Ribs!

Brandon & Stephanie visited with us Friday and Saturday.

Just 24 hrs., but we packed in what we could!

When they arrived, we all picked our delicious and abundant raspberries.

Scott, Brandon and Ian went to play tennis on a friend's grass court.

Steph and I went for a walk, froze berries and made ribs for dinner.

Since I purchased two racks of ribs, we decided to try two methods of cooking
and have everyone taste test to see which was the best.

Method 1:

Boil rack of ribs (we used pork) in lemon lime pop and Coke for one hour. (Steph usual uses just Coke.) 

Drain ribs and put on grill. Slather with bbq sauce and cook 15 minutes.

Method 2:

Put rack of ribs on upper shelf of grill. Make foil pan to catch dripping for lower shelf. Slather with bbq sauce and cook on low for about an hour and 15 minutes.

The winner?

Neither one! It actually depended on the bbq sauce. Both kinds were thoroughly enjoyed. Brandon liked the boiled ones, as they had Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar bbq sauce. I liked the Kingsford Original Smoked Hickory on the grilled ribs. Ian liked the grilled. Scott like whichever one he was eating!

BONUS!
One of my friends baked this divine looking pie for the 4th of July.
Steph and I both want to replicate it for next year.

Sausage Asparagus Skillet

Thai Green Beans

Nutty Cauliflower Skillet

We all enjoyed this fresh, new taste!

Pork Loin & Bok Choy Stir Fry with Cashews

This dinner was super yummy!  My guys kept coming back for more.  😊

Tortilla Soup, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dulsanna and I had delicious tortilla soup at Cafe Rio today, but I like the knock-off version I made at home even better!  I am also including the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies that I got from Haley; they are my current favorite.  

Zuppa Toscana soup

recipe and image from here


Erik & Carissa like to make this soup in a crock pot.
I think they omit the bacon.
There are also pictures from a recent family hike!

Copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup

Classic Olive Garden zuppa toscana soup, in slow cooker form! 

It tastes WAY better than the restaurant version (says the blogger linked just under the image.)

1 lb ground spicy Italian sausage (mild can be substituted)
8 slices bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T. flour (cornstarch can be substituted)
32 oz. chicken stock
4 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 bunch kale (a couple of handfuls) de-stemmed and torn into bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes. optional

Heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot over MED-HIGH heat. Add a small drizzle of oil, then brown sausage, crumbling as it cooks. Drain well, then remove to a plate.

Fry bacon is residual sausage grease until crisp, then remove to plate with the sausage. Drain all but 1 - 1 1/2 Tbsp of bacon grease.

Add onion to pot and cook 5 minutes, adding garlic the last minute.

Sprinkle flour over onion and garlic in pot, then stir to combine. Pour in chicken stock, stirring as you pour. Add in potatoes and bring to a boil.

Gently boil about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork-tender. Add in cooked sausage, bacon, heavy cream and kale. Stir and cook 5-10 minutes until kale is wilted.

Taste and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired. Top with bacon and enjoy!


6 SERVINGS
prep time
10 MINS
cook time
30 MINS
total time
40 MINS


CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS
Heat large skillet over medium high heat and brown sausage. Drain.
Fry bacon and set aside to a plate.
Add onion and minced garlic and cook slightly.
Add sausage, onion and garlic to the bottom of slow cooker.
Add peeled potatoes, cover with chicken stock and water (if necessary) to completely cover potatoes and sausage.
Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft)
Before serving, whisk together heavy cream and cornstarch or flour until well mixed. Pour into slow cooker, add kale and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly.
Taste, season according to your tastes, and serve.

INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS
Set a 6-qt instant pot to the saute setting. Add a drizzle of olive oil and Italian sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess grease.
Add bacon and cook until crispy, remove with slotted spoon to a plate.
Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become soft, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth and potatoes.
Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 5 minutes. When finished cooking, do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then a controlled quick release.
When the pin drops, open the lid.
Whisk together flour/cornstarch and heavy cream, then add to pot, along with kale. Stir often and let heat through.
Taste and season as desired.