Baby Back Ribs

It's 45 days to retirement, and the last hurdle has been jumped. We have health insurance starting July 1st. It wasn't easy sorting through the bazillion and one options and plans - and at soon-to-be 66 years of age, this is the first time in my life I have ever had to think about it.

I was in Kaiser for all of my childhood and any time I was living in San Francisco, and any other time, I was covered under an employer plan.  I've always been employed. I've always had health coverage. I've rarely had to use it - but it's been there...

Fast-Forward to today, and I was as lost as lost can be trying to sort out HMO Plans, PPO Plans, Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Gap Plans, Drug Plans... It could not be any more confusing. Okay. Not true. It can - and probably will - get a lot more confusing if these assholes in Congress get their way. If a reasonably well-educated person can't figure this stuff out, I really don't see how the poor and downtrodden in this country can...

We need a Single Payer Health System in this country. Period.

</rant>

So...

In celebration of having health insurance, I decided ribs, baked beans, and corn was the perfect Independence-type Day menu. And baby back ribs the perfect choice.

I'm a bit over the top, right now, when it comes to herbs and spices. Well... right now is a bit of a misnomer. I'm always over the top when it comes to herbs and spices - I'm just a bit more than my normal.

And that doesn't include the baking and salt cabinet. Yeah... there's a whole shelf just for different salts. I'm going to have to see if this particular illness is covered under my new health plan...

I decided to make a batch of rib rub because, why not?!?

Rib Rub

  • 1/3 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Penzeys Ozark seasoning
  • 1/4 cup smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp mustard powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper

Mix and store in an airtight container.

It went all over the ribs, the ribs were wrapped, and put into a 225°F oven for three hours.

When they came out...

They were liberally doused with our own Smoky Sweet BBQ Sauce and placed on the grill for about 15 minutes.

Fall-off-the-bone tenderness...

Corn on the cob and Phoebe's Baked Beans were all it took to complete the meal.

We're eating well in soon-to-be-retirement-land. And if things ever get tight, I know a lot of ways to make beans.

 


Burgers 'n' Peppers

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Fresh peppers and onions, a burger on the grill... buttery fried potatoes... Dinner is served.

I picked up a 3-pack of red, yellow, and orange peppers and immediately thought of cooking them up with an onion and topping a burger with them. When I called home at lunch, Victor said he had taken a pack of burger out of the freezer but didn't have any ideas for it. I told him I did!

Totally meant to be.

 


Steaks on the Barbie

It hit 40°F today. Time to fire up the grill. Actually, any temperature and any weather is time to fire it up. The grill is under our carport, so it's safe from rain and snow.

The poor roof of the carport, though - and the wall of the house where the grill is located... Can we say soot, boys and girls?!? The next owners are the ones who are going to have to deal with it, though. Unless I feel really ambitious in my retirement, it's going to be a part of the history of the house.

The history of the house... a fun statement. It's pretty much a part of why we bought this house in the first place. Built in 1950, 2 owners, and the last owner lived here by herself for 20 years. It needed a bit of work when we got it.

Neither of us have ever really cared for new construction. I just see it as too sterile. I like the old, slightly imperfect, little dings and dents... Something lived in. I seriously don't want interior designer fixer-upper stuff like you see on TV. I want to be surrounded by our stuff and things that have meaning - not stuff from Pier 1 or some "antique" mall rustic crap. That being said, I also want double/triple-glazed windows, good insulation, working heat and air conditioning - and double ovens. I want old but I also want to be civilized about it.

If I were 20 years younger, I'd seriously think about moving to Cairo, IL where friends of ours live and buy an old house for pennies and fix the damned thing up. As tempting as it is, I just don't have the patience for it, anymore. Our next house is going to be smaller - and move-in ready. Hopefully with a covered area where we can grill year-round.

Tonight's grilling started with a couple of strip steaks I picked up down at Reading Terminal Market a few months ago. They were huge - I really should have just cooked one for the two of us. Both of us barely ate half of them. But they were really good, really tender, and we have serious leftovers.

