The Best Baby Back Ribs

2 whole slabs pork baby back ribs

Dry Rub:
8 tablespoons light brown sugar, tightly packed
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Braising Liquid:
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Place each slab of baby back ribs on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle each side generously with the dry rub. Pat the dry rub into the meat. Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour. In a microwavable container, combine all ingredients for the braising liquid. Microwave on high for 1 minute.

Place the ribs on a baking sheet. Open one end of the foil on each slab and pour half of the braising liquid into each foil packet. Tilt the baking sheet in order to equally distribute the braising liquid. Braise the ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer the braising liquid into a medium saucepot. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce by half or until of a thick syrup consistency. Brush the glaze onto the ribs. Place under the broiler just until the glaze caramelizes lightly. Slice each slab into 2 rib bone portions. Place the remaining hot glaze into a bowl and toss the rib portions in the glaze.

*This recipe makes several batches of dry rub. If more rub is needed, it can be extended by any amount, as long as the ratio of 8:3:1:1 remains the same.

Meri Coash's Crustless Quiche

Here's the recipe for my crustless quiche:

5 eggs

1 1/2 c. heavy cream (but you could probably use something less fat if you wanted to)

Then the rest is left to your imagination.

Today I sauted broccoli and mushrooms (fix more than you think you will need because they shrink when you saute them) in garlic-seasoned olive oil. And for one I used Mediterranean-seasoned feta cheese (crumbled) and for the other one Provencial-seasoned feta cheese (crumbled).

Different options to add: crumbled bacon, cut-up ham, sausage, chopped onion

Another one I've made is adding a can of chopped green chilies and jack-colby shredded cheese.

I use a convection setting on my oven and bake it for 10 minutes at 400, then reduce heat to 350 for maybe 20 minutes??? I didn't even use a timer. I'm just lucky, I guess, they didn't overcook. Anyway, keep an eye on it, and when a knife stuck in the middle comes out "clean," it's done.

Coconut Rice and Beans

Ingredients for 8 servings

• 1 pound of black beans cooked in water (or one can of beans). If you cook the beans at home, save about 1.5 cup of beans water to substitute for the water in this recipe.
• 2 cups of rice
• About 1 cup of water
• About 1/2 cup of coconut milk (more if you like)
• Salt and pepper
• One small onion finely chopped or 3 to 4 scallions finely chopped (green included)
• 1 garlic clove
• About 2 tablespoons of cooking oil

Steps

• Heat the oil on medium heat in a shallow pan where you will usually cook rice.
• Stir-fry the garlic and onion until the onion is translucent. Do not burn the garlic.
• Add rice and stir-fry for a few minutes.
• Add beans.
• Add liquids, that is, the coconut milk and water or black bean cooking liquid should be twice the amount of rice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring it to a boil.
• Simmer until rice is cooked and water absorbed.
• Serve hot. You may decorate with cilantro leaves and red pepper. This is a complementary dish for a meal or a main dish accompanied by fresh veggies or salad.
  

I just found this recipe today online and wanted to try it out in my new rice cooker. It sounds like a perfect recipe to try out.

Sore Throat Tea

I saw this today on the Today Show and thought I would give it a try. I'll let you know how it works. I must say that my sore throat is pretty well gone, I do have the sniffles and thought this might help with congestion a bit too. So, we'll see...

Mix together a clove bud, which is antiseptic and fights infection, with ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger) and 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon — the latter two because of their anti-inflammatory properties.

Infuse the tea in 2 cups boiling water, and for every cup, stir in 2 teaspoons soothing and sweet raw honey. Sip throughout the day until your throat settles down.

Sour Cream Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Browned Butter Glaze -- (recipe follows)

BROWNED BUTTER GLAZE
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons hot water or enough to make glaze spreadable

Directions:
Heat oven to 375º. Beat brown sugar, sour cream, shortening, vanilla and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched in center. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Spread with Browned Butter Glaze.
BROWNED BUTTER GLAZE: Heat butter in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients until smooth and spreadable.

Country Breakfast Strata

INGREDIENTS


* 8 ounces turkey or chicken breakfast sausage, uncooked
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
* 1/2 loaf egg or country bread (preferably 1 to 2 days old), cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
* 2 1/2 cups whole milk
* 8 eggs
* 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
* 12 ounces Fontina or Swiss cheese, grated (4 cups)


Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" x 13" or 8" x 12" baking dish.

