It's Sunday night and Robin is rustling up some ribs

    It’s Sunday night and I’m headed over to my daughter, Brenda’s. Lexi will meet us there. I’m excited because Robin is making her famous Baby Back Ribs tonight served with her South of the Border Cole Slaw. And for dessert, she is using a recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Bundt Cake she saw on the internet. Want to try it? Go here: http://tiphero.com/pineapple-upside-down-bundt-cake/

When they were kids, my daughters  loved my old-school Pineapple Upside Down Cake  so we will see how this one compares.

At least it's a pretty pattern.

The first thing Robin did was mix brown sugar and butter and put in the bottom of the bundt pan.   Then she meticulously arranged the half slices of pineapple and the cherries over that. So far, so good. Here's where Lexi stepped in to mix up the yellow cake batter.

Lexi has her own method of mixing.

It takes two.

Ready to bake.

Voila! Lookin' good!

Robin tests the ribs... tender and ready for the grill

    Warning! If you want to make Robin’s Ribs, there is a long list of ingredients and some of them are a bit exotic. Making these ribs takes some time and effort but believe me, it is worth every ingredient and every step! They are falling-off-the-bone tender and mouth-watering flavorful.

Almost ready to eat

Nom nom!

By the way, the ribs were faboo, as usual and the Pineapple Upside Down Cake was good! Maybe not quite as good as mine but we all managed to choke down a piece. Or two.

Recipes

Robin's South of the Border Slaw

  Mix together in a large bowl:
2/3 cup lite mayonnaise
1/3 cup  sour cream
Juice of one lime
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped fine
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp.kosher salt

Add 1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded and 1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and mix all together and chill one hour before serving.  Serves 4-6

Rob’s Rib Rub

Mix together in a small bowl:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. hot paprika
1/2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. kosher salt
(Optional) 1/2 tsp. Ras-El-Hanout (a Morroccan spice. Can be found at Cost Plus)
Makes enough for 3-4 racks ribs

Robin’s Awesome Sauce

1-1/2 cups catsup
1/3 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup chunky salsa
1 Tblsp. yellow mustard
2 Tblsp. Kikkoman Teriayki glaze

2 Tblsp. liquid smoke
2 Tblsp. your favorite hot sauce (Robin uses Frank’s Hot Sauce)
2 Tblsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tblsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it is bubbling. Remove from heat.

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Robin’s Famous Baby Back Ribs 

Hwe's how to make them from beginning to end:

Put 3-4 generous racks of ribs in large pot and add one can of any beer and enough water to just cover the ribs. Add 1/2 tsp. Rob’s Rib Rub (see above). Bring to a boil and parboil the ribs for about 10 minutes.

Remove ribs and put in shallow baking pan and sprinkle both sides with Rob’s Rib Rub. Add two ladlesful of boiling liquid to pan.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours or until fork tender.

When ribs are almost done, prepare coals in a grill. When ribs are done, drain and place over hot coals and brush with Robin’s Awesome Sauce or your favorite sauce. Cook over coals (or on gas grill) about 2 minutes on one side, then turn and brush other side with sauce and cook another 2 minutes. Remove and serve with additional sauce on the side. Serves 4-6
 
 

 

 

Pentacost Sunday and My Favorite Salad

Sunday dawned bright, clear and warm. Flowers are blooming and the birds are singing. What a day to celebrate the feast of Pentacost at our church. Oh, and we are having a baptism as well! It’s expected to wear the color red. It symbolizes the joy and the fire of the holy spirit and gives us an opportunity to haul out our reddest and brightest clothes. And red is my favorite color!  Hallelujah!

After church we are having the traditional  barbecue, (the church provides hamburgers and hot dogs) and the parishioners bring the side dishes and desserts. I have decided to bring a Couscous, Garbanzo and Olive Salad.  I first met this savory delight when Ann, my Memoir Writing Class teacher, brought it for an end-of-semester potluck. After one delicious bite, I had to have the recipe. Ann generously sent it to me with the reminder that it comes from the book, The Best 50 Olive Recipes by Catherine Pagano Fulde. I prepared it Saturday night so the flavors could mingle and develop into scrumptiousness. Is that a word? Well, it should be.

This salad is a snap to prepare. The couscous practically makes itself. There is a little chopping involved and a couple of cans to open but generally speaking it only takes minutes to make. Here is how it goes.

Assemble your ingredients. Oops, I already juiced the lemon before I took the picture.

Make the couscous and cool it before pouring it into a large mixing bowl.

Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans.

 A few words about the handiest tool  in my kitchen: It is a lid popper. As the years creep up on me my hands have less and less gripping power and sometimes I have the devil's time opening a sealed lid. Well, this little baby fits just under the edge of the lid and with a slight pressure...Pop! and Bob's Your Uncle, as my mother used to say. In other words, the seal is broken and the lid opens without any difficulty. I would be lost without this little tool.

I love my lid popper!

Pop! So easy!

Start chopping!

