Some Good Recipes this week

I’m going off to a retreat with the Minnesota Lace Society so my Mystery Cookbook Adventure is a day early. The Compadre will hold down the fort at home. By the way the Swedish Apple Pie from yesterday is one of my Aunt Ann’s recipes. I used a tried and true recipe for company. Although I did threaten Miss T with a cookbook adventure I decided to use the apples we had and make the pie.

I tried two recipes this week but neither one was from one of my unused cookbooks. That’s OK, there’s plenty of time to use those cookbooks in the future. The first recipe is one that I’ve been meaning to try for a while and I just had to plan ahead and get the ingredients. It’s from Pioneer Woman Cooks again and just like the title says it’s going to be a favorite. My man, Compadre, really liked it just like Marlboro Man does. It’s called Marlboro Man’s favorite sandwich. Follow the link for her excellent directions, complete with lots of photos. Pioneer Woman likes butter so you have to suspend your cholesterol counting for this recipe.

The second recipe, is a cheater too. When we go to Sam’s Club on the weekend the Compadre likes to schmooze with the demonstrators. Actually, he likes to schmooze with anyone. I’m the shy one in our team and he’s the one who talks to everyone. Makes is nice for me – I don’t have to get over my shyness, I just tag along with him! Anyway, back to Sam’s Club. One of the demonstrators is named Mike and he usually is in the meat area. Several times he’s been demonstrating ribs and they are so popular that he sells out the rib case! He even wrote up a recipe to hand out to people. Last Saturday as we entered the store the crowd was around Mike as he was handing out ribs and I went up to him and asked if I could put his recipe on my blog as they are our favorite method of making ribs now too. He said he would be honored and so here it is. Mike’s, and our, favorite ribs. I have to qualify this by saying of course Sam’s Club wants to sell their product and so the recipe calls for Canadian Steak Seasoning, but you could use any favorite steak seasoning that you like. Also you can use your favorite barbeque sauce but I always use sauce I make myself. It’s one of my Aunt Ann’s recipes of course so I’ll follow the rib recipe with my favorite sauce recipe. The sauce is a sweet one and has no smoky taste, because I hate artificial smoke flavor – give me the real charred taste anyday. By the way, I cooked the potatoes in the water from the meat, they picked up some of the good onion and meat taste. The recipe is for a crowd size amount of ribs. I used one rack when I made them this week but I've used as many as 3 racks of ribs (just use a big enough pot).

Mike’s Ribs

Cut ribs into 4 inch chunks and place in cold water in a large pot. Drop in 1 large onion, chopped in large chunks and 8 bay leaves.

Bring to a slow boil and boil for 1 hour or until tender. The boiling here is the key, it moistens and tenderizes the meat.

Take out of the water and blot with a paper towel. (I’ve skipped the blotting with no problem)

Sprinkle with Canadian Steak Seasoning or your favorite seasoning and some granulated garlic. Place on the grill meaty side down or on the broiler meaty side up and brown for 3-4 minutes. Turn over, paint with barbeque sauce and season the other side with steak seasoning and granulated garlic. Mmm, good.

Aunt Ann’s Barbeque Sauce

1 cup catsup

½ cup vinegar

½ cup molasses

1/3 cup prepared mustard

2 T. Worcestershire Sauce

½ -1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce

½ cup honey (optional but I always use it)

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and whisk together. Boil a little while. Put it in a bottle in the refrigerator and use as needed. Keeps for months if refrigerated.