onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13 inch rectangular baking pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle onions to sparsely cover the bottom of the pan. Arrange chicken breasts in pan with some space between so they cook evenly. In a small bowl, mix ranch dressing mix, buttermilk and hot sauce. Spread beans over and around chicken breasts. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Baste about halfway through to keep chicken moist. Serve with your favorite Mexican or Southwest side dishes.

Crab-Stuffed Shrimp

1 tablespoon butter

3 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 1/2 teaspoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Dash cayenne pepper

1/2 cup saltine cracker crumbs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 pound crabmeat, picked over

1 pound extra-large or jumbo shrimp (about 24 shrimp), peeled, deveined, tails on

12 slices bacon, halved crosswise

Steamed white rice, for serving, optional

Basil cream sauce, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook green onions, green pepper and garlic powder until peppers are limp. Place in mixing bowl and add cream, mustard and cayenne pepper to saut*ed vegetables, mix well. Add cracker crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, parsley and lemon juice; mix well. Gently fold in crabmeat. Form into small patties sized to stuff into shrimp; set aside. Split shrimp down the bottom center to tail, being careful not to cut through. Stuff each shrimp with crabmeat mixture. Wrap shrimp in bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking pan and cook at 350 degrees until bacon is crisp and shrimp are pink, about 15 to 20 minutes. To serve, arrange 6 shrimp on each plate on a bed of rice, if desired. Drizzle with basil cream sauce.

Basil cream sauce:

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup diced onions

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 quart heavy cream

1 teaspoon chicken base

3 tablespoons pesto, recipe follows

1 teaspoon roux, recipe follows

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add garlic and onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by half. Add heavy cream and chicken base and reduce by half again. Add pesto and roux, bring to a simmer and heat until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings

Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1 cup walnut pieces

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup olive oil

In a food processor, blend all ingredients until a coarse paste is formed. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups.

Roux:

4 ounces (1 stick) butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour and stir until lightly browned. Leftover roux can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for several weeks. Yield: about 1 1/4 cups.

Peanut Butter Cheese Cake Minis Recipe

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

12 bite-size peanut butter cups

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a paper cupcake liner in each cup of a standard muffin pan. To make crust, in a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Press crust into bottom of each muffin cup. Put 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each crust. Beat cream cheese with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla, beating well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Spoon cream cheese mixture over peanut butter cups and graham cracker crusts. Bake until just set, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Have a wonderful week and until next time, happy cooking.

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699; Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.