molasses – Buen provecho…2022

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Barbecue Beans

Took this recipe off of Pinterest – Mom on Timeout, since I had all of the ingredients at hand and felt like a lazy dinner. I am not a fan of BBQ sauce so I omitted it entirely at first. I also changed the amount of beans as you can see by the red… My slow cooker often seems to cook in less time, so I checked it after 3 hours and it was done as well as I like it.

Slow Cooker Kielbasa and Barbecue Beans (Author: Trish – Mom On Timeout)

Ingredients

2 large can black beans, drained and rinsed (originally 2 – 15 oz. cans)
1 15.8 oz. Great Norther beans, drained and rinsed (instead of two)
1 15.25 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
½ cup barbecue sauce (omitted and it made no appreciable difference)
¾ cup ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup molasses
1 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
½ lb. bacon, cooked, cut into bite size pieces
2 lbs. Kielbasa, cut into bite size pieces (or less)

Instructions

In a large slow cooker, add all of the ingredients except for the kielbasa and stir gently to combine.
Place the kielbasa on top and cover with the lid.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. (I found it was done on low after 3 hours and kept it on warm for 2 more).

Notes

I recommend the low setting for this recipe because on high, the beans tend to get dried out. If you need to cook on high due to time constraints, monitor the beans and add more broth or water if necessary.

Molasses Marinated Pork Chops

We had these recently at a dinner at our friends – Chuck and Joanne. They were well worth the time and effort, and serving the sauce with them was incredible. Both Chuck and I like to cook, so we often turn to the Internet for new recipes. We can both recommend this one! Thanks, Chuck! …Thanks Alton…

Molasses Marinated Pork Chops
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2009 Food Network

Ingredients
1 cup cool strong coffee
6 ounces molasses, by weight
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6 to 8-ounce) bone-in, 1-inch thick pork chops

Directions
Place all of the ingredients into a 1-gallon zip top bag, seal, and shake to combine. Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Remove the pork chops from the marinade. Transfer the marinade to a small saucepan and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high, and boil gently, stirring often, until reduced to about 1/2 cup liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the thyme stems after the glaze has reduced. Meanwhile, grill pork chops 3 to 4 minutes per side or until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Allow the pork chops to rest 4 to 5 minutes before serving with the glaze.

Larry’s Ginger Cookies!

Okay, the agony is over…here is the recipe, but I warn you that Larry likes to modify his recipes every single time he makes these!!!

Larry’s Ginger-Orange-Molasses Cookies

Ingredients :

4 cups of all purpose flour , whole wheat is OK ( I think it is better!)

2 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger, more or less “a tu gusto”!

1 1/2 to 2 tsp of coarse ground black pepper This amount gives a good kick without over powering!

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup softened butter, (I use unsalted) if you use salted you may want to adjust the amount of salt above

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup dark molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water

Zest of 3 or 4 medium oranges

About 1/2 to 3/4 cup cranberries, finely chopped

Powdered clove (add to enhance taste but not so much as you can taste it…start with about 1/4 tsp and experiment)

Preparation :

Step One

In one bowl add the dry ingredients, including cranberries and orange zest. Whisk together thoroughly.

Step Two

In a separate bowl large enough to blend together all of the ingredients, put the butter and brown sugar.
Using a mixer on slow speed, blend the butter and brown sugar until creamy.
Blend in the molasses.
Finally, blend in the dissolved baking soda mixture.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients.
Fold in completely! Use the mixer to finish blending thoroughly. The mixture is easier to work with if it is slightly chilled. If too hard, let it soften slightly.

Baking :
I use a small, releasing type, ice cream scoop. It helps to make the cookies more uniform in size. I spray the inside of it with a small amount of PAM to make the batter release better.
If the mixture begins to stick, spray a little more PAM into the scoop.
I use silicone baking sheets for ease of removing the cookies and cleaning.
Bake about 10 to 11 minutes @ 350 F. Longer for a firmer textured cookie, shorter for a softer cookie. I put the silicone on a good quality light coloured baking sheet….it seems to prevent the bottom of the cookies from over-browning.

Yield: 7 dozen or more using the mini ice cream scoop.

Enjoy! And, of course, adjust the ginger, clove, black pepper and orange zest and cranberries to suit your own taste buds. Or be creative and vary the recipe! Let me know if you come up with some yummy variations!

larry225mc@gmail.com