In celebration of this week’s RibFest happening here in Ottawa, I thought it was appropriate to share a recipe for ribs 🙂 RibFest is that wonderful time of year when you step out of your office and all you can smell is BBQ! All the options are there to tempt you; Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken and Ribs. It is difficult to sit at your desk, eating your garden salad, when the smell of BBQ is coming in from the street.
A few months ago I tried making my own almond butter, and much to my surprise it was incredibly easy and absolutely delicious! Since that day forward, Jamie and I have not purchased a jar of almond butter (and we go through a lot!) but each weekend we roast almonds and whip up a batch to last us the week. (for us the perfect ratio is 3-1)
Now that the weather is nice, it is time to start to think about BBQ’s, picnics and the many types of food that go along with these outdoor events. Fresh vegetables are always a favourite of mine, but sometimes just eating raw vegetables gets a little boring. I find myself scouring the picnic table looking for something to dip my cucumber slice into. Then I see it – Hummus!
The role of today’s food blogger will be played by Jeff Clements*.
Hey everyone. When Connie offered me the opportunity to be a guest on her blog I thought “how hard can it be?” Then I remembered how difficult it was back in high school English Lit. All the punctuation, syntax and grammatical challenges; man, I really started sweating. God, I have to come up with a topic too! What was I thinking? I am not a writer. I can’t do this. I need something to eat. (You see, when I’m stressed I eat. Not because I’m particularly hungry (though I most often am) but because it lets me cook and that’s my escape) I’m getting a sandwich.
For anyone who has taken a peek at my bio page, you know that the inspiration behind this blog was my Grandma Ruby. Yesterday would have been her 93th birthday, so I thought I would celebrate her with dedicating today’s blog post to her.
Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? It really is the cookie that all other cookies are compared to. It makes a lot of sense. Chocolate, butter and sugar, well, it is pretty much perfect.
Everyone has a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that they stand behind. I have mentioned before that my favourite cookie recipes involve rolled oats, but this recipe isn’t my tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe. I tried this one after my Mom gave me a pile of cookbooks when she cleaning out her kitchen.
I love potato chips. It doesn’t matter what flavour they are, I will eat them. I consciously avoid the chip aisle in the grocery store, as my will power is weak when it comes to crunchy, salty snack foods.
We have discovered a brand of root vegetable chips, called Terra Chips. They make their chips, not just with potatoes, but with a variety of root vegetables; parsnips, sweet potatoes, taro and beets. Because they use a variety of vegetables I feel a little less guilty about a weekend indulgence of this salty treat.
Well, I finally did it – I made a pie crust! My Grandma would be so proud!
I had managed to avoid the dreaded pie crust until one day my good friend Jen asked if she could come over to learn how to make a coconut cream pie. Of course, I thought, no problem. It is funny, when she made the suggestion, I had no hesitation. Then, during the planning phase of the pie-making experience, she asked if I had ever made one before. Nope. However, since the lemon meringue pie I baked with Andreana was such a success, I was confident Jen and I could make an equally delicious coconut cream pie.
I am a bit of a conundrum. When we are out at a restaurant and I order a burger, I always ask for no onions, but then proceed to order a side of onion rings! Weird, right? This brings me to today’s topic, Caramelized Onions. The flavour of the onion transforms right before your eyes when you cook them slowly and add a few extra ingredients to help bring out their natural sweetness.
The food blogging duties will be handled today by Connie’s husband, Jamie.
It’s funny how our taste preferences have a tendency to change or evolve with age. If I were to sit down little nine year old Jamie and ask him to name his three favourite vegetables, I can almost guarantee the list would not include broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. However, 25 years later and rarely a day goes by in which I’m not enjoying a combination of all three.
Ruby Reduction 
