Dry-Rubbed Baby-back Ribs

I live in a state where it could concievably be considered a cardinal sin not to like bbq. While my husband adores bbq. I truely do not care for it. Which is why it is rather surprising to me that I really really like this particular recipe.  I like it so much that I have used the rub on chicken as well as porkchops.

Initially, the recipe came to me via a magazine-Real Simple. A magazine that already gave me my all-time favorite recipe. (see: Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce ) When I saw it I mentioned it to my husband and he merely said “Cool.”

A month or so after that, my husband decided that he wanted to bbq some Baby-back pork ribs. Naturally images of meat slathered in bbq sauce filled my mind and I really wasn’t looking forward to it. Then I remembered this recipe. I suggested that he try a dry-rub instead of a sauce.  He looked the recipe over and decided-because we had everything in the pantry-that he would. While I chopped the garlic, he gathered everything else.

He baked them instead of grilled because we don’t actually have a grill other than our little George Foreman grill. The house smelled quite nice while they were in the oven.

Again, I remind you that I am not a bbq person. I swear I ate more ribs than my husband did. This rub is bold, just as promised:

“Big and bold, Texas is a region unto itself, and its flavorful barbecue is unique, too…” -Real Simple, July 2008

But Lordy there was some heat to this, and just a hint of sweetness. I honestly couldn’t eat enough. [It seems as if after several years of living in the actual state of Texas my tolerance for 'hot' things has increased.]

This recipe calls for two racks…we originally only used one and that may have contributed to the amount of heat. I’ve also used the same amount of rub for chicken tenders/chicken breast/pork chops (portions for two people and then some leftovers for lunch)

Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales & Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

Look at this! Some new recipes! It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, on the contrary, I have been cooking quite a bit. A lot of the same ol’ same ol’ actually. I tried something different last night. Noticing a lack of vegetables with out meals recently (somehow I tend to forget them when I cook…) I made a conscious effort to make certain veggies were included in last nights meal.

It was requested that I make Chicken Fingers (Anyone know why-other than the fact that they are like strips-that we call them ‘fingers’? ) They turned out really well for being as simple as they were. The Timbales were more work than the chicken…

The Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales were easy to make, I was actually quite surprised by this. I wasn’t what I was actually making until they were done. I’d made Parmesan-Broccoli Quiches…just without the crust. It’s the closet thing I know of to compare it to.

I admit that the idea of eating chicken fingers and ‘quiche’ was a little odd at first, but the combination was pretty good.

Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales and Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce

7 Layer Salad

With the weather warming up I find that I make more salads. This 7 layer salad is great for bbq parties or summer pot-luck parties as it feeds a lot of people. It can also be assembled the day before (but not necessary) if you want.

I like the fact that the recipe uses both Boston lettuce and baby spinach-two of my favorite “salad” items. They hold up really well with all of the other ingredients.

The recipe comes from my mother and I am not sure where she found it originally. It is rather brand specific leading me to believe it came from a magazine. (The ones that provide recipes for whatever it is they are advertising and want you to buy.) I’ve kept the brands in the recipe as I saw no reason not too.

Chicken Adobo

I am so glad that I am not afraid of trying dishes from other cultures. If I were then I would have never come across this wonderful Filipino dish.

It is a very simple dish made with chicken or pork, slow cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and pepper.

The chicken came out moist and had a wonderful color to it. Matt took it to work the next day for lunch and came back telling me that it was even better the next day for having been able to soak in more of the sauce.

Glass Noodles with Chicken and Young Thailand Hot Sauce

So tonight we decided to make some Thai food. I don’t use the wok often so this was going to be a bit of an adventure for me.

Unfortunately when I went shopping for the ingredients this weekend I picked up rice noodles instead of glass noodles. It was a simple mistake on my part as I didn’t recall that glass noodles are actually made of bean threads and not rice. Even with the incorrect noodles I figured I should still give the recipe a go.

I made the Young Thailand Hot Sauce this morning to give it some time to rest. All I have to say is that if you aren’t used to heat, use this sparingly.

