Wiskey Ribs

I can not believe it is the end of August {insert sad face}. Where did this month honestly go. I can not believe the school year is already starting next week. It sure is true when they say time flies when you are having fun.  An item on my to do list for this summer was to make ribs from scratch. I was starting to think I was not going to get around to crossing this item off my list, but the other week we finally made ribs from scratch. We are usually short on time and just make the store bought ones that you just pop in the oven or throw on the BBQ - they are quick, easy and taste ok. We find ribs are quite time consuming to make from scratch.  I must admit I am glad I gave them a try.

The recipe I decided to try was from the Canadian Living magazine - June 2013 issue - Whiskey Glazed Ribs. Overall these ribs turned out nice. The sauce was a bit to sweet for our personal liking, but they were enjoyable!

 

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try. Would love to know your thoughts on this recipe.

Whiskey Glazed Ribs

Ingredients

4lb(1.8 kg) pork side ribs

1-1/3 cups (325 mL) sodium-reduced beef broth
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

 

Whisky Glaze:

2 cups (500 mL) rye whisky or bourbon
1/2 cup (125 mL) maple syrup
1/4 cup (60 mL) packed brown sugar
2 tbsp. (30 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
1 pinch salt

In a large pot, stir together ribs, broth, onion, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 hour; drain.

Meanwhile, in saucepan, stir together whisky, maple syrup, sugar, soy sauce, pepper and salt over medium heat; boil gently, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened enough to coat back of spoon, 10 to 12 minutes.

Place ribs on greased grill over medium heat; close lid and grill, turning and brushing with glaze, until coated and sticky, about 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

35/52 - A Visit to the Zoo & Mr. Norm's

Today the Lil Man is 22 months. I can't believe it, two more months and he will be two years old (no more counting his age in months)! This past weekend we went on a little zoo adventure to the Elmvale Jungle Zoo. It is not a big zoo with a wide assortment of animals, but it was still a wonderful adventure to go on as a family. The Lil Man had a great time checking out all the animals!

 

This is one of my favourite parts about the Elmavale zoo - the goats. The Lil Man really enjoyed the feeding the goats ...

 

... and petting them ...

 

 

When we reached the lions and he saw what was behind the fence he started to say "ROAR". Too bad they were sleeping.

 

 The giraffes are another favourite.

 

This year the Lil Man was a wee bit to small to feed them but he really enjoyed watching the other kids feed them.

 

 

The Lil Man had fun feeding Peppa the pig. It was really cute watching him and listening to him make the piggy sounds ...

He wasn't too sure about the noises this guy was making at first but he liked watching him.

 

We really enjoyed visiting the Elmvale zoo again this year. It is nice supporting local places!

 

On our way home from the zoo we stopped at Mr. Norm's for lunch - frozen yogurt is a good lunch option, right? It is one of our favourite places for frozen yogurt. If you are visiting Wasaga, you need to pop into this place for a nice summer treat.  This was Hugo's first Blueberry yogurt treat!

 

That was our mini staycation we had this weekend. It was a wonderful weekend!! Some times you need to take some time and enjoy a couple of the things that your area has to offer!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Before I begin I must say that this is one of Byron's ideas. It is however, a completely new recipe at our house that we decided to try -- Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin.

Byron seasoned the pork with oregano, basil, chives, parsley, garlic powder, little salt and pepper  then wrapped the tenderloin with bacon. He put it on the BBQ for about an hour.  The time however depends on the size of your tenderloin. Ours was small so it did not take very long.

We also did some herbed potatoe cubes wrapped in tin foil on the BBQ and grilled some peppers. It was an entire dinner prepared on the BBQ {my favorite}.

The end result was delicious. The pork was very flavourful and super moist the way we like it!!

Everything seems to taste so much better when it has bacon don't you think?

 

34/52 - I Spy with my Little Eye ... Dad`s Guitar

Our spare bedroom has become somewhat of a storage room. Currently it is filled with totes of clothing Hugo has outgrown. It is sure crazy how much clothing a little guy goes through and needs. Some days we go through a couple outfit changes as he can get quite dirty when we are outside playing. But this is not were I was heading with this post. The Lil Man loves going into the spare room to investigate. He always seems to find things that capture his attention. This week he finally discovered dad's guitar.

He was very fascinated with it.

 

 

He really enjoyed playing it and making some noise ...

 

I think the little man is going to learn how to play the guitar before Dad (I think this guitar has gotten more use over the past couple days than it has over the past 4 years) lol!

I snapped this photo with my iPod late last week ... these two have come a long way!!The Lil Man is sporting some crazy hair ... it's becoming the norm around here.

 

 

Happy Monday!!

 

BBQ Beef Roast

In the summer time we try to cook on the BBQ as much as possible, especially on really hot days. I hate to say this but the weather is starting to feel like fall around here this week {insert sad face}. It is just to early for it to be felling like fall.  This week Byron was in charge of finding a new recipe for us to try. He decided to try this recipe from allrecipes for roast beef on the BBQ spit.

