Category: International Recipes

Best Ever Ribs & Potato Salad

7/19/2018

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Alicia back with another American recipe! This year my family is picking a country from our ancestry and trying to make foods from that country once a week. Then I share the recipes here. This month we're doing American.

When asking my friends they're favorite American foods my husband replied that he thinks "barbecue is the most American flavor." Then a whole bunch of people agreed with him. There's so many different, and delicious, styles of barbecue across the United States, it's impossible (for me) to choose my favorite. Slow cooking the meat makes it fall off the bone tender without drying it out. Unfortunately, we don't have a barbecue that can slow cook our meat, so we have to use our crockpot. But it still results in a very delicious and tasty rack of ribs.

Today's meal is ribs, baked beans, cornbread, and potato salad. A meal suggested to me by my friend Shirley, who lived in Texas for awhile, so I trust her barbecue opinions. I made everything from scratch and it wasn't that intense or difficult despite being a full plate. The sides were delicious and a perfect compliment, especially the potato salad, a recipe which I'll share with you today as well.

Slow Cooker Ribs

These ribs...THESE RIBS! They're so good! Oft requested by friends for gatherings, these ribs do not last long. Leftovers are unheard of. They're so delicious.

The rub for the ribs can be made in advance and kept in a container, ready for every time you want to make some delicious ribs. We always have some made up and sitting in our spice cabinet.

Ideally we would smoke them or cook them on indirect heat on the grill, but since we don't have that option right now, we just do it in the CrockPot. (I love my crockpot!) And lining the crockpot with parchment paper makes clean-up a breeze!

Make these, you will not regret it.

Best Ever Ribs

Best Ever Potato Salad

When I knew we were going to make potato salad, I called my mom. She has always made the best potato salad and I was amazed she hadn't posted it yet. So here it is in all it's glory. The great thing about it is you can customize it to your tastes. I used red and golden potatoes because that's what I had on hand, but russet potatoes work just as well. Sweet or dill pickles, either one is great. I used a dressing that was slightly creamy instead of the regular Italian dressing. I was still so good! Play around according to your tastes and it's always sure to be amazing. I honestly love this stuff.

Although, if you don't like pickles, this may not be the potato salad for you. Otherwise, you can't go wrong.

Best Ever Potato Salad

I didn't want to overwhelm you with recipes so I'll post the baked beans and cornbread another day. Until then, dazzle your family and friends with these recipes.

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Hamburger, Fries, & Prime Deals

7/17/2018

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Hey guys! Alicia here with more recipes from my ancestry. This month I decided to do American food, as in The United States of America. My ancestors have been here for a long time from many other countries throughout Europe. It's been difficult to find purely American foods, because the great thing about this country is it's a melting pot of people and cultures. And in fact today we have a meal that is an blend of foods from other countries, that when together makes a quintessential American meal.

Hamburgers, Fries, and a Milkshake

Hamburgers, were minced Hamburg beef steaks made in Hamburg, Germany. They were usually very expensive. When Germans came to the USA, they made a version of the Hamburg steak here. These steaks were passed out to factory workers during the Industrial revolution, but proved difficult to eat standing up. This was until one chef put the patty between to slices of bread. This popularized the hamburger across the country. And I'm so glad!

I love hamburgers. To make mine, I usually just make a patty with ground beef (80/20 or higher). Sometimes I mix in spices like pepper, garlic, thyme, or onion powder. Then as I put them on the charcoal grill, I salt them. When they're cooked through, and just about done, I add a slice of cheese. Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Swiss...to me all cheese has a place on a burger, it just depends on what else you're topping it with. For our burgers this time we used cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and onion. All on a lightly grilled sesame seed bun. It was so delicious. I don't have a recipe for you because hamburgers are the perfect food to experiment with. There are so many delicious combinations. The bacon cheeseburger like we made is an American classic, But I also love Swiss cheese and sautéed onions.

To go with hamburgers, the classic way here in the USA is with French Fries. While named French fries, they're actually from Belgium! During World War I, American soldiers in Belgium tried these delicious fried potatoes (that date back to the 1600's in Belgium). Because of the language spoken in that part of the country, the soldiers called them French Fries and the name has stuck (except for that very brief moment in time where we changed it to Freedom Fries in one of the most hilarious forms of animosity between countries). Fries are eaten all over the world now and in different ways. In Canada they use them to make Poutine. In the UK they're called chips and eaten with fried fish. No matter how you eat them, they are delicious.

To make my fries I peel russet potatoes, and then slice them into long thin rectangular prisms (not exactly since the potatoes are round). Then I soak them in water or blanch them. I feel like this helps them to get plump up and be crispy when they are done frying (instead of soggy). I fry them in my 10 inch frying pan with about an inch of oil. As soon as they come out of the oil I put them on a plate with a paper towel and salt them. You can also bake them, just coat them in oil and salt first.

To finish off the meal, is a milkshake! From my research it seems milkshakes are an American invention. Now we don't always have milkshakes with fries and burgers or even for dinner. Usually it's an after dinner treat! But we made an exception for this meal. Milkshakes are easy to make. Get your favorite ice cream, put it in a blender, add some milk and blend it up. It's so so simple and so delicious! You can make it as liquid as you want. We like to be able to drink ours through a straw but many people eat theirs with a spoon. Sorry I don't have a good picture of our milkshake. We drank it too fast.

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Amazing Amatriciana

7/3/2018

1 Comment

Alicia here with my last Italian recipe for you all. I'm kind of sad Italy is over because I love the food so much. But I have had a good time making these foods and sharing the recipes with you. I am a bit bummed I didn't get to make pizza, but I probably still will and share it with you. My Basil plant is begging for it.

But for today I have a seriously good recipe, especially if you like a little heat. Amatriciana can poorly be described as spicy spaghetti, but it's much more. Wow your friends and family with this delicious dish.

Amatriciana

Amatriciana is a sauce with cured pork (like pancetta), pecorino, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Not bell peppers but chili and black pepper.

This sauce has more depth than your regular marinara because of the addition of the pork and more bite because of the pepper. But the flavors marry so well together, each bite is divine. Slightly creamy because of the addition of cheese, the sauce sticks well to the noodles.

Most recipes I found used bucatini, but spaghetti can be substituted. My brother hates bucatini because it is not easy to slurp (it is hollow in the center, like a really long macaroni noodle).

I admit that I didn't have Pecorino, so I used my fresh Parmesan. Sorry Italy. I also didn't have pancetta so I used unsmoked bacon (it is the same cut of meat). But despite all these substitutions, it was still very delicious. My son and husband loved it! I did too! And I thought it was even better the next day as left-overs. (I think it's important to know what makes good leftovers.)

Amatriciana

Try this delicious recipe out please. It's a great alternative to your boring old spaghetti and marinara (which I actually also love). Oh and the spice is barely there, it will not cause you to breath flames. It's not more spicy than a breakfast sausage. So don't let that deter you from trying it out!