Mama Rants Again

I have a new rant that I really need to just get out of my head, so here goes !
*warning* this is not meant to offend anyone -- especially you Jay Haugh !! Love ya man !

Ok. So many people say to me things like "i like to cook, but nothing ever tastes good or quite right! or "I thought it would be much better than it was, I guess I just don't have the cooking gene!" I have been milling these thoughts over for awhile and here is what I came up with.

THE FOOD YOU MAKE WILL ONLY BE AS GOOD AS THE INGREDIENTS YOU PUT IN!!!

That is to say, if you use generic brand ingred. or the cheapest ones, then guess what my friends.....it will taste that way. I'm not saying that I only buy the best of the best.....although I would pefer to, I just try to get my hands on the best ingred. without breaking the bank. I'm saying that it's worth the extra .50 when it's all said and done. Especially if it is a meal that you want to impress with. So when im at the markert and I see that there is a deal on the "good" canned tomatoes, I buy them in bulk when they are on sale. i.e. muir glenn fire roasted tomatoes. Same thing with pasta. Pretty much anything that I can store for a long period of time. Nor do I substitute the real thing for a less fat/fat free version. I know, I know....say what you want, but I would rather eat less of something that tastes delicious, then a normal portion of something that tastes generic. Just eat less my firends and you'll be fine!

In my opinion here are the things that I will NEVER by with a generic label or store brand label.
1. Unsalted Butter - NOT MARGARINE
2. Chedder Cheese (generic is just plain gross!)
3. Olive Oil
4. Parm Cheese
5. Meat or seafood (any kind and in any form!)
6. Dried Pasta
7. Bread (unless it's for a PB & J...the kids just don't care)

You might read this a say to yourself "wow, she really has her nose up in the air when it comes to food!" To that, I would say "It's just a matter of taste!" So next time your at the market, choose a few ingred. of higher quality, that will last you a long time and slowly build yourself a pantry worthy of the ingredients it will house!

Be Well, Eat Well !!!

Smokey Pork Ribs

Steve LOVES ribs!!! Last night I decided to smoke a full rack of pork ribs all by myself. Let me clarify something here....I love to BBQ but Steve is the big meat BBQ guy, not me. So I was a little worried, but I really wanted to attempt this on my own. "I can do this!", I told myself over and over as I was basting those bad boys every 15 minutes! Hoping againt a repeat of my first BBQ disaster years back (aka burning...no charring, $50.00 worth of filet mignon), I set out to prove myself worth of the title "BBQ Diva" that was, of course, self given! To my suprise, they turned out awsome! I mean slap your mama good!!!! Samantha ate 4 herself and cleaned her bones better than I did. Steve was so proud. The next day, Sami asked me "mama, can we have ribs again for dinner?" Ahhh sweet success! Ladies, try this for your man !! I'm tell'in you, he will be forever yours!!

Serves 2 hungry peeps or 4 regular

1 rack of pork ribs
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup pepper
Favorite BBq sauce
Basting juice - recipe follows
Hickory wood chips
Foil

Basting Juice:
In a medium size bowl combine all the ingred. and set aside.

3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
5-6 dashes worchestire sauce
3-4 dashes tabasco
1 onion, cut into half moon slices about 1/4 in. thick
2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
2-3 cups water

Soak the wood chips in water for 30 minutes. Then drain the water and make 2 foil packets full of wood chips. Poke holes in the foil packets to let the smoke escape. Place one on each side of your grill.

Heat your grill - indirectly, to 250. Indirectly means that you only use the outside burners. The middle not make heat.

Rinse and pat dry the ribs. Don't skip this step!!!
Sprinkle the ribs very liberally on both sides with the salt, garlic powder and pepper.

Place the ribs in the middle of the grill once you see the smoke starting to perfume out the sides of the grill.

Every 15 minutes for the next 2-3 hours, baste the ribs with the basting juice to keep them moist. Dont skip this step either. When the ribs start to pull away from the bone, they are ready. To check, lift up one side and pull it towards the other. If the ribs pull apart, they are done. It maight take longer than 3 hours depending on your grill.

Grilled Brie Cheese Sandwhich

As I poked around in my refridgerator this morning to find something savory to make for breakfast, I came across the left over Brie cheese in the cheese drawer. I just love brie. I love the way it melts...gooey and oozey! Viola !!! I'll make a grilled cheese! But this is breakfast so of course this sandwhich will require bacon. Don't limit this creation to breakfast. This sandwhich would be great along side a soup or salad for lunch !!

Serves 4

16 slices of center cut bacon cut into inch long pieces
6 tbls unsalted butter, at room temp
8 slices sourdough bread
8-12 oz brie cheese
2 green tomatoes, cut into 1/4 in. slices
salt and pepper

Place the bacon in a large skillet and cook until nice and crispy. Drain onto a paper towel and break into the pieces. Heat a cast iron griddle or cast iron pan on med high heat. Spread the butter on one side on the bread and place butter side down in the pan. Begin building the sandwhich. First, but down a layer of brie, then the tomatos ( 2 slices per sami) and next the bacon. Top with more brie cheese. Put the bread top on the sandwhich, butter side up. Grill until the cheese is melty and the bread is nice and golden.

Mexican Bruschetta

I have to admit that I have a love for crunchy bread with toppings. Let's not forget how many times I recreated breakfast brushetta! I just think that you can't go wrong when bread is the major ingredient. I think that Sam, The Cooking Guy, shares this sentiment! Why not take something that is traditionally italian and turn it into a mexican version. It's almost like my two favorite loves in cooking, crusty bread and anything mexican, coming together to birth a fantastic new version of a classic. This is a great stater to any mexican meal you prepare and fancy enough to entertain with ! Thanks for this reciepe Sam!!!

Ingred:
1 long sourdough Baguette
1 1/2 lbs. tomatoes, seeded and diced really small
2 tbls EVOO
1 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3/4 cup monteray jack cheese, shredded


Heat the broiler and slice the baguettes down the middle, toast ever so slightly under the broiler. In a bowl, mix together all the ingred. together. Cover cut side of bread with the mixture. Place under the broiler again and toast until all the cheese is bubbly and brown. About 2 minutes. Remove and slice into serving pieces. Approx 16-20 pieces.