Perfect Country Saturday Dinner (and a Cocktail too!)

Last year, our in-laws gifted us with a smoker for Christmas. Originally this was something that my husband wanted to process wild game into summer sausages and snack sticks. During hunting season it got lots of use, but we haven't really experimented with it since. With our in-laws in town and staying with us, it sounded like the perfect opportunity to smoke up some ribs and chicken wings.

We  started with a 12lb rack of pork ribs, which I grabbed up on sale  at the local grocery store for $1.88/lb.    Eric cut the rack up into 3 sections to fit into the smoker. He prepped the smoker with hickory and apple  wood chips. Almost immediately we were met with an incredible smell from the smoke - we knew it would be a hard few hours waiting for those those to be ready. Since we're very new at smoke, I'm not going to share any recipes or recommendations on smoking quite yet. All I'll say it the ribs were a huge hit and we'll definitely be experimenting more with our smoker in the near future.

Unfortunately, the large rack of ribs left us with no room for the chicken wings (that will be a try for another day) so I marinaded these for the grill. I purchased fresh whole wings from the store (a great and inexpensive summer find) and soaked half in traditional red BBQ sauce another the other half in a vinegar based BBQ sauce that is very traditional in our part of WNY. I've heard this referred to as "Cornell BBQ Sauce" (which I personally like as it references my alma matter) "Fireman's BBQ Sauce" and "Chivettas" which is a popular local brand name of this sauce that you can purchase in many stores. Chicken BBQ's using this sauce are at the top of every local group's fundraiser list and on any given weekend in the spring and summer you can find them in every direction. If this isn't something that's popular in your area, don't worry - I'll share with you a very basic recipe for this sauce. Don't be fooled by the ingredient list - this stuff is amazing.

WNY BBQ Sauce

In a jug or mason jar mix the below ingredients:

- 2 cups white or apple cider vinegar

- 1 cup vegetable oil

- 1 egg beaten

- 4 tablespoons garlic salt

- 2 tsp black pepper

Mix or shake together and use for marinading and basting. Please note, since this contains raw eggs, it is perishable - make sure you handle accordingly. This tastes best when used with chicken that will be prepared on the grill.

To go with our ribs and wings, I had to mix up a couple salads. My favorite is this homemade potato salad. It's very easy to make and a great excuse to use up some fresh herbs. I like parsley and dill with mine, but you can really use any combination of herbs you like.

Summer Herb Potato Salad

8 medium potatoes

3/4 cup mayonais

1/2 of a small onion, chopped

1-2 cloves minced garlic

Fresh Parsley

Fresh Dill (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces and boil in salted water until cooked through. I like my potatoes soft enough that they start to fall apart a bit, but you can make yours firmer if you like. Run cold water over potato to cool and set aside.

Cut onion into chunks, peel and smash garlic clove. Put the onion, garlic and herbs in a blender and pulse a few times to chop them up into smaller pieces. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Blend until well mixed.

Toss potatoes with herbed mayonnaise. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving for best flavor. 

With our ribs, wings and homemade salads, the BBQ was a hit with our family and friends. We battled a few drops of rain shortly before dinner, but were rewarded with this gorgeous rainbow during our meal. 

Now just as I promised that this blog came with a cocktail, I promised the gals that I'd whip up one of my personal favorite summer drinks for them. The cherry juice sinks to the bottom making this a summer hit that looks at good as it tastes. 

Pineapple Sunset

Ice

4 oz Orange Pineapple Juice

1.5 oz Pineapple Coconut Rum

Splash of Maraschino Cherry Juice or Grenadine

In a hurricane or other tall glass place a few ice cubes. Pour in orange juice and rum. Mix together. Gently pour in the cherry juice. You'll notice that it almost immediately sinks to the bottom and creates a great "sunset" affect. Caution - these taste so good you will quickly forget there's alcohol in them! Straw and umbrella are optional.

Here's to perfect country Saturdays, rainbows and evenings ending with great food, friends (and cocktails). Cheers!

