Easy Oven Baked BBQ Ribs

I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July.  Sorry I've been MIA this past week.  We traveled to the mountains of Colorado and I've been getting myself acclimated to the altitude, spending time with family and biking.  The weather has been perfect with temps ranging from the high 40s to mid 70s.  We're nowhere near the wildfires but have felt some affects of it with our allergies - as have those that live here full time.  I feel fortunate to be here for the summer instead of St. Louis where the temps have been in the 90s and 100s with little breeze and high humidity.

There's been a drought in Colorado, hence, the wildfires, so they've banned all fireworks.  Still, we enjoyed our holiday, taking in an art fair, walking around town, biking and taking our dogs for a hike.  Since typically it's crowded here in Breckenridge for the 4th we decided we'd be best to eat dinner at home.  So I decided to make some BBQ Ribs with simple sides of baked beans, grilled fruit salad, watermelon and 4th of July Pavlova for dessert.  Dinner was easy and delicious!

I don't prepare BBQ Ribs much - mainly because I'm rarely asked to, but thought they sounded perfect for the day.  I've never been one to slave over the grill so opted to make oven baked BBQ ribs and then finish them on the grill.  This freed up some time to enjoy the afternoon while my ribs were cooking.

I decided to purchase St. Louis style ribs vs. Baby Back, mainly because we prefer a meatier rib.  Here's a great site that details the differences in rib cuts plus even includes a video.  I think you'll find it informative.

I plan to share most of these recipes during this coming week, finishing up on Friday with a great giveaway that I know you'll love!  Please stay tuned.

Oven Baked BBQ Ribs
serves 4


Ingredients:


2 slabs St Louis Style Ribs

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
smoked salt and smoked pepper sprinkled over ribs
prepared honey mustard

heavy duty foil

Instructions:


Preheat oven to 300F degrees.

Combine sugar, paprika, and cayenne and set aside.  Rinse and pat ribs dry, trim and remove any silver skin.

Cover pan with heavy duty foil.  Then set each slab of ribs on its on piece of foil, enough to wrap. 

Slather honey mustard over one side of  ribs, then sprinkle brown sugar mixture, and salt and pepper (your desired amount), flip and do the same on the other side.  Wrap long sides in first then flip up the sides and set in your foil lined pan with folded edges up.

Bake for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.  They're done when a knife can be inserted in the meat with no resistance.

With grill preheated to medium, slather ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce on both sides and grill approximately 5 minutes per side to create nice grill marks.

Now you're ready to eat them.  Serve with additional sauce if desired.  YUM!

These ribs are so easy you won't believe how good they taste.

Note:  If the weather is unseasonable and you'd prefer to do all your cooking indoors, simply slather ribs with sauce and place under the broiler until sauce is bubbling and ribs are slightly charred.   


If you want to add additional spices to your rub add other seasonings to suit your tastes, or you can also purchase a ready-made rub found in the spice section of your grocery store.  You can also use various types of mustard, ranging from Jalapeno to Spicy Brown, or mild.  They're your ribs, so create them to suit your tastes.

Enjoy!

Gazpacho Sorbet

I was invited to join in the 5 Star Foodie Makeover 2 months ago.  A group of foodies that prepare their version of a dish, based on a theme that our hosts Natasha and Lazaro come up with each month.  This month's theme is Chilled Soups, with a twist.

hosted by 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro Cooks!

Summertime is the perfect time for ice cold soups and a favorite of mine is Gazpacho.  About 8 years ago I came up with this recipe while chatting with a chef friend of mine on Chef2Chef a site I use to frequent.  After perfecting it, I've taught it in my in-home culinary classes with rave reviews.  So today I decided to share it.

I love gazpacho - it always hits the spot on warm days, while still being very nutritious.  But when the temperature soars into the 100s, the forecast for this weekend, my Gazpacho Sorbet is the most satisfying meal you can eat.  It nourishes without making you feel too full on a hot summers day.

Before making this recipe I would suggest reading it from start to finish.  Each of the five quick recipes can be made in advance, although I prefer serving the sorbet just out of the ice cream machine - the texture is more velvety then.

Grilled Shrimp with Gazpacho Sorbet

Sorbet

1 clove roasted garlic, smashed *
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 pound tomatoes (I used Campari)
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1/4 cup chopped sweet onions (I used a small onion, rather than a 1/4 of a large)
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, and chopped
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. vodka
2 Tbsp. Simple syrup **
2 Tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil

Add all ingredients in a blender and puree. 

Chill for about an hour then place into ice cream maker. 

Mix in ice cream maker approx. 20-30 minutes and serve.  Best served when freshly made.

Serve in a martini glass, shrimp tail out, sorbet in the middle, dressing drizzled all over.  

Can garnish with a sprig of cilantro.

Grilled Shrimp

Jumbo shrimp, peeled, leaving tail on and devein

Olive oil

S&P

Clean and rinse shrimp and toss in olive oil to coat with S&P.  Place on grill 2-3 minutes per side or until turns pink.  Set aside until sorbet is done.

