Ribs
Ribs. Love 'em.
This afternoon, I put a rack of ribs topped with Gates Extra Hot Bar B Q Sauce into a 250° oven for about 3 hours. They then spent aboiut 15 minutes on the grill with even more sauce.
Finally! A BBQ sauce with some heat! I think I'm in love!
These were some smokin' good ribs!
I made up a batch of baked beans with a chopped onion, a tsp of chipotle powder, a half-cup of Memphis BBQ sauce (I have to use it up - can't throw it away!) and a can of Bush's baked beans. They went into the oven with the ribs for about 3 hours, also.
Corn off the cob on the side.
It was mmm, mmm, good!
I think I've changed my mind on the veal scallopini tomorrow, but the pineapple cream pie is still on.
Another Cheeseburger in Paradise
Today was a fun day.
It started out with me dropping Victor off at the train so he could travel up to NYC for the day. Since I was already in Paoli, I continued along Lancaster Avenue to Malvern - and the newest Wegmans in the neighborhood.
Great store - really shitty entrance, parking lot, and exit. The designers really had their heads placed firmly where the sun don't shine. There is nothing logical or intuitive or the least bit instinctive about it. It's almost annoying enough to travel the extra time to Collegeville. I need to make one trip down the freeway to see if it's an easier trip. Crazy.
But I did get our shopping done, did a bit more running around, and then worked on a couple of websites for most of the day.
I'm actually teaching myself Joomla - a content management system - for a friend of mine who is a travel writer. I'm thinking that it may be a good program for our family website, too. Later.
So... Since Victor didn't get home until 7:30pm and I spent the day doing everything except being in the kitchen, it was burgers and fries for dinner.
Little ciabatta rolls for buns, lots of cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes... A sloppy, gooey mess.
Perfect.
And I'm actually off for the next two days. Ribs and baked beans tomorrow and I need to think of something fun for my birthday on Wednesday...
Hmmm... maybe veal scallopini and pineapple cream pie! That was my childhood birthday dinner. It was the one time we actually got to request a specific meal.
My mom actually made a beef marsala - veal for 6 kids was unheard of.
And speaking of... when I was older and living on my own, I asked her for the scallopini recipe. She gave it to me and I made it a couple of times, but it was never quite like hers.
I've always been notorious for not following recipes, but I followed hers exact - but it just wasn't the same.
And then I found out why.
She left out an ingredient. A bit of sage.
My own mother purposely left out an ingredient so mine wouldn't be as good as hers. I was shocked!
Of course I had to call her on it.
She stammered, turned every shade of red imaginable - and denied it. DENIED IT! Like guilt wasn't written all over her stammering blushing face.
Over the following 30 or so years, I'd bring it up every now and again just to see her squirm and turn red, again. It was always good for a few laughs.
Of course I've lost that recipe over the years and it never made it into her cook books because of the fraud she conferred upon us, so I'll make a close approximation - with sage over extra wide egg noodles.
And laugh once again at the best mom in the world.
Pork Chops and Peaches
I just love peaches. And peaches on the grill just take them to another level altogether. Love 'em.
Many moons ago, my grandmother's next door neighbor, Mrs. MacNamee, had a peach tree in her yard. Grandma would get fresh peaches and make the best peach pies - and then give me peach pie with vanilla ice cream at breakfast. When my mother balked, grandma would simply say "Peach danish and a glass of milk". Grandma always won.
Years later, my sister, Arlene, lived on a peach orchard in Marysville, CA. We would get lugs of peaches and make peach jam, peach shortcake, peach ice cream, peach pie, peach cobbler, peach salsa... Peach anything. And we never tired of them. I just totally took them for granted. And boy do I miss them.
Fast-forward to the east coast and the peaches just aren't the same. They're good, but just not as good as getting them honestly and truly tree-ripened from the tree.
The peaches I picked up today, though, were pretty good California peaches - and they grilled really well. They held their shape but were perfectly soft and juicy.
I filled them with Sweet Peach Chutney I got from the Virginia Chutney Company. It was pretty good. And it's made with good, clean ingredients. They were like having a bit of dessert with dinner.
I also topped the pork chops with a bit of the chutney after rubbing them with Sarah's Savory Sea Salt with Caribbean Spices. Peaches are a natural with Caribbean flavors. They just work.
I heated the pasta salad I made yesterday for a side dish and dinner was served.
If only there was a piece of grandma's peach pie for dessert....
Ribeye Steaks with Caramelized Onions
It's an art-form to bring a pan juuuuuust this close to destruction. And to properly caramelize onions, that's just about where you have to go with it. And ya know that if there's an opportunity to truly dirty a pan, I'm there.