I made a quick marinade of garlic, white wine, green onions, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, thyme, and a bit of olive oil. Into the blender and into a ziplock for 2 hours.

They came out great. Thick-sliced potatoes cooked in the oven and cauliflower roasted with olive oil and parmesan cheese finished the plate.

And... There's more pie for dessert, later....

I like my old house.

 

 


Steaks and Baked Beans

It's pushing 90°F out there. That's 32°C for the rest of the world. However you measure it, though, it's hot. And muggy. Pretty typical for the July 4th weekend, around here.

But that's okay, because 1) we have central air, and 2) we can grill in any weather. It really doesn't matter. The grill is completely covered, so even though it's hot, there's no direct sun on me.

I can handle it.

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for fireworks, tomorrow night. I've seen a lot of fireworks in my time, so I'm not too bummed. And the fewer the fireworks, the happier the dog.

But on to dinner...

The steaks were excellent - nice bone-in strip steaks. The bone really does enhance the flavor and I liberally doused them with some barbecue rub from Kansas City. Potato salad from last night along with a new recipe for baked beans.

For years, now, we have made the chipotle baked beans my sister, Phoebe, makes - a recipe she originally got from Cooking Light magazine. I just found another Cooking Light recipe in the July 2017 edition that is nudging it off its pedestal.

They're good. Really good. Smoky, spicy, sweet, boozy... all the proper flavors. I halved the recipe because Nonna doesn't eat beans, but I could have doubled it just for the two of us. It really did come out that good!

The recipe calls for a slow cooker, but, since we don't have one of those things, I just cooked them in a 250°F (120°C) oven for a few hours. Did I mention they came out really good?!?

Bourbon Peach Baked Beans

adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

  • 3 bacon slices, chopped
  • 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 lb peaches, peeled and finely diced (about 2 cups)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • S&P to taste

Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Stir in remaining ingredients. Place in a covered oven-proof casserole and bake at 250°F (120°C) for about 3 hours. Serve hot or at room temperature.

You can also put the cooked bacon and remaining ingredients into a slow-cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

The peaches pretty much just disintegrated into the dish, adding a sweet texture to the sauce. The chipotles sneak up on you, and the smoky paprika makes everything a-okay in the world. This is definitely the way to celebrate a holiday when you're not celebrating a holiday.

And we have peach pie for dessert.

 


Holiday Hamburgers

Baking bread on hot, muggy days may seem counter-intuitive, but Mother Nature's Outdoor Proofing Box is just too good to pass up. I get such a great rise from the dough, it's worth having the air conditioning on.

I have been making this particular bread since first seeing the recipe in Bon Appetit a few years ago. I've made it as dinner rolls and pull-apart bread loaves. This is my first foray into burger buns - and from the taste of things, it shan't be my last.

It's a bit different in its preparation, in that you start off by cooking a bit of flour and water together. I know there's a scientific reason for doing so, but I'm dragging my food-chemistry days behind me. Suffice to say that the butter, eggs, and heavy cream make for a very tender crumb.

Milk Bead

Kindred, Davidson, NC

Ingredients

  • 5⅓ cups bread flour, divided
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ⅓ cup mild honey
  • 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
  • 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
  • Flaky sea salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or other toppings, optional

Preparation

Cook ⅓ cup flour and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until a thick paste forms (almost like a roux but looser), about 5 minutes. Add cream and honey and cook, whisking to blend, until honey dissolves. Cool to no more than 110°F.

Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and add milk powder, yeast, kosher salt, 2 eggs, and 5 cups flour. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes.

Add butter, a piece at a time, fully incorporating into dough before adding the next piece, until dough is smooth, shiny, and elastic, about 4 minutes.

Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray and transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

If making rolls, lightly coat a 6-cup jumbo muffin pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Divide each piece into 4 smaller pieces (you should have 24 total). They don’t need to be exact; just eyeball it. Place 4 pieces of dough side-by-side in each muffin cup.