Overall I think the recipe was very easy to follow, even for a novice with the wok such as me. The key to it was definitely timing and being able to control the heat properly. Even with the change in noodles I think that the dish worked really well. I didn’t bother with the black fungus as I didn’t have the time to go to the local Asian market. I forgot to garnish with the red pepper at the end so it looked a little bland even with the green onion. It still tasted wonderful, and the the Young Thailand Hot Sauce gave it just enough kick.

Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf

On Sunday evening I extended an invitation to some friends to come over for dinner. I had two options for the meal. After a quick discussion it was decided that I would make Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meat Loaf. This was a new recipe for me. I’ve tried several meatloaf recipes in the past and most of them didn’t turn out well.

I find it rather interesting that a dish a simple as meatloaf can go horribly wrong. Thankfully this was not the case with this recipe. I was afraid that it would turn out dry but it turned out really moist.

There were a few suggestions from my…test subjects. It was suggested that I chop the onions smaller as it seemed to be a bit much. I pointed out that I was short about a 1/4 pound of meat. So even though I did use a small onion it made a difference. The flavors worked well together though.

The dressing for the side salad was a little strong on the mustard, but it was passable.

Bavarian Pork Roast

I made the Bavarian Pork Roast this week. I didn’t use the exact cut of pork that it called for, but it didn’t really seem to matter much. This has got to be one of the better recipes I have tried for a pork roast. It was amazingly moist and tender. It fell apart simply using a fork. I made mashed potatoes as a side dish to go with it.

The sour cream sauce was decent enough, though I have made better. I don’t think that I will make it the next time. Instead I will use one of the more traditional sauces that I know how to make.

I’m constantly looking for recipes to use my Crockpot with and this is definitely one that I am going to keep.

Lamb Ragu with Mint

Lamb Ragu was the first dish I tried to make when I went on my lamb kick a few months ago that didn’t involve leftovers from Outback.

This was a surprisingly easy recipe to follow, and I always appreciate that. I didn’t use the mint as I am not a fan of the mint/lamb combination.
I was quite surprised to find that lamb is a relatively lean meat. It has a very distinct flavor and was very tasty in this dish.

I invited Carly and her husband over for dinner to be guinea pigs (meant kindly) and as far as I can tell the dish garnered enough approval to be added to my repertoire.

Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce

I’m not sure this is the case with every Kitchen Goddess, would-be or fully realized, but it seems to me that there are certain foods/recipes that simply make us feel at peace. Fettuccine with Bolognese Sauce is one of those recipes for me.

I look forward to the prep work that is involved with anticipation the moment I decide that I am going to make it. From buying all the ingredients to the actual chopping. I’m not sure why this is. But it really does make me happy. My spirits rise and I usually end up bopping about the kitchen singing some random happy tune. And this is just during the prep stage which really only takes as long as chopping vegetables and the pancetta.

Then there is the smell that fills the kitchen when I actually start to cook. It’s absolutely heavenly. It comforts me. The moment I smell the combination of celery, carrots, onion and pancetta there can be no wrong in the world. Everything just seems right. It’s an amazing feeling.

I try to make this every other month or so. It makes so much that if I make it just for the two of us there will be enough leftovers to last at least three meals so I freeze a lot of it. Even if I just pull it out of the freezer and thaw it I am still filled with a sense of well being.

I can only hope that when others share this meal with me that they get the same sense of comfort that I do when I make it.

Broiled Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Reduction

Recently I went on a lamb ‘kick’. I don’t recall why it started, most probably because I saw something on the telly. When I go on these ‘kicks’ I tend to talk about them a lot; so it wasn’t surprising when I asked my mother for suggestions for her birthday dinner that she said lamb.

After much deliberation I settled upon a recipe that I felt she would like. So off to Whole Foods I went to purchase the lamb chops. The meat counter at Whole Foods is one of my favorite places to shop for meat. It reminds me of the butcher shops in Germany and there is something about bringing home meat wrapped in butcher paper. Unfortunately, on the day that I went they didn’t have any rack of lamb left so I ended up substituting shoulder lamb chops.

The broiled lamb chops went excellently with the caramelized fennel and pancetta salad that I made. The balsamic vinegar reduction tied everything together with its sweet/tart flavor.

The only change I would make the next time I make it is reducing the balsamic reduction. For the amount of lamb there simply was too much of it and seemed rather wasteful. Especially since you don’t want to drown the meat in it but simply drizzle it.