Our Hearts are Broken

The events of Friday morning from Newtown, CT have been broadcast endlessly on the news, and other outlets.  I am broken hearted for the families and friends of all those who lost loved ones, I have felt at a loss .... how do we react, care, and help?
I've read all the quotes about hugging your children, then there are the calls for gun control, and the inanity of Mike Huckabee, proving that he isn't interested in consoling anyone.
My friend Beth Howard, the author of Making Piece, A Story of Love, Loss and Pie put up a post on Facebook saying she felt like loading up her RV with pie making supplies and heading to Newtown from Eldon, Iowa where she lives in the American Gothic House.  After an hour, she was planning the trip with encouragement from all her followers and the offer of a co-pilot in Chicago---she is in Ohio as I write this, has gotten Costco in Bridgetown, CT to donate flour, sugar, butter and shortening for the pie making.  She also has a donation page on her website to help pay for gas, and pie making supplies that she might need.
This is the type of organic, holistic help that makes our country great---people see a need, they act on it, and help in ways that heal.

I'm proud to call Beth a friend, we met two years ago, and her story is one of loss and hope--she will bring that to Newtown with her pie making.  So if you see this RV rolling across Ohio or Pennsylvania tonight, honk and blow kisses!  They are on their way to help heal an aching community.

I'll end this post with a quote from Nelson Mandela:  "We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."  Hug your loved ones and let them know how much they mean to you...life is precious. 

Comfort Food--Ribbin' It

After a swing through Costco a few days ago, I had 3 pounds of "Country Style boneless pork ribs" that needed to be cooked. Country Style pork ribs, are really pork shoulder, cut to look like ribs.  If we had summer weather here, I would have put them in the pressure cooker  and pre-cooked them before tossing them on the grill and serving them with barbecue sauce, but I woke up to another gloomy morning (it's now sunny and bright) and decided to prepare the ribs in the slow cooker, with apples, onion and sauerkraut, a stick to your ribs dinner that slow cooks for 6 hours on high with the sweet and spicy sauerkraut as a great accompaniment.

Cut the apple with the "Dial-a-Slice" apple corer/slicer--adjusts for 8 or 16 wedges

  This recipe could be a Take-5, but not everyone will have fresh, rather than canned sauerkraut on hand.  If you don't have sauerkraut, double the amount of onions and apples and cook for the same amount of time.  Serve with smashed red potatoes, and Riesling or your favorite beer. 

 

 

Country Style Ribs with Sauerkraut and Apples

 

Serves 4

 

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sat

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 pounds boneless country style ribs

One large sweet yellow onion, such as Vidalia

3 large Granny Smith or other cooking apple, peeled, and cut into 16 wedges

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup apple cider

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups fresh sauerkraut (it's sold in the fresh pickle and deli section of the supermarket)

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil, sprinkle the meat evenly with the salt and pepper and brown the meat on all sides, transfer it to the insert of a 4 to 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Add the onion, and apples to the skillet, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften, add the sauerkraut, sugar, cider and mustard, and stir to combine.
3. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, covering the pork with the mixture. 
4. Cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 10 to 12. 
5. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, and transfer to a cutting board.  Cut off any excess fat, and arrange on a serving platter. 
6. Remove any excess fat from the apple and sauerkraut mixture, using a slotting spoon transfer to the serving platter, and serve with smashed red potatoes on the side.  

 

I was fortunate to be at Specialty Produce this week when they received organic apples from the Lakeside Organic farm, and used those for this recipe.  I also got some really amazing looking red pears, which I'm going to transform into something tomorrow, maybe an upside down cake for Dr. C, so stay tuned.  Until then, have a great day.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

This has to be my favorite commercial of all time; I've lived this man's pain!  Fortunately, I can sit back at this time of year and watch everyone else buying school supplies, or I can donate to help kids that need school supplies--that feels pretty good, too. 


On today's excursion to Costco, better known as: we sell everything in enormous quantity and if you don't buy it now, it won't be here later, the CHRISTMAS TOYS are on display--Holy Christmas toys, Batman! it's September 4th, by my calculations Christmas is 110 days away; that's over 3 months, and here's Costco enticing children with these things.......

Over 150 pieces--just think where those will end up

And who doesn't want a moving, red light-up nosed Rudolph?

In the olden days, we didn't see Christmas items till after Thanksgiving, but it's a new day, and I'm afraid that we will begin to see Rudolph all year long if Costco has anything to say about it.  Make sure you buy your Rudolph and Mr. Potato Heads now, because they won't be around after Thanksgiving.