This recipe can not be found in any cookbook. In fact, I coined the name for this bread myself. It is bread that I enjoyed when eating bologna sandwiches during my early school days growing up in New Jersey.

I first came across this strange bread during school lunch break. Across from my school, in the middle of Newark, New Jersey was my favorite deli. There was always a line of students waiting to get their freshly baked bread with their favorite meat and cheese.

Then during my high school years, I found this bread again. My palate was beginning to develop and I had gone from bologna sandwiches to Italian style hot dogs. This is a fantastic hot dog sandwich stuffed into a cut half of flying saucer bread covered with mustard, peppers, onions and fried potatoes.

Later, I found out that this bread has been made for centuries in the Middle East. There are many different versions similar to pita bread or Armenian bread. My version is unique and was derived from my pizza dough recipe. Here is my recipe and I hope you enjoy it!

Poolish:

A poolish is a bakers term that is used in making Italian and French breads. It enhances the flavor of the bread.

1 – Cup of flour

1 – Cup of water or buttermilk

1 – Pinch of yeast

Mix the flour water and yeast until it looks like a pancake batter. Store the poolish in a plastic container and let it sit overnight in a warm place. The next day the poolish should be bubbly and ready to make your dough. Try the poolish with both water and buttermilk and see which one you like better.

Dough Ingredients:

3 – cups of flour

1 – cup of warm water

1 – teaspoon of salt

1 – teaspoon of yeast

1 – tablespoon of olive oil (optional)

Add the poolish to the above ingredients and kneed your dough until smooth. Add a little more flour if needed. Then place your dough in a covered container and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. After that let your dough slowly rise in the refrigerator overnight.

First Rise:

The next day take your dough out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, this takes about 2 hours.Be sure to provide a warm place for your dough for its first rise. When it has almost doubled in size it is ready to form into rounds.

Second Rise:

Use a large flat cooking pan and spray with olive oil. Shape your dough into 4 round flying saucer shaped buns and place them on the cooking pan. Each saucer should be about 6 or 7 inches around. Cover them with a light plastic wrap that has been sprayed with olive oil. Let them rise again for about an hour or more. They should be puffed out a little.

Baking:

Set your oven temperature to about 400 degrees and cook about 15-18 minutes. They should be a light brown when done. Let them sit out to cool before cutting.

When cool cut in half and split the center open so that you can stuff your sandwich meat or hot dog in it. This recipe makes 8 – half rounds of flying saucer bread. Enjoy!

All women crave for a perfect skin condition. As a result, most of them resort to all kinds of means such as regular beauty salon visits or purchasing high-priced cosmetics, to get a shiny and even skin. It turns out that most conventional skincare treatments are full of chemicals, perfume, alcohol and preservatives that may harm your skin in the end. On the other hand, organic skincare products are soft on the skin and they are safe. Thus, there are many advantages of turning to organic skincare methods. This article considers some of them.

Regular exercises. Stress is one of the major causes of poor skin condition, especially acne. Regular exercise are a great means of combating stress. Therefore, they are the first and foremost step in natural and organic skincare. Moreover, performing physical exercises on a daily basis gives an incomparable freshness to the skin because more and more oxygen is generated in the organism. They help strengthen your immune system which becomes better at cleaning the body of dead cells and replacing them with newly generated clean ones. As a result, the skin is cleaned of dead cells from every part of the body making it look shining and healthy. Also exercising yoga can have a great effect on the whole body improving the way your skin looks.

Topical appliances. To get a fresh and shiny skin it’s important to keep it always clean, toned and moisturized. Thus, you should undertake cleansing, toning and moisturizing on a regular basis. Rub your skin with baking soda being in the shower. Put egg yolk mixed with honey on the skin, leave it on for twenty minutes, and wash it off. This is great for tender skin. Use olive oil in order to moisturize your skin. Make use of dry brush exfoliation in the morning prior to taking a bath or shower. This will help you eliminates the dead skin from your body and improve the blood circulation. Avocados are a great treatment for dry skin. Just mash it and out on your face. Wash it off after twenty minutes.