If making a loaf, lightly coat a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick spray. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and divide into 6 pieces. Nestle pieces side-by-side to create 2 rows down length of pan.

If making split-top buns, lightly coat two 13x9" baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape each into a 4"-long log. Place 6 logs in a row down length of each dish.
Let shaped dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size (dough should be just puffing over top of pan), about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Beat remaining egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl to blend. Brush top of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt or other seasonings, if desired. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until bread is deep golden brown, starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, and is baked through, 25–35 minutes for rolls, 50–60 minutes for loaf, or 30–40 minutes for buns. If making buns, slice each bun down the middle deep enough to create a split-top.

Let milk bread cool slightly in pan on a wire rack before turning out; let cool completely.

The burgers were basic ground beef with bacon, red onion, lettuce, pickles, mayonnaise, catsup, and roquefort cheese, along with a generous helping of Mom's Potato Salad.

The Holiday Weekend is off to a good start!


Blueberries and Cauliflower

I'm still working on cauliflower from the garden. It's pretty amazing how many different ways one can prepare the same vegetable. I have to admit my cauliflower repertoire was pretty slim - steamed, roasted, au gratin - the basics. I've had to get a bit more creative with plants in the back yard. Not that I'm complaining. Far from it, in fact. I'm loving every head of lettuce, cauliflower, beet, squash, you name it that's coming up. But it does take a rethinking of things. For me, that's a good thing. As much as I like to cook, I can get into ruts really easy. Stopping and thinking once in a while is a good thing.

Tonight was all about using up another half a head of cauliflower in a way that Nonna would eat it. That means mushy - my least favorite way to eat any vegetable. I hit upon a fritter of sorts. Cook it, mash it, bread it, fry it. How could it be wrong?

Well - it couldn't be. This was good. Really good. And really simple. I used a fairly good sized half-head of cauliflower for this. Figure out what you have and adjust as necessary.

Cauliflower Fritters

  • 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florettes
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup grated cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • Bread crumbs

Boil cauliflower until over-cooked. Drain well and mash. Stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup grated or shredded cheese. Use your imagination - any cheese or combination will work. Add 2 eggs, salt and pepper, and mix well.

Place bread crumbs in a bowl. Using a small scoop, drop scoops of cauliflower mixture into bread crumbs, flatten slightly, cover completely, and place on a sheet pan.

Fry in neutral oil until brown and crispy.

They were really good - and Nonna ate two of them!

Next up was a mixed grill with a blueberry fig sauce. This months Saveur magazine had a recipe for BBQ Chicken with a Blueberry Sauce. I had blueberries and figs, along with chicken, pork, and andouille sausage. A dinner was born...

Blueberry Fig Sauce

  • 11 oz fresh blueberries
  • 6 fresh figs
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • pinch cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Mash the fruit a bit, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and let cook about an hour, stirring now and again.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (easier than a real blender) to make it as smooth as possible. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, return to pan, and let simmer, again, until reduced by about a third.

From there it can be refrigerated until you want to use it.

Brush on your meat of choice towards the end of cooking, and have some available to really douse the meat after it comes off the grill.

Once you taste the sauce, you'll find lots of uses for it - from topping ice cream to making salad dressings.

'Tis the season for fresh fruits and vegetables, but come winter, this would work with frozen, really easily.

 


Summer Salads - In Spring

05-27-15-summer-salad

It's been stifling all day. August heat and humidity at the end of May. We really have ceased to have a measurable Spring, anymore. We go right from winter to summer with a couple of decent days interspersed along the way. It sucks.

Right now, we're having a typical summer thunderstorm. It's banging away with some pretty heavy downpours - the first rain we've seen all month. There's no denying Climate Change around here.

This is also Blanche's first storm. She's handling it pretty well, but she's not exactly thrilled. No distress or acting crazy, but she'd rather it be sunshine and quiet. So would I - except we need the rain.

