Baby Back Ribs

Next recipe to try (Thanks to Jen for giving me this!):

Here's the recipe:
3-3.5 Lbs pork country style ribs
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (I didn't have this)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (I used fresh)
1/4 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce

1. Place ribs in a 3.5 - 4 qt slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine
ketchup, onion, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder,
liquid smoke, garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce. Pour over ribs in
cooker, turning ribs to coat.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours (I did this
for 9 hours) or on high-heat for 5-6 hours
3. Transfer ribs to a platter; cover to keep warm. Skim fat from
surface of sauce; pour sauce into a medium saucepan. Bring sauce to
boiling; recue heat slightly. Boil gently, uncovered, for 5 to 7
minutes or until thickened to desired consistency (should make about 1
cup). Pass sauce with ribs.

Update: Have made this in my slow cooker. Thumbs up! the liquid smoke is a definite must. I bought some at the Gourmet Warehouse for $6 and then bought two more bottles from this place called "Deals only" in Bellingham, Washington for 99cents each. I took some leftovers into work once and everyone was salivating over the smell. 9 out of 10.

Tetley's Jasmine Green Tea

The only thing that has survived my "getting healthier" binge has been green tea. So no more milk, no more sugar, just straight green tea.
My friend Flo, a total tea affectionada, recommended jasmine green tea to me. Being easily susceptible to other people's recommendations, I went out and bought some.

Opinion? Yuck! It's really dry and reminds me of the tea you get at Chinese restaurants. I had one bag and I'm hoping I can find someone (maybe Flo or my sister) who will take the rest off me.
Just goes to show that not everyone has the same tea taste buds.

Rating: 1 out of 10
Things to do different next time: Don't buy it.

Unduragga: 2007 Sauvignon Blanc

My friend Julie has this uncanny knack for finding really good, cheap wines. One of her last recommendations was Australia's Hardy's Shiraz. Under $10.00 and really tasty without being too spicy.
Her latest wine has been a Chilean wine. A 2007 Unduragga Sauvignon Blanc. It was crisp, fresh and not too sweet or dry.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Magic Bullet Party Mixer review

Last year, I succumbed to the commercials and bought myself a $40 Magic Bullet Party Mixer from Canadian Tire during a sale. It came with four party mugs, one large cup, one small cup, extra o-rings, two types of blades and the base unit.

I was excited to use it for all the things they mentioned in their commercial: salsas, dressings, cheese, alfredo sauce.

The first few times I used it, it wasn't so bad. But now less than a year later, it's hitting it's last legs.

Things I don't like:
1. The party mugs are a joke. They take up a lot of storage space and they don't stack nicely. The coloured rings they give you to put on the rim that has the threads to screw on the mixing blade, are fugly and cheap-looking. I have NEVER had a party and used these mugs. But maybe that's personal choice because I don't like drinking out of plastic.

2. Bad blades. I've used the mixer no more than 40 times ever. I normally only use one of the blades (one's flat and the other has raised blades I believe it's for chopping) and they're both dull. As in, I put the food in the cup and it takes forever to process. And even then, there's still solid chunks.

3. Bad chopping. They teach you to do this "tap" method when mixing food. You have to tap the cup to move stuff down, then you mix, then tap, then mix. It's annoying. Especially if you have a heavy liquid in the cup like mayonnaise. Even if you don't and you're trying to mix salsa, some of the stuff is chopped, while the other stuff isn't. So if you keep going, some gets liquidized and the other stuff is chopped to the size you want it. There's just no consistency.

4. Bad mixing. If you don't fill a cup all the way with food or liquid, then some of the contents will throw up to the top of the cup (when it's on the mixer) and won't get mixed in. You have to unscrew the mixing blade, scrape it down and try again.

5. Poor materials. Mine hasn't broken yet, but it did leak the other day. Granted, I just needed to push the o-ring down further. I've read that other people have had the part that spins the blade break on them fairly early because it's only made with plastic parts. Plus it emits a smell if I put it to mix for more than a few seconds.

Things I like:
not much. It's handy to put in the dishwasher. It's lighter and easier to handle than my full sized blender.

Rating: 2 out of 10
Recommend to a friend? NO!

BBQ garlic mayo

I remember the first time I ever had flavoured mayo. I was at this cafe downtown with Mela and we had ordered yam fries and the side dressing was this BBQ mayo. When I asked the waitress what was in it, she was a bit elusive. She never said "mayo" but told us eggs. I thought that was weird.

This is my take on their sauce:
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
* few cloves of garlic (I use anywhere between 3-4 because I'm a garlic freak)
* seasoning blend



Toss it all into a blender. I use the "party mixer" I bought last year. I think I'll write a whole post on its own for that one because it really sucks and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.



I digress. The BBQ garlic mayo is simple, easy and we love using it on everything. Pizza's, pasta, fish, meat, fries... the list goes on!

Rating: 9 out of 10
Wouldn't change a thing.