The purpose of this particular skillet-crusting was a couple of ribeye steaks. When we decided to do the steaks tonight, Victor specifically requested the onions. It really is his favorite way to eat a steak.
I was happy to oblidge.
The pan shows the remains of four onions sauteed in 2 tbsp butter. When they were about 80% done, I splashed in some red wine and cooked it down.
The rice was cooked with some red pepper tapenade and then when finished, I stirred in some cheese.
Arugula sauteed in a pat of butter with salt and pepper finished off the plate. And me.
I like cooked arugula much better than cooked spinach - and I love cooked spinach! It's just a great way to enjoy it, and it's as versatile as can be. Lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic... It will take anything.
The steaks were about half the size of the monsters we had in Omaha - which was just fine with me. As much as I like to eat, even I couldn't do one of those very often.
I think a little ice cream for dessert is in order, later...
Chicken on the Barbie
We're home.
What a great and fantastic time we had. It was just non-stop laughter, fun, food, memories, and remembrances. Along with a few clarifications. I found out that my grandfather actually died of colon cancer when I was a mere 14 months old. I always thought it was a heart attack. And he was only a year older than I am, today. Rather young.
I'm working on finding out why they all moved from Omaha to San Francisco in the first place. I'm also finding out that facts can get fuzzy now and again. Families are fun.
Fun... as in.. I have been "Facebook Friends" with my cousin's wife's sister for quite a while, but we had never met in person. We convinced her to meet us at the end of our Sunday Dinner, and she took us and her sister for a little spin around the area in her bright red VW bug convertable. We did a little sightseeing and she said that Warren Buffet lived in the neighborhood. Next thing I know, we're driving up his driveway.
Mr Buffet has a really big, beefy security guard who was not amused.
Ooops!
But other than typically horrid airport and airplane experiences, it was a great time - and another is going to be planned for three years hence. Hopefully all the way out west.
So... we're home. Back to work and back to cooking. Life goes on...
I took a whole chicken and split it tonight, and then made a rub of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Hungarian and Spanish paprikas, French herbs, and a bit of poultry seasoning. I grilled the chicken with indirect heat for 45 minutes. I also grilled the potatoes, with the chicken above them so the chicken fat would flavor them. Spinach on the side.
Yum.
Chicken Sandwiches
This right here pretty much sums up why I went from charcoal back to propane. Grilling small things outside in minutes. Trying to do small things with charcoal - without a really small grill - just isn't practical. Or economical. A quick bbq chicken sandwich - and it was quick - was perfect for lunch today.
I used the Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce on the chicken and on the rolls - and a healthy helping of fried hot peppers.
Simple and delicious. Or... simply delicious, as the case may be.
I still have the charcoal grill. It ain't goin' anywhere any time soon.
But for quick and easy?!? The gas grill, for sure.
Cheese Burger In Paradise
It was shortly after dinner last night that Victor said I should make some bread dough so we could have homemade burger buns today. I like the way his mind works.
I made a batch of no-knead dough. Mother Nature's proofing box is working overtime right now. The only thing good about this weather we're having is it makes for some perfect dough-proofing. It really is just like putting it into a steam box.
So...
Three hours outside last night, overnight in the 'fridge, and then shaped and formed and outside again for an hour made for the most perfect buns. They were extremely light, the crust properly chewy... (I actually brushed them with a bit of butter when they came out of the oven to help soften them a bit). And slightly oversized - important when you look at all the things we tend to put on them!
From the top down:
- bun
- mayonnaise
- ketchup
- mustard
- sliced pickles
- sliced tomatoes
- fried hot peppers
- asiago cheese
- burger
- lettuce
- ketchup
- mayonnaise
- bun
It was a total mess to eat. I had juice and mayo and lord knows what running down my arms. I'd take a bite and stuff would just ooze everywhere.
The perfect burger!
I made a really small batch of potato salad to go along with it.
Cheese Burger in Paradise, indeed! Jimmy... Eat your heart out!
Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce
When our friend Luigi said she was sending us a bottle of Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce, I knew right away I was going to like it. Our taste buds are really in sync. (Actually, so are our political beliefs, humor, outlook on life - and she was partly responsible for Victor and me getting together in the first place.) If she says I'll like something, the odds are pretty good I will.
So, while it was no great surprise that I was going to like the Gates BBQ Sauce, it was a bit of a surprise to find that it may just be my favorite bottled BBQ sauce - ever. I actually just went to their website and ordered more. Another bottle of Classic Original, and a bottle each of Extra Hot and Sweet and Mild. Experiment time!
