Savory Ribs Low and Slooooow

Psst. I have a secret.

Ready?

I'm not really crazy about BBQ sauce. Wait, wait, wait. I didn't say I hate it. I just don't love it.

But I love ribs. I love gnawing on any kind of bones, but if you give me ribs, I'm in hog heaven. And a few weeks ago, H and I splurged on a dinner and we had the most delicious savory pork ribs. I'd never had them like that. So I decided to try and make them on my own. Here's what I did:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

2. Slice your ribs. Like in the picture below:

3. Put your ribs in a pyrex baking dish and salt and pepper them.

4. Then in a bowl, mince up 3 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup of Olive Oil, a handful of Italian breadcrumbs, and a tablespoon of chopped fresh Rosemary.

5. Mix well.

6. Rub your ribs with the mixture.

7. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Put it in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.

8. After the 2 1/2 hours, raise the oven temp to 375 degrees. Uncover the ribs and cook for another 25 minutes.

This will make them brown and delicious, yet the meat will still fall off the bones.



They're so good, two of us ate that whole platter. So, the next time you're craving ribs, skip the BBQ sauce and try these savory delicacies.

I dare you. ;)

Suzie

The Indoor Burger

NOTE: The following was taken from actual emails.

Dear Suzie Foods,

How do you cook a burger inside?

From,
Mrs. Z
___________________________________________________________

Dear Mrs. Z,

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Heat a metal handled skillet over medium high on your stovetop. (No plastic or rubber 'cause it's going in the oven.) Spray some oil spray in the pan. Not a lot, just enough so your patty doesn't stick. Turn on your fans. When the pan is super hot, put your patty in it. Brown it on one side. Probably 4 or 5 minutes. Flip the burger over. Add any toppings like mushrooms, onions or tomatoes. Stick the pan in the oven. Finish cooking the burger for about five minutes. More for a bigger burger, less for a little one.

USE AN OVEN MITT to remove pan. Put the burger on a plate. Let it sit for three to five minutes. Then eat the bugger!

Let me know how it turns out!

From,
Suzie Foods
________________________________________________________________

Holy crap. You are a goddess.
________________________________________________________________

Taste it before you proclaim me a goddess. ;)
________________________________________________________________

Dear Suzie Foods,

Burgers were delicious! Mmm Mmm Mmmmm!

Thank you for saving my dinner. Silly snow covered grill. Xoxo
________________________________________________________________

Below are some pictures from when I made my own Indoor Burger.

I'm glad I could help Mrs. Z get her burger fix without having to defrost the grill. So how do you cook your burgers?

Suzie

Roasted Tomato Soup

Add a grilled cheese sandwich to this menu and you could reach euphoria.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice onions. Smash garlic cloves. Halve tomatoes. Salt and pepper them.

2. Roast for 20 minutes.

3. When veggies are soft, transfer them to a stock pot.

4. Over medium heat on the stove top, add enough broth (You can use vegetable or chicken. Whatever you've got.) to cover the veggies.

5. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

6. Add parsley or basil.

7. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup. If it's too thick, add more broth.

8. For a creamy touch, add some goat cheese. Blend again.

Enjoy!

Soup goes a long way to warming up cold winter days. What's your favorite soup?

Suzie

Creamy Artichoke, Potato and Spinach Soup

When we were in college, my brother would invite me over to his apartment to eat. Eager to escape dorm food, I'd go to his place for what he called a "Garbage Plate." It usually consisted of whatever was in the refrigerator. Perhaps some tator tots with a side of mac and cheese along with hot dogs and, of course, a beer.

After days of recipe testing for a huge cooking party I'm doing this weekend, my refrigerator is stocked with great ingredients. So I came up with my own sort of "Garbage Soup." Except unlike its Garbage-y name, it's delicious. Here's what I did:

1. Chop one bunch green onions.

2. Heat a heavy bottomed stock pot. When hot, add two tablespoons (about two laps around the base of the pot) of olive oil.

3. When the olive oil is hot, add the chopped green onions.

4. Peel and thinly slice one potato and add it to the pot.

5. Chop two cloves garlic and toss them in.

6. Add one 12 oz bag thawed frozen artichoke hearts. (I used a couple artichoke hearts for another recipe so 10 oz is fine. Remember, it's "Garbage Soup" - use what you've got.)

7. I had a handful of fresh spinach so I threw it in. You can too!

8. When the potatoes soften, cover the vegetables with vegetable or chicken broth. Bring the ingredients to a boil then cover and let them simmer for about 20 minutes.

9. I happened to have about an ounce of goat cheese. So when the vegetables were cooked, I plopped it in.

10. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

11. Enjoy!

What crazy "Garbage Plates" have you discovered out of leftovers?

Suzie