Simple Saturday: Honey Apple Ribs

This grill sauce goes great with chicken,
steaks, pork chops, and more.

This weekend, we're spending our time getting ready for our annual Memorial Day Camping Trip next weekend.  Because I hate chopping, dicing, and general prep work while camping, among other things, I'm spending the weekend making-ahead all of our camping meals.  One recipe I can't wait to dig into around the campfire are these Honey Apple Ribs, made using Tastefully Simple Honey Apple Grill Sauce.

Ingredients
1-2 Racks Pork Ribs
1 Jar Tastefully Simple Honey Apple Grill Sauce
1/2 Onion, chopped

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Place raw ribs in a 6-qt slow cooker.
• Pour 1/4 jar Honey Apple Grill Sauce into small freezer bag; set aside.
• Sprinkle on onion, and pour remaining Honey Apple Grill Sauce over all ingredients.
• Cook on low 7-8 hours.
• Let cool.  Place entire contents of slow cooker in a freezer bag.  Place rib bag plus bag of sauce into another bag and freeze.

To Serve

• Pre-heat gas or campfire grill.
• Place ribs on grill; brush frequently with remaining sauce from rib bag.  Cook until heated through.
• Use extra bag of sauce for spreading or dipping.

Here's what else we'll be enjoying at camping this weekend:

Grandma Peterson's Flank Steak Marinade

White Chicken Chili

Chipotle Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Need equipment?  Check out some of our favorites:

Coleman All-In-One Cooking System

Magma Nestable Non-Stick Cookware

Simple Saturday: Savory Grilled Chicken

This is a light, healthy dish you can cook up in just a few minutes - and if you're on a freezer cooking kick, it's worth making in several batches for that impromptu dinner party get-together.  It is also very versatile, and you'll find it just as satisfying right off the grill in the summer, or hot out of the oven in winter.

Use your leftover Onion Onion mix to prepare
Onion Onion dip - great for a backyard barbecue!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. Onion Onion
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic Garlic
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Make-Ahead Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a freezer bag.  Freeze.

To Serve

• Thaw completely.
• Arrange chicken on preheated grill.  Discard extra marinade.  Grill chicken to reach an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.
• Or, place chicken on a brimmed cookie sheet or broiling pan.  Pour extra marinade over chicken.  Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.

Try these complementary side dishes with it:

Baked Baby Reds

Light and Delicious Veggie Grill

Baked Baby Reds

This is a versatile side dish that goes very well with savory winter dishes and can be cooked in the oven.  But it also makes a great summer side by using a grilling basket (we highly recommend this Weber version) to cook these potatoes up on the grill!

In general, potatoes don't freeze well (although blanching first can help).  But, they can last up to 30 days in a cool, dry, and dark location, so you can always keep a bag of baby reds on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 lb baby reds, washed and quartered
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T Onion Onion
• 1 T Garlic Garlic
• 1 tsp Seasoned Salt

To Serve

• Toss all ingredients together in a bowl.
• Oven Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange potatoes in single layer on a brimmed baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes, until tender when tested with a fork.
• Grill Method:  Place potatoes in grill basket on pre-heated grill.  Cook approximately 30 minutes, tossing frequently.  Potatoes are done when tender.

Try this with the following main dish recipes:

Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs

Apple Cranberry Pork Roast

Garlic Buttered Steak

Simple Saturday: Sweet Pepper Salmon with Garlic Broccolini

It was a glorious summer day, (one of the few we've had in the Northwest,) and we were determined to grill something both delicious and healthy.  This grilled salmon and broccolini dinner was a delight, and simple to whip up in just a few minutes!

Ingredients
Salmon:
2 lb wild salmon filet, with skin
1/2 jar (about 2/3 cup) Tastefully Simple Sweet Pepper Jalapeño Jam
Broccolini:
2 bunches broccolini
1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Garlic Infused Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

Preparation

• In a shallow bowl, combine broccolini, Garlic Infused Olive Oil, and Garlic Garlic.  Toss well.  Set aside.
• Preheat grill on high heat.  Spread approximately 1/4 of the jam on meaty side of salmon.  Grill, meaty side down, for approximately two minutes until jam begins to caramelize.
• Turn grill down to medium-high heat.  Flip salmon over so that the scaly side is down.  Add broccolini to grill, (on upper rack if available,) pouring any remaining liquids on top.  (Careful - pouring too much oil on a hot grill at once can cause it to flame up, so pour slowly.)
• Spread approximately 1/2 of the remaining jam on top of salmon.  Cover and cook for several minutes, then add remaining jam and continue cooking.  Meanwhile, turn broccolini every few minutes so that it becomes tender, and not blackened.
• Cook broccolini until tender.  Cook salmon until opaque and flaky.

Serves: 8

Devon Thurtle Anderson, Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Consultant ID #0119436
http://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dthurtle-anderson

Other Posts You Might Like:

Pesto Salmon

Sweet and Sour Pork with Coconut Rice

Agave Citrus Kebabs

Simple Saturday: Restaurant Grilled Chicken

For some time now, I've been trying to recreate those juicy, flavorful chicken breasts you get at restaurants on top of caesar salads, pasta, and other dishes.  I've finally discovered the secret!