Healthy nutrition. One of the most important organic skincare tips is to stick to a well balanced diet. The food consumed should be hygienical so that it doesn’t trouble the regular body function and add up to it instead of taking away from it. To get a smooth skin, it is necessary that you include some of the fish, fruits and vegetables, olive oil and flaxseed, which are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Calcium rich foods like yogurt and milk that are high in vitamin A make the skin great too. Try to avoid high carbohydrate rich products such as cakes, cookies, potatoes, jams, sweet potatoes and syrups. All of them can cause poor skin condition and presence of excessive in your body. Avoid sugar by all means, or eat them in very limited amounts.

Sufficient amount of water. The most affordable way to keep your skin healthy is to drink much water every day. Drinking about two gallons (up to 10 glasses of water) a day has a refreshing effect upon the skin. Water improves the digestive system preventing such skin disorders as boils, which usually occur due to stomach problems. Water moisturizes the skin and prevents development of lines or wrinkles on it.

Children of any age do not feed themselves; they don’t go to the supermarket and buy their food. They do not decide on the weekly menu. They do not buy sodas or artificial snacks; they eat what you, as a parent, give them to eat. We all know that school meals lack a lot in nutrition and are abundant on grease and carbohydrates. As parents we also know that many times it has been easier to buy fast food on the way home after a tough day than it is to cook something nutritious and healthy. We are responsible for our children’s wellbeing; it is our hands to prevent our child from becoming a diabetic at an early age.

There are things you can do before it is too late, now is the time to do them. There isn’t much you can do about the school menu, but you can speak with the person in charge of the cafeteria to keep your child away from the mashed potatoes and fried food. Ask this person to help you by giving your kid salad, fruit and food which has little or no fat and carbohydrates. If this does not work, pack him a lunch to take to school. A little sacrifice on your part will go a long way for your child’s health.

Plan your dinner menus ahead of time. Keep the carbohydrates down and add more fresh products like salad and less pasta and fatty foods. We know you are tired after a long day at work so program to do part of the week’s cooking on Saturday or Sunday, put it in the fridge so all you have to do is warm it up and serve. This will save you preparation time and will be easier on your tired feet and brain. Avoid second servings for the children and taking their dinner to their rooms. Dinner at the table allows for family time and it also permits you to control food intake.

If your kids do not like sports, it is fine too. Take them for a walk in the park, or cruise the mal with them for half an hour to one hour. Believe it or not, walking is a great exercise and calorie burner. Keep a tight control over games, computers and television sets, assign your children shores in the garden and pay them a little something when these shores are done. The exercise, the sun, the job and payment will do wonders for their spirits and bodies too. You have to be creative to keep them on the move, hibernating or hanging out on a cushion or bed is bad for them. Plan trips to the local museum or amusement park, or community swimming pool; make them walk, make them move around, exercise is the key to health.

Sweets, junk food and sodas are your greatest enemies. Do not keep them at home, this does not mean you will never eat or drink them; sure you can, but do it occasionally and not as a routine. Kids do not need dessert every night, leave it for special occasions. They do not need sodas, sodas do not even quench your thirst, help them to get used to drinking water, lots of water every day. The same thing goes for junk food; leave it for the times you are out of the house, at the mall, or the movies anywhere but inside your house. Teach your kids to eat well and they will live well.

Go the extra mile today and your children will get used to good food and drink. They will grow stronger and feel better when they exercise and spend time outdoors. They will learn to manage their time better and will become better students and will communicate better with you and between themselves when they lose that horrible addiction to video games and television. Restraining their gaming and television watching time will help them to learn communication and interaction skills they do not need now because they communicate with machines, not people.

