OVEN BAKED RIBS

Got no grill? No problem!

RIBS:
Rub the ribs (both sides) in garlic powder, salt, and black pepper – then pour on and rub in your favorite barbeque sauce as I did these. Pour a can of beer, some kind you don’t like, in for moisture. Bake in a throwaway aluminum pan for 3.5 hours on between 350 and 400 degrees.

Set the time for one hour each time, take the ribs out, and brush on more sauce, and maybe a little honey.

I you don’t want to bake that long, boil the ribs in enough beer to cover them for 1 hour, then bake for another hour or until the meat comes off the bone the way you like it.

Serve with potato salad, baked beans, and beer rolls!

POTATO SALAD:
Boil 4 or 5 medium sized potatoes until a fork will easily slip into them through the skin. Let the potatoes cool, peel them, and cut them into bite size chunks.

Boil two egg to well done – about 5 to 6 minutes. Let them cool, or run cold water over them, peel, and cut into small pieces (whites and yellows).

Dice up 2 or 3 carrots.

Now, mix all the ingredients into a large bowl. Dab in 2 or 3 tablespoons of Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise as needed for moisture and taste. Plop in 1 or 2 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish. Add salt and black pepper to taste. MIX! Then put it into the refrigerator to cool until ready to be eaten.

BAKED BEANS:
Pour a large can of baked beans (I used Bush’s Country Style) into an oven safe glass bowl. On top of th beans add one diced onion, 2 or 3e tablespoons of ketchup, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of mustard, and about 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar – MIX!

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees only long enough for the onions to cook completely.

BEER MUFFINS:
In a medium bowl, fill about halfway with Bisquick Pancake Mix and add 2 tablespoons of sugar, and then add beer until the mixture is just moist enough to pour out of a spoon but is still thick. Spray cooking oil or baker’s spray in a muffin pan that has about 12 slots. Fill the holes about half way.

Place the muffin pan in an oven heated to about 350 degrees and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. The muffins will be brown on the bottom before the top shows, so test the muffins by flipping on over after the time expires. Cook longer if needed.

Put all this on the table and get out of the way!

A nice pink Chablis went well with these, but most anything will!

BONEFISH GRILL - TURKEY CREEK

We celebrated my sister-in-law’s 55th birthday this evening at Knoxville’s second Bonefish Grill. We began the meal for our table of six with 2 of their best “starters” – Bang Bang Shrimp (Tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce.) and Mussels Josephine (Prince Edward Island Mussels sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce.).

We finished off with market fresh fish grilled over an oak-burning grill. It was all yummy!

And yes, I can handle the chopsticks!

MAC & CHEESE - PLUS SOME

My wife fixed some macaroni and cheese this afternoon and then asked me what else I wanted with it. I told her to give me about 25 minutes!

This was my sly way of spicy up the dish and giving me time to enjoy a bottle of cold Killian while I cooked!

I first fried my usual chicken tenders in olive oil and (say it with me) garlic! On top of the mixture I added my favorite hot sauce. Once the tenders have thawed slightly on one side (yes, you don’t have to thaw them first), flip them and add salt and pepper. Do the same to the other side when thawed enough to hold the seasoning, allowing the seasoned side to begin to brown. Continue turning them until blackening occurs to your liking, and then remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel.

Cut the tenders into bit size pieces and set aside.

I then cut up a whole green and red bell pepper in to ½ to ¼ inch pieces, sprayed them with olive oil or canola spray, salted and peppered them and tossed them into the left over olive oil where the tenders were fried. Once they began to fry well, I dumped the chicken pieces back into the skillet and tossed the mixture for another 3 or 4 minutes then dumped it on top of the mac and cheese, stir, add two tables spoons of sour cream, stir some more, and serve.

The hot and spiced chicken gives the concoction a great warm feeling on a cold rainy day.