The roast turned out nice and tasted great. We have decided this is definitely a recipe that we will make again in the future!
 

 

We had this BBQ sauce in the pantry and decided to give it a try in this recipe. This was our first time trying it and it was really good. I will be buying some more during my next grocery store trip.

 

In a large bowl, mix barbeque sauce, teriyaki sauce, beer, garlic, ginger, onion, black pepper, and salt. Place the roast into the marinade, cover and refrigerate for six hours, turning often.

 

 

Our roast before putting it on the BBQ spit.

 

When the roast was ready to be removed from the marinade, we boiled the marinade and cooked it for about 5 minutes. Once done we set it aside and used it as a basting sauce as per recipe directions.

 

The finished product.



 

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try.

Ingredients
 

1 (5 pound) chuck roast

1 cup barbeque sauce (we used Sweet Baby Ray's)

1 cup teriyaki sauce (we used the Diane brand)

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer

3 teaspoons minced garlic

3 teaspoons thinly sliced fresh ginger root

1 onion, finely chopped

3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt
 

Directions
 

In a large bowl, mix barbeque sauce, teriyaki sauce, beer, garlic, ginger, onion, black pepper, and salt. Place the roast into the marinade, cover and refrigerate for six hours, turning often.

Preheat an outdoor grill for indirect heat.

Remove the roast from the marinade, and pour the marinade into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside for use as a basting sauce.

Thread the roast onto a rotating barbecue spit above indirect heat. Cook the roast for two hours, or until the internal temperature of the roast is at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

Baste often during the last hour with reserved marinade.

Enjoy!

 

New Bike Rack

So this past weekend I put the Boler away into the garage and decided I needed a new bike rack. Having no new lumber sitting around at home I had to turn to a pallet I grabed from work. This pallet was destined to be burned while camping but I didn't need it for our past trip. So it was just in my way after a quick 2 day garage cleanup. So I spent some time just looking at it,  then started to cut it up and put it back together. Here is what I ended up with.

33/52 Mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm PRINGLES & Some Crazy Hair

During our last camping trip Hugo discovered how much he likes Pringles. He now knows what's inside that tall skinny cylinder... something yummy. The other day Byron and I finished some off and put the container on the counter so we would not forget to put it into recycling. The following morning the Lil Man noticed the container instantly and insisted on having Pringles right after his breakfast. I was not keen on the idea of him having such a salty snack so early in the morning, but he was very persistent. He took a bite and said "mmmmm mmmm mmmm." This is what he's been saying lately when he really enjoys something he is eating. It does not happen very often as he is being such a picky eater but when he does do it, it's so cute. I want to make it clear that this is not a common routine. Some days however, you just have to give in to their persistence.

 

 

I also had to note his crazy hair in this weeks post. Lately the Lil Man has been sporting some wild out of control hair when he gets up from sleeping. You just never know what he will look like when you walk into his room.

Have a great week!
 

Garden Update - Week of August 12th

As you know this year our garden was off to a late start and really struggled at the beginning with the yo-yo weather we kept getting in June. Surprisingly though, it is doing well

We finally had our first cucumber from our garden on the 1st of August. This year the cucumbers have been taking their sweet time.

  

This is the largest cucumber we've grown in our garden. It was delicious!

 

 

Our hot chili peppers are doing well this year.

The upside down tomato plant has two little tomatoes growing.  We are not getting our hopes up on these struggling little guys as they are tomato plants I started from seed and they should have been started sooner. Plus I did not use good dirt in the container and I think it is lacking nutrients.

The tomato plants in general this year at our place are struggling. The tomato plants in the garden have a couple tomatoes but they are really small and none of the tomatoes have started ripening yet. The cherry tomatoes are also not yielding very many compared to past years (however, this year I planted them in a pot and I think that may be why). Next year I will go back to planting them in the garden.

The purple beans are doing really well this year. Our snow peas and spinach on the other hand did not do that great.

This year I decided not to plant any lettuce. I found in past years it was grossing me out with the little bugs that kept growing on it and was not appealing at all to eat. To our surprise though this year, we still have lettuce in our garden and it does not have any gross bugs on it. It voluntarily came up all on its own and is looking great.

How is your garden doing this year?

Lime-Cilantro Pork with Salsa

Byron is not a big fan of pork, especially pork chops. I honestly do not mind a pork chop once in a blue moon since it is a change from the usual.  For the last couple years I have been searching for a pork chop recipe that we both enjoy but have been unsuccessful each time  I try a new recipe. I am not giving up yet, I know it's out there, I just have to stumble upon it. In the mean time I just have to keep searching and testing out new recipes. That is what I did this past week.

This week's recipe is another unsuccessful one but I still wanted to post it. Just because we did not enjoy it does not mean our readers will not enjoy it. The recipe is for Lime-Cilantro pork with salsa. I found it in the Spring 2013 Inspired Magazine from  Foodland that came with my flyers a couple months ago.  