Simple Saturday: Pesto Salmon

Last weekend, we had company over with only an hour's advance notice.  The baby was still napping and so I couldn't run to the store.  My best option: raid the freezer!  Ah, the freezer never lets me down.  So I opened up the door, dove in, and resurfaced a few moments later with frozen, individually wrapped wild salmon fillets from Costco.  Perfect!  I then proceeded to wow and delight with this simple little recipe:

Ingredients
4 4- to 6-oz salmon fillets (fresh or thawed)
4 tbsp Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar

Preparation

• Preheat grill to medium-high.
• Arrange salmon fillets on a plate.
• In a small bowl, combine Pesto Mix, water, and olive oil.
• Microwave on high for 30 seconds, until liquids boil.  (Not a fan of the microwave?  Then combine mix and olive oil in a dish and add 4 tbsp boiling water.)  Tip:  Do this step just a few minutes before your guests arrive; they'll be in awe of the marvelous aroma that will fill your kitchen!
• Spoon or brush pesto over salmon fillets.
• Place salmon directly on grill, skin side down.  (If your fillets don't have skin, place a sheet of foil on grill and coat with grill-safe non-stick spray, and place salmon on the foil.)
• With the grill lid on, grill for approximately 5-8 minutes (or longer, depending on thickness), until salmon is opaque and flaky.  Tip:  Don't overcook salmon.  Like steak, it's generally fine to leave is slightly pink in the middle.

This dinner earned rave reviews from our guests, and it only took about 10 minutes to prepare!  What do you do with your Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto Mix?

Devon Thurtle Anderson, Independent Tastefully Simple Consultant
Consultant ID #0119436
http://www.tastefullysimple.com/web/dthurtle-anderson

Review: Coleman All-In-One Cooking System (Model No. 2000003609)

This post is the second in a series of posts from Richard Anderson, father of a 10-month-old girl, tech geek, and camping enthusiast.  His blogs include The StorageSavvy Blog and Sailing Sleipnir.

Last week, I posted about the Magma Nestable Non-Stick Stainless Steel Cookware, which was the perfect cookware set for this year's make-ahead camping trip. We purchased the set for our boat, so we were generally familiar with it before bringing it camping. Another kitchen item was purchased new this year, however, and so we had no idea what we might be getting ourselves into. But, when my wife saw the "slow cooker" feature of this camp stove, she simply had to have it. Unfortunately, the slow cooker feature was a bit of a disappointment, but the other features of this little stove worked great.

Jack Daniels Glazed Ribs

Nothing quite says summer grilling like glazed barbecue ribs.  This make-ahead recipe can get you those perfectly glazed ribs in a snap, whether you're making just a few for the family, or enough to feed a small army.

Agave Citrus Kebab Medley

This dish is a great way to keep your summer meals fun, delicious, and light; all in one.  This is a slight deviation from our usual fare, as it's not wholly a freezer meal; however, the make-ahead process works several days in advance, so you can prepare the whole meal the weekend before a camping or boat trip!

These kebabs also make a great make-ahead "hybrid" meal.  That is, you can prepare the meats several weeks ahead of time to freeze, and then hit the farmer's market the morning of your grill to get the fresh, sweet local fare that only that local produce can provide.

Keeping It Simple: Garlic Buttered Steak

Memorial Day began in the late 1800's after the Civil War as a day to commemorate soldiers who had died on both sides of the north-south battlefield.  Its first date was specifically chosen because it was not the date of a battle.  Originally known as "Decoration Day," the traditional ritual of remembrance involved decorating the graves of Civil War soldiers.  After World War I, the scope expanded to include all soldiers who had died in the line of duty, and by 1967, Memorial Day was the holiday's official, congressionally-ordained title.

Of course, the traditional celebration of this holiday has morphed in the almost 150 years since its inception, and many of us take the three-day weekend as an opportunity to spend time with friends and family and enjoy that beautiful spring weather that will soon give way to a full-blown summer.  First and foremost, we hope you'll take some time today to pause and remember those who have sacrificed their lives to defend ours.  And then, in the midst of fully appreciating what they've given us, make every minute you spend with your loved ones today, and every day, count.

So today, we give you a great summer grilling recipe that is about as simple - yet delicious - as it gets.

Grandma Peterson's Flank Steak Marinade

My grandmother, Mary Louise (Ice) Peterson,
with my grandfather, Clyde Peterson.

Today's recipe happens to be particularly near and dear to me, as it's my grandma Peterson's famous flank steak marinade.  I'm not sure how the recipe came to her, but this one has been a classic in my family since long before I was born.  The recipe and preparation are so simple, but the results so tender, juicy, and delicious!

What's more is that, from a make-ahead perspective, it really doesn't get any better than this.  The preparation is a snap.  You can easily make very large quantities.  It only takes a few minutes to make.  It will freeze brilliantly for months, or even more (if you seal it right).  And of course, the result is so completely delectable, your family will wonder what this brilliant chef has done with their mother.