A couple of years ago, I planted a Lantern plant (Physalis franchetii). It’s in an east facing part of my garden that gets only a couple of hours of sunlight each day and was mostly barren. After 3 years, my plants are thriving.
They are beautiful little jewels.
but it’s whats inside that makes them even more special. A tiny, orange little sweet fruit. What a treat! I tried to plant Ground Cherries awhile back and they never matured in time. I’m just plain happy about my little plants.
I thought that you might like a trip to enjoy my son’s 8th birthday at Fort York. The kids had a terrific time. They learned some really interesting stuff including the role of music for the army. They all got to try out the drums. They practiced holding their muskets.
Here they are marching.
and the kids’ favourite part……charge!
Then we all went home and had cake and pizza. Nick wanted the cake to be an ‘army man’ so I obliged.
There are usually ribs smokin’ away. Back ribs were on sale again and I couldn’t resist. Smoked ribs are one of my favourite treats. The slow, low temperature cooking is the perfect way to render the meat tender and there is no pre-baking, steaming or boiling. I have been smoking for around 10 years, which makes me a complete novice compared to the pit pros. I use a propane smoker when I am in the city and a charcoal smoker when I am up north at the cottage. Let’s get started. I removed the membrane from the ‘bone side’ of the ribs. I grasped this membrance with my fingertips and a paper towel to reveal the exposed ribs.
I made up some of my rib rub, I have been working on my own recipe for a while. It’s not perfect but it’s getting there. I mix equal quantities of celery salt and onion salt and then I add one quarter quantity of paprika and garlic flakes. Then I rub it on both sides of the ribs.
When each rack has been covered in rub I stand it in a rib rack and into the smoker they go.
My smoker has a water pan. I smoked the ribs for about 2 1/2 hours and the temperature was around 170F. When the ribs are done the meat pulls away from the bones.
I wrap up my ribs in foil and freeze them for later. When I want to use them, I just defrost and grill then lightly. Sometimes my husband will add some BBQ sauce but I like them plain too! Serve with a fresh green salad or a nice cole slaw.
Yep, we are back cooking more or less full time. Our menu this week was starting to show the influences of fall. The weather is still warm but now that the kids are back in school the house frenzy has returned. After months of not making this recipe I have forgotten how simple and satisfying it is.
Hearty Beef Stew - Here is the ingredient list:
Ingredients
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 pound Beef, Top Blade Roast
1/4 cup Oil, Olive
1 Onions — diced
2 stalks Celery — diced
1 clove Garlic — minced
1/2 cup Wine, Table, Red
1/2 whole Tomatoes, Canned
3/4 cup Stock, Beef
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1 Bay Leaf
2 Carrots
1/2 pound Mushrooms, Button — small
1 tablespoon Butter
5 ounces Peas, Frozen
My quick trick is to purchase blade steaks rather than cubes of stew meat. I can quickly sear both sides of the meat in a hot pan, remove, cube on a cutting board and put it in the pot.
Then I add my nicely diced carrots, celery and onion
I saute them in the frying pan until they are slightly caramelized around the edges but I hold off on adding the garlic until the last minute, it’s so easy to burn garlic. Once the vegetables are cooked, I transfer them to my stockpot. Back in the frying pan I deglaze with my red wine and beef stock and I stir in my tomato paste until it’s well dissolved.
I pour my deglazing mixture over the meat and vegetables in the stockpot to which I add the thyme, mushrooms, canned tomatoes and bay leaf. I bring the pot to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour. Adjust the seasonings add the frozen peas and voila, done like dinner!
This recipe freezes beautifully, if you like potatoes in your stew just add them about 20 minutes before the stew is done. I prefer to serve my stew on mashed potatoes.