I did make a couple revisions (i.e. I used our regular salsa instead of the chipotle one they suggest). Here's the recipe if you feel like giving it a try.

Lime-Cilantro Pork with Salsa
2 limes, 1 zested and juiced, 1 quartered
2 tbsp.  Compliments Canola & Sunflower Oil Blend, divided
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
4 bone-in pork chops (we used boneless)
1/2 cup Sensations by Compliments Roasted Tomato Chipotle Salsa (we used regular mild tomato salsa)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

First mix the oil and lime juice together and brush it onto the pork chops. Mix the dry ingredients with the lime zest and rub mixture into the pork until the pork chops are coated well. Since the weather was hot out, we grilled the pork chops on the BBQ. Once pork chops are cooked, place on a plate and top with salsa, sprinkle some cilantro and squeeze juice from remaining lime on top.

Our search for a good pork chop recipe shall continue. Hope you are enjoying your week!

32/52 - Nothing Runs Like A Deere ...

Can you guess what this Lil Man loves doing?

 

Pressing the same button over and over on his tractor! He gets this trait from his dad.

 

As a result, all I hear is "nothing runs like a Deere" x 100 times!  I even hear "nothing runs like a Deere" in my sleep ...

 

I think Hugo has figured out that it is slowly driving me a little bit crazy and he is loving it even more!

Hope everyone is enjoying their Hump Day - Happy Wednesday!!
 

 

A Perfect Soft Boiled Egg

Every now and then I feel like having a soft boiled egg for breakfast.  To be honest I do not eat eggs very often any more but the odd time I feel like having one. They remind me of my childhood for some unknown reason.

 

 

For the longest time whenever I would go to make a soft boiled egg though, more often than not I always ended up with a hard boiled egg instead {insert extremely disappointed face} because I would time it wrong. I kept forgetting the required amount of time it needed because I just don't make them often enough. I finally wrote it down instead of constantly bugging my mom. The other day I was looking for my little slip of paper I wrote it on and of course I misplaced it. I figured it was time I do a post for future reference and thus this post came to exist.

The key to a perfect soft boiled egg is timing ... you take it out too soon, you end up with a super runny egg ... you leave it in too long, you end up with a hard boiled egg. Once you get the timing down, it is extremely easy soft boiling an egg.

To prepare the perfect soft boiled egg you first fill a pan 1/3 of the way up with water and get it boiling. Secondly, carefully place the egg in the boiling water. Thirdly set your timer immediately on for 5 MINUTE once the egg has been placed in the water (THIS IS KEY).

 

 

When the timer is up remove the pan off the heat immediately and move it to the sink. Run cold water over the egg(s) until there is no more hot water in the pan. That is it!!

 

 

Place the egg in an egg cup if you have one and give it a couple taps on the top with a butter knife to crack the top third of the egg and peel it off. If you don't have an egg cup no big deal. Cut off the top section of the egg to reveal the yolk and your egg is ready to be eaten.

 

I like cutting a piece of toast into strips as it makes it easier for dipping into the egg.

Enjoy!

 

 

31/52 - Vroom vroom ...

I  can only imagine how many hours of entertainment this little orange and yellow Fisher Price car has provided in its many years of existance and how many more it has to privide. The Lil Man loves playing with this little Fisher Price car that belonged to his dad {I guess that makes it vintage hehe}. During our camping trip this week Hugo enjoyed loading the little car with different sized rocks and driving it while making his cute vroooom ... vrooooom sound. 

After about 5 minutes of trying to convince him to look at me for a picture he finally listened ...

 Have a fun and safe long weekend Everyone!!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Wow I can not believe it's the 1st of August already!! July sure did fly by. It's been a while since I have posted a recipe on here so I thought it was time. Lately, we have been going through a phase of wanting something new and different to try because we are very tired of eating the same old same old. Do you ever have days/ weeks like this? Both Byron and I went on a search for something new to try and Byron came up with a Chicken Salad Sandwich. He use to have them when he was younger but I can honestly say I had never had one before this. We found this new recipe and I thought I would share it with our readers. For the month of August I have set a goal for myself - I am going to try and post a new recipe each week starting with this one.

This recipe was adapted from Taste of Home and can be found here. We made some revisions and have included our version of the recipe at the end of this post.

The other night we grilled some extra chicken breast since we had the BBQ going anyways and then threw it into the fridge once it cooled down to use for this recipe. This made prep for this dinner super quick the next day.

Chop the celery, pepper, chicken, green onions and add the mayo and stir it all together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Cover it and put it in the fridge for a couple hours.

 

Just before serving I prepped some lettuce and sliced some tomato for the sandwiches. 

 

 

They were very enjoyable, especially on a really hot day. 

 

If you want to give this recipe a try, here is our version of it with the revisions we made.  If you give it a try we would love to know how it turned out for you.

 

 

Enjoy!