8/21/10 - Boneless Crockpot Ribs

There are some nights that coming home and opening the fridge to create a masterpiece... and there are nights that you just want to come home to something warm to put in your belly and veg on the couch. With the end of summer rolling in this dinner is a perfect break from cooking, no matter if its too hot to turn on the stove or so cold that you just can't warm up. My favorite part of this dinner was that my boyfriend made most of it!

The recipe for the boneless ribs was simple as can be (ribs + BBQ sauce + 8 hrs in the slow cooker) however, it was the rice and beans that made this a meal. By using the juice given off from the rib, the rice is bursting with savory flavors. To keep things at least mildly healthy, I stuck with brown basmati rice instead of a more traditional white rice. Like all grains using brown, whole grains is much healthier than the white version which has been polished to have the color (as well as important nutrients) removed. While I don't think that this meal is ever going to win any awards simple, home cooking can be better than any 5 star restaurant some nights.

3/21/10 - Baby Back Ribs ...dry rubbed

After walking over 17 miles this weekend (spring fever really got a hold of me!) and getting my butt kicked at pilates class I was ready for a treat. We headed over to the grocery store to pick up a few veggies to complete our dinner tonight (real grocery shopping usually happens on Tuesday after I have a chance to check the circular and make my meal plan) but I got distracted. Always a sucker for a sale, I noticed that they had some ribs on special so I went to take a look. I ended up buying baby backs (instead of spareribs) which weren't actually on sale but once my head was filled with juicy ribs I really couldn't help myself. 

I made ribs for the first time ever on a snow day earlier this winter but this time I was looking for a little more advice. Don't get me wrong Alton Brown's recipe was delicious but a little messy (my foil didn't seal completely and I ended up with braising liquid all over the place). One of my friends who is a CIA graduate and chef suggested that I keep the dry rub but skip the braising. I was a little worried that the meat would end up dry but I decided to follow his advice.......

2/10/10- Snow Day Adventures - Ribs & Blondies

Another post with no picture but I couldn't resist mentioning these amazing recipes to others.
After missing out on all the fun the past few winter storms, New Jersey basically shut down in preparation for a huge chunk of mid-week snow on Tuesday night. School was called before 5pm on Tuesday and it was looking like it might be a day stuck working at home. With all of my essentials packed up, I headed to the grocery store to deal with all those stocking up on water and canned goods for the impending storm. My mind was no where near survivalist food, I was much more focused on some lunch time excitement.
I made my first ever attempt at Baby Back Ribs using Alton Brown's recipe. While they were very good I think that the spiced rub overwhelmed the taste of the meat itself at times but I did love the glaze that was basted over the ribs before I broiled them for some color.
I also tried Joy the Baker's Peanut Butter Blondie but left out the frosting in exchange for some mini peanut butter cup pieces and chocolate chunks. These took a little longer than expected to cook (about 35 min) but they were absolutely delicious. I couldn't help but steal the one we had put aside for a photo when I came home from a long day on the road on Thursday.