KC Style Oven-Baked Ribs

Summer is soooo close, but it's still supposed to freeze this weekend.  I spotted a nice rack (of pork ribs...) at Trader Joe's this week so I snagged them, hoping to fire up the grill this week.  With near freezing temps and an epic thunderstorm yesterday evening, grilling wasn't an option.  I dug up an old oven recipe and the three ingredients proved magical as always: A lemon, my favorite rub, and my favorite BBQ sauce.  Low and slow in the oven and you have fall-off-the-bone pork, baby back ribs.  It was a picnic at our kitchen table last night while listening to the rain...not too shabby.

Ingredients: 

-1 rack of pork baby back ribs

-1 lemon

-favorite pork rub

-favorite BBQ sauce

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup has been one of my favorites for years. It's a meal in a bowl and who doesn't like meatballs? Brings me back to my Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs phase. But this is much butter. The recipe I originally followed was Rachael Ray's, but I've tweaked and added (specifically more broth) over the years.  Make this big batch and freeze the leftovers in muffin tins. They reheat wonderfully. 

Ingredients: 

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-4 carrots, peeled and diced

-3 ribs of celery, peeled and diced

-1 large white onion

-1 dried bay leaf

-1 lb lean ground beef, veal or pork

-1 egg, beaten

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

-1/2 tsp nutmeg

-1/2 cup bread crumbs

-10 cups chicken stock

-1 pkg (16 oz) of small pasta - I use Acini di Pepe (orzo or mini shells will work, too)
-1 lb (large bag) baby spinach

Sausage, White Bean and Hominy Cassoulet

A typical white bean cassoulet is an amazing blend of flavors and textures, but a mistake in the kitchen took this recipe to whole new level. I thought I grabbed two cans of white beans from the pantry but accidentally opened a can of cannellini's and hominy! Oops.  Add a few Italian sausages, tomatoes, onions and herbs to make a succulent one-pot meal. I followed this recipe...except for my maize mistake.

Ingredients:

-1 pkg sweet Italian sausage

-1 yellow onion

-1 pint cherry tomatoes

-1/8 cup olive oil

-1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

-3-4 springs fresh thyme

-1 can white bean, drained and rinsed (like canellini) 

-1 can hominy, drained and rinsed

-1/2 cups dry white wine

-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Bison Bolognese

 

 

I love cooking with bison (buffalo meat) because it's so lean and lends a 'gamey' taste to this dish.  You can definitely sub the bison for ground beef, veal, or even venison (deer).  Bolognese is a red sauce that is cooked down into a rich, flavorful sauce.  In this recipe I add large slices of mushrooms and a little pancetta for flavor.  If you make a big batch you can freeze portion sizes for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

 

Ingredients:



-2 carrots
-1 rib celery
-1/2 yellow onion
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-4 ounces cubed pancetta
-4 cloves garlic
-1 lb. ground bison
-1/2 cup red wine
-1.5 cups beef broth
-2 cans diced tomatoes
-2 ounces tomato paste
-1 pkg baby bella mushrooms (mini portabellas)
-1 tsp dried basil
-1 tsp dried oregano
-1 pkg dried pasta of your choice

Elk Rotini Soup

It's fall (at least in Denver) which means it's soup time! I love having a big pot of broth, veggies and meat simmering on the stove all day.  This is down-home comfort soup is made with game meat — elk — but you can use ground beef, buffalo, or turkey.  Freeze any leftovers in muffin tins and pop them out once frozen.  Put three frozen soup blocks in a plastic baggy and back in the freezer for a quick week-night meal.  

Ingredients:

-1 lb ground elk (or other meat such as beef)

-2 Tbsp Montreal steak seasoning

-2 carrots, diced

-1 white onion, diced

-1 celery rib, diced

-2 Tbsp olive oil

-1 can (11-ounce) corn

-1/2 can (7 ounces) peas

-1 large can (14-ounce) diced tomatoes

-6 cups beef broth

-6 cups water

-3 Tbsp tomato paste

-1 lb. dried rotini pasta

Cilantro Marinated Beef Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Flank steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat.  It's lean and you barely have to cook it and it's done.  I usually broil the flank steak, but this time we threw it on the grill (or grill pan inside) to sear it on a stick.  Blake and I love peanut sauces so I developed a recipe from the guidance of a few others I found on the web.  This would make a great appetizer or even a main protein for dinner. 

Marinade Ingredients:

-1 pkg flank steak

-1/3 cup olive oil

-1/4 soy sauce

-3 Tbsp fish sauce

-1/2 shallot, minced

-juice of 2 limes

-2 Tbsp minced ginger

-1 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp pepper

-3 cloves of garlic

-1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

-3 Tbsp water

-1 clove garlic, minced

-1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

-4 Tbsp coconut milk

-juice 1/2 lime

-2 Tbsp sesame oil (or peanut oil)

-1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

-1 tsp sriracha 

-1 Tbsp soy sauce

-1 tsp minced ginger

Steamed Mussels with Italian Sausage over Pasta

I make mussels quite a bit and my go to recipe is Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Saffron Broth.  This recipe is similar but minus the saffron and plus some wonderful sausage.  I used locally (and minimally processed) Polidori Mild Italian Sausage.  You can use mild or spicy, whatever you and your guests prefer.  The sausage adds wonderful flavor to the broth and makes a little more hearty, but still light meal when served over pasta.  My favorite noodle in the world is Buccatini. It's basically thick spaghetti with a hole through the whole noodle...or like a very long macaroni noodle. Mmmm...regular spaghetti, angel hair or linguine would work as well.

Ingredients:


-2-3 lbs fresh mussels (I did 3 lbs for 5 people)
-3 shallots, minced (or 1 white onion)
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1 cup white wine
-4 cups chicken broth
-1 Tbsp tomato paste
-2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
-1 lb Italian sausage, mild or spicy - I used Polidori
-1 baguette french bread
-1 Tbsp olive oil
-1 pkg buccatini, spaghetti or linguine pasta
-1 handful fresh Italian parsley, chopped
-salt and pepper to taste

Easy Tip to Freezing Bacon: How-To

Do you have bacon left-over that you know will go to waste if leave the rest in your fridge?  Ever frozen bacon in the package before to find a huge frozen hunk that would take forever to thaw and you only want 2 pieces!?  I read this recently and thought I'd give it a try after making my Zesty Broccoli Salad,  which only called for a few pieces of bacon.

Needed:


-leftover bacon
-parchment or waxed paper
-rubber bands
-gallon plastic freezer bag

Broiled Skirt Steak with Horseradish Dipping Sauce

I'm definitely not a grill-master so this is my favorite way to make steak in the house: broiling it!  Skirt steak is a nice lean cut of meat and is great served as a main dish or in tacos.  I've been on a horseradish kick recently so I made up this cool dipping sauce to compliment the meat. The marinade is basically things I had in the pantry and fridge.  I think you could get creative with your marinade (extra red wine from last night?) and it would still turn out wonderfully!

Ingredients:


-1 piece (package) skirt steak
-1/2 cup soy sauce
-2 Tbsp brown sugar
-juice of 1 lemon
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-3 cloves minced garlic (you can cheat and use jarred garlic)
-1 Tbsp ground ginger
-2 Tbsp Hoison sauce
-4 green onions, chopped
-3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
-3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
-1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

Horseradish Dipping Sauce Ingredients:


-1/2 cup light sour cream
-zest and juice from 1 lemon
-4 Tbsp fresh chives, snipped
-2-3 Tbsp horseradish (depending on how hot you like it)