June Roundup!

I made tomato-orzo soup today.

Because it's 80 out and I'm crazy.

It looks amazing in a cobalt bowl.

I've got the iced coffee thing down. Sweetened condensed milk is essential.

I made a batch of pico de gallo and then ate the whole thing. 

Food girl problems.

Gnomegang party foul.

Watch out for those little beer gnomes.

I winged a strawberry-blueberry-raspberry tart with leftover fruit from the shore.

Made up a graham cracker and oatmeal crust.

Tasted like breakfast.

The Mother Unit had send some turkey croquettes up with the Dork.

Mr. Lawyer ate all of them.

Drink of the Day!

We have a shore tradition that involves coming off the beach for some appetizers and the drink of the day before dinner. This summer Mr. Lawyer and I have been stepping up to the plate and trying our hand at mixing up the drink of the day. So far we're 2 for 2! The Sunrise Margarita was a big hit (and my favorite so far) and this weekend's Paradise Cocktail wasn't too shabby either. As you can see in the picture, it looked absolutely hideous when we tried to layer it so I just ended up mixing them all up with a spoon which resulted in a purple kool-aid colored drink. Despite looking like rainbow vomit it tasted perfectly fine, kind of like a pina colada. It's definitely on the sweeter side of things so it goes down smoothly, watch out!

Paradise Cocktail

(Pinterest Find!)

Ingredients (for 1 drink):

1/2 ounce grenadine

1 ounce light rum

1 ounce coconut rum

2-3 ounces pineapple juice

1 ounce blue curacao 

Directions:

1. If you want to try to layer them, go ahead! It didn't work out well for us as you can see in the above picture. You could mix it all together for a fun purple colored drink. Serve over ice. 

Creme Brulee Revisted

I decided to take another stab at the creme brulee cocktail. What else am I going to do with a bottle of vanilla vodka (Suggestions?). This one used butterscotch schnapps and a bit of cream. I liked this cocktail better than my original try but the butterscotch still overwhelmed the vanilla flavor just like the hazelnut did. I need to find a way to amp of the vanilla...or maybe my bottle of vanilla vodka is subpar. I also greatly enjoyed the brown sugar rim on this one. I didn't think brown sugar would stick well but it did.

Creme Brulee Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 ounce vanilla vodka

.75 ounce butterscotch schnapps

Splash of cream

Brown sugar for rimming

Directions:

1. Rim glass using schnapps and sugar.

2. Add vodka and schnapps into a shaker with ice and shake, shake, shake!

3. Strain into a glass and top with a splash of cream. Mix gently with a swizzle stick.

Battle of the Jalapeno Soups!

I've decided that I'm kitchen bipolar or something. Oh hey, it's 95 degrees and humid as heck? Why yes I feel compelled to make not one, but two different batches of soup that involve roasting jalapenos and while we're at it why don't we wash all the bedding (two hot dryer loads), clean and rotate the mattress, and hang the comforter out to air. Let's not forget the part where I refuse to turn on the AC for just me. Luckily having the shades drawn and fans blasting kept things pretty cool (except for the kitchen part). Mrs. T loaded me up with a ton of extra jalapenos and cheese at the end of our shore excursion so my mission today was to use them up. Enter....

THE BATTLE OF THE JALAPENO SOUPS!

An overview: both soups were divine. One was a healthier roasted jalapeno soup and the other was billed as a not so healthy jalapeno popper soup. They were both wonderful in their own ways but were significantly different. I served each with an equal amount of shredded cabot cheddar and crumbled bacon. Divine.
Soup #1: Roasted Jalapeno Soup. This one was lighter and did a great job at highlighting the roasted jalapeno flavor. It had a more earthy and vegetable flavor due to the carrot and onion base. The texture was thicker and creamier due to the blending. If you added a bit of cheddar cheese it would be spot on.
Soup #2: Jalapeno Popper Soup. Very decadent and rich. It tasted more like a cheese soup with jalapenos added in. It was very thin and watery to start with so I whisked in some flour and blended it. This improved the texture a lot and helped the cream cheese to incorporate instead of blobbing around.

The winner?!

My Vote: Roasted Jalapeno!

Mr. Lawyer's Vote: Jalapeno Popper!