Summer Sweets: Lena's Famous Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

What better couple is there out there when it comes to dessert that chocolate and peanut butter. This pie takes it's to a whole new level to make an amazing summertime treat. Take it to your next picnic and your friends will be begging you for the recipe....and it's extremely easy to make. Plus you can make it from ingredients you probably already have hanging around the house. I'm sharing my homemade graham cracker crust recipe too, but you can certainly substitute a ready made crust from the store.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar

Filling
2 packages chocolate pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup peanut butter

1 container whipped topping

Prepare crumbs in blender and mix with butter and sugar until combined. Press firmly into 8 inch pie dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes to set crust. Allow to cool.

Combine dry pudding mix with milk and peanut butter. Whisk until smooth. Pour into graham cracker crust. Place in refrigerator to firm up for at least 30 minutes. Top with whipped topping. Chill until ready to serve.

If you like, garnish with chocolate syrup, crushed peanuts, chocolate chips or peanut butter cups.

The Fabulous and Versatile Herb

A couple years ago a I picked up a really great book on edible landscaping. I was extremely inspired by the emphasis of used of plants for both beauty and function. It's hard to argue that many types of plants do this better than herbs. Store bought herbs are expensive. Growing your own herbs gives you an easy way to boost the flavor on every meal and save money. Most herbs are also extremely easy to grow and easy to care for. Many are perennial and almost all benefit from frequent cutting. On top of all this - herbs make for attractive garden plants mixed in among your other perennials. Here's a few of my favorites:

While perhaps not the most commonly used herb in my garden, I love the aesthetics of this perennial sage and it's beautiful little purple flowers. I do love placing fresh sage leaves in pitchers of water for a very refreshing summer drink. I'm also always sure to dry plenty of sage leaves in the late summer and fall for use all winter long - particularly with roast chicken, turkey and stuffing.

I use this flat leaf parsley (also perennial!) in lots of summer salads, marinades and as a garnish. It adds that great summer green color and freshness without overpowering a dish.

I have been amazed by the recent explosion in different varieties of mint available in local nurseries. It's not just sweet mint or spearmint anymore. I have recently seen blackberry mint, lemon mint, mojito mint, lime mint, orange mint, grapefruit mint, pineapple mint...etc. This has recently inspired me to start my own mint garden. Please keep in mind when planting mint - it is extremely invasive - so I would never recommend planting in your regular garden. I recommend container planting - or as I have done, planing it's own dedicated raised bed. Mint is great in many meals, but I like brewing fresh sun tea infused with leaves from my chocolate mint plant (yes ...it really tastes like chocolate and mint!)

Chives are by first the most used herb in my garden. They add beautiful green color and onion flavor to lots of dished - cold and hot alike. I add them to pasta and potato salads, use them as garnishes from everything from deviled eggs to mashed potato, and even like to nibble on them raw.  These are extremely prolific - they grow wild at my house in addition to in my garden and are extremely easy to grow perennially. The beautiful purple flowers they produce are just a bonus. However - if you plan to use the herbs for cooking - I recommend pinching off all the blooms as they start to form. I find if chives are allowed to flower, the green stalks become woody and unappetizing - however the flowers are edible if you'd like to try them. I keep one large plant in my herb wheel which I cut from generously to keep it from flowering and then let other plants in my garden flower.  

The flavor of dill is unmistakable. I use this heavily in canning. I also like to make salad dressings using mayonnaise, fresh garlic and dill along with other herbs. I also love the look of dill when it flowers - I always tuck some in my porch garden just for this purpose.

Many use lemon balm for medicinal purposes - it's long said to treat indigestion - or as a tea herb. I love it for it's fresh lemony scent and bright green bushy appearance. Once of my favorite practical uses is filling cheesecloth with fresh lemon balm and lavender and putting in a hot bath as a "bath tea". The smell is heavenly and very relaxing!

There is no way I could tackle every amazing herb there is out there. Just like the uses for herbs, the options are almost endless. These are just a few of my favorites - what are yours?

