victoria's secret angels . . . and ribs!

We tuned in tonight to the Victoria's Secret Angels fashion show, and I thought it was a little humorous that we were sitting down to ribs, onion shortcake and japanese salad. :) This is one of my most favorite meals evah, and in honor of NOT looking like a model, I thought it would be a good night to share . . .

Spicy Barbeque Ribs

Ingredients

1 rack of pork baby back ribs
McCormick Pork Rub
Your favorite spicy barbeque sauce, with a few dashes of tobasco added

Okay, this recipe is so simple, and you can use any old sauce you want, as long as you like it. Another sauce I love on my ribs is to mix a sweet chili sauce with a few tablespoons of soy sauce and brown sugar. Joe is a big fan of the spicy barbeque, though. Eventually I will learn to make my own homemade, but for now we use a spicy honey sauce.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Generously rub both sides of the ribs with the pork rub on a thick baking sheet, and bake for 2 1/2 hours or longer, bone side down (duh). Move to the grill over medium-high heat, and grill on each side for approximately 5-6 minutes each, brushing well with the barbeque sauce on both sides. Be careful not to grill for too long or the sauce will burn, but we love a little crisp at the same time. Serve with lots of napkins and plan on licking your fingers a ton.

Onion Shortcake

Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup butter
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (the original, small, cute little box)
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1 cup cheddar cheese

Directions

Slice and saute the onion in the butter over medium-low heat (I turn it up to medium once a good saute is going and the butter is all melted and incorporated in. You want them cooked until nice and soft.) Beat the egg in a mixing bowl and add the muffin mix, milk and creamed corn. Pour this mixture into an 8 x 8 buttered pan. In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, salt, dill weed, 1/2 the cheese and the onion mixture. Spread over the batter, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Note: Do not stir the sour cream mixture into the muffin mixture, as much as you want to and because it's easier. I usually just dump gollops of it all over the top and then use a rubber spatula to spread it out. It settles into the muffin mixture in the oven. Oh, and it's fabulous.

Japanese Salad

Ingredients

1 small head of cabbage, sliced
6 green onions, sliced
1 package Chicken Top Ramen noodles, crushed
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon butter

Dressing:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Seasoning packet from the Top Ramen noodles

Directions

Mix all salad dressing ingredients and refridgerate. Brown the crushed noodles, almonds and sesame seeds in butter. Drain on a paper towl and allow to cool. Toss the cabbage with the onions. Add noodles, almonds and sesame seeds, and toss with salad dressing. Note: This can also be made with a couple of cooked and cubed chicken breasts added in for a heavier, protein-filled salad. It's one of my favorites either way.

Whew! Well, that was dinner tonight. We are definitely straying away from our meal plan we originally had going on, but it's because I didn't get to the grocery store for what I needed to do what we'd planned. Last night we had an amazing herb-crusted pork tenderloin with a zucchini primavera and some simple steamed green beans. The tenderloin and primavera are absolutely blog-worthy and will be coming soon. The tenderloin is an Ina Garten recipe, and the primavera is actually a Pampered Chef recipe. YUM! Good thing those angels spoiled my appetite for the rest of the night ;)