As I said they were both delicious. I felt the roasted did a better job highlighting the jalapeno flavor but Mr. Lawyer thought it was a little on the bland side. The jalapeno popper was a decadent treat that should be used as a fondue side dish. There is no way I could have eaten a whole bowl of the jalapeno popper soup (Mr. Lawyer said he could which is probably why his cholesterol was not so hot).

Jalapeno Popper on the left and Roasted Jalapeno on the right.

Roasted Jalapeno Soup

(Adapted from chocolatemoosey.com)

Ingredients:
4 green jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2 carrots)
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane. Place them face down onto the cookie sheet. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until slightly darkened. When cool enough to handle, chop.
2. In a medium sauce pot, heat the olive oil. When hot, saute the carrots, onion, and garlic for about 5 minutes or until the carrots and onions start to soften.
3. Add in the butter. Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour until everything is coated. Stir in the chopped jalapenos. Slowly stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Then stir in the heavy cream and bring back to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook until the soup has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
4. When the soup has thickened, turn off the heat. If using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pan. If using a regular blender, add about half the mixture then puree until smooth. Add the rest of the soup then puree until smooth. Pour back into the sauce pan.

Jalapeno Popper Soup

(Adapted from ibreatheimhungry.com)

Ingredients:
4 slices raw bacon
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups water or chicken broth
2 tablespoons salsa verde (I subbed onions)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
4 large jalapeno peppers
Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a medium saucepan until crisp – remove and chop for garnish and set aside. 

2. In the same pan, along with the bacon grease, add the heavy cream, water or broth, and cream cheese. Simmer gently, stirring often, until the cream cheese and butter have melted and the liquid is smooth. 

3. Whisk in the garlic powder, salsa verde and shredded cheeses until completely incorporated. 4. Meanwhile, wash the jalapenos and broil or grill them until softened and charred. Remove the skins and seeds and chop finely. Add to the soup and cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve garnished with chopped bacon.

Now go make some homemade soup! It's super easy.

Creme Brulee Cocktail!

I've been a huge creme brulee kick this school year. Every time we go out and it's on the menu it must be mine. A couple of weeks ago I had a particularly rough day and Mr. Lawyer surprised me with this delicious Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee Ice Cream...a vanilla custard flavored ice cream with burnt sugar swirls? I was in heaven. When I saw this creme brulee inspired cocktail I was excited. I was also super excited to use my new stemless martini/cocktail glasses (Thanks Aunt Sandy!). The glasses did not dissapoint: they have good heft and are going to be super awesome for drinks, desserts, and serving shrimp cocktails. I need a dinner party ASAP so come on over!

The drink fell a little flat. It tasted perfectly fine but it did not taste like a creme brulee. The hazelnut was a tad overpowering. I've seen other versions that used butterscotch which might be a better bet, others had splashes of cream. I will continue to tinker with the idea of a creme brulee cocktail...it just has so much potential! Plus it was fun to finally use my vanilla sugar for something!

Creme Brulee Cocktail

(From the Food Network)

Ingredients:
1 ounce vanilla-flavored vodka
1 ounce Frangelico
1/2 ounce Cointreau or Triple Sec

Vanilla sugar or brown sugar
Directions:
1.Rim glass using Frangelico and vanilla sugar or brown sugar.

2. Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Stir gently and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Key Lime Pie

Kitchen guest time! Except not actually in my kitchen. I have had this pie several times now and Mrs. T made it in front of me this weekend at the shore. The boys love this pie because it's all tart and citrusy but it's still sweet enough for the girls. It's super quick and easy to make.

Fun Fact: I have a stuffed manatee named Key Lime.

Key Lime Pie

(From Mrs. T)

Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
3 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup key lime juice
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired.

Shore Heaven

Helloooooo summertime! Our first trip to the shore for this season was a success: good food, fun family, yummy drinks, and a good start on my no tan line wedding dress tan! Mr. Lawyer and I were assigned bar duty for the weekend so it fell on us to organize, restock, and create the cocktail of the day. A Mexican themed dinner was planned so we decided on margaritas. As an added bonus the margarita glasses are gorgeous and need to be used more, I'm completely in love with them and hope to use them a ton this summer.

Enter the Frozen Sunrise Margarita! An all around crowd pleaser for both the sweet and tart taste lovers. I would amp up the tequila next time as the original recipe tasted only like a slightly alcoholic orange julius. We decided to change up the deliver by sticking with the traditional margarita glass and mixing the grenadine with the mix just a tad. The original called for filling a tall tom collins glass and then floating the grenadine down the side of the glass so it pooled at the bottom...but then you're left with a bunch of grenadine at the end of your drink and you don't get to use the sweet margarita glasses.