And I especially like that it is made with real ingredients. It totally packs a wallop and there's no crap in it!
Bold, sweet, smoky, spicy... everything a BBQ sauce should be.
I've had a lot of BBQ sauces in my time. Yellow sauce from South Carolina, compliments of Mike and Barbara, Memphis, Texas, Kansas City... and I've made BBQ sauce for years, including Strawberry and Root Beer. I actually don't buy a lot of bottled sauces anymore because I don't care for the ingredients, so getting this is an extra-special treat.
I was feeling adventurous (gluttonous?!?) and wanted to try it on a lot of things at once, so I cooked pork ribs, beef tips, and chicken breast.
The ribs I baked in the oven for about an hour with nothing on them at all. I then slathered on the sauce and placed them on the top rack of the grill and just let them slow-cook.
The beef tips and chicken were marinated in the sauce and then grilled over medium heat.
I'm not sure which of them I liked best. The flavor was most pronounced on the chicken breast, the beef was smoky-spicy rare, and the ribs... they were fall-off-the-bone tender with flavor that just exploded. No choosing necessary. It goes with everything.
Potatoes were done in a grill basket with a splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
And Grilled Pineapple, too!
I marinated the pineapple in rum, brown sugar, and sambal oelek. Sweet and spicy. Onto the grill it went.
The only thing that wasn't grilled was the corn.
We have friends coming down from Boston for July 4th weekend. I'm thinking bacon burgers...
Thanks, Luigi!
Oh! I almost forgot... Today's weigh-in... down a pound and a half!
Summer Salads
Summertime... and the livin' is easy... Provided the air conditioner keeps running, that is!
It's mid-90's out there. And just a tad humid. I hate it. I grew up 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. The very cool Pacific Ocean. Where if it happened to hit 70°, we would go to the beach. 70 degrees. Beach.
No one has air conditioning out there. Don't need it but maybe twice a year, and even then, it's not like this. Heck. I bought my truck in San Francisco. It doesn't have air conditioning, either. Now I leave it at home and take the (air conditioned) car.
Okay. Enough whining about the weather...
Summertime. Salads. Yum.
I actually went just a tad overboard with these. I just kept finding fun things to add to them. I almost added beans, too. I'm glad I showed a little bit of restraint!
First thing I did was make a cucumber salad.
Cucumber Salad
- 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar (I love my coconut vinegar - made in The Philippines - but any white wine-type vinegar will work)
- 2 tbsp assorted herbs, minced
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mix all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.
Quick, easy, and refreshing.
Next was the Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing. I had raspberries in the 'fridge that needed using up.
Raspberry Poppy Seed Dressing
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 cup coconut vinegar (I'm on a run... any vinegar will work)
- 2 tbsp minced onion
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
Place raspberries, honey, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, and onion in a blender and puree. With blender running, drizzle in 1 cup of olive oil. Add poppy seeds, and briefly mix.
Chill until ready to serve.
This worked well - and I think any fruit would work well. Peaches.... yum.....
The salad itself was mixed greens, radicchio, hard cooked egg, avocado, broccoli, zucchini, peach, tomato, cucumber salad, and a grilled chicken breast.
It's going to be a while before I think about dessert.
Italian-Inspired Brochettes
Just received the latest issue of La Cucina Italiana. I really like the magazine. I rarely follow their recipes verbatim, but it really does inspire me to have some fun.
Tonight's dinner is a perfect example...
This month, the cover recipe - and several recipes inside - are about skewers of some sort. Chicken skewers, shrimp skewers, sardine skewers, tuna skewers, lamb skewers...
I haven't made kabobs/skewers/brochettes in a while and the magazine got me going. There was one recipe that sounded especially intriguing... It was a chicken skewer that was topped with chopped arugula, olives, cucumber, thyme, and crushed red peppers. The concept was sound. I top things with homemade salsas all the time. This was like a dry salsa. Sorta.
First thing I did was switch the meat from chicken to a cubed tri-tip. I marinaded it in Moore's Marinade, garlic, and a bit of sherry. Onto skewers with quartered onion, zucchini, and red bell pepper.
For the topping, I chopped a mango, radicchio, broccoli rabe, and fresh basil, parsley, thyme, and oregano.
Served over white rice.
That little bit of chopped stuff on top really took the plate from ordinary to extraordinary! The fresh herbs, fruit, and veggies really livened up the dish. Every bite exploded in freshness! And unlike the salsas I usually make, there was no underlying sweet/hot flavor. This was pure fresh.