In a large skillet over medium heat, break up sausage and sauté with olive oil and onion until golden brown, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, if using fresh bread, lightly toast and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, salt, and pepper, and set aside.

Lay half of bread in buttered baking dish, sprinkle with half of sausage mixture, half of tomato slices, and half of cheese. Repeat layering with remaining bread, sausage, tomato, and cheese. Slowly pour egg mixture over top. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°. Uncover and place baking dish on a baking sheet to catch overflow. Bake 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to sit 10 minutes before serving.

Orange Peach Yogurt "Fizz"

2 cups frozen peaches

2 cups unflavored nonfat yogurt

2 tablespoons thawed frozen orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon orange flower water

In a blender or food processor, whirl until smooth the peach, yogurt, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, and flower water. Pour into 3 or 4 tall or stemmed glasses. Makes about 5 cups, 4 servings.

Chocolate Shortbread with Cacao Nibs and Sea Salt

Elizabeth Falkner in The Essence of Chocolate

1 cup all purpose flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup plus 2 Tbs cacao nibs, crushed with a rolling pin

1 tsp fine or coarse sea salt

12 Tbs (6 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Makes about 3 dozen 1 by 2 ½ -inch shortbread

Position the racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats or parchment paper.

Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl. Combine the nibs and sea salt in another small bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy, stopping as necessary to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla. Add about half the flour mixture and mix on low speed. Add the remaining four-cocoa mixture, stopping as necessary to scrape the bowl. Once incorporated, mix on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in the nibs and salt. (The dough can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.)

On a lightly floured board, or between two pieces of parchment paper, roll the dough into a square ¼ inch thick. Cut into 1 by 2 ½ inch rectangles or other desired shape, by hand or with a cookie cutter, and place on the prepared pans about 1 inch apart.

Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pans once halfway through baking. It is sometimes difficult to know when the chocolate cookies are done. One of the best indications is the scent of baked cookies in the air. And when these shortbread cookies are gently nudged, they shouldn’t feel soft but the bottoms should seem crisp.

Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the shortbread to a cooling rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Mexican Chocolate Cookies

Alice Medrich's recipe, made by Pamela Hamilton for our Cookie Exchange Dec 2007

Makes 40 to 45 cookies.

1 cup all-purpose flour (5 ounces)

½ cup plus 1 Tbs unsweetened Dutch process cocoa

¼ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of black pepper

pinch of cayenne pepper

½ cup plus 1 Tbs light brown sugar

½ cup plus 1 Tbs granulated sugar

3 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 Tbs stick margarine

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white

1. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cayenne in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Set aside. Combine the sugars in a small bowl and mix well with your fingers, pressing out any lumps. (If lumps are stubborn, process in a food processor for a few seconds.) Set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter and margarine until creamy. Add the sugar mixture an vanilla. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute. Beat in the egg white. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Gather the dough together with your hands and form into a neat 9- to 10-inch log. Wrap in wax paper and chill for at least 45 minutes, or until needed. Cookies may be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 3 days or rewrapped in foil or plastic and frozen for up to 3 months.

3. Place racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 F. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

4. Use a sharp knife to slice rounds of chilled dough a scant ¼ inch thick. Place 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Rotate baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back about half way through. Cookies will puff and crackle on top, then begin to settle down slightly when done. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to a rack. Cool cookies completely before storing or stacking. Cookies may be stored, airtight, for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 2 months.

Hollyberry Cookies

Hollyberry Cookies from the kitchen of Alisa Lim

Ingredients:
2 cups of Jet-puff mini marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. green food coloring
2 1/2 cups cornflakes
Red hots candies

1.) Melt  butter
2.) Add in marshmallows and melt on low heat
3.) Add vanilla and food coloring
4.) Turn off heat and add in cornflakes. Stir
until coated.
5.) Drop mixture into "mounds' and add red hots
    -Can also be formed into Christmas Wreath
shapes

Peanut Blossoms

PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOM COOKIES

1 3/4 c. flour 1 tsp. soda 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. peanut butter 1/2 c. white sugar 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 1 egg Chocolate kisses Sift together the flour and soda. Cream together the butter and peanut butter. Gradually add the sugars to the creamed mixture. Cream well. Add 1 egg and the vanilla. Combine with the flour mixture and beat well. Roll into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and push a chocolate kiss into the middle of each cookie.