Ribs We Love!

I have been making these ribs for years now, but never actually wrote down the recipe.

I always thought I could remember what I did and used, yeah, not really. There are a few key steps that I skipped and substituted before and in return was left with tough, mediocre tasting ribs. So I finally wrote it all down and tested the recipe twice. It turned out beautifully!

To make these ribs fall off the bone they are cooked in a shallow roasting pan, at a low temperature, before they get put on the grill for some nice color. It is also important to prep the ribs correctly, so the meat isn't chewy. Here is what you will need:

Ribs & Rub:

1 rack of pork loin ribs

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. Lawry's garlic salt

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/8 tsp. allpsice

Preheat oven to 250F.

Take the ribs out of the package, wash and pat dry. Before putting the rub on remove the membrane on the backside of the ribs, by peeling it away on one corner and pulling towards the other end.

Cut the ribs into two pieces of about the same size. Combine all the spices and massage both sides of the ribs with the rub, saving 1/2 tsp. of the rub for the BBQ sauce.

Put the ribs in a shallow roasting pan and cover the pan with aluminum foil, sealing the edges tightly. The ribs will basically steam in their own juices for the next two hours. Check the ribs after two hours. If the bones start sticking out of the meat and the meat will be easily pierced with a fork then they are done. If they don't just seal the pan again and keep cooking them checking every 30 minutes.

Time to prepare the BBQ sauce.

Sauce:

1/2 c. ketchup

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

4 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. spice mix

Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Preheat your grill to medium high heat. Brush the ribs on both sides with the sauce and grill over direct heat until the honey starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes per side. Keep flipping and brushing until they reach your desired color.

Grilled Tomato, Bread & Basil Skewers

Summer has finally arrived! I love summertime. Warm weather, splashing in the pool, fresh fruit and vegetables from the farm and garden. We get to eat outside and dinner comes hot off the grill most evenings. I am always trying to find new creative side dishes that can either be prepared ahead of time or grilled. These skewers turned out great. If you never had grilled grape tomatoes you must try it, they get so juicy and sweet. It's fantastic!

This recipe will make enough for four skewers and you can easily change quantities.

For 4 Metal Skewers:

1 demi baguette or sourdough bread

24 grape tomatoes, rinsed

24 small basil leaves

3 Tbsp. olive oil

garlic salt to taste

You will only need about half of the demi baguette. Cut the bread into 24 cubes about the size of the tomatoes. Start skewering the tomatoes, basil leaves and bread, alternating until you have 6 of each on a skewer.

Brush generously with olive oil and season with garlic salt to your taste.

Grill them over medium high heat, turning them often so they won't burn, about 4 minutes all together.

***Tip***

If your basil leaves are bigger than the tomatoes, just cut them in half. You want them to be the size of the bread and the tomato so they don't get charred.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa

The farm just wrapped up this year's cherry harvest and how sweet and delicious they were. Unfortunately it is always over way too fast and there is never enough time for a lot

of experimenting.

I've seen a lot of people raving about cherry salsa that uses cilantro, but I just couldn't imagine those two flavors together. I wanted to make something different and decided to try basil, garlic and balsamic vinegar. Wow!

So without further ado, here is my take on grilled pork tenderloin with cherry salsa:

Cherry Salsa:

1 lbs. dark sweet cherries

3 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced

1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 handful of basil, finely sliced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

Wash and pit the cherries, then chop them up in a food processor as small or big as you like. Combine the cherries with the other ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Pork Tenderloin Marinade:

1 pork tenderloin (the small ones)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

To make the marinade combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey and rosemary.

Put the the tenderloin in a resealable bag, add the marinade and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Prepare your grill to medium hot. Grill the pork over direct heat for about 8 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches at least 145 degrees. Take it off the grill and let sit for a few minutes.

Slice and serve with cherry salsa.

Cook's Country Steak Burger

We tried out this Grilled Steak Burger with Homemade Steak Sauce and Shoestring Onions from the August/September 2011 issue of Cook's Country magazine. Unfortunately the recipe is considered premium content and you have to sign up for a 14 day trial. I can tell you though that buying the paper version of this magazine is well worth it just for this meal!

The only substitutions to make this recipe dairy free were, using Nucoa margarine instead of butter and Franz hamburger buns.