Asian-Lime Ribs

I love ribs.  It took me a long time to cook them myself, though.  I was very intimidated by them.  I have friends who have smokers just for their ribs.  I have no smoker.  I have friends who have secret recipes for marinating their ribs.  I have no secret recipes for marinating ribs.  What's a rib-loving girl to do??  Knowing I could never grill ribs as well as my friends, I came across a recipe for these Asian-Lime Ribs.  These were different.  They had a very different flavor than any I'd tasted before.  And the recipe is easy to follow and takes the guess work out of cooking ribs.  The sauce is sweet and spicy with an Asian flair.  They're delicious!  In fact, they're now my favorite ribs!


Asian-Lime Ribs

2 racks spareribs, trimmed

Rib Rub:
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground coriander

Asian-Lime Sauce:
3 tablespoons ginger, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Dock meat between rib bones for extra flavor.

Combine ingredients for rub, and apply to ribs. Place in pan and cover tightly foil, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Double-check the foil to make sure it fits snugly around the pan. Slow roast the ribs in a 250 F. oven for about 2 hours, checking the ribs after about 1-1/2 hours. (You want the meat to pull away from the bones.)

Stir together ingredients for sauce. Brush on roasted racks of ribs before grilling.

Grill over medium-high heat a total of 15 minutes. Serve ribs with Asian-Lime Sauce.


Source:  Cuisine at Home

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I love Italian food.  Growing up in an area full of Italian-Americans, great Italian food was always readily available.  And since my best friend was/ is Italian, I learned how to make good Italian food!  My mother inherited several great recipes from her friends there and passed them down to me.  While I do like pasta, I love meatballs.  Not just any meatballs but the ones my mom taught me how to make.  I did make one slight change to the recipe, though.  Instead of frying them, I now bake them.  It's my preference, though if you want to fry them, by all means, knock yourself out!

One of the keys to great meatballs is to simmer them in the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving.  It makes all the difference!  When my daughter started making them, her complaint was that they didn't taste like mine.  First question I asked her:  Did you simmer them in the sauce before serving?  Not realizing how important that was to their flavor and texture, she hadn't.  NOW she makes great meatballs, too!

Meatballs

3/4 pound ground chuck (I often use all ground chuck, or 1/2 pound ground chuck and 1/2 pound ground pork)
1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix all ingredients (I find it's easiest to do with my hands - clean hands, of course!) Shape into balls, a bit bigger than golf balls. I usually get 12 - 15 meatballs out of one batch. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. (The parchment isn't necessary, but it makes clean-up MUCH easier!)

Bake for 30 minutes. Place in simmering spaghetti sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Italian Wedding Soup

Italian Wedding Soup. I always thought that it was so called because it was traditionally served at Italian weddings. A little research uncovered that while Italian-American weddings may include it as a favorite part of the menu, the actual origin came from the way the flavors of the dish marry so well together.  My favorite part of Italian Wedding Soup are the tiny little meatballs.  They're so tender from being cooked in the broth, and, in return, they impart such a wonderful flavor to the broth.

A couple of years ago, I tried Rachael Ray's recipe for this soup.  As her recipes promise to be, it's quick and easy.  And though that's not necessarily a prerequisite in my kitchen, it sure is nice when I'm tired but want something healthy and filling.  What a great way to end the week!

Mini-Meatball Soup (Italian Wedding Soup)
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Prep Time: 20 min
Inactive Prep Time: --
Cook Time: 27 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 big servings

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal combined (I used 1/2 pound ground sirloin and 1/2 pound ground pork)
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1-1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettuccini or ditalini (I used orecchiette)
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (I used arugula)

In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings.

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

This is another one of those favorite family recipes I remember my grandmother and my mom making.  It's one of my all-time favorite desserts, partly because of the caramel sauce since I'm one of the world's biggest fans of caramel.  It's also so easy to make, with relatively few ingredients.  With the family coming for dinner, and the fact that it's apple season, what other reason did I need?!  The cake is rich and moist, even without the sauce, but the sauce puts it 'over the top'.  Delicious!

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts
3 cups apple chunks (preferably Red Delicious, approximately 3 large, peeled and cored)
Caramel Sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 300 F.  Thoroughly grease a tube or bundt pan.

Combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into wet mixture. Carefully stir in apples and nuts.

Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove to cake plate.

