Recovering from twelve delicious varieties…

For the recipe at Niles Patch

We bought a new cooking toy – the Weber smoker (Star Wars fans: We’re calling it the “R2 unit”). Actually, it belonged to our brother-in-law. The “R2 unit” was going to make the trip out West, but somehow we managed to sway him into selling it to us. Just joking. It totally saved him the trouble of moving it out and this way, he can still cook for us when he comes to visit!

And, I love barbecue: grill or smoke. Give me a pulled pork sandwich and some slaw…Yum! Filipino BBQ skewers. Delicious. I love when my husband grills. I’m happy to prepare marinades, supply sides, just don’t ask me to cook outside. I don’t possess those skills. (Is it a gender thing?)

So we set out on our inaugural smoking: an eight-hour pork shoulder for lunch. The coals were lit at 11:45 pm. Right. At night. omg. I wish I had bought the remote meat thermometer (now I know what that’s really useful for), and granted, it was my husband who got up every few hours to check the temperature, but still. That’ll be our next purchase. Anyone our there have recommendations?

The cook was quite pleased with the way things turned out. Nice smoke ring, tasty flavor, fall-off-the-bone tender… couldn’t have asked for more. I was worried our initial spice rub might have been too weak, but it was fine. We’ll try adding a bit more next time to give it a nice crust.

Our spice rub was the rub I use for our oven-baked baby back ribs: salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, ground thyme, ground allspice. Add a little cayenne or chipotle pepper for some kick! (Check Alton Brown’s Rub No. 9 recipe for ratios. Ours differs a little.)

Since we’re new to the smoking scene, I’d totally appreciate any tips. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

Quinoa and lentils… not at the same time. That might not taste very good. But we are trying to include more healthy choices in our kitchen nowadays. Don’t you love light, crisp salads as we head into warmer weather? Here’s a pretty simple recipe for a tasty, Spring salad! My husband prefers this over couscous, and makes for a nice side dish.

Prepare 1 cup quinoa according to directions on package except include one carrot and celery, chopped coarse, and one bay leaf, ten peppercorns and thyme wrapped up in cheesecloth. It’s all for getting flavor in the quinoa… then I discarded all the veggies and herbs after it was done cooking. Set aside. Finely dice one cucumber and one celery stalk. Finely chop one or two green onions, and finely chop 1/4 cup cilantro. Blanch one 10 oz. package of sugar snap peas. Mix all this in with quinoa.

For the dressing grate or mince 1/2 to 1 tsp. of fresh ginger. Blend with 1/8 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add a 1/2 tsp. of curry powder if you’d like, too. Serve room temperature or chilled.

For another healthy recipe, check out the scoop on my easy lentil recipe at Niles Patch.

Do you have a favorite Spring recipe you’d be willing to share with me and our readers? I would love to share with you a chance to win a one-year subscription to Ready Made magazine (one of my new favorite sites and magazines). It’s pretty simple – share your recipe in the comment section, and you’ll be entered in a random drawing. Don’t forget to include your e-mail, so I can get in touch with you.

Comments will be closed Wednesday, April 20 at 5 pm (CST)

Thanks much! Happy cooking (and crafting) as always!

I read this article in the paper the other day about volunteer opportunities. This immediately caught my eye:

The Northern Illinois Food Bank needs 260 handmade holiday cards to include in boxes of food sent to senior citizens in December. Contact Tia Milne at 630-443-6910, ext. 130.

And, because my cookie exchange party is just around the corner, I thought this was timely, too. Eight dozen cookies in the house… it’s easy to share.

Advocate Hospice needs holiday decorations for its centers and homemade cookies to give patients and their families.

How many of you sew? There’s a need for you, and not just around the holidays!

Assist in making bed jackets, lap blankets and other items for patients – be a L.O.V.E. volunteer.

I’d love to hear about your favorite organizations or maybe you craft or cook for a cause… more to come.