I came home to a big batch of pasta salad sitting in the refrigerator.  It is just so nice to have a man around the house – who knows how to cook!

This was a fairly typical pasta salad around our house.  It’s open the cupboards and refrigerator, see what’s there, and make salad.  It’s really simple.

This particular version had 2 types of pasta (I can’t believe we’re practically out of pasta.  I had pretty much cornered the market on it for a year or so.) And it had marinated artichoke hearts, tomatoes, cannellini beans, black olives, celery, garlic, carrots, bell peppers… A chianti vinegar and olive oil.  Very simple, very basic.

I picked up the bowl in Rome as a surprise for Victor.  It’s Sicilian from a company named La Giara.  I fell in love with the colors.  I’ve always liked Italian pottery and we’ve bought several pieces over the years, but after walking into so many shops and just being overwhelmed with the vast amounts and variations, I want to just thrrow everything out we have and start over.  Not exactly practical, so I won’t.  But I’d love to.  After checking out La Giara’s website, methinks I will be visiting the actual shop when we make it to Sicily.  There are a lot more pieces I can get. Late 2013 or early 2014 is my plan.

Back to food…

I can’t remember the last time I had beef ribs.  Years (and years and years) ago when I worked at the old Hyatt House in Burlingame, we had “Just Bones” on the menu.  They were the bones cut from the prime ribs after roasting.  Liberally doused with BBQ sauce and onto the broiler for a moment, I think we sold them for $19.95 – in 1978 dollars.  I’ve had beef ribs since then, but not very often.  Pork ribs just seem to be everywhere.

I marinated these overnight in a bottle of beer and some molasses.  I baked them for a few hours in a low oven and then placed them on the grill with some BBQ sauce.

They came out real good.

Speaking of hotels…  the “Bayshore Diner Blue Plate Special” plates came from the Westin SFO – right up the road from the Hyatt Regency Burlingame that took the place of my old hotel.  I was given the plates as a going away present when I transferred to Indianapolis to open the Westin there.

The good ol’ days…