A Well Rubbed Rack...

I used to not eat meat. Buffalo chicken and ribs brought me back to reality and I am forever grateful.  When I normally buy ribs, I buy "country" style which are a little bigger, a little fattier and come in pieces that fit perfectly in my crockpot. However, a whole entire rack of ribs was on sale this week so I decided to give those a chance...the traditional, "fall off the bone," "finger lickin' good" type you'd get in a restuarant.  These did not fit in my crockpot.  So what to do when I'm in need of some culinary advice...go to facebook!

I knew I wanted to barbecue them but the last time I made a huge rack they didn't come out so good. Like didn't fall off the bone. At all. And were super tough and couldn't even be eaten, hence no finger lickin.'  I was told by a few people to boil them first, which I thought was kinda odd.  Usually boiling cooks all the nutrients out of your food and I wasn't too sold on doing that to this lovely rack of ribs. I did it anyways then grilled them.  They were pretty much inedible.  My solution was the "country style" that fit in the crockpot. These come out amazing but it's just not the same experience as digging your ravenous teeth into a huge chunk meat and ripping the succulent pork off the bone like the natural meat eaters we are.

When I'm not totally confident in how to make something, I usually search a ton of recipes and take bits and pieces that I like to make them my own. That's what I magically did with these ribs and they were just about perfect! I adjusted the time in the oven so the meat falls off a bit more.  My husband threw the rub together and massaged it into the ribs and I did the rest. I do have to warn you, unlike most of my other recipes, this one takes several hours to cook...but come out so good they will be gone within minutes.

BBQ Ribs

• One full rack of ribs
• 2 tbs paprika
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chicken stock...beer would probably work good too!
• Sweet Baby Ray's
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 1tbs water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar

Combine all your spices in a bowl. Rub thoroughly on both sides of the ribs. Put in an oven proof baking dish and cover with saran wrap and tin foil then put in the fridge for about 2 hrs.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Place ribs in. They will need to cook for 3-4 hours. After 2 hours, pour your chicken stock in the pan and coat the ribs with the barbecue sauce.

After about 4 hours, place them on the grill over medium high heat. Cook on both sides for about 7 minutes or until it has a char that you like.  Brush with more barbecue sauce if you want!

Now for some dipping sauce. Pour the leftover juices from the baking dish into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

In a separate bowl combine the water and cornstarch. This helps it not get lumpy when you add it in.

Lower the temperature to a simmer. Add the brown sugar and vinegar. Whisk in the cornstarch to the sauce. It should thicken within seconds, if not add a little more.

It should be done at the moment your ribs are.





































We made grilled corn on the cob too which is my favorite way to eat it. Put a piece of corn, a slab of butter and your favorite spices in a foil package. Grill for about 20 minutes but make sure you move it around in between so it caramelizes evenly.




 You're Welcome

Last Minute Marsala

Somehow in between baking dozens of cupcakes for a fundraiser this weekend, I managed to make an amazingly delicious and pretty nutritious meal...and squeeze in a power nap. Usually when I have a huge amount of cupcakes to bake, we order out. Being as we are on a budget like most people, I figured I'd just make something quick.

I honestly wasn't expecting this to come out so good considering how quickly I threw it together and didn't really measure so hope my amounts below are accurate. I must have said "wow" at least 10 times when I was eating this, and I never say that about my food. But seriously, wow.  It made me think of the scene in What About Bob when Bill Murray is eating dinner at table with Richard Dreyfuss' family...."Mmmm, mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm....Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmm, mmmmm. MMMMMMMM!" If you don't' know what I'm referring to, please go watch this movie immediately. My dad introduced us to the best movies.

Baby bella mushrooms were on sale last week so I had some in my fridge. I always have chicken on hand. My husband loves chicken and mushrooms....Chicken Marsala!  I rarely ever make it so that's what I did. The main ingredient in this dish is marsala wine which has it's own unique flavor and hard to substitute. Cooking with wine on a budget?! I bought 16oz bottle of marsala cooking wine by Holland House for a whopping $4.00 at the grocery store. You can find it at the package store for pretty cheap too.  It's an Italian wine, similar to a port wine or dry sherry but is what makes chicken marsala, chicken marsala.  I wouldn't recommend substituting it...just make the trip to the grocery store or package store, it'll be worth it.

You can serve this over cauliflower rice, brown rice or, mashed potatoes would be even better...but all I had was veggie noodles, which worked just as good and maybe a bit healthier.

Chicken Marsala
serves 2-3

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup flour (if you wanna make it gluten free, use corn starch)
• 3/4 cup marsala wine
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup of sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt
• pepper

Pound out your chicken and cut the fat off. Combine oregano, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Dredge your chicken in the flour lightly on both sides.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat.

Cook chicken for about 4 minutes on both sides.  Set aside. I put mine in a casserole dish and in the oven on a super low temperature to keep it warm.

In the same pan, saute your mushrooms and onions. After they cook for about 3 minutes, add your chicken stock, marsala wine and balsamic vinegar. Add parsley and more salt and pepper to taste.

Let simmer for about 8 minutes. There should be enough leftover flour from the chicken to make a nice brown sauce.

Pour this over the chicken and serve. 

We had it with veggie noodles and KALE! I say that with excitement because I haven't eaten kale in over a year. I was eating it religiously for a while and trying new ways to cook it. Finally made some kale chips in the oven with sea salt and I ate them all in one night. Me and kale parted ways later that night as I tossed and turned in bed. I never thought I would eat it again. But it was pretty cheap at the grocery store so I bought some.



We have no more kale now.  Or leftovers.

Pineapple Makes Everything Better

I wish I had a pineapple plant in my backyard. Yep, it's a plant. I am obsessed with it. Seriously can't think of one thing that wouldn't taste good if it had pineapple in it. And please never buy it in a can, unless you enjoy metallic, corn syrupy, yellow mush. Sweet, sour, spicy, savory...it can be anything you want.  Grilled, chopped,  sprinkled on anything. My favorite way to eat it is on pizza. With bacon. I ate it pretty much everyday in Hawaii. When I came back, I needed it on everything. I miss Hawaii.

Look for a pineapple that has even coloring

One of my favorite summer salads has pineapple in it. It's not quite summer yet, but I am in the mood for pineapple all the time. You can actually serve this salad with just about anything. Over steak, on top of a piece of fish, as a side dish with some tortilla chips, lettuce wraps or all by itself. And it's just stupid easy to make...

Black Bean Summer Salad

Serves 4-6 people

• One can of Black Beans...I don't have the patience for soaking them 
• 1/2 cup of diced red bell pepper (I think I used about 1/2 of a whole pepper)
• 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• juice of one whole lime
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 of a jalapeno, finely diced
• 2 TBS fresh cilantro (I made the mistake of buying it dried once because I absolutely love this herb but can never finish a whole bunch and it doesn't freeze well...it was a complete waste because it has no flavor whatsoever. Now I just come up with stuff to make just to use it all up. Not such a bad thing!)

Drain your beans really well. In a large bowl, throw in your beans, onions, peppers, jalapenos and cilantro.  *A good tip to chop your cilantro is to take the back of the knife you just used to mince your garlic and "scrape" off the leaves.  Once you have a good pile, scrunch it all together and chop away.
Combine your olive oil, lime juice, salt and garlic. 

Pour on top of the bean mixture.

You should really let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours so all the flavors really soak in. I would recommend adding the pinepple shortly before you are ready to serve it. That way the pineapple stays nice and firm and juicy.

Enjoy because it won't last very long!
 

You're Welcome.