Braised Short Ribs and Grits: Date Night at Home

I have a problem staying up late. When Webb and Dyer go to bed (8:30 on the weekends) I can last about 30-45 minutes before I am snoozing on the sofa while Rich enjoys a good superhero movie. The only way to keep me up is the promise of a good meal. 

I've been watching a video from Bon Appetit for two weeks now...time to make it a reality. The Basically tutorial was a great help! Braised Short Ribs with a Pretty Great Bacon-Pineapple Situation on Top. 

It's a 3-hour process, but I'm telling you it's worth it...especially if you can do it all in your pajamas! 

I started around 6:45 and we didn't eat until 9:45. I was able to feed the children, get them to bed all while making a masterpiece. 

Rich labeled this as one of the top 3 meals I've made for him so I had to record it. Can't wait to do this again. 

I actually followed the directions...not my norm, but when I try something new I feel I should do it as intended before I put my own twist on it. 

Braised Short Ribs

• 6-8 slices of bacon 
• 1 red onion, 3/4 chunked, 1/4 thin sliced
• 3" piece ginger, sliced with skin on
• 2-4 large bone-in beef short ribs
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup soy sauce 
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup water 
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 
• 2 Tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks 
• Cilantro

Preheat oven to 300°F. 

Chop bacon into pieces and cook until crisp in a heavy pot that has a lid and can go in the oven. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside until the end (you should make more bacon than you need, I ate a good bit during the cooking process...I have no willpower). 

Salt and pepper the short ribs and sear meat in the bacon grease on all sides. Take meat out and add chunked red onions and ginger. Let sizzle for several minutes then stir in soy sauce, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, water, brown sugar and Sriacha. Place meat back in the pot, cover and put in the oven. 

Check the meat and stir the sauce every 30 minutes (takes about 2 to 2-1/2 hours). 

Meanwhile, chunk the pineapple and add sliced red onion toss with 1 Tbsp. of rice vinegar.

When meat is done (almost falling off the bone) tent until you are ready to plate. Take sauce and boil on the stovetop until reduced by half. Strain liquid and remove the fat. 

The Grits

• 1 cup Delta Blues Rice Grits
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/2 block of white cheddar cheese
• 4 Tbsp. butter

In a saucepan heat chicken broth and water over medium-high heat. Note: normally I would salt the water. This is the only time I have not salted when making grits. The soy sauce/vinegar mixture will provide all the salt you need. Add grits and stir until liquid starts to simmer. Turn heat off and put a lid on the grits. Every 5 minutes or so, lift the lid and stir in butter, cheese and half & half a little at a time. Turn heat on at the end one more time and put enough half & half that makes the grits the consistency you like. I chose creamy, less stiff for this dish. 

Plate It I used a bowl and poured a layer of grits for the base. Place short rib on top and drizzle sauce on the meat. Add bacon to the pineapple/onion mixture and top your dish. Serve with a big glass of red wine. 

Valentine's Day Dinner

It was a great Valentine's Day. I turned the iPod to Jazz, put Webb in the highchair and told Rich to pour me a glass of wine. We were in the kitchen as a family...nothing makes me happier. As I prepped all the ingredients and sipped my wine, Rich fed Webb Cheerio after Cheerio until bedtime...8:00! (A little early so Mama and Daddy could have some alone time.)

Scallop and Shrimp with Corn and Bacon

Filet Mignon and Roasted Asparagus.

Valentine's Day preparations.

Valentine's Day Meal. Slippydog guarding the door.

Rich's favorite meal that I fix him is Scallop & Shrimp with Corn and Bacon in Truffle Oil and a quick-seared filet mignon. And that is what I served...along with a salad, rolls and a tuxedo cake from Fresh Market (I wasn't in the mood to make dessert.)

This meal was all about preparation. I have a Four Course Meal to Impress that I have been serving for a few years now. I've got it down to a science. I didn't do the whole meal for V-day...I altered it just a bit but kept the most important parts. For a full rundown on a great Four Course Meal. Click here: http://sweetsaltyandsouthern.blogspot.com/p/four-course-meal.html

Thank you Rich for setting the table. I had a wonderful evening!

My Mama's Football Chili

Mama's Football Chili.

Football is quite the "sport" in the South.

"Sport" usually signifies the actual act of a group joining together to form a team. It's different in the South. Yes, football is indeed a sport, but IN the South when you say Football the words sport and team change. When you are a fan...you are part of that sport/team, and being part of that means you have to cheer, wear the colors, do the dance, put on the lucky socks, don't wash the underwear (not allowed in my house!!) and above all BLEED your colors. If your from the South, know someone from the South or are a Yankee and THINK you know about the South...you understand that an allegiance to an SEC team is imperative.

My SEC story is twisted, and believe me, most aren't! I grew up in a divided household...my mother went to Ole Miss, my father went to Mississippi State. I was reared to be a Rebel, my older brother to be a Dawg. TWIST. My brother went to Ole Miss and I went to State (clearly the better school). As soon as I could attend a football game (Age 4), my family went to every Egg Bowl (Ole Miss vs Mississippi State). We would switch home team sides every year, but we went, as a family...a family divided!

Then, I got married and through a whole new dimension to the "sport". I married a die-hard Auburn fan (as if there is any other kind of Auburn fan?). And to make matters worse...I got married in October! "You CAN NOT get MARRIED or DIE during football season, you can't expect anyone to show up if you do." These words spoken by my grandfather, Hardy Lott, the BIGGEST Ole Miss fan you could ever meet. Not only did I get married during football season, but I chose the Ole Miss vs Auburn game as the date (October 27, 2007). Yes, my Grandfather rolled over in his grave, my brother was livid (Ole Miss lost) and my husband was mad that he wasn't at the game. But...we got married...had a baby and I am now hosting the party for the National Championship game! (Auburn vs Oregon...Tigers are better than Ducks any way you look at it).

So I bleed all colors. Maroon and White first, Blue and Orange second, and when those two aren't playing Ole Miss, I bleed Red and Blue (Mississippi is my home state, of course). I'm a different sort of fan than most, but it works for me.

On to the food...Every year on New Year's Day growing up, my father had a football party. Chris Cascio would come over and wire 5 TV's to play in the living room, a different game on each. EVERYONE would come over and my mother would make her "Football Chili". Since I now have my own family and we have invited everyone over, I too will make the "Football Chili". No matter what SEC team you pull for, there are some traditions that don't waver. The Chili is one of them.

My Mama's Football Chili
1 recipe makes enough for 8-10, double or triple for parties

2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans beef broth
1 1/2 lbs ground chuck
1 can hot chili beans
1 small head cabbage, FINELY chopped
4-5 dashes of worcestershire
2-3 teaspoons garlic powder
salt and pepper

Toppers

Cheddar cheese
Diced onions
Frito's (the munch-a-munch-a kind, old school small ones)

Did you catch that secret ingredient? Mmm-hmmm, you read it right. Cabbage! The cabbage completely disintegrates and you will never, ever be able to tell that it was even there. I really hope Rich doesn't read this far into the blog...I may get him to taste this dish tonight, but if he knows about the cabbage, I'm afraid I've lost before I've begun.

Brown the meat and drain most of the fat. Add broth, tomato sauce, beans and cabbage and season with salt, pepper, garlic and wooster (worcestershire). Simmer for 30-45 minutes until cabbage disappears. Serve with cheese, onions and Frito's. A guaranteed hit for an SEC football party and easy, easy to make.

WAR EAGLE!