* Roasted Garlic – Take entire head of garlic and cut off top exposing tips of garlic.  Place head of garlic in heavy duty foil, drizzle olive oil over top and add a pinch of S&P and seal tightly. Put in 375 degree oven for 1 hour.  May be stored in refrigerator for up to a week.  To use, squeeze out cloves as needed.

**Simple Syrup = 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water.  Bring to a low boil in saucepan for about 2 minutes until sugar dissolves.  Can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Notes:  

• If you prefer your sorbet to be a different color use yellow tomatoes and yellow peppers. 
• If you don't feel like roasting the garlic you can place it in the blender raw and it will be more prominent.  Roasting mellows and sweetens the taste of the garlic.

Cilantro Pesto

1 cup chopped cilantro (packed)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ cup light olive oil or to desired consistency

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 cloves garlic

Combine ingredients in blender and drizzle over shrimp, seafood or pasta.

 I hope you enjoy this refreshing appetizer/soup!

Fruit and Nut Natural Nutrition Bars

It wasn't until two weeks ago while running errands and feeling famished, that I stopped into Starbucks to get some iced green tea when I spotted Kind Bars, a fruit and nut natural nutritional bar.  Realizing that I didn't have time to stop and grab a bite anywhere, I decided to try one.  WOW!  They were fantastic with just the right amount of fruits, nuts, chew and satisfaction.  That little bar kept me full the rest of the afternoon.  I was shocked!

When I finally made it home my mission was to find a recipe for these.  I searched online and viewed a variety of recipes and even tried them, but none had the right combination of ingredients to keep them held together.  One claimed to be perfect and others had testified, but it had Brown Rice Syrup in it, an ingredient I recently wrote about.  So decided not to try this version.

Besides loving the flavor my main goal was to find a granola-like or nutrition bar that I could make to take while biking or hiking through the mountains where I'll be soon.  Typically I go on 3-4 hour bike rides and 4-5 hour hikes, so a nutritional bar is the perfect fix for a tired, hungry body in the middle of the mountains.  At $4+ a pop for a bar I'd prefer making my own, that is, if it's not going to take all day.

The first batch I made had all the right ingredients

BUT

just didn't hold together well.

The second batch I made, I added oats, 7-whole grain cereal and peanut butter, subbing out honey for Lyle's Golden Syrup..  This one turned out perfect.  If you're a fan of peanut butter, I think you'll like this.  Next time I'm going to try it with Lyle's Golden Syrup, a favorite of mine.

In addition, I chopped the nuts rather than leaving them whole, which only made it easier to slice but IMO looks prettier left in one piece.

I hope you like this quick, easy, tasty and nutritious bar.  It's a perfect snack when you're on the run!

Fruit & Nut Natural Nutrition Bars

serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (I used Quaker Old Fashioned Oats)
¼ cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp almonds, chopped (I used slivered)
1 Tbsp pistachios, chopped
½ cup water
½ Kashi 7-Whole Grain Puffs
¾ cup creamy peanut butter (I used low sodium, organic)
½ cup honey (next time I'm using Lyle's Golden Syrup because I like it)
1 cup mixed dried fruit (I used, Plum Amazin's, strawberries and apricots), roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine oats, seeds, and nuts.  Spread onto a foil lined sheet pan, and bake until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan bring water to a boil, then remove from the heat.  Add the Kashi cereal letting it absorb the water, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and honey, returning saucepan back to the stove on a  medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the fruit, oats, seeds and nuts into the peanut-butter mixture, blending all together with a rubber or silicone spatula, until ingredients are evenly coated.

4. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.  Pour the mixture into the pan, and using your spatula, press into a uniform thickness. 

5. Cover and move the pan to the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

6. Cut into 8 equal sized bars. Wrap individually in wax paper, tied with twine for traveling or enjoy straight from the refrigerator.

These bars will keep at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Note: Remember this is simply a blueprint of a recipe that worked for me.  Now you can tweak this recipe to suit your taste, or allergies, and make your own unique bar.  Please share your results.  I'd love to hear them.

ENJOY!!!

Squid Injects Sperm into Women's Tongue

I just read this article in the Huffington Post about a women who ordered squid at a restaurant in Korea and got more than she bargained for.  Apparently this isn't an isolated incident, it has happened before.

For those eating squid at restaurants you may want to consider how it's prepared before ordering.  Click here to read the Huffington Post article.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Grilled Salmon Burgers & More for Father's Day!

Father's Day is Sunday and many of you will have family over to BBQ for the occasion.  However, it's also bathing suit season and even though you might like to indulge in the burgers and ribs, you're really trying your best to watch the fat intake.  So what can you do when the menu is burgers and chicken, or ribs and chicken and you want fish?  Salmon Burgers to the rescue!

In addition to the other fare you're serving why not add something healthy like Salmon Burgers along with Sweet Potato Fries, chilled Watermelon, Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad and of course dessert - Chocolate Cups filled with Ice Cream Sundae?  OK so the dessert has a few more calories but YOU could use fat free yogurt in them.

I love these burgers and if you're a fan of salmon you will as well.  They're moist, delicious and so simple to prepare.   A one pound skinless fillet of salmon will make 4 nice size patties to pop on the grill or if preferred on the stove top or oven.  Check out this recipe and I think you'll agree these Salmon Burgers need to find a place on your Father's Day menu.

