Rubbin' Lovin'

Memorial Day weekend is the kick off of to barbecue season! Inspired by the Foodnetwork’s non-stop coverage of ribs, I just had to try and make my own. I have never used a rub before but decided that it would be fun to try. I decided to use a brown sugar rub since I had seen so many recipes being done this way. With the help of my sister, we found a rub we liked known as the Kansas City rub, which is a brown sugar based rub.

Kansas City Rub Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup Paprika

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs ground black pepper

1 tbs chili powder

1 teas cayenne pepper

1teas salt

Mix all rub ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Pour over rack of ribs and spread around with hands until completely covered. Let ribs rest for at least an hour to allow the flavors to soak in. (This could be done a day in advanced, just make sure to cover and place in fridge.)

We used two different types of ribs, St Louis pork ribs and country ribs. Both types of ribs have more meat on them than baby back ribs, but you could use this rub on any type of rib.

Cooking Instructions:

 Cook ribs slow and low at 300 degrees for 2-2 ½ hours. The slow and low method creates that juicy, fall off the bone style of meat.  Once the ribs have been cooked, place them on the grill for 3 minutes a side. Add your favorite barbecue sauce to each side, filliping and adding barbecue sauce 2 or 3 times. Once they have a nice crispy outside they are ready to take off the grill.

Let ribs rest about ten minutes before cutting into them to allow all the wonderful juices to absorb back into meat. Enjoy the flavorful ribs alongside some baked beans, corn on the cob and some grilled veggies! There are plenty great times to barbecue during the summer so try this one out and impress your friends!

Ah! The Taste of Summer!

Now that summer is upon us, there are different foods and drinks that say summer to me; Mike’s Hard Lemonades, corn on the cob, tomato salads and so many more.  A drink that I see as a summer treat is Starbuck’s Passion Tea Lemonade.  The thrust quenching, tart and tangy taste is the best summer drink. The only unfortunate thing is that a  tall (small size) cost about $3 and on a tight budget can really start to add up! Luckily, I found a way to replicate it at home for pennies.

My finished product on the left, the box of tea that Starbucks
uses and a picture of their drink. Can you tell the difference?

The simple ingredients found in the drink are ones which each of us can buy on our own. The passion tea is available at Target in a box of 20 tea bags, lemons and lemonade at all local grocery stores and sugar or your favorite sweetener is something most of us have on hand already.

Here’s how I made my homemade Passion Tea Lemonade:

1 passion tea bag

½ a lemon

½ teaspoon of sugar

First warm up a cup of water just warm enough to steep the tea but not hot, about 30-40 seconds in the microwave works well. Place tea bag in water and let steep. While the tea is working, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a tall glass. (Tip: roll the lemon on the counter to get the juices flowing then place cut side up in your hand when you squeeze the juice so the seeds don’t fall in your drink) Next add sugar to your lemon juice. Add ice to you glass and pour in the tea. Stir, taste and enjoy!

 I enjoy mine tart but some like it sweeter and that’s the beauty of making your own at home, you can make it the way you like it.  If you like it sweeter, it would be easier to use lemonade instead.  Sit out in the sun on a nice summer day and enjoy your drink!

Have you ever order a Passion Tea Lemonade at Starbucks? Is there another drink that say summer to you?

Mastery & Motivation

As the end of finals week nears, I start to lose a little momentum. After long hours of studying, a little pick me up is the perfect cure. For me, the best finals week snack are peanut M&Ms. The combination of sweet chocolate and nutty peanuts creates the perfect sweet and satisfying combination. The chocolate helps with that initial burst of energy to keep you focused while the protein from the peanut helps you concentrate longer. Although some may disagree, I feel less guilty about eating peanut M&Ms than other candies simply because there is a peanut in the center.  If I could make a suggestion on how to make the peanut M&Ms even better, I’d tell makers of M&Ms to use dark chocolate since dark chocolate is better for you and helps curb your appetite after a meal. 

What are your favorite snacks? Do you have a go to snack to help give you that extra bust of energy you need to get through a day of work or study?

What dressing are you wearing?

As summer is fast approaching, many people have begun to watch what they eat. Salads seem to be people's go to as a healthy meal yet there’s one major component that makes a salad healthy or not; the dressing. Dressings can coat your salad with lots of calories without realizing it.

 

I am a lover of salads and have created my own simple dressing that goes well with a handful of different salad ingredients. Inspired by a similar dressing Giada De Laurentiis made, I created my own simple Lemon vinaigrette. 

Here’s how I make it:

2 parts olive oil

1 part fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp (aprox.) grated lemon zest

And a pinch of salt to taste. 

