Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Stick To Your Ribs Cooking

Whenever I think of comfort food, I usually think of something warm, rich, and hearty. Sweet or savory, a dish that comforts you like a fuzzy blanket or a childhood teddy bear is something to be eaten with pleasure and appreciation. This recipe for country style pork ribs is a perfect example of such a comforting dish. Made with only brown sugar and tomatoes, the ribs pretty much cook themselves in the oven for about 3 hours. These turned out so tender and the flavor was simply delicious. What could be better than simple comfort food like this?

Comforting Pork Ribs (adapted from the Encyclopedia of Creative Cooking)
1 12-ounce can tomatoes
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 pounds country style pork ribs

Layer the ingredients as listed in a large casserole dish starting with the tomatoes and ending with the ribs. Do not stir. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees F for 3 hours. Uncover during the last 45 minutes of baking.
Yields about 6 servings.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Shake It Up

Lately, my drink of choice has been the milkshake. I think for the last month (at least), I've had one milkshake fix a day. It's a wonderful comfort "food" and makes me happy. Let's see, so far I've tried milkshakes from Wendy's, Burger King, Del Taco, Carl's Jr., and of course McDonald's! My favorite has to be the vanilla shake from McD's--so simple yet so thick, rich, and delicious. Yesterday I decided to finally break in my Kitchen Aid hand held blender by making my boyfriend a vanilla shake. Since he's lactose intolerant though, I used soy vanilla ice cream and lactose-free milk. I added a tablespoon of caramel sauce and topped it off with whipped cream. The verdict? He loved it and drank the whole thing up.

Soy Vanilla Shake:
1 cup soy vanilla ice cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

Blend the ingredients together for about 15 seconds. If you like, drizzle with caramel sauce and finish it off with some whipped cream.