Mmmm, mmmmm, ribs

I'm so proud of myself for conquering ribs-- I've always been intimidated by them, but my fear is gone thanks to this easy and delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

4 lbs of baby back ribs (figure about 1 lb for each person)

1 onion, coarsely chopped

5 cloves of garlic

2 t salt

1 t peppercorns

Your favorite barbecue or teryaki sauce

Directions:

Place the ribs in a big pot and fill with water. Add the onion, coarsely chopped, the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. You will know!

Remove the ribs from the pot and place on a baking sheet. Baste generously with the sauce of your choosing (I used Stubbs Teryaki Marinade and will definitely use it again). Heat on the grill for 10-15 minutes and serve to people you really like.

Broccoli Green Bean Salad with Basil Oil

Ok, so I know summer is basically over, but this one can be served pretty much year round since you can usually find fresh basil at the grocery store even after your herb garden is long gone.

I blanched about a half pound of green beans for about 3 minutes and roasted a head of broccoli with olive oil and salt for about 10-12 minutes (just past bright green, not yet soggy). I threw the green beans in with the broccoli for the last 3 minutes, mostly to warm them up since I'd blanched them earlier. I tossed the veggies in a bowl with some grape tomatoes for a fresh and colorful addition.

Then I picked a handful of basil (about 1/2 cup, packed) and put it in the food processor with some olive oil (about 1/4 cup) and salt and pepper, and viola- basil oil. It was pretty and delicious!

Salmon Burgers with Spinach

I know salmon burgers don't sound very produce co-opy, but trust me on this one. I had a bag of spinach and the thought of more sauteed spinach didn't appeal to me, and I'm never able to make plain ol' salmon taste all that great, so I looked up recipes to combine the two and found this.

I omitted the ginger (didn't have any), used a little less spinach, a little more scallions, and the whole egg instead of just the white.

I served them on onion rolls and had bacon, red onions and tomatoes for toppings. They were DELISH-- my only regret was that I didn't double the recipe. It made 6 small-ish burgers and we all wanted two.