Easy Grilled Ribs

The H told me, many months ago, that he wasn't a fan of barbeque.  If I remember correctly, it went something like this:

Me:  I could really go for some ribs.  Or a pulled pork sandwich.  Or a half a chicken.  With barbeque sauce, obviously.  And cornbread.

H:  Huh?

Me:  Don't you ever get cravings for barbeque?

H:  No.  I don't really like barbeque.

Me:  . . . .

That ellipses is there because I passed out.  Who doesn't like barbeque?  Or, more accurately, what person who was born and raised in Iowa and lives for meat and potatoes doesn't like barbeque?  What kind of world do we live in?!

And then we went to Sonny's and the H changed his mind and we lived happily ever after.

Which is all true, but not where this story ends because this is a FOOD blog and I'm supposed to deliver food-related content, not just complain about what a goofy weirdo the H is.  I get it (and he is).  So I made ribs at home for you, peeps.  And damn, were they good.

I covered a cookie sheet with foil and slapped (is there any other way?) my ribs onto it, bone-side down (I used about 2 pounds of baby backs for the two of us).  I seasoned the ribs with lots of salt and pepper, then slathered on my favorite barbeque sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's, but with added onions, tobasco, and garlic).  I  baked them, loosely covered, at 350 degrees for an hour and a half.

Then they got thrown onto a grill preheated to medium high, for about 3 minutes a side.  I assure you, you won't be disappointed.  Unless you have a husband who doesn't like barbeque, in which case I'm sure you're disappointed on a number of levels right now, and this post is just rubbing it in.

I'm sorry.

But I'm not sorry about these.

Enzo Angiolini via Nordstrom

Are they boring?  Sure.  Are they basic?  Absolutely.  Are they the perfect librarian pump?  YES.

I shall wear them while reading and eating ribs.

Quickie Friday: Another Round of Roasted Veggies

There is nothing easier than roasting a big pan of vegetables.  I like to roast them and store them for many future meals, if they last that long.

For these roasted veggies (which I made at EASTER!) I started by roasting up some quartered Yukon gold potatoes and white onions (which I seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper) at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.  I pulled my baking sheet out and added the artichoke hearts (which I buy jarred in water) and cherry tomatoes, then roasted everything for another 20 minutes or so.

The tomatoes burst to give the all of the veggies a bit of sauciness, which the H loves.  It's a simple side dish that would be a quick and easy accompaniment to almost any meal.

I saw cute, short, slouchy boots all over Europe.  Obviously I need a pair.

via

Although at this price point, I may obviously need five pairs.

Chicken and Broccoli Quinoa Mac and Cheese

I believe this blog is a testament to how much I like to cook; I hope that each of my readers understands that, despite my typically awful pictures and penchant for taking bites out of my food before I photograph it, I do care a lot about what I put on this blog and like to let you glimpse in at my successes (and failures!) in the kitchen.

I also like to confess, from time to time.

Today's confession:  I freakin' LOVE Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.

And if it's spiral mac and cheese - even better.  I LOVE IT.  (image)  With that said, I don't make enough money to support my mac and cheese habit, and I understand that processed, powdered cheese stuffs probably aren't the best for my diet.  A reinvention is obviously in order.

So the answer is obviously additional fake cheese stuffs.  I know, I know.  Not good.  But this recipe only uses two ounces of Velveeta.  Two lousy ounces.  How can you go wrong?!

1 1/2 cups fully cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup dry)
2 chicken breasts, shredded or sliced
1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets and steamed
2 ounces Velveeta
Tabasco, salt, and pepper (to taste)

Steam your broccoli until it's fork tender (I did this while I cooked my quinoa) and set aside.

I seasoned my chicken breasts with salt and pepper and grilled them on the stove top, then allowed them to cool, briefly, before shredding/slicing them.  Again, I did this while my quinoa was a-cookin'.

Since I cook my quinoa in the microwave, the next step was the easiest:  as soon as the quinoa was done, I threw the chicken, the broccoli, the Velveeta, and a bunch of Tabasco into the bowl that I used for my quinoa, stirred it all up until it was well-mixed and the cheese was nice and melty.  I seasoned it with salt and pepper, and then I sat my happy ass down and ate it.  It doesn't get much better than that.  Well, it does, but I'll need to buy stock in Kraft to see a return on my Mac & Cheese obsession.  Getting paid (in a roundabout way) to eat spiral mac and cheese WOULD be better. 

About that I cannot lie.

Nor about this:

Fendi via Bergdorf Goodman

WTF.

Coming to you from . . . Seattle!

Hey Peeps!

Today I'm off to Seattle, and the festivities range from my cousin's wedding (YAY!) to my poster presentation at the national library conference that I attend every year (more YAY!). 

I won't be totally off the radar, though.  Follow me on Instagram and Twitter to see what I'm doing!

Image via

Crispy Fried Potatoes and Roasted Chicken

In an attempt to clean out my drop box, I have come across a LOT of pictures of things that I made months ago.  Months as in pre-honeymoon, pre-wedding, pre-wedding diet, the whole thing.  PRE.

This entire meal was so simple.  It required the following basic ingredients:

Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (I made two huge breasts)
Yukon gold potatoes
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil

Easy peasy, am I right?
I sprinkled the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper and placed it in my baking dish.  I roasted it at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Nothing to it.

I shredded my potatoes using the julienne blade on my mandolin/slicer/thing, then tossed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Very difficult.  Then I tossed them into a pan, let them get crispy, flipped, crisped, and served!

We ate our roast chicken and potatoes with spinach salad.  It was so quick and easy and everything had a lot of flavor, despite minimal prep time and ingredients.  It's a great meal to keep in your back pocket, for days when you don't want to prep anything too involved.  As someone who is known to plan big meals and end up too tired to cook them at the end of the day, it's never bad to have a fallback like this!

And speaking of fallbacks:

 Christian Louboutin via Barneys

Can you ever go wrong with a pump like this?  Ever?!

Happy Fourth!

As a total fireworks junkie, I am taking the day off from EVERYTHING so that I can watch some comedy, listen to some music, and enjoy BIG SPARKLY THINGS IN THE SKY.

Stay safe, peeps, and enjoy your independence day!

*image

Remembering Easter: The Ham

Does anybody remember that little holiday, Easter, that happened so many months ago?  I can't believe I still have recipes to share from our Easter feast, but I do!  The damn wedding just got in the way.

So, basically, I bought an 8 pound spiral-sliced, pre-cooked ham for Easter.  I rubbed it down with salt, pepper, and rosemary, and let it sit while I prepared a glaze.  The glaze (which didn't photograph well) contained a couple of cups of dry white wine, about 1/4 cup of honey, and a Tablespoon of mustard.  I simmered that for about half an hour until it reduced by half.

I baked the ham, covered, at 300 degrees for one hour, then reduced the heat to 200 degrees and let it bake for another two hours.  Every 15 minutes, for the entire 3 hours, I opened that bad boy up and poured glaze over the top of it.  And lemme tell you, it was the most tender, delicious ham I've ever had.  The H (then-F) loved it, and he hates ham.

The H would also hate these:

B Brian Atwood via Saks

But I kind of feel like they're Easter on your feet.  And as only someone who is currently wearing bright pink shoes can attest, that is never a bad thing.