It Was A Labor Of Love!

What a busy and fun filled weekend/last 4 days these have been! It started off with Sarah's mom's wedding and then Holly and Brad arrived! We did the wedding thing Friday night and had such a wonderful time! Sarah sang and it truly brought tears to my eyes! I've always heard about her incredible voice but you don't really know until you hear it for yourself! Wow! It was THAT good! I am surrounded by a lot of talented vocalists! My daughter in law has an AMAZING voice and has just recorded and written her own songs and yes….Holly can sing as well! I would love to hear the three of them together one day! Anyway, on Saturday I cooked until I couldn't cook any more! And I'm not making that up! It was a lot of work…a labor of love for sure! But I knew it would pay off and we would enjoy a yummy labor day of just hanging out and eating and relaxing once Holly and Brad showed up on Sunday.

And eat we did! I tried my hand at ribs for the FIRST time! They were amazing! I'm not ashamed to admit it! I did them in the oven and look forward to cooking them again! NEXT YEAR!! 

The ribs were not hard at all and I will post the recipes at the end of this post in case you want to try it for yourself!

I also did a barbecue roast in the crock pot and it was divine! I love an English cut roast…mainly because that's what my grandmother used to fix and always told me they were the best…I don't cook anything but that cut and never have. I'm sure a chuck roast would do fine but I'm sticking with the tried and true! Plus….it just reminds me of my grandmother, Laura! ( and I miss her!)

This recipe will also be at the bottom of the post.

We had yummy baked beans….

deviled eggs that Sarah announced were her favorite! 

coleslaw that we picked up from Chick Fil A

and my favorite homemade potato salad!

In the meantime….while dinner was heating we all headed out for some quick photo opps after the rain…of course it felt like we were in the Amazon thanks to the humidity levels that had to be 150% or more!

In general…we just had fun! I was thankful that almost all of my children were home…we missed Mitch, Britney and Layton but they were having a restful time away at the beach!

It was a labor of love in that it took a lot to prepare this meal but I wouldn't have had it any other way….it was a labor of love for Holly and Brad to make a quick trip home from New Orleans to be with Brad's family and then our family. It was a labor of love for sweet Sarah to come even though she wasn't feeling very well! But…when all is said and done…the things that are truly important to us as families usually involve many labors of love…some that aren't even seen in the process but we know in our hearts they are there. Miller never left our house the entire weekend once the wedding festivities were over with. He truly loves being at home and relaxing when he is home from Auburn and for that I am thankful…and very blessed!

Of course you didn't think we forgot about dessert did you? We finished the night off with a brand new pie recipe I found and one that will forever be in my recipe file! Wow….it was incredible!! 

Banana Butterscotch Pie with a hint of bourbon! When I say it was incredible….please listen to me! You have got to give this a try!
I hope you had a fabulous Labor Day weekend with family or friends or even both! I am thankful for a wonderful American holiday to celebrate our "labors" and those that labored before us.  I certainly want to always be thankful for my family that works so hard to always be together! What a tremendous blessing that is!

Ok…I hope you will try at least one of these recipes! They are definitely worth the effort!

 Barbecue Beef In A Slow Cooker

3 lb. English roast, trimmed well

1 3/4 C ketchup

1/4-1/2 C barbecue sauce of choice

1/4 C white vinegar

1/4 C packed brown sugar

2 T worcestershire sauce

2 T dijon mustard

1 t liquide smoke

1/2 t salt

1 t minced garlic

1/4 t pepper

1/2 t crushed red pepper

1 t hot sauce, optional

Place trimmed roast in a greased slow cooker. Mix all other ingredients well in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Pour over the roast and cook on low for 7-8 hours. When done, remove meat and shred with two forks. Place meat in an oven proof dish and pour 1 C sauce over the meat and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve with warm rolls…I used the yummy Sister Schubert rolls that are a little smaller than hamburger buns with the extra sauce on the side.

 Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs

Ok…the secret is out! I didn't make a dry rub once I saw this! It was truly amazing and I can't wait to try it again! Super easy recipe…two racks of baby back ribs trimmed well!

 ( I did learn that the other secret is using baby back ribs and not spare ribs if you want the best meat!) 

Place each rack of ribs in a double layer of foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of ribs generously with this seasoning. Pilleteri's "Rub A Butt" seasoning is the only way to go!

Seal foil very well and place both racks of ribs on one large baking sheet. Cook on 275 degrees for 3 hours…checking along the way. When meat is pulling off the bone…top with either your favorite homemade sauce or your favorite bottled sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray's because everything I read said to! Leave foil open and bake for 30 more minutes or place on very hot grill rack and grill for about 20 minutes. I had every intention of grilling them at the end but they were already so tender I could tell they would all just fall apart on the grill. No matter…they were divine!

And last but definitely NOT least!

The Banana Butterscotch Bourbon Pie!

Crust

1 box Vanilla wafer cookies, divided ( use about 44 cookies to make 2 Cups worth of crumbs for the crust)

1/2 C unsalted butter, melted

1 t bourbon, optional

2 1.4 oz Heath bars chopped finely

process cookies in a food processor. Blend with the melted butter and the bourbon. Press into a deep dish pie plate…making sure crust goes up the sides of the plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the chopped heath bars over the crust and let crust cool completely. 

*Top with 2 bananas, sliced and evenly distributed

Filling

3/4 C packed light brown sugar

1/2 C all purpose flour

1/8 t salt

6 large egg yolks

2 C whole milk

2 t vanilla

1-2 t bourbon, optional

whisk together the brown sugar, flour and salt in a heavy saucepan and add egg yolks and gradually add milk over low to medium heat whisking constantly. Cook for about 5-10 minutes or until it reaches a good pudding consistency. Add in vanilla and bourbon if desired. Pour half of the filling over the bananas.

*Top with the remaining vanilla wafers to make a single layer covering the pudding. Top with the remaining pudding. 

Meringue

4 large egg whites

1/2 C sugar

1 t bourbon, optional

Beat egg whites and bourbon until they start to stiffen and gradually add the sugar until stiff peaks begin to form. Top with pie with the meringue and bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes or until meringue begins to turn golden. Let the pie cool and then chill for at least 6-8 hours before serving. 

Enjoy!