This year in review: part two.

Here comes the second part of my favorite recipes from this year.
I am trying to balance the sweet and the savory, the veggies and the meat.

1) Whole wheat bread from the bread machine: I make this bread weekly, it is by far the best all whole wheat bread recipe I have found. It makes divine toast !!

2) Quinoa Tabouli: This salad was one of those experiments that worked. Look in the fridge, see what's there, try to make it all go together ;-)

3) Slow Roasted Country Style Pork Ribs: I made this dish twice for dinner guests, always a very big hit. They cook for four hours but are simple to make and so very tender !

4) The Best Chocolate Ice Cream: No lie, truly the creamiest, richest chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten.

5) Winter Squash Biscuits: We made small versions of these and added cheddar cheese to the recipe for appetizers at a party, what a hit !! The photo doesn't do them justice.

6) Pecan Pie Bar: Whoa, these gooey sweet bars were so good, just the right balance of filling and crust. They made great gifts as well.

So there you have it, some highlights from 2012. Which were your favorites ??

I already have some great ideas to start the new year !!

Slow Roasted Country Style Pork Ribs

I am an omnivore and I love it :-) I made these slow cooked ribs for some friends the other night. They were so good and such a hit I had to share this very simple and very satisfying recipe. With fall here, I am drawn more and more to this kind of meal.

This is a long slow cook, perfect to put in the oven in the afternoon with very little attention until the last hour. The house will smell divine as the meat cooks.

Start with high quality local pork country style ribs, they have no bones. I got mine from El Salchichero. There are other local folks selling pork at the farmer's markets as well. It's a good idea to call ahead to make sure they have this cut. I bought 3 pounds for four people and we had leftover for Bob and I the next day. I cut off some of the fat on the ends and saved it for future dishes.

Marinade

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup apple juice
2 cups roasted tomato puree or tomato sauce
1 chopped red onion
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped fennel or dill

1) Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2) Place all the above ingredients in a large enamel pot with a lid and mix together. You can use a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish as well, use foil to cover the top.

You can see from this photo I didn't chop my herbs very much. In fact I put in sprigs of fresh herbs. When Bob insisted I write down the recipe I translated my sprigs into tablespoons.

3) Place your 3 pounds of country style ribs into the marinade. You can see from the photo that they are covered in liquid.

4) Bake covered for 3 hours at 300 F.
5) Uncover, turn the temperature to 350 F and bake for another hour, turning and basting the meat two to three times. It is OK if it falls apart, that's what you want. The liquid will cook down making a rich barbeque sauce.
6) Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.

7) I served our ribs with massage kale salad , quinoa tabouli and garlic bread. We were all so excited to eat I forgot to get a "beautiful plate " photo. The pork is mostly gone already !