Avocado Shake

this shake is deliciously creamy, slightly nutty and only mildly sweet - so green and so good

handful of ice cubes

half of a ripe haas avocado

1/4 cup milk

1-2 teaspoons sugar or honey

everything goes in a blender and puree until smooth, glug down and enjoy the creamy avo goodness

Dak Jim (Korean Chicken Stew)

Galbi Jim is actually my favorite food.  But eating short ribs isn't the healthiest option and the recipe works great with chicken.

Start with cutting up a whole chicken, salt and pepper all over, and then dust with flour

Cut up big chunks of garlic and onion

brown the chicken pieces in olive oil

add garlic, onion, carrots and moo (korean radish) or potato

also add in soy sauce and some sugar, with rice wine vinegar and sesame oil to taste - sorry no measurements, i just did it by taste - but here's my approximation:

- 1/2 cup soy sauce

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 2 tbs rice wine vinegar

- 1 tbs sesame oil

simmer until chicken is tender but not totally falling off the bone

serve with white rice

nothing better that something cooked in soy with BAP!

I can't believe I made BBQ Ribs

This is the first time I have cooked such a giant slab of meat - pork spare ribs in all their glory splayed across my grill, wonderfully tended to by my bbq-loving husband

step 1 - buy huge rack of pork spare ribs, have butcher remove the membrane

step 2 - stir together a dry rub - combine tbs of this, tbs of that, maybe 2 tbs of some stuff - i used a version of mark bittman's but added ground cumin and mexican oregano (otherwise, salt, pepper, 2tbs paprika, 2tbs sugar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper)

step 3 - pat dry rub all over ribs, roll up and wrap with plastic - refrigerate overnight

step 4 - bring ribs to room temperature, throw on the grill, low fire - use the top rack with tin foil underneath to act as drip pan

step 5 - cook covered for an hour+ until it gets brown like in the picture

step 6 - sauce both sides and let sit on grill a little bit more to get a sweet crust

my ribs weren't meltingly tender enough just on the grill and it got too cold outside to keep checking on them, so we put them in a low oven for 2 more hours, 250 degrees

I have to say, they were pretty darn good, especially on my first time out - I think next time I will start them in the oven and finish them on the grill

yum.

Spring BBQ trials

Spring was in the air, at least temporarily

I found a great butcher and got tons of meat for my BBQ trials - rack of spare ribs, a small portion of bone-in pork shoulder and a whole chicken, butterflied - all for under $30!  I'm never going to buy meat at Whole Foods again...

I only have pictures of the ribs but made a whole bunch of stuff all weekend, the kitchen was a mess:

- avocado tomatillo "salsa" which was super tasty and beautifully green and smooth

- salsa, the regular kind

- pickled red onions, so simple and so good, with a tart, tangy, crunchy bite

- slow roasted pork shoulder, dry rubbed and cooked at 250 degrees for something like 7 hours, pulled apart and doused with homemade bbq sauce - still need to work on the sauce 

Assorted Pics of Past Dishes

oozie breads

pretty beet jewel salad

sandwich board - how bout a ham sammich?

Cute Fruit

i just chopped a small papaya and mango randomly, then decided to skewer them on wimpy toothpicks, but they looked cute

next time, evenly cut pieces of fruit, add some green mint for more color, and maybe another fruit, skewered on strong picks

they have potential as a nice fruit canape, post heavier, savory ones, or even as a nice add-in to put in a drink

Spaghetti and Meatballs, and turkey sausages

Meatballs and Spicy Turkey Sausage simmering in sauce

finished and plated spaghetti with grated reggiano and some chopped parsley garnish

meatballs:

1/2 onion choppd

1 clove garlic, pressed/chopped small

olive oil

sautee these three with s+p until soft (add chicken broth to speed up) and then let cool

1 lb ground beef

2 eggs

1/4 cup breadcrumbs, soaked in enough milk to make a loose mixture, but not stiff

chopped parsley

cooled onion+garlic mixture

more s+p

mix by hand, set aside

now, before beginning to roll all of the meatballs, start making the sauce and cook the sausages:

in sautee pan, brown the turkey sausages and then cut into slices (about 6 cuts each link)

in separate big pot, dutch oven, something big with a lid, start the sauce

- sautee onions and garlic until soft

- add 2 cans of san marzano crushed tomatoes

- add s+p

- 1/2 cup chianti

- some chicken broth, eh 1/2 cup?

- couple tsps sugar

- cover and let simmer

while sauce is simmering:

roll meat mixture into small sized meatballs

(the smaller the meatballs, the more each person gets to eat!)

sautee meatballs in olive oil until browned but still undercooked in the middle, add to sauce as each is ready, also add the browned, sliced turkey sausage

once all the meatballs and sausages are in the sauce, deglaze meat pan with 1/2 cup chianti and add to sauce (this is key step)

cover sauce and let simmer for as long as you can stand it (try for at least one hour, ideally much longer tho, maybe even all day)

cook up pasta of choice, mix with sauce, and serve with grated reggiano

drink with chianti, which has been opened and been 'breathing' for a while