Roadside Ribs and Chicken

We attended a "parents' night" at my daughter's school last night and there was really no time for dinner. So, on the way home, I pulled up to a roadside ribs and chicken trailer and brought some home.
The ribs were good, very tender, but not very flavorful. The chicken was more flavorful, but I was too full to take more than just a taste after eating all these ribs. You can get a rack of ribs and half a chicken for about $20.

Fresh Mozzarella and Garden Tomatoes

This is so simple, and so good. Slices of fresh mozzarella and garden tomatoes sprinkled with coarse sea salt. Sometimes, I tuck fresh basil leaves in. Sometimes, I drizzle with olive oil. You can't go wrong with this combination. Prepare the dish, and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavors can mix.

Goodwood Barbecue - and I Order a Salad?

My lunch the other day at one of our regular restaurants - Goodwood, which is a barbecue place. This is a chicken Caesar salad with their BBQ chicken, which has a sweet sauce on it. It's a nice contrast to the tart Caesar dressing. The food is consistent and good, the place is kid-friendly, it's nearby, and the service is O-K - not as consistent as the food quality, though. Yes, they do ribs, but I don't order them very often because I don't usually feel like getting that messy. And there's really no way to eat them except get messy when doing it.

Late Summer Backyard Party

A picture from my neighbor's late summer backyard party over the weekend. The flowers are a mixture from both of our yards. I do believe they had more than candy corn for dinner.

Peach Pie from our Friend Ben

Our friend Ben has been experimenting with peach pies because he has a bountiful harvest of peaches this year. His challenge: make a pie that's not so "runny." This one is a hit. It's kind of a combination of a pie and a cobbler, with pecans, too.

Smashed Baked Potatoes

Smashed baked potatoes, or baked smashed potatoes, and I've seen them called crash potatoes. It's National Potato Month - and Idaho is famous for its potatoes, so I'm sharing a potato recipe.

Medium-sized red potatoes - one per person, or two!

Rosemary herb seasoning - I used Pampered Chef

coarse sea salt

olive oil

Boil the whole potatoes until soft. Drain. Heat oven to 450 degrees, rack should be middle position. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil. Put the potatoes on the baking sheet and then take a potato masher and gently squish them into the pan - do a criss-cross squash. Brush them with olive oil, then sprinkle with coarse sea salt and rosemary herb blend. Bake until tops turn a bit brown. I like to put a little dab of butter on them before serving. My neighbor did this with cheese on top - why not add bacon and make a kind of potato skin?

Cherry Tomato Salsa Today

This is how I'm eating my cherry tomato salsa today. I made a big vat of the salsa over the weekend and I'm handing out to my friends and neighbors later today. Here's my recipe.

Warning: I don't measure for this recipe.

Ingredients:
as many cherry tomatoes as you can get, garden-fresh is key for this recipe
medium-sized sweet onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves of minced garlic
sliced deli-style jalapenos - I used a half cup, but we like it hot
salt
cilantro
Put the onion, garlic, jalapenos, and a couple of handfuls of tomatoes in a food processor. Pulse until you have small chunks in a slurry of yumminess.
Scrape it into a large bowl. Then chop, by hand, cherry tomatoes. It's labor intensive, but a labor of love! Mix it all together and salt to taste. Add cilantro just before serving. Unless you hate cilantro, then, throw the cilantro away! Serve with salty tortilla chips - we like Santitas.