Frozen Sunrise Margaritas

(Pinterest find! Adapted from epicurious.com)

Ingredients:
Margarita or coarse sea salt, for rimming glass
1 lime wedge, for rimming glass
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 cups orange juice
3/4 cup (6 ounces) tequila (I would up this to 1 cup)
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) Cointreau or triple sec
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 cups crushed ice
1/4 cup grenadine
For Garnish:
4 orange slices
4 maraschino cherries

Directions:
1. Spread a layer of salt in a shallow dish. Run lime wedge around the rims of 4 highball glasses to moisten; dip rims in salt.
2. Place orange juice concentrate, orange juice, tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice in a blender. Add ice and pulse until smooth. 

3. Divide margarita evenly among glasses. Tilt glasses and pour 1 tablespoon grenadine down the side of each drink; grenadine will sink to the bottom and create a sunset effect. Garnish with orange slices and maraschino cherries and serve.

OR

3. Add 1 tablespoon grenadine to the bottom of each margarita glass and then pour in the margarita for a more mixed ombre effect.

Summery Chicken

Today was not a good day to roast chicken and have two burners going...and the dryer running. I was melting in the kitchen but it was all worth it! Today brought us a citrus-herb roasted chicken accompanied by a lemon-herb pearled couscous and sauteed (local!) squash. The chicken had a wonderful sweet citrus flavor. It was a nice change from the spicy creole seasoning kick I'm on. Every other bite you would get a burst of herbs. It's a fun summery recipe that would be great if you had a larger group of people to serve.

The spread! I love the color of the veggies in the cobalt Fiesta.

The dish looked so pretty pre and post baking.

It also smelled divine.

Ta-da!

Citrus and Herb Roasted Chicken

(Pinterest find! From thecomfortofcooking.com)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 whole lemons, one juiced and one sliced
2 whole oranges, one juiced and one sliced
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
10-12 pieces (about 4 1/2 lbs.) bone-in chicken parts
1 medium onion (any kind), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme, or fresh chopped
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, or fresh chopped
Chopped fresh herbs (optional garnish)
Directions:
1. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, Italian seasoning, paprika, onion powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper.

2. Place chicken in a bag/tupperware container with the marinade, let sit at least one hour or overnight.

3. Place chicken, skin side up, and marinade in rimmed 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Arrange slices of lemon, orange and onion around and under the chicken. Sprinkle all over generously with thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked and juices run clear. Remove parts to a serving platter and garnish with additional chopped fresh herbs, if desired.

And then for something sweet from my secret stash.

He'll never look in here.

City Picnic!

I told Mr. Lawyer to grab a wine class and join me on the balcony for an impromptu city picnic! While I miss my large porch, red picnic table, and spacious green yard that I had in Syracuse this city view did okay.

Wine, Cheese & Crackers, and a view!

(Oh, and a cute boy.)

Revamped Lefties

Ditch bun and make yourself a bbq platter! 

I'm getting pretty good at winging baked beans and I love it. I threw in some leftover jalapeno from our spicy dinner of doom, a good squirt of dijon mustard, and two spoonfuls of brown sugar.....no real measuring involved! Baked at 350 for 1.5 hours. Those jalapenos still have a mighty kick!

Gintervention!

As a dear friend said (hey Ryan!), it's time for a....

I picked up this cute little bottle on our trip to Upstate NY. I've pretty much exhausted the artisanal gin options at our local liquor store. It's heavy on the alcohol upfront and has a weird cinnamon tang on the back end. It definitely has a bite! I find it very intriguing. It is a bit rough and tumble, not a girly sipper drink. I like it but it doesn't crack my top three list (or my top 5 now that I think about it).

Beautiful Chard!

I wasn't wowed by this recipe. I had some technical issues with the rainbow chard and some flavor issues with the whole dish. But before we get into the breakdown lets admire this beautiful piece of produce. Isn't it just gorgeous?

When I added everything together the pieces of chard leaves gravitated towards each other and clumped up. It was impossible to evenly distribute it throughout the dish. Secondly the flavor was a little bland unless you got a hit of red pepper. A bite with the ricotta cheese helped the flavor so I added extra ricotta and mixed it up with the whole dish instead of just using it as a topping. When Mr. Lawyer  added some garlic powder to the leftovers that helped it out a little but overall it was very underwhelming. Sad story.