It is not easy and we know that the younger generations have fallen into a lethal trap. They have lost their ability to express feelings and to communicate thoughts. If this goes on for too long it is possible that they will not speak or think anymore. They themselves will become machines. Some of horrible episodes we see today on the news have started with a lonely kid who is locked within himself and his mind; a kid who hates himself because he is fat or different from his peers. This is the age of communication, it is true, but we should be communicating between us not with machines. We should use all these contraptions to improve human communication not loneliness.

Chowder Soups have been around for ages. But how did they get started and why are they so popular? Read on for a little chowder soup history… you’ll have a mouth-watering experience, I guarantee it!

Chowder is typically a rich, creamy soup that is chock full of all kinds of ingredients that make it similar to a stew. The ingredients usually include seafood, vegetables and cream. However, over time, the basic seafood chowder has evolved to include all kinds of different flavors and textures.

Traditionally made chowder has a base of bacon and is thickened up with crackers that have been broken into the base. Today, there are all kinds of variations using everything from seafood and poultry, to just using vegetables – a good example is corn chowder.

Famous chowders are found here in the United States. And THE MOST famous one would be Clam Chowder! There are two styles of clam chowder. One is called New England style clam chowder and uses a base of cream. The other popular version of clam chowder is called Manhattan style clam chowder and it uses a base of pureed tomatoes. Both are very delicious and each has a hearty and warm flavor that pleases most palates.

In earlier days, the seafaring communities developed slightly different flavors of chowders. The local fishermen would throw samples of their catches into a large cauldron or pot and boil the chunks of fish with all kinds of vegetables and potatoes. France calls this chowder soup “Chaudiere” – which is the name of the pot it is cooked in. The French also liked to throw in smashed crackers and biscuits to make the soup thicken into a stew-like consistency.

Americans adopted this seafood stew from the French settlers in the Northern colonies. “Chaudiere” eventually became “Chowder” to Americans and the first known and written recipe used that name for it’s header in 1751. History tells us, however, that the recipe was extremely popular long before this so-called first written recipe. A good example is the British. They made their form of the seafood stew for many years before it became popular in the United States.

The early American Chowder soups included onions, bacon, fish, all kinds of spices, crackers or biscuits, claret and water and are often mistaken for bisque soups. But there is a difference between chowders and bisques. But that’s a whole different story. You can find out more about Bisque Soups at the Soup Hoopla website – just follow the link below.

In the 1800’s American cooks started to make the transition to using clams in their recipes – mostly because of the abundance of shell fish found in the New Colonies. Cooks began experimenting and adding cream to the chowders. They then began to differentiate different and unique types of chowder based on the ingredients used. Thus, other types of chowders appeared such as the above mentioned Corn Chowder or Sausage Bean Chowder or Beef Chowder.

Therefore, Chowder doesn’t always have to include seafood. It’s believed that all kinds of vegetable or meat chowders came into existence because the cook was just using up whatever ingredients he or she had lying around the kitchen.

By now you know that chowder comes in many flavors and is generally loved by all. You can try some of the recipes I have listed at my Soup Hoopla Web site and in addition to that, I have great instructions for making a basic chowder.

When you eat chowder, you are partaking in a little bit history too. Enjoy it and reflect on the abundance this country has to offer us.

Vacuum Food Sealers can save food by keeping it fresh up to 5 times longer! In fact, you can save thousands of dollars a year on wasted food alone. For example: If you purchased $4845.00 at the super market or $2760.00 at a warehouse club a year, you could realize a potential savings of 43% or about $2080.00 a year* (or $175.00 a month) just by vacuum sealing your food left-overs. Not to mention, think of the gas savings by not traveling so much to the grocery store all the time.

Simply put, AIR is the enemy of food, as well as collectibles and documents. The oxidation caused by air robs food of its fresh taste and causes collectibles to tarnish and documents to fall apart with age. By using a Vacuum Food Sealer you can realize dollar savings or memory savings.

Here’s another example: OK, so you just got back from the grocery store. Sales were huge so you bought a lot of food to try to save money. But wait, there’s no more room in the refrigerator to put it. Well if you had a Vacuum Food Sealer you could then prepare a bunch of meals for the week then seal them up in individual packages and put them in the freezer.

