Living 2 Eat |

Special thanks to Karen Brunetta of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada for this recipe.  You will note that this recipe can be used on chicken wings as well.

Coca-Cola Ribs

2-3 lbs. ribs

1 cup brown sugar

1 can Coca-Cola®

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbs. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

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In a large casserole, combine the brown sugar, Coca-Cola®, onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed.

Place ribs in sauce mixture.

Bake at 350F for 2 hours.

To thicken sauce, mix in a cornstarch mixture.

NOTE:  Delicious served with rice.

Coca-Cola advertising helped create the modern image of Santa Claus?  Or that Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth both painted for Coca-Cola, creating a beloved vision of mid-century American life?

Were you watching TV in July 1985 when Coca-Cola was the first soft drink consumed in space? Or maybe you saw the international exhibit of oversized Coke bottles, some more than 10 feet tall, featuring the folk art of more than 70 countries.

Carol Johnson of Turtle Lake, Wisconsin submitted this recipe and reports it to be great and will produce a very moist ham.

My sister has a similar recipe and it is wonderful.    The Coca-Cola has a way of tenderizing the meat and produces an incredible flavor.

Coca-Cola Ham

Ham (5-6 lb.)

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Coca-Cola®

1 cup crushed pineapple (optional)

Wash ham thoroughly. Rub fat side with brown sugar. Pour Coca-Cola over ham.

Pour crushed pineapple over ham.

Bake at 450F for 3 hours. Makes 6 servings.

Coca-Cola

The product that has given the world its best-known taste was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, a local pharmacist, produced the syrup for Coca-Cola®, and carried a jug of the new product down the street to Jacobs’ Pharmacy, where it was sampled, pronounced “excellent” and placed on sale for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink. Carbonated water was teamed with the new syrup to produce a drink that was at once “Delicious and Refreshing,” a theme that continues to echo today wherever Coca-Cola is enjoyed.

To read the entire history of Coca-Cola, click here.

For years my family has made these delicious onions and they work as a garnish or topping for many other delicious dishes (even pasta) and at holiday events. Some ideas: The onions can be eaten by themselves, served on steak, or mixed into mashed potatoes. Pour the leftover liquid on rice.

This recipe will produce a soft, sweet caramelized onion with a hint of smoky flavor. It’s easy and effortless.

Rod Rives

Birmingham, Alabama

USA

Southern Caramelized Vidalias

2-3 whole Vidalia onions

1 liter Coca-Cola classic®

2 teaspoons liquid steak seasoning (or more to taste)

In a 9 x 13 microwave-safe casserole dish, cut whole Vidalia onions into sections 1 ½ inches in length and around 3/4 inches wide.

Literally, float the cut onions in the Coca-Cola, adding more if necessary to cover all the onions in your dish. Add the steak seasoning into the liquid. (Liquid steak seasoning is quite potent and 1 bottle capful is usually enough.) Stir once to spread the seasoning.

Place in microwave and cook for 20 minutes on high or 30 minutes on medium setting.

Calling all cooks, calling all cooks…

Do you have a great recipe for Rum Cake? 

If yes, Denise Plunkett needs it ASAP.   Please post in the COMMENT section of this request.

“I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” had its origins on January 18, 1971, in a London fog. Bill Backer, creative director on the Coca-Cola account for the McCann-Erickson advertising agency, was flying to London to meet up with Billy Davis, the music director on the Coca-Cola account, to write radio commercials with two successful British songwriters, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, to be recorded by the New Seekers, a popular British singing group.

The heavy fog in London forced the plane to land in Shannon, Ireland. Passengers had to remain near the airport in case the fog lifted. Some of them were furious about their accommodations. By the next day, Backer saw some of the most irate passengers in the airport cafe. Brought together by a common experience, many were now laughing and sharing stories over snacks and bottles of Coca-Cola.

To see the most beloved Coca-Cola commercial of all time, click here.

This recipe comes from Jenna C. Haldeman of Tigard, Oregon.   She notes that you can also use 1lb of chicken wings, trimmed.  Consider using skewers to make easier to eat if serving for a reception / non seated dinner.

Coca Cola Chicken Teriyaki

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into strips

1 C soy sauce

1/2 C Coca-Cola®

2 Tbsp orange juice

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt, pepper and chili powder to taste

1/4 C vegetable oil

Combine all marinade ingredients and marinate chicken overnight.

Place chicken on a well-oiled pan and bake at 350F for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, slide chicken around in the pan to sop up the caramelized sauce, baste with additional marinade and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Sunday – October 19, 2008

Dear Foodies,

Two nights ago, I received word from a good friend who is a minister requesting my assistance in helping him book a rental car in Flint, Michigan.  His beloved grandmother passed away and the rates he was given were nearing highway robbery.

Having recently left a job that required extensive travel in/out of the State of Michigan, I was quite familiar with the Flint airport and the staff.  I immediately phoned my contact at the local Hertz desk and arranged for my friend to have a great car for pennies.   

This month I have purposely held off on remembering the dozens of clergy I know as I wanted to insure that I could do something really great for just one of them and make it meaningful.   I felt certain that my finances would not allow for a gift for each, however, for one I could do something nice.

The communication requesting help with the rental car reminded me of something so basic… we each have the ability to do something major for the clergy without having to spend money.   My dear bereaved friend was elated with his newly found rental car deal, and I was somewhat bewildered as I didn’t think my actions were anything noteworthy.   My friend reminded me that it was a huge deal to him.

As we are rapidly closing out of October, let us remember that this month is dedicated to Clergy Appreciation.   Regardless of our economic abilities, we all have the ability to do something powerful for those fearless spiritual leaders we count upon.

Good cookin’

Ben

Anyone raised in a Southern Christian home knew that Sunday’s meant pot roast because it could cook while at church, and if Southern Baptist, no alcohol.   The house wines of the South are either ‘sweet tea’ or a ‘co-cola’ (aka Coke, Coca-Cola).

Coke’s corporate headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia and is as Southern as fried chicken.   Although Pepsi was invented in North Carolina, it is Coke that remains the soft drink of choice for the true Southerner.   This carbonated liquid is used in countless recipes and is known to tenderize meat, energize cake frosting, and make a Jell-O salad sparkle.

By the way, when the Coca-Cola Company offered up a “New Coke” in the 1980’s, they had such a public backlash they immediately brought back the original recipe.   The South loves Coke and we use it in countless ways.  If you have a unique use for it, please let us know.

Coca-Cola Crock Pot Roast

1 sirloin tip roast or boneless chuck roast

1 can Coca-Cola

1 medium onion, cut up

15 ounces small whole potatoes

15 ounces sliced carrots

4 ounces chopped mushrooms

Wash meat and place in crock pot;  add onions and Coke.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook on high for 6 – 8 hours.

In last hour, add potatoes, carrots and mushrooms.  Allow to cook for at least another hour.   Meat should fall apart.

If you want to cook it on low, it will take around 12 hours.  For leftovers, add tomatoes, corn, celery, and beans.    Add a gravy mix and you have a good stew or soup.