So... Since it's hotter than hot outside, I thought salads were the way to go for dinner... I grilled a flank steak - added a dry rub of our various Kansas City spices - and threw it on the grill. Meanwhile, I cut up a cucumber and a zucchini, sliced up some mini tomatoes, added a couple of hard cooked eggs, olives, and blackberries. I love berries on my salads!

Victor made a really good dressing with our stash of Sicilian olive oil and thick, syrupy really-aged balsamic vinegar.

Outstanding, in fact.

The storm seems to be losing steam and the rain has slowed to a mild shower. The heat and humidity are still ridiculous, however... Oh well.

At least dinner was good.


Memorial Day 2015

05-25-15-memorial-day-1

Memorial Day. The official start of summer and the day people get confused with Veterans Day and Armed Forces Day.

As an actual live veteran, it's always a bit disconcerting when people thank me for my service, today. (I don't really like being thanked for my involvement in Viet Nam on any day - but that's another story for another time.)

Today is the day that is set aside for remembering those who died in service to our country. Those who came back in flag-draped coffins - if they were lucky - and those who are buried in Gettysburg, Flanders Fields, along the road to Bataan, Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Beirut, the bottom of every ocean on the planet... It's an endless list.

1,400,000 Americans have been killed in wars since our country was founded. One Million, Four Hundred Thousand. Dead.From.War.

The day to thank Veterans like myself who came home alive, is Veteran's Day - November 11th. It was originally Armistice Day - the day WWI ended. That was the war to end all wars. It is celebrated with Veterans Day Sales since it's too cold to BBQ.

That would also be the day to thank the 1,500,000 wounded veterans and the day to kick yourself for voting for that Congressman or Senator who keeps voting to cut Veteran's benefits while simultaneously pushing to go to war somewhere else. Yes, your vote counts.

The day to thank active duty military is Armed Forces Day - the third Saturday in May. Not many people know about this day because it's on a Saturday and no one gets the day off.

afd-2015

It was on May 15th this year. It will be May 21st, next year. Mark your calendars.

05-25-15-memorial-day-2

So, on this Memorial Day, I toasted a couple of guys I knew who didn't make it back from Viet Nam, and cooked a couple of steaks, a couple ears of corn - with chipotle butter - and potato salad, tomato salad, and watermelon. And a Coca-Cola from Mexico. You can really taste the difference.

Peach bars are gonna be cut for dessert in a while. I may be a left-leaning Liberal but I can still take part in American Traditions.

And something to ponder while you're eating that burger or hot dog, or whatever...

Think about who profits from war. Think about how much money we spend every day on bombs and guns and our own weapons of mass destruction. And then think about why we don't have any money to fix crumbling bridges or educate our children.

And think about how many more young lives we're going to extinguish between now and Monday, May 30, 2016 - Memorial Day, next year.

We, The People could put a stop to it if we all started paying attention.


Tri-Tip on the Grill

05-17-15-tritip-3

One of my mostest-favoritest things to grill are tri-tip roasts. Tri-tips are really a west coast cut of meat, although they are finally showing up on the eastern seaboard. Tender, juicy, and lots and lots of flavor.

I did a fairly standard take on a Santa Maria rub and then brushed it with a mustard and vinegar sauce while it was grilling. It came out spicy-good. At the last minute I realized Nonna wasn't going to go for either the beans or the beef, so she got a chicken cutlet.

The beans were Phoebe's famous baked beans - the only ones I've made for years, now... And french fries because I didn't feel like going to the store just for a couple of potatoes. I'm lazy like that...

05-17-15-tritip-2

Phoebe's Baked Beans

  • 1/2  cup minced shallots
  • 1  tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1  tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2  cup tomato puree (I use tomato paste – I never have puree in the house!)
  • 1  tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/4  cup honey
  • 1/4  cup cider vinegar
  • 2  tablespoons molasses
  • 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 2  chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
  • 2  (28-ounce) cans baked beans

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.