First squeeze lemon juice into a bowl, making sure no seeds slip in. Next add the lemon zest. While continuously whisking, slowly pour the olive oil in. Continue whisking until the mixture is combined, it should start to look white verses clear. Then add a pinch of salt for taste to bring out the flavors. I don’t add too much salt since I prefer to add the salt to the other ingredients of the salad before adding the dressing.

The dressing goes well with all sorts of combinations of ingredients because of its light and fresh taste. Today I chose to use a mixture of baby greens, tomato, yellow bell pepper, cucumber and a hardboiled egg.  

A good rule of thumb when picking a healthy salad dressing is, the clearer the better. For all my calorie counters out there here is the breakdown of calories for my salad dressing is Lemon juice – none; Olive Oil – 119 cal for a tablespoon. I’d say this would fit in nicely with your daily intake. 

Finally Tangible!

 I don't know about you, but as a food lover, I watch The Food Network like its going out of style. A show that is currently on the Food Network is Cupcake Wars. Each week they feature four of the country's top cupcake bakers to battle in a three round elimination challenge rewarding the winner with $10,000 and the opportunity of a life time to show case their cupcakes at an a-lister event.  Lucky for me I was able the taste the creation of winner Casey’s Cupcakes located at the Mission Inn in Riverside California.

When my best friend told me that he wanted to take me to Casey’s Cupcakes from Cupcake Wars I was beyond excited! I always watch Food Network wishing and hoping that I could somehow magically taste the food that they were making, and for once I was able to taste something seen on the Food Network that didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

As we walked in the store I was filled with excitement and all smiles. All the elegant cupcakes in the case made it hard to decide but finally decided to try Excellent Espresso.  It was a chocolate cake topped with an espresso butter cream frosting, milk and chocolate curls, and finished with a chocolate coin displaying Casey’s pink logo. Once you order they place it in an adorable pink box and give you a fork. The fork is necessary for staying clean while eating.

The combination of chocolate and the rich espresso frosting was unbeatable. Although I am not a dessert connoisseur, I could still tell how moist, light and airy the cupcake was. I am picky when it comes to the amount of frosting on a cupcake but the ratio of frosting to cupcake was just perfect. You could taste both the chocolate and espresso without either taste dominating. The texture was perfect as well with a sponge like cake, smooth frosting and a little crunch from the chocolate curls. This cupcake was completely satisfying that left me picking up the crumbs wishing there was more!

Classics are Forever

Ever wish you could get a specific meal you had when you were traveling around the United States? Like chicken fried steak from the south or New England clam chowder from Massachusetts or a Philadelphia cheese  steak? Well one thing that you can get all the way out in California is a classic Chicago Hot Dog. At Portillio's in Riverside California, they serve  classic Chicago hot dogs with all the traditional topping, mustard, relish, onions, tomato, pickle, and sport peppers on a poppy seed bun.

You may be thinking, no ketchup, that goes on a traditional hot dog, but a Chicago style hot dog has its own rules. The combination is on point. The regular relish mustard and onions are classic to the dog. The tomato adds  a fresh taste similar to what you would get from eating a burger. The pickle adds that crunch factor along with the crisp clean taste while the sport peppers add a little punch of heat. The combination is unbeatable. every element is able to be tasted and appreciated, even the dog and bun themselves. Once you have a Chicago Dog you will never be able to have a standard dog with ketchup and mustard.

Have you ever had a Chicago dog?  What are you favorite toppings to put on a your hot dog besides ketchup and mustard?

Holy Guacamole!

In the spirit of cinco de mayo, I decided I would make guacamole, one of my favorite dips. Never having made guacamole before I found it exciting to try something new! One of my favorite things about cooking is being able to add a pinch of this and a slash of that. I'm not a fan of exact measurements. Before making this guacamole, I looked up different recipes to get an idea for the proportions of each ingredient.

So this is how I made my guacamole:

Ingredients:

2 Hass avocados

1 tomato

1/4 red onion diced

juice of half a lime

1 tbsp of cilantro diced

1.Start by mashing up the avocados  with a fork until there are small chucks (you can make it as chunky or smooth as you want). 

2.Mix in diced tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and lime juice. 

3. Add a teaspoon or so of salt for taste.

Some people like their guac a little spicy so feel free to add your favorite hot sauce to give it an extra kick. 

The final product was full of flavor! I am not a fan of cilantro yet I feel as though its a major component in the traditional taste of guacamole. The lime adds a nice bright taste while the combination of cilantro and red onion give it a little bite. Lastly you need the best carrier for the dip, the chip. My favorite chip to use for dipping is Trader Joe's Organic white corn tortilla chip. Make sure to get a good amount of gauc on your chip and enjoy!