Beer-Basted Baby Back Ribs

Some friends of ours have a rib-off every year and since the weather has been warm lately, it seemed a fun idea to try our hands at making ribs. We won the rib-off last year but we purchased our ribs from Russell Street BBQ, so we can't really take credit for them.

Incredibly easy and not time-consuming, here's the recipe we used tonight:

Beer-Basted Baby Back Ribs

6 c beer (I used a combination of Pale Ale, Hefeweizen and one Corona)
2 1/2 c packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 T chili powder
1 1/2 T ground cumin
1 T dry mustard
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves
8 lb baby back pork ribs, cut into 4 rib sections (I asked the guy at Phil's Meat Market for enough for 3 people, next time I'll get enough for 4 since we could have eaten more)

Bring first 9 ingredients to boil in very large pot. Reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute to blend flavors. Add half of ribs to sauce.

Cover pot and simmer until ribs are tender, turning frequently, about 25 minutes. Transfer ribs to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ribs.

After boiling.

Boil barbecue sauce until reduced to 3 cups, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover ribs and sauce separately and refrigerate. Rewarm sauce before continuing).

Sauce.

Prepare barbecue to medium heat. Brush ribs with some sauce; sprinkle with salt. Grill ribs until heated through, brown and well glazed, brushing occasionally with sauce, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to platter. Serve with remaining sauce.

Ready to eat.

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I made a few modifications because I wanted to make sure they weren't too spicy for our four-year-old. I cut the chili powder from 1 1/2 T to 1 T and skipped the red pepper flakes all together. It worked but in the future, I will use the full amount of chili powder and at least 1/2 of the red pepper flakes, if not more. The sauce was sweet and needed a bit of spice to add dimension.

We rounded out dinner with brussel sprouts, cooked on the grill and a Rustic Baguette.

We're going to try more rib recipes in the future as this one isn't likely a Rib-off winner but, this one was voted a "YES" by the family for a make-again.

6/30/11 NOTE: This sauce is incredible on salmon. I poached a good-sized fillet in leftover sauce for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees but it would also work well on the barbecue.

Jeans

A good pair of jeans is like a work of art, the perfect fit, the right color & cut.

Jean can cost a lot or a little and I'm always amazed at how many people buy very expensive jeans because they are "in" despite a poor and unflattering fit.

A couple of my pet peeves:
I *hate* gigantic pockets where part of the pocket ends past the rear and creeps down the thigh. It makes people’s butts look terrible.
Pockets like this bug me too, overdone:

Any sort of whiskering or weird fading (only on the thigh, etc), example:

Whiskering and fading tends to make people look wider. I don't fault people who wear their jeans to the point of whiskering or fading but buying a pair of jeans that add weight just doesn't make sense to me.

Strangely, acid wash made a quick appearance recently too, although under a new name. I couldn't find an example quickly online so hopefully that comeback was shortlived.

Just say no:

Emotional Mugging

A friend Facebooked on an Oprah segment and it led me to Oprah's site where I started poking around rather than doing things I should be. Procrastination sometimes can lead to good things, right?

I ended up finding an article on emotional mugging, which it turns out, is timely as I've recently met an emotional mugger.

The 6 types of emotional muggers:

1. Puppy Kickers

2. Exploding Doormats

3. Deflators

4. Secret Keepers

5. Cannibals

6. Dementors

Do you have one in your life? Or worse, ARE YOU an emotional mugger?

Emilio Pucci Slit Neck Jersey Dress
Fall 2011 RTW Collection
at Nordstrom

The first time I saw this dress, I liked it but something about it bothered me. I finally realized what it was, it's a ripoff from Gucci's 2010 Fall RTW Collection, only with more color.

Yes, the slits are in slightly different areas and the Pucci dress is more body-skimming but the Pucci dress even mirrors the decorative, gold metal.

It's common for designer pieces to be copied but it's distasteful for another designer to riff something so soon after it's been produced by another (vintage pieces are another story). Generally copied designs are from companies like ABS or even lower-priced H&M but the Pucci above sells for $1390, as much or nearly as much as the original Gucci design.

It's disappointing that a designer like Pucci, known for it's own trademark designs, would so blatantly copy from another.

Quotes

A true leader is not afraid to look unpopular when he/she knows the answer may not be what you want to hear but knows that it is right.
-Sep 29, 2010

Quotes from Nov 13, 2010

Slavery is not part time. It's full time and it's not pretty; not matter how cute your dress is.
10:27pm

The kings we make ... sometimes they be the kings we profess to hate. The kings we hate ... sometimes they are the ones we should admire.
5:09pm

Occasionally I tweet or put things on Facebook that my child does or says but I haven't been good about keeping any sort of record that I can easily access, assuming I want to at some point in the future.

***

Jun 5, 2011
Child: Daddy, I want to see if you are stinkier than me. I'm going to smell you.

Jun 4, 2011
Q: Mama, why do I have the best mommy and daddy?
Me: (melting) Why do I have the best daughter?