Orecchiette with Ricotta and Chard Pan Sauce

(from Better Homes & Garden)

Ingredients:

1 large bunch organic swiss or rainbow chard
3/4 pound dried orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
crushed red pepper
2 ounces ricotta salata, asiago or pecorino cheese finely grated
1/4 cup fresh whole milk ricotta
sea salt and pepper
freshly grated Asiago
Directions:
1. Bring large pot of generously salted water to boiling. Separate chard stems from leaves; cut both into bite-sized pieces. Add orecchiette to boiling water. Set timer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for pan sauce, in large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chard stems, cook 3-5 minutes, until crisp tender.
3. After 10 minutes, add chard leaves to cooked pasta; cook 2 minutes more. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of cooking liquid. Return pasta and chard to pot; place over lowest heat setting. Add chard stems and any residual oil to pasta, along with butter, crushed red pepper, and reserved cooking liquid. Grate in Asiago; toss. Season with pepper and nutmeg. Divide among bowls. Top each with about 1 tbsp. ricotta. Add sea salt, pepper, and additional Asiago to taste.

Creole Pulled Pork

I do love a good crock pot recipe that will feed you for days. I combined this crock pot love with my current obsession with creole seasoning and boom! Not cooking for at least three more days. I went with a five pound piece of meat and let it cook a smidgen longer. I swapped out the mix of paprika/salt/pepper for Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and added a lot more than the recipe called for both before the cooking and after the meat shredding. It's not a saucy bbq but that's good because you can have it plain with the creole spices or customize it by added the desired amount of bbq sauce to your sandwich. I topped it off with asiago cheese and some spicy sriracha coleslaw (just add the desired amount of sriracha to mayo and throw in the shredded veggies). It's been a big hit and I haven't heard Mr. Lawyer complain about being hungry all weekend.

Creole Seasoned Pulled Pork

(from the Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika (or replace spices with creole seasoning)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 3-to-4-pound boneless pork shoulder
2 links andouille sausage
1/3 cup mayonnaise
8 soft sesame buns
Pickle slices and potato chips, for serving
Directions:
1. Whisk 1.5 cups water, the vinegar, ketchup, 1/4 cup mustard, the molasses and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a 7-to-8-quart slow cooker.
2. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl or use an equal amount of creole seasoning. Rub all over the pork, then add to the slow cooker along with the sausage. Cover and cook on low, 8 hours.
3. Remove the pork and sausage and set aside to cool slightly. Skim off the excess fat from the cooking liquid, then strain into a large skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by one-third, about 15 minutes.
4. Shred the pork with a fork and coarsely chop the sausage. Toss the pork and sausage with enough of the reduced cooking liquid to moisten; season with salt or add more creole seasoning (I think I added in between 1 to 2 tablespoons).
5. Whisk the mayonnaise and the remaining 2 tablespoons mustard in a small bowl; spread on the buns. Fill with the pulled pork and pickle slices. Serve with potato chips.

A Spicy Kind of Night

As my 90 year old former co-worker use to say: this drink is hotter than the hinges of hell! I must have picked an amped out jalapeno because even seeded it was a beast! I was intrigued by the spicy citrus combination and we had a bunch of rum (leftover from our hurricane preparations) to use up so why not. It might have been luck of the jalapeno draw but the spiciness overpowered any pineapple flavor and I couldn't taste the rum at all. It's an intriguing recipe but it didn't wow me and won't be making a repeat performance! And then I spent the rest of the night rubbing my eyes with spicy jalapeno fingers. Fun times.

Pineapple-Jalapeno Daiquiris

(from the Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced and seeded (or maybe just half!)

2.5 cups fresh chopped pineapple

3/4 cup rum

3 tablespoons sugar

1 lime, juiced

1.5 cups ice

Directions:
1. Combine sliced jalapeno with pineapple in a shallow dish. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

2. Transfer the pineapple mixture to a blender and add the rum, sugar, lime juice, and ice. Puree until smooth.

3. Divide among four glasses and garnish with a jalapeno slice or cilantro sprig.

It burns!

