July 4th

Okay, so not a lot of exciting cooking going on around here... the most exciting thing lately (if you want stretch things by calling it exciting!) was our block party for July 4th. Each family was supposed to bring something to grill and then a side dish to share. Our family and the family next door were hosting the event so I planned to bring a little extra.

We brought our favorite ribs:
They are Brown Sugar and Bourbon Ribs from Epicurious.com

Basting sauce
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup bourbon whiskey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons apple cider
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard Ribs
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 2- to 2 1/4-pound racks baby back pork ribs
1 large onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
6 thin rounds peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups apple cider

For basting sauce:Whisk all ingredients in medium bowl to blend.

For ribs:Mix first 7 ingredients in small bowl. Using small sharp knife, loosen membrane from underside of each rib rack and pull off (or score membrane). Rub 1 tablespoon seasoning mix into each side of each rib rack. Place ribs in large roasting pan. Cover and chill at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lift ribs from pan. Scatter onion, cinnamon stick, and ginger in pan. Pour in cider. Return ribs, meat side down, to pan; cover pan with foil. Roast ribs until meat is tender and begins to pull away from bones, about 2 hours. Uncover; cool at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill ribs until heated through and slightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Brush generously on all sides with basting sauce. Grill until sauce becomes sticky glaze, about 3 minutes longer per side. Transfer rib racks to cutting board. Cut racks between bones into individual ribs. Arrange on platter and serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

We also brought one of my favorite summer side dishes:
Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad (I don't recall where I got this recipe but it is definitely a keeper and works best when you use fresh in-season ingredients)

Place 2 cups cooked corn in a large bowl. Add 1 diced avocado (1/2-inch pieces), 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes, and ½ cup finely diced red onion. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon lime zest, ¼ cup chopped cilantro, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir the vinaigrette into the salad and serve.

I also sliced up a watermelon and using a star cookie cutter, cut a bunch of star-shaped pieces and put them on a platter. Relatively easy but adds a really nice touch.

Lastly, we made red, white and blue striped Jello and using the small star cookie cutter, cut those into star shapes. Hardest part of that was the cutting into the shapes and getting them onto the platter cleanly. For the middle white layer, I found a recipe on line to take plain gelatin and mix it with water and a can of condensed milk.