Just think, when you get home from a busy day at the office and don’t feel like cooking, go to the freezer and pull out a ready made meal, cut open the bag, put in on a plate, pop it into the microwave and poof you’re ready to eat.

Here’s something that I do. I prepare a meatloaf with about a pound of hamburg, bread crumbs, a couple of eggs, ketchup and onions. At the same time I make enough mashed potatoes and green beans for about 3 to 4 meals. When everything is all done, I prepare a meal on as many paper plates that I have food for, slip each meal into a Food Sealer Bag and seal it up then just put into the freezer. You may want to cover the meal with another paper plate just so you don’t squash everything together.

You can do this very same thing with just about any meal combination you can think of. The benefits? Well, after a long hard day at the office, I don’t have to spend a long time preparing something to eat. I just go to the freezer, find what I want to eat, slit a hole in the bag and pop it into the microwave and poof dinner is ready in minutes.

*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Consumer Expenditure Survey 2005.

Three main components make up this burrito recipe: meat, beans, and sauce. All are simple and easy to prepare, but the sauce is where the real flavor lies. Just drop the ingredients in a food processor, give it a few spins, and you’re done.

A word about the beans: We all know canned refried beans are readily available in grocery stores, but cooking dried pintos and giving them a quick mash takes very little effort. And the flavor and texture are worth it. Canned beans tend to have the consistency of pureed mush. Mashing cooked beans with a potato masher leaves a few lumps and little pieces of the beans intact-just the texture you want.

Makes 5 burritos

Ingredients

For the Beans

• 1 cup dry pinto beans
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 very small onion, chopped
• 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce

• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp adobo sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• sea salt

For the Grilled Beef

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chile powder
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 4-oz Kansas City steaks (or 2 thin, 6-oz rib-eyes)
• olive oil for brushing, plus 1 tbsp
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 5 burrito-sized tortillas, warmed
• shredded cheddar cheese and cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

Preparation

For the Beans

1. Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let soak 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans in a colander.
2. Heat the same pot over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add the rinsed beans and broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly until the beans are tender, about 1-1/4 hours. (There should still be enough liquid in the pot to almost reach the top of the beans.)
4. Use a potato masher to mash the beans, leaving some pieces of whole beans.

Make ahead: If you’re not using the beans right away, place them in a sealable container and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. (Warm gently over very low heat in a nonstick pan before using.)

For the Sauce

1. Place the first 5 ingredients (through lime juice) in a food processor. Process until chunky smooth.
2. Add the broth and season with salt. Continue processing until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

For the Grilled Beef

1. Combine the cumin, chile powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with the spice mixture.
2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with oil. Grill the steaks until charred on the outside and pink on the inside, about 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, 6-7 minutes.
4. Slice the steaks very thinly and add to the skillet. Add the reserved sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes.

To assemble the burritos, lay the tortillas on a work surface and spread a generous amount of mashed beans down the center of each, leaving about a 1-inch edge on the bottom. Top the beans with the beef and sauce mixture. Top with cheese and cilantro leaves (if using). Fold up the bottom edge of each tortilla and fold the sides over, pressing gently to adhere. Serve right away.

Attention deficiency disorder (ADD) or attention deficiency and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might not kill you, but its adverse effects could last a lifetime. While there are various possible inborn causes for ADHD, letting your child watch too much television at an early age can also increase the chance of your child having this condition. In conclusion, television do contribute to ADD and ADHD.

What is ADD or ADHD?

As the causes for ADD or ADHD are unknown, all children are vulnerable to this condition. When your child has ADD or ADHD, he may suffer from difficulties with concentration, impulsiveness, memory recall, organization, following instructions, and of course, attention and hyperactivity.

There is also no known cure for ADD or ADHD, although there are available medications and treatments in the market to help people manage their condition. Nevertheless, children who have been diagnosed of having ADD or ADHD should expect their condition to stay with them in their lifetime.

