Rub Me Down Ribs

     This may be one of my all time favorite things to cook / eat. These are not BBQ ribs, they are dry rubbed. I have never found a BBQ sauce that I like, let alone to smother a piece of meat in. I have never made any other kinds of ribs other then these and I don't think that I ever will. I jumped in with both feet on this one time and now I make it on a regular basis. These do tend to have a slight kick to them so I usually serve them with my homemade potato salad to balance out the flavor. Hope you all enjoy!

Skill Level: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: About an hour, see below.

1 Lg Rack of pork spareribs, with a lot of meat on them
6 Tbs Olive oil
Spices: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, garlic salt, pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin, paprika, meat tenderizer.

     To start the ribs must be at room temperature!

     Start out with draining the juice from the rib package and lay the rack on a large cutting board and this is what you start with:

I know, I need new cutting boards...hint hint Christmas gift anyone?

     Now it is time to start to season the ribs. First rub the meat down on both sides with olive oil. This will give the spices something to stick to:



     Now it is time to season. I do not measure the seasonings because I like more of somethings that others. All you want to do is use all the above mentioned spices in the proportions you like. I add extra garlic powder and chili power. Again this is going to be applied to both sides of the meat. This is how I apply the seasoning and you need to do it this way with all of them to get a good crust on the meat:

     By the end of the seasoning process your ribs should look a little like this:



Ahhh just like fall color change, how moving



     Now you want this to sit for a while and soak in the flavors, if you don't have time, do not worry about it, throw them on the grill and you're good to go.

     Here's the tricky part. There is no one set cooking time for these. I have a 3 burner gas grill and I keep the knobs at medium, which keeps the grill right around 400 degrees. For the first 10 minutes you can kick it higher and turn it down if you want to, but I do not recommend it with the oil on the ribs. We wouldn't want to start a grill fire now would we? Either way they are going to get a good char on them. Cook them until they are about 150-160 degrees in the middle of the meatiest part and let stand for 10 minutes before you tear into the flesh!

Hope you all love this recipe!

<3 ---R

Salsa Salsa

     I love this salsa! I found a recipe online for this a while ago but I have changed it drastically, so here it is! This recipe would be considered at "medium-hot" salsa. It also makes a quart and a half! You can cut this in half (which was the original recipe) but at the rate that my husband eats this, these are the measurements that I use. Hope you all enjoy!!

Skill Level: Easy
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Minute

• (1) 28oz Can of Hunt's Tomatoes (This is the best brand to use)
• (2) 10oz Cans of Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies in original
• 1/2 Lg red onion
• 1 Habanero pepper or 3-5 Serrano peppers
• 2 Tbs Canned pickled jalapenos in mild (This helps preserve the salsa)
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 1 1/2 Tsp Garlic Salt
• 1/2 Tsp Sugar (To take down the acidity)

     Put all the above ingredients in a 5+ cup blender and blend until desired consistency. This is a very simple recipe but it is also one of those last minute things that you can make before a party if you are in a jam!

If you have any suggestions on what you would like me to make, please let me know!