May 30, 2011
Child: What's this?
Me: It's a ruler.
Child: No, it's not. It measures how old you are.

May 28, 2011
Heard footsteps last night. Woke this morning to find that child had been up, walking around house in my boots. Evidence next to her bed.

May 22, 2011
Child: the clouds are peeping. You know, because they can't hold it anymore, they need to peepee

May 21, 2011
My dear child informed me that she would like a real live OWL to tell her when to wake up in the morning and when to go to bed.

May 13, 2011
Morning conversation after waking child.
Daughter: Good news, I'm going to drive to the ice cream store & eat all of the ice cream. They have ice cream cones. And I'm not sharing with you or Daddy.
Me: How is that good news?

May 8, 2011
My child, who is afraid of bugs, has decided she wants bugs glued onto her walls. And stars.

May 5, 2011
Daughter: I have a lot of children in my bed so I need more pillows.

Apr 7, 2011
My daughter has discovered the joys of ripping the heads off of some of her dolls. Oh the memories that brings back...

Mar 30, 2011
Heartbreak @ 4am: Q, in her sleep "I miss my daddy" ... soon honey, Daddy's coming home on Thursday.

Mar 9, 2011, 9:52am
Last one from daughter this morning: everyone will like our buns because we're girls.

Mar 9, 2011, 7:43am
Me: "Stop arguing with me"

Daughter: "You stop arguing with ME"

Me: "You forget that I have the power in this relationship"

Daughter: "I have fire balls"

Me, speechless. I mean, what do you say to someone with fire balls? Thank God she's not related to Charlie Sheen with all his tiger blood and Adonis DNA.

Mar 9, 2011 7:41am
It's not even 8:30 and I've already this morning has already been an adventure, starting with...

Me: u look awfully pretty this morning.
Daughter: yea, wanna see my underwear?

::Houston we may have a problem::

Mar 8, 2011
Daughter: "I am so magical"
Me, thinking: 'She shoulda been a Scorpio... or a unicorn..."

Mar 6, 2011
‎"I'll make sandwiches."
Child: "no, daddy can make sandwiches & we'll watch."
A girl after my own heart.

Feb 11, 2011
While I was putting dear child to bed she told me she wants 150 pillow pets. 150?!

Feb 3, 2011
Me to daughter after she said something particularly clever: "You're so smart."
Child: "And pretty too."
No self-confidence issues there

Dec 24, 2010
Child, after 2 pieces pie: Daddy, you need to share!
Daddy: No!
Child: I *WILL* get this!
Endgame Score: Child 2 3/4 pieces pie; Daddy 1/4 piece pie

Dec 17, 2010
Child: Will they like my George underwear?
Me: Um, yea but it would be ideal if you didn't show them your underwear

Dec 13, 2010
Whoever at Elmers deemed their glitter pens washable, never met my kid. #coveredfromheadtotoe

Dec 11, 2010
Child: are the clouds going pee?
Me: where did you learn THAT?

Nov 22, 2010
I dare say, my child seems to have picked up a bit of a Southern accent... from where?

Nov 15, 2010
I seriously could not be more proud right now.
Child, upon finding a "tree" of brussel sprouts on the counter: "Wow, I LOVE those!"
Ever suspicious of her, changing by the minute tastes, I tentatively served her 5 of the gems and... she just asked for seconds "These are so good!"

Yay! Now, hopefully she'll be as enthusiastic about the roast chicken when it comes out of the oven...

Oct 31, 2010
Child to Daddy: You're so hot I have to use my hotpad on you! (they are in the kitchen)

Oct 12, 2010
A mom's moment of pride:
Child: I think I'm sick (she has a very slight cough)
Me: Maybe you should go to bed early?
Child: I can't go to bed without eating my peas!
Me: (thinking: Let this never end).

Oct 9, 2010
Child: when I grow up I'm going to make salad in pineapple

Fresh Asparagus Soup

For a while now, I've been planning to make asparagus soup and last night, I made my first batch.

Over the years, I've collected a number of asparagus soup recipes and picked the first in my collection.

Fresh Asparagus Soup
3/4 lb fresh asparagus (I used slightly over a pound)
5 c water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c chicken broth (I used homemade stock)
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne (omitted because I figured my 4 yr old wouldn't appreciate it)
2 T plain yogurt (I used Nancy's organic, nonfat)

Break ends off asparagus. Cut remainder into 1-inch pieces. In saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus, cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain; reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid. Puree asparagus and reserved liquid in food processor until smooth. Pour puree into saucepan and stir in broth, black pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.

To accompany the soup, I made Parmesan croutons using the baguette from the night before. I finely shredded Parmesan using my Zyliss shredder, topped thin slices of the baguette and threw them in the toaster for a bit.

This recipe is incredibly easy and tasty although, it's more of a starter than a main dish, even with a healthy serving of Parmesan croutons. It's a bit of a thin soup but it has a nice flavor, particularly with the croutons; I don't think I'd serve it without them.

One note, I tried my immersion blender to puree the asparagus but found that it was insufficient and had to use my food processor.