How are you?
I have a cold.
I feel like I am whining a lot these days. All summer it is soooo hot and I am all like “Damn is this heat ever going to stop?” Today it feels like fall and I am all “Damn it is cold! It better get hot again soon” LOL
I officially suck!
SBean and HBear got haircuts today. It was the first for SBean and HBear’s BACK TO SCHOOL haircut.
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| Waiting for the snipping to begin! |
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| All trimmed and ready for a new year |
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| The 1st cut is the deepest 🙂 |
Yes, HoneyBear is off to kindergarten… next week! I am scared and nervous and excited. You would think it was MY first day of school!!! LOL
So I am in a pickle. It is full day classes so she doesn’t actually go to school until September 11. Until then it is an integration process. So 1 day she goes for 30 minutes with me and 2 other kids and their Moms. Next she does 2 hours with just the girls. Then she does a half day with just the girls. Then 2 hours with all kids, a half day with all kids and then TA DA… first day of class a la September 11.
So, I gotta ask… when do I take the 1st day of school picture? Why do they do this? Don’t they know how much it Ef’s with my unrealistic view of important milestones and days of my children’s life?
I feel that this is becoming a trend in my life. I remember HBear’s last birthday. I had just gotten out of the hospital from having SBean and we were around the table with her cake and SBean was crying and HBear was whining “When can we have the caaaakkkkeeee?” and I yelled “EVERYBODY SMILE! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!”
It seems that all my memory shots are such a hassle and so posed that I am missing out on the actual event. Hmmm now that is something to think about LOL.
Lately I haven’t been cooking much. I just can’t get inspired. So I have been trying out a few of “Mom’s dishes”. You know, like her famous perogies and stuff that I always left up to her to cook because she just rocked at it. A big one is RIBS. My Mom made fall off the bone herb and oil ribs. I cannot even imagine trying to make them because well, I have no idea how she even did it. I always thought she would be there so I didn’t even ask. I have noticed this lots in the past few weeks. I just took it for granted and now… well I am screwed. Don’t even get me started on her poor garden L
So, I tried a new type of ribs. That is what seems to work for me right now. This is my new life, the new norm, our new potato salad and ribs…
Grilled Potato Salad with Bacon-Dijon Vinaigrette
Adapted from Simply Scratch
1.5 lbs Baby Potatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoons Horseradish Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 large Clove of Garlic, pressed
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
5 strips of Bacon, cooked and chopped (reserve the bacon fat)
6 chives, sliced
Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
1-1/4 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1 pinch Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Bacon Fat
Preheat your oven to 425.
Skewer quartered potatoes onto metal skewers. Spray with Pam until they are coated evenly. Sprinkle with a couple pinches of black pepper and salt.
Place in oven for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes.
In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard, onion powder, chili powder, garlic and black pepper. Slide the grilled potatoes off of the skewers and into the bowl. Toss to coat.
Vinaigrette: In a small bowl whisk together the red wine vinegar, the Dijon mustard, black pepper and slowly whisk in the bacon fat.
To the bowl with the potatoes add in the chopped, cooked bacon and sliced chives.
Pour the bacon-Dijon vinaigrette over top and toss to coat.
Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Not My Mom’s Ribs
Adapted from Ina Garten
½ pack of Costco ribs
1 recipe BBQ Sauce
BBQ Sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1½ chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
½ tablespoons chili powder
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat, add the onions, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
You can use the sauce now or refrigerate.
Place the ribs on the pan meat side up and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Pour the BBQ sauce generously on each rack and cover the ribs loosely with aluminum foil. Save some sauce for grilling.
Bake for 2 hours, until the meat is very tender when tested with a fork. As soon as the ribs are out of the oven, spread them generously with additional BBQ sauce.
Start your BBQ!
Brush the grill with oil to keep the ribs from sticking. Place the ribs on the grill ribs-side-down, put the lid on top and grill for 5 minutes. Turn the ribs meat-side-down, put the lid back on, and grill for another 5 minutes, until nicely browned.
Place on a cutting board, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and allow the ribs to rest for 10 minutes.
Ninja really liked the salad. We all did. I think it was a bit vinegary so next time I would cut the red wine vinegar down a bit but other than that it was a nice change from the regular potato salad. This was a perfect amount for the 3 adults and HBear. SBean even had a bit and she loved it, so far she loves EVERYTHING though LOL.
The ribs… well they just weren’t my Mom’s. But the BBQ sauce was nice. I think a while longer in the oven would have been good. They were just a bit tough, Mom’s baked long and at low heat, I think. Hers fell off the bone. But I have to say, the taste was there!
