by amvandenhurk | Dinner
The best ribs ever: Oregano Garlic Pork Ribs
Recently I was at my parents. They were lamenting about my garlic oregano pork ribs and how yummy they were. These ribs are my dad and husband’s favorite ribs. My dad isn’t into BBQ; because of the sweet sauces. I had a long drive home from their house… 5+ hours… and of course my mind (and taste buds) got thinking about those baby back ribs. In the car driving, I decided that I was going to make ribs sooner than later.
Don’t know about you, but I’m picky about my ribs. Ribs not done well can be dry or fatty. Living in North Carolina where pig is king, it is easy to find good quality pork products. At a decent price.
Years ago I found the recipe for garlic oregano ribs. It was so yummy and easy: ribs and a rub of garlic, oregano, red pepper, salt, and oil. That’s it. Yes. That’s all for these garlic oregano ribs. Simple food is often best. And this recipe gets a blue ribbon.
Roast it in the oven for an hour at 400F. And there you have some tasty, moist ribs. Serve with corn on the cob and potato salad. A perfect dinner.
The weather has turned warm and having the oven on heats up the kitchen too much. Today it was 88F in there when I was roasting the ribs in the oven. If there are any BBQers reading this, I’m wondering if I can do them on the grill? Thanks.
by amvandenhurk | Life
There are certain foods which trigger memories. Soft serve ice cream is one of those things. Recently we stopped at an old dairy bar in Elizabeth City. As I was sitting there trying to keep up with my rapidly melting ice cream in the relentless North Carolina summer, childhood memories were triggered.
As a kid, my Dad and I would often spend Friday evenings together while Mom had a night off with her girlfriends. Dad and I would usually head out for pizza then over the local Dairy Queen for soft serve. It was always a hard choice: chocolate jimmies or chocolate dip. The flavor was always vanilla. We’d just sit there trying to keep up with our ice creams in the hot summer’s night. I don’t remember if we talked about anything. I’m sure we did.
A nice way to spend a summer’s evening. And a nice memory.
What food’s trigger summer childhood memories for you?
by amvandenhurk | Lifestyle, Small Town Life
My Mom asked me, “If I was becoming Southern?” when I told her I made collard greens.
There are many foods, which come to mind when someone says Southern cooking and collard greens is at the top of my list… Other than fried green tomatoes, okra, and sweet tea.
Collard greens are a staple in eastern North Carolina. People grow them. Pick-ups parked along the road sell them. Restaurants serve them. Every grocery store stocks them year round. They are cheap, abundant, and easy to prepare.
After two years of living in the South, I finally made collard greens. I purchased a shopping bag full at my local farmer’s market.
Collards in general are a healthy leafy veg; however, the traditional preparation is less than so… Pork, lard, etc. While that tastes really yummy, it isn’t exactly good for our health or waistlines.
I made my collards with turkey bacon, sliced garlic, chicken broth.
I cut out the stems then cut the collards into smallish pieces. Then I sautéed the sliced turkey bacon and garlic in olive oil until cooked. I added the collards sautéing for a couple of minutes. I added enough chicken broth to cover the mixture simmering over low heat for an afternoon allowing the collards to becoming tender. When serving, finish it with apple cider vinegar and a dash of red pepper flakes. Yum.
Here’s the finished dish:
I served it with grilled pork chop and rice.
Maybe, I’ll tackle brewing sweet tea… Or maybe I’ll just to continue go to McDonald’s…
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
by amvandenhurk | Vegan, Vegetarian
Why, no, no, you can’t ever have enough salsa. Well, ok, maybe if it isn’t fresh homemade salsa and comes out of the jar.
Warm weather begs for salsa to me. I love the brightness of salsa. The texture of salsa. The smell of salsa. I can make a meal out of fresh salsa and chips.
I love simple salsa. Just tomatoes, white onion, cilantro, chile pepper, garlic, salt, and lime juice chopped fine. Nothing fancy for me.
I’ve been using this recipe from Real Simple magazine for years.
The 2.5 cups get eaten pretty quickly so double the recipe or there will be sad faces.
Everyone in our house loves the salsa.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
by amvandenhurk | Life
Simple food tend always to be the best. At least in my opinion.
Last night I made a Niçiose salad. It was simple and wonderful: roast chicken, olives, romaine, red potatoes, green beans, and boiled eggs.
Caprese salad is another simple and perfect meal. You can’t beat fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with oil and vinegar.
Or a broth soup with herbs, tomatoes, and ravioli.
Some of the best meals come from a handful of fresh ingredients.
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Hello! I'm Ann Marie and I wear the well-worn apron. Join me as explore plant-based eating while I live on an island off the U.S. state of Rhode Island.