Smith Bites

52 sundays; february 5, 2012

Debra — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

You may have heard that there is a little game of football being played today . . . and that our fine city is filled with celebrities . . .

We had a visitor out in my neighborhood too . . . not quite the celebrity status of those down in Indy, but we found him rather charming . . . when you live in the country, you never know who is going to show up on your front door . . . or in the case, the driveway . . .

He didn’t take too kindly to having his picture taken . . . puffed himself up and threatened to sue . . .

Then realized he was the visitor and stepped aside allowing us move out of our driveway . . . when we returned, he was gone . . . guess he moved on to greener pastures . . .

We have a couple of fun projects we’ll be sharing with you soon . . . one of them involves rich, decadent chocolate and is quite easy to make; we’re also putting the final touches on the ‘Occupy Pantry’ project and will show the big reveal very soon!

Thanks for stopping by, we love having you here ~ and no matter which team you’re rooting for today, Happy Sunday!

CHINESE-STYLE RIBS WITH LACQUERED BITTERS GLAZE

Debra — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Musical pairing – Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones

You may have heard that there is a Big Game happening in our neck of the woods this coming weekend and this fine city has decked herself out in her very best Sunday clothes. The Professor and I have yet to make the journey downtown to experience this fineness but plans have been made to do just that this week . . . along with a bazillion other folks . . .

You might think that a game of football means lots of noise, jumping up and down in the living room, rewinding the cable box to watch a replay, etc., etc., . . . and you’d be right . . . but it’s moi who gets quite animated during a game. Once things start to heat up (read ‘someone scores a TD’) the cats scatter to the basement and don’t show their fluffy tails again until the game is over . . . weenies . . .

The last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl, I spent most of the evening not only glued to the TV, but also sending text messages back and forth to my son who lives on the East Coast and of course is a Patriot Fan; they hadn’t lost a single game the entire season. Of course, we Smith Bites were rooting for Eli and his underdog team; they came into the Super Bowl having won their last six straight games. Needless-to-say, there was lots of hootin’ and hollerin’ that night . . .

And we all remember how that game turned out . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

NOTE: The only change we make from the original recipe is in the cooking method; The Professor prefers his ribs more like pulled pork while I prefer these type of ribs with a bit more chew to them – the compromise is one we both enjoy. Adding Sriracha provides a bit of heat while the bitters give these ribs an added dimension of flavor; broiling the ribs creates a beautiful glossiness and crunch . . . if you like ribs, these are a must-make!

CHINESE-STYLE TAKEOUT RIBS WITH LACQUERED BITTERS GLAZE
Bitters, Brad Thomas Parsons, via Gourmet
Serves 2-4 as a Main

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup Hoisin sauce
1/3 cup Soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Honey
1 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce (add a bit more if you like it spicier)
¼ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon peeled and grated Fresh Ginger
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Angostura or other aromatic bitters
1 rack of Pork spareribs, tough silver-skin removed (2-4 pounds)

METHOD:

Combine all of the ingredients except for the spareribs in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside ½ cup of the sauce.
Place ribs in a glass dish or zipped-type plastic bag and pour sauce over the top, coating the ribs; marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours, turning/re-coating ribs a couple of times before baking
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Cut ribs into separate pieces and place into a dry Dutch oven
Cover Dutch oven with a piece of foil, then place lid on top of the foil and bake for approximately 3 hours (may take a bit longer depending on the size of your ribs, but start checking at the 3 hour mark)
When ribs are cooked, remove from Dutch oven and place on a sheet pan, meaty side up, brush with remaining sauce
Preheat broiler and broil until the ribs begin to char – about 5-7 minutes
Serve with lots of napkins or paper towels

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52 sundays; january 29, 2012

Debra — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Yes, I do seem to have a thing for trees . . . especially in the winter months . . . I like the stark contrast of empty limbs against the sky . . . whether it’s gray or blue skies, a snowy day or anywhere in between, I think there is something very majestic about trees in winter!

It has been a super busy week here at Smith Bites and it has given me plenty of opportunities to practice being present in every moment . . . I have to say that I continue to be amazed at how much I notice when I pay attention . . . like this guy . . . he always seems to show up for snuggles whenever I ‘think’ I am too busy . . . a minute of snuggling truly makes the world go ’round . . .

Much of this week was pretty gloomy here in Indiana but leave it to Dr. Seuss to put a smile on your face . . . it was fun to tweet with friends about how much we enjoy reading children’s books! Do you have a favorite?

The sun finally came out late in the week so we took the opportunity for a little drive around town . . . yes, even Winter can be beautiful here in Indiana . . .

Of course we did quite a bit of cooking in the Smith Bites kitchen . . . some of which is going to show up here this week . . .

And we even had time to stop and smell the roses . . .

Thanks for hanging out with us . . . we love having you here . . .

Happy Sunday!