And the rub and marinade...

05-17-15-tritip-1

Tri Tip Spice Rub

  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp Guamanian boonie pepper (or cayenne)

Mix all ingredients together and rub liberally on tri tip roast. Cover and let stand in refrigerator about 4 hours.

Grilling Sauce

  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil
  • 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Brush on roast while it is grilling, turning every 4 or 5 minutes and applying more.

It came out spicy-good. And it's going to make some great sandwiches tomorrow!

 

 


Baby Back Ribs with Spicy Bourbon BBQ Sauce

04-27-15-ribs-1

Baby Back Ribs. Meaty, tender, juicy, baby back ribs. Ya gotta love 'em.

There re many reasons why I would never make it as a vegetarian, and ribs slathered in BBQ sauce is one of them. They're just too damned good for words - although that's not going to stop me from waxing poetically about them for a few more paragraphs!

Whenever I cook ribs, I almost always start them off in the oven and then finish them off on the grill. It's time and convenience for me. I no longer have the patience required to let something smoke on the BBQ for hours and hours. Besides - I no longer own a BBQ. Or a smoker.

The oven works for me.

I did something a bit different this time around... I started the ribs off in the oven with a half-cup of apricot nectar. I made a boat with the foil, put in the ribs, added the nectar, wrapped them up, and baked them at 350° for a bit more than an hour. I let them cool down while I made the sauce.

Spicy Bourbon BBQ Sauce

  • 1/2 cup bourbon
  • 1/2 cup apricot jam
  • 1/2 cup cane syrup
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 2 tbsp sambal oelek
  • salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil, stirring well. Continue boiling until sauce reduces and begins to thicken - 5 or more minutes, depending on your personal preference.

Remove from heat and let cool.

I liberally coated the ribs with the sauce and then placed them on a medium-hot grill. I continually turned and basted them for about 15 minutes.They were sticky-perfect when they came off!

04-27-15-ribs-2

Baked sweet potatoes and braised artichokes finished the plate.

Yum.

 


A Tenderloin of Beef

04-23-15-filet-with-sriracha

There's something oddly decadent about putting BBQ sauce on a filet mignon steak. I mean... a filet is the ultimate. It may get wrapped in bacon or topped with Bearnaise Sauce, but BBQ Sauce?!?Quelle horreur!!

Then, again, I was using a Sriracha BBQ Sauce. The stuff rocks the Casaba!

The filets came about because I was at the grocery store pricing meats and realizing I could buy a whole tenderloin of beef for what they were asking for a few steaks and burger. I have a knife. I can cut something into pieces.

04-23-15-filet-1

The first thing I did was clean up the tenderloin and rem,ove the chain. There's some good meat on that little piece, but it's not steak material.

Second thing was to cut some steaks.

04-23-15-filet-2

I got 15 steaks from the tenderloin, so they ended up costing me about 5 bucks a piece.

They're like anything else you buy, nowadays. The more someone touches it, the more you're going to pay for it. You seriously pay for that perceived convenience. It probably took me 20 minutes to clean, cut, and vacuum-seal the steaks. But even if it had taken an hour, I still came out ahead. The store will charge $10 to $15 a piece for those same steaks - and they won't be as nicely trimmed!

Think about it the next time you're at the store.

I bought a whole pork loin, too. I have 15 thick-cut pork chops that cost me a buck a piece. I didn't take any pictures of those, but suffice to say, we're going to be eating well. And on the cheap!

 

 


Labor Day Indoor Picnic

09-01-14-labor-day-picnic

As a kid, Labor Day was my all-time-least-favorite holiday. It meant the following day was the first day of school.

I hated school. Really. I was not one of those kids who just couldn't wait to write my dissertation on "What I Did on My Summer Vacation." I was good at it. I got straight A's. I just didn't like it. I started looking for the holidays. First one was Admission Day - usually just a couple of days after school started. Then Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, and Glorious Christmas Vacation.

