seattle highlights.

on an uncharacteristically sunny weekend in seattle, a group of excited allrecipes.com junkies converged on the unsuspecting emerald city. here's a sneak peek of my adventures with the allrecipes allstars, celebrating the 15 year anniversary of the world's largest food site.

thank you, allrecipes.com!

 

Bourbon Spiced Ribs

Bourbon Spiced Ribs
(the star of our 1920s Speakeasy Dinner... more on that to come!)

4 pounds pork ribs
1 large onion, chopped (or 1 package frozen chopped onion)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/3 cup ketchup or canned tomato sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
6 pressed garlic cloves
1 packet McCormick Bourbon Spiced Pork Recipe and Seasoning Mix 

Place pork ribs into large roasting pan. Top with chopped onion. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over pork ribs. Roast, covered in foil, at 225 degrees for 4-5 hours, removing foil covering during last hour. 

In creating this pan full of yum-ness, I was inspired by this recipe at Allrecipes-dot-com.  To be honest, I REALLY wanted to do short ribs (that's my hubby's all-time favorite), but they were insanely expensive and we just couldn't do it this month.  :)  I decided to give the pork ribs a go, and it worked out a-ok.  I mean, it was ridiculously good.  Mouth-watering, worth-the-mess good.

Make this.  Invite your friends or indulge your family... or both.  Enjoy.  Leave me a comment.  :)

Salted Caramel Pretzel Shake

so very NOT paleo... and so very, VERY worth the splurge...

Ingredients:
1 ounce vanilla vodka
1 cup milk (non-dairy ok)
two pinches sea salt (the coarse kind)
2 tsp dark caramel (plus add'l for garnish)
2 cups vanilla ice cream (more if needed for taste)
1/2 cup pretzels (we like the traditional thin shape)

Directions:

Pour milk, vodka, sea salt, and 2 tsp caramel in blender and pulse, adding vanilla ice cream. Blend just until "shake" consistency, adding additional ice cream if needed. Drop pretzels in as blender is running, again just until blended. Drizzle caramel around the inside of a glass, and pour shake into glass. Garnish with an additional pretzel if desired.

(just submitted to my favorite allrecipes.com - awaiting approval!)

thin mint green monster (oh, heavenly happiness...)

i didn't realize the term "green monster" might sound scary to the un-initiated, till my clean-eating mom-in-law squeemishly agreed to try one.  "oh, it's just a smoothie with spinach in it!  i make those all the time!" she exclaimed.  and after trying this one, she admitted it was, indeed, delicious.  (for a better-than-the-famous-place "frappe," try adding 1-2 teaspoons instant expresso granules, and then thank me.  :)  )

  

1/4 can coconut milk (hint: chill first!)

large handful or two of fresh spinach

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

1 packet stevia (or 4-6 drops liquid stevia)

10ish mint leaves

1 whole banana (frozen, cut into 2 inch chunks)

1/4-ish cup raw cacao seeds

1 tsp hemp oil

blend it up with ice and add water as needed... PERFECT start to the day. 

who needs thin mint cookies??!!

mmmm... al fresco

at our house, we love sausage (and we've been teased about the amount of it we cook up). :) how happy to find a recipe product that's made with no artificial ingredients that's delicious.  

it's heading toward summer around here, and who wants to be cooped up inside with a stove cranked up!  we're ready for some grilling recipes, and the al fresco kabobs recipe  from allrecipes.com just fits the bill.

nothing like a kicked-up citrus marinade to make fresh veggies pop.

 (thank you, honey, for being patient to get that exact "marinade that makes your mouth water" angle i was going for on this shot.  :)

we may have slightly charred the veggies.  i may, strangely, prefer them that way.  i do say if i had it to do over, i think i'd skewer the shrimp and sausage separately so as not to overcook it to the level i like my veggies.  still, delish.

 

al fresco sent us coupons to try their latest flavors, and although we couldn't find the vast array they offer in our grocery store, we did find sweet apple, sweet italian, and tomato and basil (they have buffalo style!! publix, it's time to expand the line!!) visit the al fresco site and download your own coupons today. you're welcome. :)

our "siete" de mayo fiesta

it's a not-so-secret fact that hub's favorite all-time food is, well, anything Mexican. since we deserted him for play practice on his birthday (last of the thirties!), we decided to have a little "siete de mayo" celebration in his honor, and do some SERIOUS Mexican cooking. we made the most amazing version of "amazing southwest cilantro lime mango grilled chicken sandwiches" from allrecipes.com (wow, that title rivals one i'd write in length!) with flax tortillas from realsustenance.com, instead of french bread.  

since my man is the true guacamole chef, i was nervous to go on my own, but this guac recipe from allrecipes.com is divine!  (i can't be held responsible for actually measuring these ingredients, and i ALWAYS add extra lime and cilantro.)  

till this point, i was doing great, but i lost my senses completely when we began to fry up the sopapillas; i had a bite or two more than my fair share, i'm not gonna lie.  

and while we're being real, i also thoroughly enjoyed the coconut margarita with which i bribed my honey to grill the steak for his meal.  :)

what're you waiting for?  it doesn't have to be anything-de-mayo... get cooking!  :)

baked oatmeal, sweet memories, and allrecipes.com

this month, allrecipes.com has asked me to share a memory that ties me to my favorite recipe site. the timing is fitting, since this has been a busy week that resulted in ZERO cooking for me. because my kiddos were in the school play and theatre-major mom came out this week, we spent every waking moment at the school prepping costumes, sets, and character development. we are in the midst of turning our whole house upside-down to make better use of space, so literally every room in the house holds mis-matched furniture and paint rollers wrapped in plastic (i HATE to re-wash paint rollers!). 

 our kids have been amazing at building beds, organizing closets, and painting walls to make home -well, "homey-er" for everyone. then at the culmination of an exhausting week, we were blessed to have grandparents (three sets!) visit to watch the play. poor hubs was left to manage the chaos as best possible with the three non-acting siblings. when everyone arrived for the play, i found myself lamenting that i couldn't host everyone properly. i wanted to have visitors for a home-cooked meal. i wanted to have matching sets of towels, freshly laundered and waiting for refreshment and relaxing. i wished i had hot coffee and warm treats, with candles lit and baseboards dusted. i realize that "in the chaos" was where i needed to be this week, using a long-lost love/gift in theatre, and i have let myself off the guilt-hook. however, i am reminded that for me, food has always had a special place in my hospitality, and i want to get back to those roots. 

 as i thought back to some of our sweetest memories, i immediately wished for a bowl of baked oatmeal, one of the first recipes i discovered on allrecipes.com, and one i've shared over and over with friends and family who've visited and relaxed over a hot serving doused with cream and accompanied by fresh fruit and hot tea or coffee. baked oatmeal to me is comfort with a bit of extra "fancy" thrown in; it says "welcome," and "i cared enough to bake for you." it says "good morning," and "have a great day!" it's a recipe i've pulled out that i can sort of prepare ahead and always feel like i'm taking good care of our guests. i'm looking for a flashback to that old-fashioned homey comfort, so i think as we settle back into real-life this week (is there such a thing? :)) i may make a batch of baked oatmeal.