The Role that Television Plays on ADD or ADHD

Although people had initially rejoiced at the wonderful invention of the television in 1928, it was gradually perceived in an increasingly negative light as its effects on children became clear.

Watching too much television had been commonly blamed for causing children to become lazy, obese, and violent. The term “couch potato” was coined in reference to individuals who seem never to leave the couch because of watching too much television. These “couch potatoes” are then prone to becoming lazy and increasing weight because of their sedentary choice of hobby.

People, especially children, are also prone to copy what they see and that’s why watching violent films or programs frequently can give also give them violent tendencies.

These are not, however, the only negative effects caused by watching too much television. Researchers have also discovered that watching too much television for children between one and three years old can lead them to suffer from attention problems when they turn seven or enter primary school. It also increases chances by ten percent for kids developing ADHD.

Tips for Balancing Television Exposure to Avoid ADD or ADHD

Your child doesn’t need to lead a completely television-free existence for the rest of his life, but you do need to monitor the hours he consumes for television each day to decrease chances of ADD or ADHD from occurring.

Doctors agree in saying that television exposure is not beneficial for children below two years old. In this phase of your child’s life, he should focus on developing and honing his physical and mental abilities, both of which could be greatly hampered by early television exposure.

Do not use the television set as a substitute nanny. Television may keep your child still and safe within your house for long hours, but it’s doing him more harm than good. If you don’t have time to entertain or take care of him, hire a real nanny who could entertain your child by reading books, playing interactive academic games, and various hobbies and craft activities.

You can start letting your child watch television between ages three and five. In fact, television exposure at this age can lead to improved scholastic performance, provided you let him watch the right programs of course.

Be aware of what your child is watching on television. While most parents categorize programs according to content and value, you should also consider the show’s editing and pacing. Sometimes, television shows are made of incredibly fast edits and scene progression that your child ends up focusing completely on the show. It doesn’t mean he understands everything, but it definitely holds his attention.

This process is called orienting reflex, and it could make your child become impatient, bored, and frustrated when they are confronted by inevitable delays in the real world.

Thus, it’s important to exert your control and authority early on as regard to what and when your child should watch television. Avoid letting him watch programs that are not only violent in nature but also uses too much orienting reflex in their editing.

Last and most importantly of all, spend quality time with your child so he won’t need to resort to the television for entertainment all the time. Constantly test and hone his attention and focus skills through games and teach him the importance of interaction with other kids. This way, television won’t cause ADD or ADHD to develop.

The tofu, vegetable stir-fry is one of my staple dinners. The great thing about this meal is its versatility. For instance, today I had broccoli, carrots, black and maitake mushrooms. At other times, I’ve used bok choy, bell peppers, and onions. Or, spinach, sweet potatoes and snow peas. Really, whatever you have at hand will be delicious, so get creative!

The next layer of flexibility comes with the tofu. Tofu is a fabulous replacement for meat in many dishes, and a great source of lean protein. As a bonus, it can be cooked a million different ways: baked, fried, braised, sautéed, you name it. The diverse ways of preparing tofu provide an entirely varied textural and taste experience. For this stir-fry, I pan fried my tofu, which gives it a beautiful, crispy exterior, leaving it soft and smooth inside. Each particular method will allow the tofu to absorb the flavorings in different ways and give you a wider variety of options in your cooking.

One of the most common fears about converting to a plant based diet is a dramatic decrease in variety. The prevailing misconception is that we eat the same thing all the time. Well, hopefully, if you’ve been following my blog for even a short time, you can see that’s not true. According to Jonathan Safran Foer, Americans eat less than one quarter of one percent of all edible foods. Still think an omnivorous diet is varied? In reality, transitioning to a vegan diet forced me to step outside my comfort zone and embrace dozens of foods I had never tried before. For example, in my former life, stir fry would have been served on white or brown rice. Now I play with tons of different grains like bulgur, cracked wheat berries, millet, quinoa, cornmeal, and those are just the grains I eat for breakfast! I now feel more playful toward my food, engaging in a creative experimentation with a wider range of ingredients, instead of substituting a different meat to achieve so-called variety. So, just because a stir-fry always contains tofu, veggies, and whole grains doesn’t mean it will ever taste remotely the same. The possibilities for your meal when you factor in sauce, tofu preparation, and possible vegetables, as well as choice of grains, become truly unlimited.

