ribs and a short ode to franz.

This past weekend Tyler, our good friend, came for a visit.  His visit was kind of two-fold.  Of course he came to see us, but he also came to visit because he adopted our dog, Franz.  On one hand, it was a wonderful visit with a wonderful friend.  But on the other hand, it was a hard goodbye to a wonderful(-ish) dog.  And, hence, this blog post is somewhat two-fold...

Sunday happened to be Tyler's Birthday and we had fun celebrating with a day of relaxation and, if I may say so myself, awesome food.  For breakfast, I made my mom's Amazing Belgian waffles, which I may need to share the recipe for eventually... or maybe I'll keep it as a semi-secret family recipe?!  And then, for dinner I made barbecue ribs.  Since this may just be the best ribs recipe ever and it isn't a family secret, I thought I would share it.  So, without further ado, copied & pasted directly from AllRecipes.com ::

Texas Pork Ribs

Ingredients

• 6 pounds pork spareribs
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 5 tablespoons pan drippings
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups ketchup
• 3 cups hot water
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• cayenne pepper to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup wood chips, soaked

Directions

1. Clean the ribs, and trim away any excess fat. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup salt, ground black pepper, paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Coat ribs liberally with spice mix. Place the ribs in two 10x15 inch roasting pans, piling two racks of ribs per pan. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  (Or, if you are lazy like me, coat the ribs the morning of cooking... they will still taste good.  I promise.)
2. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Bake uncovered for 3 to 4 hours, or until the ribs are tender and nearly fall apart. (Or throw them in the crock pot for the day.  On high for a couple of hours and low for a couple of hours.  Pretty much, I make it up as I go.)
3. Remove 5 tablespoons of drippings from the bottom of the roasting pans, and place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in pan drippings until lightly browned and tender. Stir in ketchup, and heat for 3 to 4 more minutes, stirring constantly. Next, mix in water and brown sugar, and season to taste with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, adding water as necessary to achieve desired thickness.  (This makes a TON of sauce.  Last time I made the ribs, I was smart enough to freeze the leftover.  So, lucky me, I got to skip this step this time.)
4. Preheat grill for medium-low heat.
5. When ready to grill, add soaked wood chips to the coals or to the smoker box of a gas grill. Lightly oil grill grate. Place ribs on the grill two racks at a time so they are not crowded. Cook for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Baste ribs with sauce during the last 10 minutes of grilling, so the sauce does not burn.
6. ENJOY!

So, the ribs were awesome, but....saying bye to Franz was definitely harder than I thought it would be.  But we are comforted in knowing that Franz will be very happy back in CO where the grass is, quite literally, greener (our back yard is dirt and a couple of rocks).  In honor of my time spent knowing, who I somewhat affectionately refer to as Franzie, I thought I would write a short poem. (Pardon the poor rhyming and rhythm poemie whatever stuff...it has been a long time since my last English class.)

Ode to Franzie

Franz, I did love you in my own weird little way

even though you didn't know how to consistently sit, come or stay.

And I know that we didn't always see eye to eye

and this wasn't just because you stood only 10 inches high.

But you are a good dog and a good boy with the best puppy face

and we will always love you, no matter the distance or space.

So have fun in Colorado with your new owner and best friend.

But stay away from Starburst Jelly Beans and Godiva chocolate, or that may be the end.

salmon potato chowder. yum.

It has been snowing on and off all weekend!  So, for dinner I made one of my favorite meals... and I don't even generally like soups!

Salmon Potato Chowder
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 pound potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 8 ounces cooked salmon filet (or smoked salmon), shredded
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 cup half and half

Directions

1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the butter, olive oil, onion, garlic, and celery. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are transparent. Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir well to make a dry roux. Gradually add the chicken broth and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in the potatoes, dill, tarragon, thyme, and paprika. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the salmon, wine, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat, uncovered for 10 minutes.
3. Mix in the half-and-half and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let the chowder boil after adding the half-and-half. Serve hot.

OR...  you can mix Step 1 and 2 and leave all day on med/low in a crock pot.  Then, do Step 3, let it heat up and serve!!

coconut sherry chicken curry.

I was told a couple of times that I should start sharing some of my favorite recipes on my blog, so here it goes:

It is stinking cold here so, to help warm us up tonight, I made Coconut Sherry Chicken Curry.  So amazingly yummy and it makes the house smell so good!

Coconut Sherry Chicken Curry ::

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
• ~ 4 white potatoes cubed
• ~ a handfull of baby carrots
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large onion, cut into chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry
• 2 cubes beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• water to cover
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 C Jasmine Rice, prepared

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Coat chicken with cornstarch and place in skillet with garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Add sherry and beef bouillon and let liquid reduce a little.  Add potatoes and carrots.
2. Stir in peanut butter and curry powder and add water to cover; add ginger, reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are soft.  Then lastly stir in coconut milk and serve hot over Jasmine Rice.

I know it doesn't look very pretty but trust me...this is amazing. 

SOOOO yummy!  This is definitely one of Ryan's favorites!

On another note, I would like to wish Grandma Hansford a big Happy Birthday!  We love you!