I can see variations on a theme happening all summer.
BBQ Tri-Tip Sandwiches
Ahhhh... the tri-tip. One of my most favorite parts of the cow. It's still relatively unknown on the east coast, but it's been a west coast favorite for decades.
It's part of the bottom sirloin, usually weighs in between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 pounds, is lean, tender, and really, really flavorful. Besides roasting and grilling whole, it's also excellent cut into steaks, and even better cut into cubes for brochettes. (Which is something I haven't made in a long time...)
Tonight, I made a dry rub of chipotle powder, garlic powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. I cut the roast into thirds for easier grilling, and liberally rubbed in the spices. Onto the barbie it went.
I hand-cut a potato and drizzled with a bit of oil and put it all onto a sheet pan and into a hot oven for about 20 minutes. Perfect shoestring fries.
A couple of tablespoons of the Memphis BBQ Sauce on the mini sandwiches did the trick.
The Memphis sauce came through tonight on the sandwiches. It's sweetness was offset by the smoky-spiciness of the dry rub on the beef.
I'm really looking forward to getting some Gates Kansas City BBQ Sauce from a friend, soon. I've never had it before, but understand it is the Gold Standard of Kansas City Barbecue! I can't wait! I'm thinkin' another tri-tip, probably. Maybe I'll do brochettes. There are just so many possibilities!
I was planning on making Peach ice cream for dessert tonight, and Victor even went as far as top peel and chop a couple of peaches.
Then, as he was watching some food show, he mentioned how he'd love a Boston Cream Pie one of these days.
Well... Let us just say that there is now a Boston Cream Pie in the 'fridge for later...
Ice cream can wait for another day.
BBQ Chicken
I love bone-in chicken. It is so much more flavorful than its boneless and skinless cousin. Not that the latter doesn't have its place, but for putting on the barbie, bone-in rocks. And that's what we had tonight. With corn-on-the-cob, roasted potatoes, and baked beans. Perfect almost-officially-Summer fare.
I used the Wegmans Memphis BBQ Sauce which, I'm beginning to think after several uses, is merely okay. I like the fact that it has clean ingredients - no high fructose corn syrup and the like - but I'm thinking I want something a bit bolder. Memphis-style (at least out of a bottle) just isn't strong enough for my tastes. It gets lost on the grill. I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Memphis in person - other than the airport, that is. I'm sure that I'd be swooning over any number of BBQ joints, in person, but simply coming out of a bottle has me wanting to reach for something to doctor it up a bit.
Which actually leads me to another thought. I am increasingly realizing that I have absolutely no brand-loyalty anymore. Sorry, all you brands out there who are spending bazillions of dollars trying to convince me that your product is better, is for "people like me", or who honestly think I will pay more for the privileged of letting other people see me with your product(s) in my shopping cart. I don't think so!
Once upon a time, I only bought Best Foods Mayonnaise. I paid more money for it. It's good. It has decent ingredients. I tasted a few others and realized there wasn't any reason for me to be paying a premium for Best Foods when there were others out there that also had decent ingredients and tasted good. I still buy it, occasionally, but it's no longer the only one in the cabinet. I always bought B&M Baked Beans. Until I read their ingredient label and noticed their "Original" recipe had high fructose corn syrup in it. Funny... I didn't know B&M used high fructose corn syrup when they introduced their baked beans back in 1927. Amazing. And I don't care how many commercials they come out with telling me how good high fructose corn syrup is. I won't buy it. At all. Period.
It really seems that the more I started reading labels, the more I started switching products. And the more I stopped buying national brands. I think at some point I realized that the food manufacturers had no loyalty towards me as a person - if they did, they'd be using quality ingredients in the first place - and it was asinine for me to continue to support companies that are selling garbage as food.
That is not to say that I don't have my favorite products. I definitely do. But the odds of me buying something merely because it is made by (Fill In The Blank) are between slim and none. I think the odds of me not buying something because it's made by (Fill In The Blank) are much better.
As a consumer, there are some serious benefits to not being chained to specific brands and products. First off, you'll probably be eating healthier. And second, it opens up a whole new world of tastes and flavors and fun foods. It's almost amazing how much better ketchup made with sugar tastes compared to ketchup made with high fructose corn syrup. And that's but one little condiment.
And then switch from factory-farmed national-brand chicken to either organic or locally produced. All of a sudden chicken has flavor again!
Which brings me full-circle back to dinner tonight.
Bone-in chicken on the barbie. Gas. Not charcoal. Oh well. Nobody's perfect.