where in the world did this saying come from?  i have no idea, but these are the best ribs i have ever made.  i caught the end of Down Home with the Neelys a few weeks back where they were making these Kansas City style pork ribs.  they are the best combination of sweet and spicy with both a rub and a sauce.  (I'm from Texas and you have to have sauce with your bar-b-que.)  I'm just posting the link because it is a lot to write:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/neelys/kansas-city-style-pork-ribs-recipe/index.html

another night, we grilled some keibasa sausage, sliced it up, tossed it with some of the left over bar-b-que sauce and put it on buns - fabulous!

This is another one of those fabulous recipes from the cookbook CookThis Not That.  Followed the recipe exactly - it was perfect! 

GRILLED FLANK STEAK with Chimichurri sauce (herb sauce)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 TBSP water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 lb flank, skirt or sirloin steak (i used skirt)

(Pull meat out of refrigerator while preparing the sauce to get the chill off and it will cook much more evenly.)

To make the chimichurri sauce, mix the vinegar, water, garlic, salt, pepper and pepper flakes.  Whisk in the oil.  When everything is blended, whisk in the parsley.

Rub steak with about a tablespoon of olive oil on each side and season with salt and pepper.  Place steak on hot grill.  For medium-rare, cook it for 3 minutes on each side.  Take steak off grill let sit for 3 minutes before slicing.  Slice diagonally against the grain to make it tender.  Drizzle with sauce.

(I keep thinking I need to take a picture of these recipes so you can see, but I always think of it after my hungry family has devoured it.)

well, the boys are back and school and that means it is time to get back to work.  i am excited about some new things that i will be offering this year!  i love to learn new techniques and research new products.  come back often so you can be part of everything new. 

first things first.  for those who have been wanting a new recipe, here is a great one this time of year.  if you are being taken over by the squash in your garden, this is a fabulous recipe that calls for 2 pounds of it.  the funny thing is that i have never actually made it though - it is my husbands speciality.  like many of my recipes, it is a comfort food.

SQUASH CASSEROLE

2 lbs yellow squash
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix (save 1/2 of mix for topping)
1 carrot, grated
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carton sour cream
1 stick butter

boil squash until tender.  meanwhile, in a large pan, melt butter. add 1/2 stuffing mix, salt & pepper to taste. drain squash and mix with stuffing in large pan. stir in remaining ingredients and put in a 9x13 pan.  top with remaining stuffing mix.  cover and bake 45 min. at 350 degrees or until brown.

I LOVE living in Asheville, NC! Growing wild in my backyard and the vacant lot next door are blackberries, black raspberries and wine berries. Blackberries have always been my favorite berry and now I am blessed to be surround by them. I get such a thrill everytime I come in from picking. I think, "I can't believe I got all of these for FREE!"

Well, right now, my house is filling with the smell of warm Blackberry Cobbler that is baking in the oven. This is a fabulous, very easy recipe that I got from the Jackson Service League Cookbook (pg. 237 for all my Jackson, TN friends).


BLACKBERRY COBBLER


2 pints fresh blackberries or 4 cups frozen, thawed and drained (can use blueberries too.)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
6 TBSP butter, melted (you know I love my butter!)
1 TBSP dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon


preheat oven to 350 degrees. wash blackberries well, drain. place them in an 8x8" baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice. in a medium size bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and egg with a fork. it will be dry and crumbly. sprinkle dry mixture evenly over blackberries, and drizzle with melted butter. sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over flour mixture. bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. (sauce thickens as it cools.)

serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream.

Here are a couple of recently requested recipes. One is Red Beans and Rice (I was never a fan until I had this recipe - amazing!!!) The other is a Grille Chicken that my mom would make when I was growing up. It is great for camping trips. Make it ahead, let it marinade in a ziplock, then put it on the grill - no prep and no clean up.


RED BEANS AND RICE (crockpot)

2 lbs dried light red beans
2 1/4 TBSP salt
1/2 TBSP pepper
1 TBSP garlic powder
1/2 tsp cyanne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
less than 1/4 c fresh chopped parsley
2 packages kebasa sausage

Soak beans in a large pot of water overnight. In the morning, drain and put in crockpot with spices and 8 cups of fresh water. Stir and turn on low. Around lunch add sliced kebasa. Serve over long grain white rice.


DIJON MARINADED GRILLED CHICKEN

1/4 cup oil
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 or 3 chopped green onions
4 chicken breasts

In a small bowl, whisk marinade ingredients. Place chicken in ziploc bag and pour marinade over it. Massage bag. Refrigerate 2 - 6 hours, turning occationally. Grill.

Happy 4th!!!