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

 When it's hot outside, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven to bake. But what can I say...my family our friends are spoiled and have come to expect goodies. On those days that I can't stand the heat but need a sweet treat, I break out these bars - no baking required (not even stove top cooking!). They are super easy to make and always a big hit at summer BBQs and picnics. Be careful if you have a sweet tooth though - they are very addicting!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Bars:

1 1/2 cups fine graham crackers crumbs

3 cups powder sugar

18 oz peanut butter 

1 cup melted butter

Topping

12oz chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

Prepare graham cracker crumbs - I use a blender to crush mine into fine crumbs. Mix all bar ingredients together. Make sure you butter is completely melted before you add it to the other ingredients, or you will have chunks of butter in your bars! Mix well and pat down into a 9 x 13 pan.

In a microwave safe bowl combine chocolate chips and butter. Microwave on low, checking and stirring every 5-10 seconds until chips are melted. Pour chocolate over peanut butter bars and spread evenly, covering the bars. Put in the refrigerator to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove bars from fridge and cut into squares. These are very rich so make sure to cut into small pieces (you can always have more than one!). I usually get 48 small squares out of my bars. Note - its important that you don't leave in the fridge for too long before cutting or your chocolate will be too hard. Once cut, let the bars sit for about 2 more hours to set. Store in airtight container. If it's really hot, I will put these in my fridge to avoid them getting too soft.

Enjoy - these go really well with your morning coffee or a glass of milk!

Sausage Alfredo Casserole (Couponer's Special)

On a busy summer Sunday a casserole dinner that doesn't require you to heat up your oven is always a great hit. This great casserole can be made entirely on the stove top and is extremely easy to pull together.

Sausage Alfredo Casserole

1 pkg Bratwurst or Smoke Sausage

2 jars Alfredo Sauce

1 large package egg noodles

Put a large pot of water to cook noodles on to boil. Cut sausage into bite size pieces. heat a large skillet on top of the stove with a splash of olive oil. Saute sausage in pan until heated through. If desired, add 2-3 cloves of finely chopped fresh garlic a saute with sausage for 1 minute. Add Alfredo sauce to the skillet and heat on low. Boil egg noodles per package directions. Drain cooked noodles and pour into the bottom of a large glass baking dish. Pour Alfredo sauce over the top of noodles and you're ready to serve.

This dish could also be topped with cheese or breadcrumbs and put in the oven to make a hearty warm winter meal.

 This hit also has the advantage of being a couponer's special. The ingredients are all items that I got on sale for free or very low cost with coupons (and are common couponer scores). This whole casserole only cost about $2 to make.

Spring Garden

There is nothing that says Spring like getting out there and digging in the garden. It's definitely a labor of love (emphasis on the labor) and people either love it or it's not for them. 

My husband Eric and I got bit by the gardening bug about 4 years ago. I had suggested a small flower bed in a section of the yard next to the house which at one time had been his grandmother's flower bed. Little did I know when I let the guys take over the digging that I would end up with a huge multi-tiered rock wall garden monstrosity complete with a 9 foot waterfall.

Of course, if you can't tell by my pictures, I fell in absolute love with both my garden and the time I spent in it. There is definitely a type of therapy, after a long and trying day, in yanking out weeds, digging holds and making beautiful things of roots and seeds. 

It's been a beautiful, sunny, hot may and my garden is already in peak bloom. Here are some of my favorite pictures from my spring garden:

The first full year in the garden, eager to start planting annuals, we bought 2 flats of spring pansies.  We now have these miniature perennial pansies that come up everywhere all on their own. You can't see it in these photos, but they appear in all shades of purple, yellow, orange, white, burgundy and blue. My theory is they may have cross-bred with some of the perennial Johnny Jump-ups a friend gave us for the garden. I know that pansies can be somewhat perennial, but all my gardening friends are amazed at the extend to which mine come back every year.

These adorable angel statues were a gift from my husband and grace our porch garden.

My transplanted chocolate mint and newly planted mint garden. (I love edibles gardens - such a great combination of beauty, sustainability and function).

This lovely blue phlox bring great color to spring.

Hybrid Iris. A good family friend was helping a neighbor thin out their garden came away with these which he shared with us for our garden.

Poppies, Alliums and Iris make for a bright early garden.