Healthy recipe, Naughty recipe...

So it's summer. That means healthy and not-so-healthy are fighting out the battle at our house.
Fast becoming a staple to us is a tasty Mediterranean salad and already a staple - Pork Ribs rubbed with a tasty seasoning. Both are adaptable to what you have on hand and what you find to your taste.

Med Salad
1 to 2 cups of cooked large couscous - small couscous is fine as well, but I prefer the larger type
1 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 to 1 whole red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
2 to 4 diced small tomatoes
1 small or 1/2 large cucumber diced
1 to 2 green onions finely sliced
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/3 to 1/2 cup diced feta or halloumi cheese
1/8 cup tasted pine nuts
Optional - diced grilled chicken


Dressing
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Make dressing by combining vinegar, oil and salt and pepper. Use more or less oil to taste, but quite a bit of dressing is needed because the couscous will absorb some. Set aside.

Cook couscous according to package. After draining, set aside to cool. If using dried oregano, mix into the hot couscous.
When cooled, mix the couscous with all the rest of the ingredients, including the dressing. Refrigerate until serving time.
Remember to taste as you make this salad. The key is to tweak the veggies, herbs, and dressing to your taste.


Now for the Naughty! Taste the rub before you use it. You might want it spicier, or with more garlic or chili powder.

Ribs - MB Style
1 slab of pork ribs

Rub
3 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Granulated Garlic or Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

3 Tbsp Kosher Salt

Optional BBQ Sauce or Cider Vinegar

Preheat oven or grill to 350 degrees.
For a longer marinade, make up the rub without the salt and rub most into the meat side of the ribs and a little onto the underside as well.
For a short marinade of about an hour, make up the rub with the salt and rub into the meat as described above.
Cook the ribs for about 45 minutes, or until the meat starts to shrink back from the bone. At that point brush on optional bbq sauce and cook for another 10 minutes to until glazed. Or a quick brush of cider vinegar before serving is tasty as well. Or nothing at all is just as tasty - all according to your taste!

Cleaning the bowls tip

Just a tip:
When you have to clean flour out of bowls, you might normal find yourself with a sticky, gloppy mess! If you fill the bowl with cold water and wash it, the flour will come right off. Then wash as usual.
Something about the heat of hot water activates proteins in the flour that cause it to stick.
The best way to get the dough off your hands!

new hobby of...

Baking Bread every week. The whole family loves the bread, and I feel very accomplished for making it. Not to mention the kneading does wonders for the arms!
Over the years, I have tried many recipes and found them so time consuming! I was all set to make a cinnamon raisin dough recipe that I found online, when I looked at the back of my yeast, Voila! There it was - the easiest bread dough recipes I have ever seen. Here it is and scroll down for the variations:
PS - you do not need a mixer for this recipe. It would probably take longer to put the mixer together than just knead it by hand.

Hovis Hand Baking Bread
Also to be found at http://www.hovisflour.com/

1lb 2oz white bread flour (I use the self-rising)
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar (optional) (gives added flavor and thicker crust)
1 1/2 tsp fast acting yeast
1 oz butter
10 fl oz warm water

combine the flour, salt, optional sugar. Rub in the butter. (That means kind of mush it up with your fingers until it's part of the mixture.) Stir in the yeast.
Stir in the water and mix into a soft dough by hand.
Knead for about 5 minutes with a mixer with a dough hook, or turn out onto a floured surface and knead well by hand for about 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a well-greased 2lb loaf pan or a baking tray. Turn the dough over one time. (this will leave the top slightly greased so that it won't dry out)
Cover with a damp towel and place in a warm place until doubled in size. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Uncover and bake at 450 F for 30-35 minutes. I start checking the bread after about 15 minutes so it doesn't get too dark.
The baked loaf should sound hollow when tapped underneath.

Take the loaf out of the pan and cool on a rack.


Variations:
Raisin Bread: add a handful of raisins at the end of the kneading. Make sure they are well mixed. Try to poke back any of the raisins that might be sticking out on top of the loaf. At such a high cooking temp, they have a tendency to burn a little.

Olive Rosemary: add a handful of chopped olives and about a tsp of chopped fresh rosemary at the end of kneading. brush with olive oil before baking.