I am simultaneously bewildered by the fact that my youngest child just completed her second year of college and reassured by the fact that we only have 4 semesters of tuition left to pay. I don't really know how I feel about her tearing through her first 2 years of college in what seemed like half that time but I can tell you that I'm excited about the fact that she's home for the summer and I'm treasuring this time that we have under the same roof. To celebrate the completion of the first half of her college coursework and the beginning of her summer break, we had a celebration dinner. Since she's a fan of all things pork - I went with the traditional welcome home dinner of St. Louis Style Ribs. 😂 The fact that these ribs weren't smothered in her favorite ketchup based barbecue sauce and she was still a fan, speaks volumes about their quality. I actually think these Tuscan Grilled Pork Ribs might just be our new favorite way to enjoy pork ribs. Tuscan Grilled Pork Ribs Ribs 5-6 pounds St. Louis style spareribs 2 Tablespoon kosher salt 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon pepper Vinaigrette 1/4 cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Transfer ribs to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Cut ribs apart. Serve with vinaigrette. My no fail spare rib cooking method has always been to wrap them in foil and cook them in the oven for 3 hours at 300. They come out so tender that the meat actually falls off the bone. We've always loved our ribs like this but the thought of my oven heating up my kitchen for 3 hours on a steamy afternoon was less than appealing. I put these ribs on my Big Green Egg for about 45 minutes and they were cooked to perfection. (and my kitchen was still cool)
Ciao!
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When my kids were small, I decided that they should be responsible for preparing a meal at least once a week. I hope you're not picturing a kids baking championship scenario where children willingly stand at the kitchen counter atop their little stool and chop vegetables with kid safe knives, because you would be wrong. The truth is that with my kids at the healm, my kitchen resembled the last 15 minutes of Master Chef Junior cooking show. Hangry, hormonal cooks running around the kitchen, frantically trying to pull together anything edible to put on a plate. As my kids got older and acquired more culinary skills, having them make dinner should have gotten less hectic and in some ways it did - but in a lot of ways - it didn't. 🙄 Over time, they became more experienced which meant that they were more independent and required less help and supervision from yours truly. Unfortunately, their independence in the kitchen also meant that they developed their own ideas about the way that things should be done. Well into their teen years they insisted on stirring absolutely everything like the Swedish chef from the Muppets and they dressed in complete firefighter gear anytime they had to put anything in or take anything out of the oven. The fact is that they are really good cooks - now. The final product was never the issue. It was watching the process that gave me anxiety. Every cabinet door in the kitchen was left open, there were broken eggs laying on the counter and a Hansel and Gretel worthy bread crumb trail scattered throughout my kitchen. Traits that my mom claimed I also had as a child. The collaborative cooking efforts between my kids and I were anything but flawless. My kids really didn't appreciate me hovering over them while they perfected their kitchen skills any more than I liked to be in the kitchen with them. I get it. No one wants to be criticized for using a whisk to stir spaghetti or correcting them when they try to add a "bulb" of garlic to the marinara instead of a "clove". True story. I realize that I have my own way of doing things in the kitchen and I can be kind of a snob when it comes to proper use of cooking utensils. In retrospect, I was way too focused on teaching them proper use of kitchen equipment when I should have been more concerned with teaching them cooking survival skills. I'm happy to report that we all survived the very messy and awkward early kitchen experiences and I now have two adult children who are very competent and experienced cooks. I did learn early on that finding the right recipe was key to keeping my kids interested in cooking. My daughter was a big fan of anything that she could get her hands into. The messier the better. She especially loved mixing up burgers, meatballs and meatloaf with her hands. Squishing raw eggs through her fingers is what really made cooking fun for her. One of her absolute favorite things to make (and eat) has always been meatloaf. Whenever I find a new meatloaf recipe, I wait for her to come home so we can make it together. (Cooperative cooking goes much better now that she's 20.) Mediterranean Mini Meat Loaves 1 egg 3/4 cup panko 1/2 cup fresh basil 1/2 cup roasted red pepper 1/4 cup tomato sauce 4 Tablespoons fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon fennel 1 pound lean ground beef 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon oil
Serve. The same theory that I applied to my kids first kitchen experiences also applies to my husband when he's in the kitchen. He really does TRY his best in the kitchen but I've found it in my best interest NOT to watch him while he cooks. I find myself saying things like "why are you stabbing that avocado" and "what did you do to that melon?" when I observe his unusual techniques. The fact is that he has made some pretty amazing meals considering his unconventional methods. I try and encourage his experimentation in the kitchen but I have to admit that it's even harder to be positive with my husband than it was with my children. I'm still trying.