Salmon Burgers with Spicy Yogurt Sauce
serves 4

Ingredients:

Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup Greek Yogurt (I used 0% but use whatever you like)
• 1/2-1 tsp. of Sriracha Sauce
• 1/4 tsp. Sesame Oil

Blend ingredients together.  Place in refrigerator until ready to use.

If prefer a milder sauce blend the Greek yogurt with 1/4 of the cucumber and a sprig of fresh dill.  Blend in processor or blender, chill until ready to serve.

Salmon Burger:

• 1 pound salmon fillet, skinned, cut in half
• 2 shallots, peeled and quartered
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (use whatever type you have on hand.  I used fat free)
• 1/2 cup Panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)

Toppings:

• 4 Whole Grain Hamburger buns
• 4 crisp lettuce leaves
• sliced tomatoes
• ribbon sliced English cucumber (with mandoline, cut cucumber in 1/2 and ribbon slice)
• Yogurt Sauce

Directions:

•  In a food processor, combine all  ingredients and pulse until well combined, leave slightly chunky like hamburger meat.
•  Form into 4 equal patties. (Spray patties with non-stick spray to avoid sticking to grill.)   

    

•  Preheat the barbecue for medium-high heat grilling. Cook the burgers 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until just cooked through the center and golden brown. Alternately, in a large saute or grill pan add 2 Tbsp. of canola oil and turn to medium heat. Place the burgers in the pan and saute for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until just cooked through the center. 
• Put a lettuce leaf and 2 slices of tomato on the bottom bun, place the burger on top, adding 2 ribboned, sliced cucumbers then top with yogurt sauce.  Place bun on top and serve.  YUM!!!

Sweet Potato Fries:

• Preheat oven to 425F degrees.
• Peel and slice 3 Sweet Potatoes.  Cut into wedges or using a mandoline cut into matchsticks.
• Line a sheet pan with heavy duty foil and spray with non-stick spray. 
• Lay sweet potato slices on pan and place in oven for approximately 20-30 minutes or until cooked how you like.  (My husband likes them crispy).

Here's another healthy burger you might like to try.

Happy Father's Day!  Have a great weekend!

Video: How to Make Chocolate Cups

Since posting Special Dessert for Dad on Monday, I've had several people email me, asking exactly how to deflate the balloon, and wishing they could view a live demonstration.  Originally I recorded a video while making these, but had trouble uploading it due to size.  After receiving these emails I decided to shorten the length to share with you.

I hope after viewing "How to Make Chocolate Cups," you will feel more confident creating them in your kitchen and even inviting your kids and grandkids to help.

For written step-by-step instructions view Special Dessert for Dad.

Remember, the possiblities are endless for these cute little cups.  Sprinkle colors, drizzle with other chocolates, and fill them to your hearts content.

Here's the video: "How to Make Chocolate Cups"

Enjoy!

If you make these please share your creations!

Special Dessert for Dad!

Father's Day is this coming Sunday.  It was always one of my favorite days to celebrate and show my dad just how special he was to me.  We'd put on the old Big Band music, his favorite, and my sisters and I would all take turns dancing with our night and shining armor - OUR DAD!  He was the best, and for those of you still fortunate to share this day with him "do it up chocolate" as my daddy would say!

Since I always like to make a fuss about those near and dear to me, my dessert is sure to put a smile on your dads face and everyone else gathering around the table.

This dessert is so simple to prepare.  However, if you want to make it all from scratch (chocolate cups, ice cream, topping), then start several days ahead and assemble everything just before serving.

The results: A fun dessert with infinite possibilities. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Chocolate Cups Filled With Anything You Desire

10 ounces dark chocolate chips

8 small balloons (water bomb style)

Set aside a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Blow up 8 balloons (about 4 to 5 inches in diameter when fully inflated).

In a medium microwave-safe bowl add the chocolate and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth.

Spoon 1 teaspoon melted chocolate onto prepared pan to form a small disk.

Dip balloon in the bowl of melted chocolate, coating about one-third of the balloon. Rock balloon from one side to another, going about 1/2 way up, forming a scalloped or tulip effect.

Place dipped end on chocolate disk. Repeat with remaining balloons and chocolate. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator to set, about 30 minutes.

To release air from the balloons, pinch each balloon just under the knot, and cut a small hole in the surface between your fingers and the knot. Gradually release the air; if air is released too quickly, the cups may break.

Carefully peel the deflated balloons from the chocolate cups, and patch any holes with the remaining chocolate.

If desired, heat up some white chocolate to drizzle over the hardened chocolate cup for more pizazz!

Return the chocolate cups to the refrigerator until ready to use.

Note: You can make the chocolate cups up to 5 days ahead. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To Serve:

Fill chocolate cups with your favorite treat.  I've filled ours with frozen vanilla yogurt, Heath bar, non-pariels, topped with chocolate sauce and whipping cream.

Other variations:

Strawberry, Raspberry or Chocolate Mousse

Favorite Candy
Homemade ice cream
fresh berries

What will you fill yours with?

Enjoy!