If you are trying to watch your figure without sacrificing any fabulous flavor, there are many light dinner ideas that won’t leave you spending hours in the kitchen after a long work day and will leave your stomach feeling satisfied. One of the easiest way to cut out calories is to hold off on the starches in your meal. Gone are the days where starches like rice or potatoes were a dinner staple. Instead, opt for double the fresh vegetables or a piece of fresh fruit that will give your palette a feeling of having dessert without your tongue touching a pudding or a piece of cake!

If you have a left over protein from the night before, why not make a fresh and delicious salad for dinner? Take some sliced lean beef and toss it with crisp iceberg lettuce, a small amount of bleu cheese crumbles, some sautéed red onions and some roasted red peppers and you have a filling and healthy dinner within minutes. The same goes for grilled chicken. Simply dice it up and add it to romaine lettuce, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a light dressing and you have a tasty and low-calorie Caesar salad for dinner. You can use the Caesar option with grilled shrimp or salmon as well for a nice alternative. Salads are a great way to get all of your vegetables into one meal and adding a protein gives you the healthy fats and vitamins that you need only in smaller amounts, so your stomach fills up quicker, leaving you with less of a desire to go back for seconds.

Take advantage of warm evenings and use your grill for a tasty meal. There are so many light dinner ideas you can use when working with the grill. A nice piece of fish with a tangy marinade is just the perfect light meal that won’t leave you feeling too full. Pair that with some grilled vegetables like zucchini, onions and corn on the cob and you have a complete meal, and the very best thing about it is the easy clean up! No pots or pans will need scrubbing!

Preparing food for a large group of people is no easy feat. More ingredients will be used which means more time is needed for preparation and cooking. However, if you own a crock pot, cooking will be much easier whether you’re cooking for a crowd or not. All you have to do is prepare the ingredients, throw them into the pot and wait for the dish to cook – you’ll have more time to prepare other dishes!

Try these great crock pot recipes for big groups of people:

Crock Pot Balsamic Beef

What you need:

• 1 3/4 kilograms boneless round roast beef
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper

Combine garlic, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, honey and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Rub roast beef with kosher salt and ground black pepper then place in a slow cooker. Pour balsamic mixture all over meat. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low. When ready, shred meat apart in the crock pot using 2 large forks. Serve over mashed potatoes, cooked rice or as sandwiches.

Chick N Cheese Slow Cooked Taquitos

What you need:

• 8 pieces 8-inch whole grain tortillas
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 package all-natural taco seasoning mix

Rub the taco seasoning all over chicken breasts then place meat in a crock pot. Pour chicken broth all over chicken. Cover and cook for 4 to 5 hours on low. When ready, shred chicken. Add cream cheese and salsa to the pot and stir to coat chicken. Spread tortillas on a flat surface and distribute chicken mixture to each. Tp each with shredded cheese. Roll up tortillas then place on a baking sheet seam side down. Bake in a pre-heated oven (400F) until tortillas are golden brown and cheese has melted, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Delicious Crock Pot Thyme Short Ribs

What you need:

• 1 3/4 kilograms beef short ribs
• 2 pieces fresh thyme
• 2 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1 cup red wine
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat then cook short ribs until brown on all sides. Remove from pan and replace with onion and garlic. Cook until tender. Place cooked beef, onion and garlic in a slow cooker. Combine red wine, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl and pour over beef in the slow cooker. Place thyme on top of the meat. Cover and cook for 7 to 8 hours on low.

Have to feed a crowd? No worries – these great crock pot recipes are here to save the day!