Why are my lungs burning? Oh right, simmering jalapenos. This recipe was a little underwhelming. The flavor wasn't there for me. You could taste the jalapenos but the sweet orange flavor didn't pop. Of course we've been spoiled with some very flavorful and amazing salmon recipes lately: Sweet & Salty, Asian with Lime Drizzle, and Teriyaki with Sriracha Cream. I think that adding orange zest might have helped bring out the sweet orange flavor.

Jalapeno-Orange Glazed Salmon

(from wearenotmartha.com)

Ingredients:
2 jalapeños, 1 minced, 1 sliced
1/4 cup orange juice (and maybe some zest?!)
1/8 cup honey
2 salmon fillets
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1) Put the minced jalapeño, orange juice, and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until it thickens.
2) Brush the salmon lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the jalapeno-orange juice mixture is done simmering, brush about half of the mixture over the salmon.
3) Grill salmon on medium-medium low in frying pan for about 3 minutes on each side.
4) Remove salmon from pan and immediately put jalapeño rounds in grill pan. Turn heat to medium-high and grill until browned.
5) Brush salmon with the remaining jalapeno-orange mixture and top with grilled jalapeno rounds.

Little Colonel

This wasn't my type of drink but Mr. Lawyer is trying to use up the SoCo. It burns on the way down! But if you like that type of thing then this is for you. Mr. Lawyer said it was similar to a whiskey sour.

Little Colonel

(from the Ultimate Bar Book)

Ingredients:

1.5 ounces bourbon

1 ounce Southern Comfort

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Orange and Peach slice

Directions:

1. Shake all the ingredients with ice. Strain into an ice filled glass. Garnish with the orange and peach slices.

Teriyaki Salmon

I've been craving salmon lately and was debating whether I should go with our favorite Asian Salmon with Lime Drizzle or experiment with a new recipe. Luckily my mind was made up when the Mother Unit forwarded me a recipe from her co-worker and blog stalker (Hey Mr. Patrick!). Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce was a hit and will rank as our favorite #2 salmon recipe. The sweetness of a the teriyaki cut the spiciness of the sriracha and made it very enjoyable. You could probably get away without adding the condensed milk to the cream sauce so you don't have a full can of the stuff sitting in your fridge like I currently do (I see some iced coffee in my future). There is a lot of the sriracha sauce leftover but Mr. Lawyer has plans to use it on his breakfast burrito. I thought it made a lot of teriyaki marinade so I reserved a little bit of it and added it to some stir-fried veggies (mushrooms, bok choy, and onion).

Wicket the Wok and I are getting along swimmingly nowadays. After 1+ year and many tears, he's wonderfully seasoned and nothing has stuck to him for months! 

Stir fry those veggies!

Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

(from damndelicious.net)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 salmon filets
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Sliced green onions, for garnish
For the Sriracha cream sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
1. To make the Sriracha cream sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha and condensed milk in a small bowl. Taste for spiciness and add more Sriracha as needed; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer.
4. Stir in the cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
5. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine the teriyaki marinade and salmon filets; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.
7. Place the salmon filets along with the marinade onto the prepared baking dish and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
8. Serve the salmon immediately with rice and a drizzle of the Sriracha cream sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and green onions

Trip to 'Cuse!

We drove up to Syracuse to see the family. On the way over to Grandma's we just had to stop at Heid's for a coney.

 CONEY!

The best ever.

 Grandma made us an early wedding present: an orange and blue afghan. 

GO 'CUSE!

 Dad found this old card that I made him. The last line says "I still can't cook, looks like you're stuck with me!" Haha. How things change. I can definitely cook and now Mr. Lawyer is going to be stuck with me!

 Grandma mixing up the sacred broccoli salad.

 Dad grilled two whole racks of ribs for five people. I'm ashamed to admit that there was not a lot left over. They were cooked over charcoal for 4 hours with a spice rub, caramelized brown sugar, and then wrapped in tinfoil with a little beer and cooked some more.

Poor Kingston really wanted in on the action.

 There may have been copious amounts of wine involved and I did not realize my camera was on the wrong settings so this gorgeous picture was ruined. We had a amazing dinner of ribs, coleslaw, potato salad, and broccoli salad.

 Look at this bark! The caramelized brown sugar with spices made for a delicious treat.

 This is a revenge picture (love you Grandma!). I noted that my very own grandmother had consumed more ribs than me (because she's a total badass like that). She told me to "mind your own plate." Challenge accepted.

 We had a great time looking through Grandpa's old tackle box of vintage fishing lures.

 And ended with a campfire on the lake.