Simplest Ribs Imaginable

The gang here at Dave's Beer is in the middle of the crazy week we call "Frankie's Birthday". Actually on Wednesday, but the partying started on Sunday. Needless to say, we're busy and getting some home-cooked food on the table is challenging.

I've had the hankering for ribs and didn't have time to fire up the grill. So, in anticipation of Tuesday's dinner, I bought some baby backs, gave them a rub down and plopped them in the oven at 10 pm at 225-deg-F and let 'em rip until 6 the next morning. Woke up, wrapped them in foil, walked the dog and let the heavenly smell guide me through the rest of the morning scramble. They looked like this when I wrapped them up.

Tuesday night, I warmed up the foil package at 300-deg-F for a half hour and chopped them apart. They were delicate, moist and nearly perfect. I cooked some greens and served them with some bread (and fresh carrots for Frankie, a staple of hers).

What an awesome midweek treat!

(Sorry Biggles, got to have meat, even if not smoked properly.)

Desperation Chicken with Cashews

Tonight's scheduled dinner was taco salad. Boring. We do it too much. Had this recipe sitting on my desk for weeks and picked it up and realized I had almost everything I needed to make it for tonight. Frankie didn't like it but it was a lightning fast prep and really good. And, it had thinly sliced cucumbers in it! Really interesting twist.

Chicken and Cashews
Quick marinade while chopping other stuff:
rice vinegar, 1/4 C
water, 1/4 C
cornstarch, 2 T
sesame oil, 2 T
soy sauce, 1 T

Mix and plop in thinly sliced boneless chicken breast (3/4 lb I think).
Let marinate about 20 minutes.

Have ready: green onions (bunch, sliced thin), red bell pepper (thin slices), ginger (finely shaved and chopped), garlic (few slivers), mini seedless cucumbers (thinly sliced), cilantro (fresh, chopped, 2 T), toasted cashews (whole, 1/2 C), water.

Ready, set, go ...
Heat pan with sesame oil (2T) and soy oil (1T) and toss in chicken (not quite a stir fry but hot and cook quick). Then add red peppers, ginger, garlic and let mixture cook until the bell pepper is softened a bit. Then toss in nuts, onions, cucumbers and cilantro some water and heat a few minutes. Serve over rice.

After the dish, I read the recipe (I usually memorize the recipe before I get home from work for speed) again and realized I was supposed to have some brown sugar in the marinade. Next time.

Braising, the lazy cook's method

pulled_chicken
Originally uploaded by Seligman's Dog.

Trish has been out of town since Wednesday and I'm starting to wither. I get Frankie in daycare by 7:30, go to work (rest 8 hours) pick her up and get in about 5, set her up with Sponge Bob (she goes into a trance), feed the cat, walk the dog, get dinner cooking and attempt to get us fed by 6, dog out to pee again, bath at 7, DVD for the kid for 30 min., read Frankie 3-6 books, put her to sleep, put her to sleep again, put her to sleep again, dog out to pee once more, she then stays asleep anywhere from 8-10 pm. Then, I crash soon after. It's grueling.

Single parents are GODS.

After Frankie went to sleep last night, woke up and went to sleep again, I dashed to the kitchen and took two of the most unappetizing looking frozen boneless breasts of farmed protein and tossed them into some onions, garlic, some chili sauce (conspicuously close to ketchup), a hefty dash of Old Bay, some ancho chili powder that I made, a T of brown sugar, a dash of worcestershire (I don't give a shit if it's misspelled), salt, pepper, a 1/2 C or so of water, covered it and set it on a low burner all night (about a full 6 hours).

The next morning, a beautiful scent filled our home and the chicken had taken on the appearance and texture of pulled pork (a food Frankie usually eats happily and chants "hot meat" when she eats it). I took it out when we got home tonight and heated it up.

Tastes wonderful, let you know if the kid likes it.

Mom, come home!!