Plates of Penrose: Superbowl Rewind

Well, our Panthers did not do so well this past Sunday, but luckily we still had a fun evening with friends, snacking on some delicious food!


Of course, we had some of the staple necessities for a good football party menu, like Buffalo Chicken Dip, a fresh Veggie plate with Ranch Dip, and some Smores Brownies for a dessert.


I made my first attempt at making guacamole and it was delicious! Ryleigh and I are big guac fans and this recipe did not disappoint:  Tab's Guacamole.  I switched some ingredients for convenience--instead of fresh cut tomato and jalepeno I used a drained can of Rotel and half a small can of diced jalepenos, and instead of crushed garlic I used a tablespoon of minced garlic.  It all turned out great!



Everytime I make my Crockpot Ribs they are a total crowd pleaser and my husband comments for days about how good they are :) So, I thought I would share the way too easy recipe:

Ingredients:

1 or 2 Racks of Ribs (pork or beef)

Garlic Salt

Onion Salt

Creole Seasoning

BBQ Sauce--whichever is your favorite!

Directions:

Cut your rack(s) of ribs into individual ribs (this is pretty easy-just slice between the bones).  Try to trim off the bits of gristle if possible.  I also usually trim off some of the excess fat--a little is okay to keep on the ribs for flavor but I hate biting into a hunk of fat--yuck!  After you have everything cut apart, sprinkle a light dusting of garlic salt and onion salt on top of the ribs.  Then, sprinkle with a good dusting of Creole seasoning for a nice kick of flavor.  

(At this point, if possible I like to let the ribs marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

If you don't have time, just continue on to the next steps...)

Get out your crockpot, pour about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of BBQ sauce over the bottom and then start placing your ribs inside.  Stand your ribs upright--this gets easier the more ribs you place in the crockpot.  I have found that I can fit two racks of ribs in my 6qt crockpot just fine. Once you have all of your ribs placed, drizzle a little bit of BBQ sauce on top of each rib. Then, cook on low for 7-8hrs.  If your crockpot seems to cook everything quickly like mine does--they could be ready in as little as 6hrs.  

Yall, these are always fall. off. the. bone. good!  As you can see from the top part of the picture above--they are seriously fall off the bone tender when they are done!

"Football foods" are always some of my favorites. I'd love to hear if you try these recipes and what your thoughts are!

What's Up Wednesday: Practically Penrose | January

Hello! Today I'm linking up with Mel, Sheaffer, and Shay for What's Up Wednesday, the first of 2016!

1. What we're eating...
Honestly, this week has been a hot mess.  Jake and I have both gotten head colds, so by the time we are home it's all we can do to feed Ryleigh and the dogs some dinner and relax until her bedtime, then we quickly close up the house and head to bed ourselves by about 8:30!  That's super early for me, but I'm trying to get all of the extra rest I can.  Monday, Jake made spaghetti & meat sauce for dinner while Ryleigh & I made a quick stop at the preschool program she will be in this fall.  We ended up having tons of leftovers so that's what we ate Tuesday for dinner.  Tonight, we are having dinner out to Mexican, and tomorrow night we are going to Chima for Charlotte Restaurant Week! I'm so excited for that because I've heard so many people rave about Chima and I have never been.

2. What I'm reminiscing about...
Well this one is pretty easy.

Last Friday morning, I had off of work for the snow storm, but I woke up around 7:40am and checked my emails on my phone. I saw one from a gentleman in my networking group saying that he had 4 PSL tickets to the Carolina Panthers' playoff game versus the Arizona Cardinals, and as a "special" he would sell them to a group member for true face value.  It was a heck of a deal so I quickly emailed him, hoping that nobody else had done the same yet.  Around 8:30 I got the response that we were the lucky winners and we got to see one heck of a game Sunday night!!  Our "Cardiac Cats" were no where to be found, they played a stellar game from start to FINISH, and although my feet were freezing while standing on ice (they hadn't totally cleaned the seating areas) in 25 degree weather, we were standing, dancing, and screaming the whole time!

3.  What I'm loving...
Our calendar filling up! We have received invitations for so many fun events to celebrate with friends lately--birthdays, babies, and bridal showers!

4.  What we've been up to...

Snow, snow, ice, snow.  After 5 days it's finally mostly melting away.

5.  What I'm dreading...
Can't really think of anything? #lifeisgood :)

6.  What I'm working on...

We are in the throws of Silent Auction planning for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte 7th annual Girls Night Out event!  This amazing night of glamour and giving will have you dancing, crying, and loving time with 400 other ladies!!  This year we will have LIVE music from dualing pianos in addition to the boutique fashion show, silent auction, amazing food & drinks, and Model Mom stories who share their hearts and the trials of what they went through while their child was, or still is, receiving treatment.  

If you or someone you know would be willing to donate to our silent auction, please leave a comment on this post!!  I love the connections that this blogging community can make!  We have been receiving all sorts of artwork, books, vacation rentals, etc. from all over the country that women attending this event in Charlotte, NC, can bid on to raise money for our Ronald McDonald House! 100% of all money raised at this event goes to the house for taking care of the families staying with us who have children receiving critical medical treatment at one of our local medical facilities.  All donations are tax deductible and I would be happy to provide more event information and our 501c3 form! 

7.  What I'm excited about...

So many things, but I think Superbowl 50 takes the cake! #letsgopanthers #keeppounding

8.  What I'm watching/reading...

We have a few shows that we have been watching lately.  Jake never really watched Friends (gasp!) and I have gotten him hooked on watching it. We are starting with Season 1 and going to watch them all. I'm loving watching all of the old episodes!

Jake loves Hawaii Five-0 and he's gotten me hooked on it as well.

Shameless...gosh the Gallaghers are such a trainwreck but it's a great show.

As for reading.....Remember when I told you I was excited for these books?! They arrived this week!  I love the way that the recipes are cataloged by season!

My Pages of Penrose January book review will be up on Friday, so you will have to come back to see all of what I've been reading! I will give you this little preview that I am so wrapped up in right now...

9. What I'm listening to...

A whole random combo lately.  Chris Stapleton, Adele....

10.  What I'm wearing...
Blardigans on repeat.  I found the deal of the century a couple weeks ago when a friend told me Barefoot Dreams had Winter Clearance going on and the Bamboo Chic wraps were on sale for $27.60!!!!! Yes, you read that correctly.  I quickly bought two for myself and one for a gift.  The Winter sale colors are no longer available (Opal and Amethyst Heather).

11.  What I'm doing this weekend...
Some shoe shopping for Ryleigh, my company party (we do a New Year thing instead of Christmas because of scheduling issues), and a 1st birthday party! Also hopefully a haircut. I've been toying with the idea of some caramel highlights. We shall see.

12.  What I'm looking forward to in February...

My little Valentine is turning TWO!  Where has time gone?!  #puddleofemotions



That's about it! See you on Friday for my Book Review!