DON'T COOK WHEN YOU'RE BORED!!

Yesterday was a nasty day in NY. What better thing to do when you're homebound than cook. NOT! It was brought to my attention after I was finished... "Ma, I think you over did it a little, don't you"?

I needed to use up the beautiful peppers that I bought a few days ago. The price was right so I sprung for the yellow and orange ones besides the usual red and green ones. My first thought was to cut some up to save for a taco salad for maybe Wednesday's dinner and to slice some for Sausage and Peppers. That didn't work because I threw them all into the pot to cook! They were so pretty... like springtime!

I had a ham in the oven for dinner but when PJ called to see what was for dinner, I could tell Ham wasn't what he was in the mood for. That's fine. We can make other meals out of the ham. I told him to call me back when he figures out what he'd like. He called and said he'd love to have either hotdogs or Brats. Such a simple man! So Brats it is... smoked and also New Orleans style. One pack would have been enough but I wanted to try the New Orleans style and I know the guys like the smoked so what the heck. In the mean time I had defrosted a package of ribs, just because. There wasn't enough for an entire meal so I figured they could be added to brats for dinner. The leftover brats can get thrown in the Sausage and Peppers. There has to always be a plan! Today I will finish making the sausage and peppers.

I hope the neighbors didn't see my at the grill. There's only 3 of us at home and a lot of food on the grill! Good thing they didn't know there was a ham in the oven and a pot full of peppers and onions!

We ended up having a very nice dinner. I liked the brussel sprouts the best though. (recipe for B.S's and ribs below. YUM!) Now I don't have to cook for a few days. I guess that means I have to do the laundry!

Barbecue Ribs
INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds pork spareribs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 dash ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1.Boil ribs in water for approx 1 hour.
2.In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rum, chili sauce, garlic, mustard, and pepper. Coat ribs with sauce and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
3.Preheat grill for medium heat. Position grate four inches above heat source.
4.Brush grill grate with oil. Place ribs on grill, and cook for 30 minutes, basting with marinade.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.