I lived for my holidays. Hated school.

Growing up, Labor Day was a pretty big deal. There was a huge parade down Market Street. Labor. The people who made things, built things. They were hardworking men and women - mostly men, though - who not only laid the tracks for the streetcars, but also made the rails. The guys who built the skyscrapers with steel made in Pittsburgh and Buffalo. The guys who collected our trash, sold us our groceries, waited on us in restaurants, and changed the linens in our hotels.

Labor was the EveryMan. My father was a union firefighter. I was in what was then Local 44 and Local 2 of the Hotel and Restaurant Workers union. Big Brother was a Stationary Engineer and as Chief Engineer ran some of the largest and most high-profile buildings in San Francisco - and a member of Local 39.

During the ensuing years, I found myself on the management side of the table, but I never took for granted the people who were making it all happen. I fought for tools and supplies so people could actually do their jobs properly. It's amazing what results one can achieve by simply having the right equipment! And I fought layoffs and do more with less. It was inconceivable then, and it's inconceivable today to expect perfect results from two people doing the job of 8 or 10.

In my last job before moving east, I was having a bit of a discussion with my new boss about department needs, budgets, increasing staff - normal corporate BS from a for-profit hospital - and he asked me where my loyalties lay, with my staff or with the corporate office. I smiled and told him they laid with the patients. I got the budget I needed and a staff who routinely went above and beyond. I did end up firing the son of my shop steward, but that's another story for another day...

For the last 20 years or so - probably longer - there has been a real smear-campaign against organised labor. As minimum-wage non-union jobs with no benefits have become the norm and corporations continue to move operations - and headquarters -  overseas to avoid paying decent wages and taxes, the worker has become the scapegoat. Instead of getting mad at the union worker for negotiating a better salary, perhaps more people should follow their lead.

And I really wasn't thinking a treatise on Labor, this evening. My mind really was on how much I hated school. Well... hating school and a great dinner. More of my mind was on the dinner...

I had picked up some porterhouse steaks and planned on making baked beans and potato salad to go along with them. Somewhere along the line I decided I wanted macaroni and cheese, as well. It's a holiday, right?!?  Go for it!

We'll start with Mom's Potato Salad.

09-01-14-moms-potato-salad

Mom's Potato Salad

  • potatoes (russets, yukon gold, red bliss)
  • pickles
  • hard-cooked eggs
  • celery
  • shredded carrots
  • mayonnaise
  • catsup
  • mustard
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • pepper

Mix and chill.

That is it. Perfect, every time.

Then there were Phoebe's Baked Beans

09-01-14-phoebes-baked-beans

These are the only baked beans I ever make.

Phoebe's Baked Beans

  • 1/2  cup minced shallots
  • 1  tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1  tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1/2  cup tomato puree (I use tomato paste – I never have puree in the house!)
  • 1  tablespoon canola oil
  • 1/4  cup honey
  • 1/4  cup cider vinegar
  • 2  tablespoons molasses
  • 1  tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4  teaspoon salt
  • 2  chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
  • 2  (28-ounce) cans baked beans

Preheat oven to 300°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.

And Macaroni and Cheese...

09-01-14-mac-and-cheese

I just made a really small batch - enough for 12, probably - but small compared to what i usually make.

Make a basic white sauce – on the medium/thin side. Add a shot or two of worcestershire sauce and a shot of tabasco. A bit of garlic powder and salt and pepper. Stir in whatever cheeses you have. Tonight I used cheddar and monterey jack. Mix in your cooked elbow macaroni.  Put into a buttered casserole, top with buttered bread crumbs, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and the crumbs have browned nicely.

Then, of course, the steaks.

09-01-14-porterhouse-steaks

I did a store-bought coffee rub. It was good.

Three of us did not finish those off. We have leftovers. We have leftovers of everything, in fact. Lunches and side dishes are ready for the week.

Labor-saving.