What Was My Mom Thinking?!! {Recipe: Iron Horse Ribs}

Google "'Teen Magazine from the 1970s" and you'll come across some pretty cringe worthy stuff. I had a subscription throughout my teens during the '70s and know I am wondering what was my mom thinking?! But there was a cooking section in the magazine and that is where this recipe for Iron Horse Ribs comes from. My mom knew what she was doing if getting a subscription meant getting meals like this. Reading the rest of the magazine doesn't seem to have had any lasting effects, thank goodness!

Iron Horse Ribs

This recipe is updated from the original. The main changes are the barbecue sauce (Kraft Barbecue Sauce with Onion Bits) and tomato sauce with tomato bits; I could not find either. 

8-10 pounds country-style ribs
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 large onion, sliced
1 18-oz bottle mild barbecue sauce
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Arrange ribs in a large roasting pan (I line the pan well with foil, the baked on sauce is very hard to remove). Pour lemon juice over meat; add onion. Bake for one hour, turning once.* Drain off one cup liquid, discard (The ribs I used did not have much liquid come off them, so I skipped this step). Combine remaining ingredients; pour over ribs. Continue baking for one hour. Serve with sauce, if desired. 

Makes 16 servings.

*Note: The ribs can cook longer, just keep an eye on them. The ribs pictured cooked were cooked for about 3 hours total time. 

Everything Old is New Again {Recipes: Bryce's Cole Slaw and Red Onion Tomato Jam}

Tomato jam and cole slaw are old time recipes that I did not appreciate until fairly recently. Tomato jam has been around for decades, but I had never tried it until last summer. While vacationing in Kansas City last summer, I had it on a burger and it was delicious! It is a nice change from catsup. Cole slaw has been around forever as well, but I never cared for it; that is until I tried my mother-in-law's recipe. Her recipe is very good, but my son changed it up a bit and made it even better.

Both of these recipes make for excellent additions to summer menus. Red Onion Tomato Jam is good on crostini or part of a cheese tray. Bryce's Cole Slaw makes for nice fresh side dish. Both are fantastic on grilled burgers, vegan or otherwise.

Bryce's Cole Slaw

The main difference between this recipe and my mother-in-laws is using chopped up green apple instead of golden raisons. Also, this recipe is vegan, the original uses regular mayonnaise. 

1 10 ounce package fine shredded cabbage

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 medium Granny Smith apple, finely chopped

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2-3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise*, to taste

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon celery seed, optional

Mix cabbage, onion, apple, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Add more mayonnaise until desired consistency is achieved. Add seasonings and stir well. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.  

*We like Follow Your Heart Vegenaise.

Red Onion Tomato Jam

This recipe is adapted from one found on altonbrown.com.

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced, Lyonnaise style (end to end), red onion

2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 cup vegetable broth (I used Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base, diluted according to instructions on packaging.)

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground salt, or Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

8-10 basil leaves, chiffonade cut

1. Heat a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat and add oil, onions, and a heavy pinch of salt. Toss to coat with oil.

2. Reduce heat to low and allow the yellow onion to soften and caramelize for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

3. Stir in brown sugar, then tomatoes, followed by tomato paste and vinegar. Simmer until mixture is thick and bubbly. 

4. Stir in the broth, salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until mixture is reduced to a jam-like consistency. 

5. Remove from hear and set about 1/2 the mixture aside. Puree the other 1/2 and stir it back into the reserved mixture. 

6. Fold in basil and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

7. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and/or pepper, if  needed. 

Yields 2 cups. 

Enjoy!