Ciao! It took exactly one visit for Ben and I to fall in love with Richards Wine Bar. It is the cutest little restaurant with the most personable and interesting owner - you guessed it - Richard. The food and the wine offerings are more than I ever expected from this unassuming little piano bar. If you're a foodie like me, you are in for a real treat. And if you feel like your knowledge of wine is somewhat minimal (again, like me) you will leave educated and pretty much achieve sommelier status. 😂 Richard is a wine expert in my book. He knows his wine and the best food-wine pairings in his restaurant. I needed a LOT of help with my wine choice - but food choices - now that was easy. I excel at eating. There were a lot of great looking dinners on the menu but the one that called out to me immediately was the lemon dill salmon. The other thing that spoke to me - California carrot souffle. 🥕What??? I love carrots - I love souffle but I've never heard of a carrot souffle. I was just curious enough to give it a try. Turns out - the carrot souffle at Richard's Wine Bar is AMAZING! I don't really know how to describe it but it's creamy and buttery and complex. I was so enamored by it that I gobbled up the entire dish of souffle before I stopped to analyze exactly what might have been in it. 😂 My goal has been to go back to Richards Wine Bar with the primary intent of ordering the carrot souffle so that I could dissect and figure out how to make it for myself at home. Well, that hasn't happened yet so I'm giving it my best attempt today. Carrot Souffle 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2" chunks 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" chunks 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 egg 1/2 teaspoon salt
Bake 25 minutes at 425. What happens when you add potatoes, heavy cream and cheese to a batch of carrots? Rich, creamy, delicious carrot souffle happens. And it's fabulous. Now I need to ask Richard what wine he would recommend as a perfect pairing for my carrot souffle.
Ciao! It's corn season in Georgia!! 🌽 I grew up in Northeast Ohio where corn is at its peak towards the middle to the end of the summer and it took me a long time to get used to corn season happening in early May. Quite honestly, the first couple of years that I lived in Georgia, I missed out on eating any of the fresh Georgia corn. I assumed that the corn that was in the bin at the produce stands in May had been shipped in from somewhere warm and tropical. Clearly - I'd never make it as a Georgia farmer. Now that I KNOW that May is Georgia corn season - I take full advantage. I'm buying fresh Georgia corn everywhere that I see this month - produce stands, grocery stores, gas stations. I'm not kidding. There's actually a little produce stand attached to a nearby gas station with fresh, locally grown produce. My latest corn creation is a scrumptious little side dish with a kick. This fresh corn dish pairs perfectly with halibut. If it's not corn season in your part of the world, save this recipe in your email inbox or make it with frozen corn if you have to. Chile Lime Orange Roughy with Corn Saute 4 Orange Roughy filets 1 Tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 teaspoon canola oil 2 2/3 cups fresh corn 1/4 cup chopped red onion 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno 1 clove garlic, minced 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro. Serve with fish. While there's an abundance of fresh corn available this month, there seems to be a shortage of fresh fish in my little town. There are a couple of stores that sell fresh seafood but I can't always depend on the selection. This recipe was originally intended to be prepared with halibut but since there was no halibut to be found, I opted for the freshest fish that I could find in the seafood case. Orange Roughy turned out to be a perfect substitute. If you try this was another type of fish - send me a comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Ciao! I had the unique opportunity to participate in the Farm to Table Dinner in my awesome little town last weekend. I was honored to be asked to help with desserts for the annual event and I could go on and on about how fabulous this evening was but for once, I'll be quiet and I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. If you are lucky enough to live in my little town - you NEED to make plans to attend next years Farm to Table dinner. The music is fabulous, the atmosphere is fun and festive and the food is OUTSTANDING! It truly is a great opportunity to explore and taste locally sourced and prepared food. (Oh, and the desserts were amazing this year.) 😉 The Farm to Table dinner inspired me to make more of an effort to buy locally sourced produce and meats this week. The farmers market opens this weekend and you better believe that I'll be there bright and early on Saturday morning, searching out the very best fruits and vegetables. You just can't beat the flavor of produce that's been picked and eaten in the same day. As for this asparagus, well, all I can say is that it came from the supermarket. It looked pretty fresh and and to be honest I had no other alternatives. The farmers market wasn't open, my favorite produce stand has closed and I had to rely on the supermarket for all of my fresh produce needs. Just make sure that you read through to the end of this post for a complete review of this recipe. Asparagus with Mustard Dill Sauce 1 bunch (4 pounds) of asparagus, woody ends removed 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup dijon mustard 3 Tablespoons fresh dill
Sprinkle with dill and fresh ground black pepper. People ask me all the time if I ever have recipe mishaps. ALL THE TIME!!! I don't post them all because albeit humorous, you'd get tired of reading about all my dinner disasters pretty quickly AND I'd lose any sense of credibility if you know what a klutz I actually was in the kitchen.
This recipe however, had all the makings of a great little recipe. It's fairly simple, very straightforward, has only four ingredients and it's quick to put together. Sometimes, even though a recipe sounds great on paper though, doesn't mean that it translates well to the actual dish. Turns out, I'm not a big fan of fresh dill. Or the overpowering taste of mustard. Or soggy asparagus cooked in chicken broth. This one just didn't do anything for me. I ate a couple of spears and then threw the rest away because I just couldn't stomach any more. I'm a fan of asparagus but I think I'll stick to my parmesan crusted or my proscuitto wrapped for now. Ciao! |
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