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cream or evaporated milk

Over low heat (or in double-boiler), melt brown sugar and butter. Stir in vanilla and cream, cook until thick, stirring occasionally. Spoon over individual portions of cake and serve.

Devil Dogs

I always wondered where the name for these treats came from... until I tried to photograph them!  As you can see, I had a "devil of a time" trying to move them from one part of the plate to the other without getting crumbs and the deliciously sticky filling all over!

These tasty little childhood treats, the chocolate cakes with a marshmallowy center, were a homemade favorite among my siblings, a "knock-off" of a Drake's snack found in the northeastern part of the U.S.  My brother and I were just talking the other day about them, and he thought his oldest daughter would just love them.  I found my mother's recipe, and noted (with just a little gastronomical snobbery) that the filling consisted of shortening, powdered sugar and marshmallow creme.  I thought I might be able to improve on that, and with the help of Epicurious.com, was able to do just that.  My brother declared them the snack cake he always remembered, and my niece was in heaven.  Success (even if they were a pain in the neck to photograph!)

Devil Dogs

1/2 cup shortening (I haven't experimented with substituting butter, but I will next time)
1 egg
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
Filling (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Thoroughly mix the shortening, egg, sugar and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add to wet mixture.  Mix in milk. Batter should be very thick. 

Place rounded tablespoonfuls of batter 3 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake 7 - 8 minutes.  Let cool on baking pan for 5 minutes, then remove to rack and cool thoroughly.

Filling:


2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine filling ingredients with a pinch of salt in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with a handheld electric mixer at high speed until filling is thick and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat until slightly cooled.

Mound filling on flat side of cake; cover with a second cake.

I refrigerated the finished devil dogs, which helped to set up the filling.  Make sure to place waxed paper between layers of devil dogs.

Tablescape Thursday

I was in my local grocery store a couple of days ago and saw these amazing flowers on sale.  The color was gorgeous, and I just couldn't resist bringing them home.  Even though they do not exactly epitomize autumn, I decided to plan my tablescape around these beauties, anyway.  As I started pulling the table together, the wind started howling outside (um, yeah, outside... I guess that's a given...) and the tv news announced that we were under a tornado watch.  Thankfully, a funnel cloud had not been spotted (yet), so I was not to be deterred.  It occurred to me that there was a nice contrast to what was happening on my table to what was happening outside.  I like that!

The many inspiring tablescapers had me looking around the house to see what else I could add to my table.  I remembered my little girl who oversees one of my guestrooms:

(Can you see where I singed some of the petals when I lit the votives??! Yikes!)

 

 

 

Dinner plates & bowls:  Dansk
Salad plates:  Sur La Table
Water goblets:  Tuesday Morning
Vase (actually a milkshake glass):  Tuesday Morning
Wine glasses:  Macy's
Flatware:  Pottery Barn
Votive candles:  Pier One
Napkins:  Amazon.com
My girl & the tablecloth:  Have had both for several years

Thank you, Susan, at Between Naps on the Porch for sponsoring another fun Tablescape Thursday!!  Please be sure to check out Susan's tablescape and the tablescapes of all the other talented and creative participants!

Clam Chowder

Have I mentioned that it's been a little chilly where I live???  It was actually in the 40's this morning.  In Texas!  In October!!  That's about 20 degrees lower than normal... and I'm loving every bit of it!!  "Chilly" is cozy weather.  And there's nothing cozier, food-wise anyways, than a bowl of hot, thick clam chowder.  It's a recipe I got from my Aunt Joanie many years ago, and it's rich and delicious, making me happy every time I eat it!

It was also a perfect day to make bread.  So I made a boule, thinly sliced a couple of pieces, and toasted them to have with my soup.  The perfect go-with.

Hearty and delicious soup and homemade bread.  NOW I feel cozy!

Clam Chowder

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced leeks
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup diced celery
3 tablespoons flour
2 cans clams, reserve broth
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/2 cup diced potatoes
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
3 drops Tabasco sauce
dash black ground pepper

Heat butter in 4 quart pot.  Saute leeks, onion, and celery 6 to 8 minutes.  Add flour to mixture and cook 2 minutes.

Add enough water to reserved broth to make 2 cups of combined liquid. Add to vegetable mixture.

Scald milk and cream.  Add to soup, and stir in potatoes, Worcestershire, salt, thyme, Tabasco, and pepper.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 25 to 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.  Add clams, cooking an additional 5 minutes.  Serve.

Note:  This soup freezes well.