Mom's Spareribs

This recipe is one that I got from my Mother-in-Law. The (almost) first time I had these was before we were dating. His mother was bringing spareribs when she came to visit, and he invited me, not thinking that I had mentioned I didn’t care for pork. Somehow he hadn’t made the connection that spareribs is pig meat. We joke about it now, and I eat these ones. Partly because we have children, so I eat everything, and partly because we use beef sausages, so I have the choice to eat beef instead of pork if I want to.

Sauce:
2 medium onions
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1½ Tablespoon Worchestershire
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
Approximately ¾ cup lemon juice
1 cup + chili sauce/ketchup
Optional: 1 can of tomatoes, 1 can mushrooms with juice, celery

Cook ribs in roaster with water and cover (to steam) approximately 1 hour at 350° (to get rid of fat). Turn over part way through (can put frozen ribs in). Drain fat. Cut into smaller pieces.
Cook sauce approximately 20 minutes until onion is cooked. Use whatever ingredients are on hand and feel free to substitute where necessary. Pour sauce over ribs and bake 350° for an hour or so.
If adding pork sausage, cook with ribs initially to drain fat. If beef sausages, add with sauce and cook.
If thicker sauce is desired, add cornstarch.

We usually use a large family pack of ribs, or a couple of smaller packages as well as a family pack of sausages. I don't think the type matters, although our family prefers the ribs that have bones rather than just the cartilage, and as I mentioned, we usually use beef sausages instead of pork.

Brownies

This has become my ultimate favourite brownie recipe. It is found in a family recipe book that was collected and compiled in 1991 and was submitted by my Auntie Susan. What I especially like is how quickly you can make up the batter, so it is that much sooner to be able to enjoy eating the brownies!

½ cup butter or margarine, melted (1 cup)
1 egg (2)
1 cup brown sugar (2 cups)
3 Tablespoons cocoa (6 Tablespoons)
½ cup nuts or coconut, optional (1 cup)
¾ cup flour (1½ cups)
½ teaspoon baking powder (1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon vanilla (1 teaspoon)

Mix melted butter and sugar; beat in egg, then remaining ingredients. Pour into pan and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until done.

The recipe doesn’t specify what size pan, but I use a square pan (about 8 x 8 or 9 x 9). The amounts in brackets are doubled, and I bake this in my 9 x 12 pan. If I make this for a church lunch, I double the doubled amounts and bake the brownies in a Costco pizza pan (approximately 12 x 17).

Plumi Moos

(Dried Fruit Soup)
This recipe is from The Mennonite Treasury of Recipes. Since we have joined the Orthodox Church, it has become a Lenten staple in our house. I use mostly prunes, raisins and dried apricots, and add other dried fruits, such as apples, mangos, and berries for variety. This dish has elicited many positive comments when brought for potlucks and can be a main dish or dessert.

4 quarts water
3 cups mixed dried fruit (I use 4 cups)
1 package cherry jello
4 Tablespoons cornstarch
1½ cups sugar

Cook fruit in water until very well done. Mix cornstarch and sugar with enough water to make a thin paste. Let it cook a few minutes to take away the starchy taste. Remove from stove and add cherry jello powder.

I have stopped adding sugar as dried fruit bought from the store often already has sugar added to it.