Add the rest of the ingredients

Mix the dressing

Add the dressing and mix well. That's it!

Red and Ready for the potluck.

Couscous, Garbanzo and Olive Salad

1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup lemon-infused virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 box Near East plain couscous, prepared as directed on package
2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tblsp. capers, rinsed and drained
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup pitted mixed olives, drained and rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
Tomato wedges for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice with oil, salt and pepper. In a medium sized pot prepare the couscous as directed. Let it stand about 5 minutes; fluff with fork and let cool for another 5-10 minutes. Pour into large mixing bowl. Fold remaining ingredients, except garnish, into couscous and add dressing. Mix well and chill. Garnish with tomatoes. Serves 6-8.

A Foodie Family and Mother's Day Weekend

Mother’s Day weekend here in San Jose with my family, as always, was a food lover’s mecca. When my children get together for any occasion it becomes a “Have you tried making this?” contest. This weekend was no exception. My granddaughter, Lexi, had gone to Antelope to be with her mother.  My son, Steven, and his family arrived at Brenda's Friday night. Early Saturday morning the food prep began. Saturday’s dinner menu consisted of Beer Brats on the barbie, German Potato Salad, grilled peppers and onions, and for dessert, Stephanie’s White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies (recipe from her Pinterest page http://pin.it/F8SPbSA) Stephanie added Macadamia nuts. Oh yeah!

Stephanie's finished White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Blondies.

    Saturday afternoon we tried to see “The Jungle Book,” but it was sold out. We went home and Brenda ordered tickets online for the 7:55 p.m. showing. So we had our dinner before we went.

Nothing smells better than onions and bacon cooking!

Peppers and onions go on the grill

Beer brats on the barbie

Ada looks a little skeptical about Aiden's candle lighting.

Ready to eat. Nom Nom!

Since our tickets were bought online, we sailed right through and didn’t have to wait in line! Getting seven seats all together was a challenge, though. We had to split up inside the theater but it was okay. The movie was great! I have never seen special effects like that. If I didn’t know it was a new technology, I swear, I would have thought the animals were actually talking and interacting with the humans. Amazing!

Sunday was brunch day. Brenda, our tablescape artist, went above and beyond for Mother’s Day. Graceful pale pink tulips set the tone. The place mats were in soft shades of pink, pale greens and yellows. They look like watercolor paintings.

Brenda's artful table setting. I love the place mats.

Brunch started with Mimosas and Martinelli Sparkling Cider and Pomegranate juice. Robin and Brenda had made Eggs in a Nest; Hash brown potato nests filled with chopped ham, bacon bits and green onion and a whole or scrambled egg, then baked. Go to: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/231488/birds-nest-breakfast-cups/?prop24=etaf  for the recipe. To go with our nests, Robin’s Cheddar and Curry crackers, spread with Red Jalapeno Pepper Jelly hit a really high note. I could eat a dozen of those. Something about the Pepper Jelly really brings out the curry in the cracker. It is a flavor party in your mouth.

Cheddar and Curry Crackers

Brenda and Robin making the "nests."

Final touches. Let's eat!

 

Mom Stephanie with Aiden,Steven and Ada

Mom Judi with Steven, Brenda and Robin

    We mothers had to wait until after brunch to open our cards and gifts. Steven had already sent two dozen roses to my house in Los Gatos and they're lovely.

Stephanie got a new Silpat cookie sheet liner, Brenda got a hummingbird on a wire for her garden and my girls bought me a Fitbit! I had been looking at them, thinking I might get one but now I don’t have to! I love it. It tells me how many steps a day I take and even lets me know my sleep pattern. Last night I slept 7 hours 15 minutes, woke up 3 times and had 13 restless incidents. So far today I have walked 3,309 steps. Now I’m obsessed with checking my smart phone to track my progress.
    After Steven and family left for Antelope Sunday afternoon Brenda, Robin and I played a game of Train, a dominoes game. Dinner that night was simple: baked salmon, roasted asparagus, and Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Risotto. The Risotto was divine and would have stood up to any Top Chef  challenge. All in all it was a wonderful weekend. Now I have to get moving so my Fitbit will show I am trying to walk off all that food!

Recipes

Cheddar and Curry Crackers

Ingredients:
2 cups extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 cup butter (1stick), cut in pieces and kept cold
3 tablespoons water (or more as needed)

Process cheddar, flour, salt, curry powder, and cayenne in food processor until combined, about 30 seconds. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand, about 20 seconds. Add water and pulse until dough ball forms, about 10 seconds. Transfer dough to counter and divide in half. Roll each half into 10-inch log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap logs and slice into ¼-inch-thick coins. Place coins on prepared sheets, ½ inch apart. Bake until light golden around edges, 16-18 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let coins cool completely before serving. Serve alone or with Red Jalapeno Pepper Jelly.

German potato Salad 

Ingredients:
3 cups diced peeled potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tblsp. water
3 Tblsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tblsp. chopped parseley

Place potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside to cool. Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel. Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!