Baby back ribs

Harris Teeter had bogo ribs a couple of weeks ago, and the baby back ribs looked too good to pass up. I trawled the internet for recipes for making these in the oven and came up with some really good sites. Most of the recipes called for a dry rub followed by 30-40 minutes in the oven, then a baste with barbecue sauce followed by another 20-30 minutes in the oven, and finally one last baste with the bbq sauce and short jaunt in the broiler. (video here and recipes here and here)

We followed a version of this and used Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce because it is Vince's favorite, and we were too tired to come up with our own creative version.

The verdict: Really tender ribs, so the method worked, but the BBQ sauce didn't do jack for the ribs. We ended up with a one-note flavor that got to be too much by the end. Thank goodness for bogo. We will certainly try again (with our own sauce of course!)

P.S. Sorry about the bad blackberry picture. I'm still having computer issues.

May the Schwartz be with you!

Chef Michael Schwartz is at it again! Besides being a James Beard award winner, he has recently teamed up with Blue Star foods creator of crab products and come up with some delish-sounding recipes. I'm a huge fan of Michael's Genuine Food and Drink (in Miami and the Caymans) and of blue crab so these recipes definitely seem worth a try.

If the Schwartz vouches for these products they can't be half-bad, although I wonder how they stack up to a fresh dozen just pulled from the steamer and dripping with Old Bay.

Check out Michael's Blue Star recipes at http://www.bluestarfoods.com/_lifestyle/chef_schwartz.html

I plan to try some of these just as soon as I can get my hands on some Blue Star crab meat. Let's see if this man can write a recipe as well as he can cook.

P.S. I was not paid for this post, but if Blue Star wants to send me some free crab meat to home-test the recipes I would be happy to oblige. Just send me an email!

Heading to the 305

I'm off to Miami in a week. Yay! Any recommendations for new food spots? I'm up for some culinary adventures.

Gardening in Small Spaces

For all of you out there with the luxury of a balcony, terrace or even a backyard, here is a website that will help you grow to your full potential. My good friend John started Grown in the City a few months ago and it has grown up quite nicely. If you love fresh food there is nothing fresher than something that comes just a few feet from your door. Besides growing tips, John will clue you into the latest on guerilla gardening and policy/planning issues that affect urban areas.

I particularly like the DIY segments where John teaches you how to make self-watering containers out of recyclables!