One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to barbecue, but on days like today where it is all rainy with no sign of letting up or in the middle of the winter when it is negative degrees below zero there need to be a way to get a great flavor rib without needing to go out in the elements. These oven baked BBQ ribs come out fall off the bone tender and juicy.

In a bowl combine  the brown sugar,salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard and  chili powder. Once mixed add the apple cider vinegar to form a thick marinade. On a foil lined pan, rub the marinate onto both sides of the ribs. Cover with foil and let rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour, over night is preferred.

Ina 300°F oven, place the ribs in the oven covered and bake for 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours until the internal temp is about 180-190°F degrees. Brush on your favorite sauce and back for an additional 20-30minutes until the sauce caramelizes onto the ribs.

Let the ribs rest for about 5 minutes then cut the ribs into individual ribs and serve.

A nice change from the usual pasta and potato based picnic salads is this delicious chilled asian wild rice salad. this a great recipe to use up leftover rice from your dinner you might have and it has majority ingredients that most homes have already in the pantry. I has a a great balance the the soy sauce and brown sugar build off each other. This recipe increases the flavor the colder the salad gets so i recommend at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

The first thing is to cook the rice according to the packaging. you are wanting to have about 2 cups of cooked rice for each rice for this recipe. I have found if you are in a huge time crunch with both the cooking and refrigerating time, you can use those single serve packaging of cooked rice and the recipe does actually turn out pretty well also.

The next thing is you want to cut all of the ingredients that will be going into the salad. I like to cut everything a little different just got different textures for the whole mouth feel. I like to keep it simple with the carrots, water chestnuts and green onions, you can for sure change and add more to the salad.

Add the mayonnaise, brown sugar, soy sauce and the ground ginger in a large bowl. Mix until you get a smooth dressing for the salad.

Add the cooled rices and vegetables to the large bowl and mix until all of the rice is coated and refrigerate the salad for about 3 hours for full flavor.

Check the flavor before serving and salt if needed, a lot of different soy sauces have different sodium contents so the salt content in the salt will vary quite a bit.

Israeli Couscous is an ingredient that is commonly mistaken as a grain, but it is actually a type of pasta as it is made with wheat. Unlike normal pasta salad that will keep soaking up liquid until the pasta noodles will just fall apart and the salad is unpleasant to look at and soggy mess, Israeli Couscous wont soak up any of the dressing and will keep the perfect Al dente texture. The flavors of the creamy pesto style dressing and the roasted vegetables make a great powerful flavor that will keep everyone coming back for more. Check out the recipe below and don't forget to share with your friends and family.

Israeli couscous can be found in about every grocery store in my area. Cook the Couscous  in simmering water like the package directions state, drain and run under cold water to cool the pasta down quickly and let drain until everything else is ready.

Cut all of the vegetables up into small bit size pieces and toss with oil and spread over a thin layer on oiled sheet pans. Bake in a 475 degree oven until everything is fully cooked and roasted. Make sure to stir half way through to make sure both sides get caramelized.

Add the basil, olive oil, garlic and mayonnaise to the food processor. Puree until everything is well combined and smooth. salt and pepper to taste.

Add everything to  a large bowl and mix until well combined. This salad can be made a few days a head of time without any issues, Just remix before serving.

All of my life I have had this fascination with the steak sandwich. There was a time in my life if i saw one on a menu of a restaurant I would order it, well that still is true!! I love the taste of the steak that a simple burger doesn't offer and with the addition of the great taste of grilled onions and peppers on this one it is just amazing favor in your mouth.

Preheat and oil your grill. In a bowl, add the garlic, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and vegetable oil. mix until combined. Add the steak and let marinate for 10-15 mins, you can marinate longer if you desire.

Cut the pepper into sections and the onions into 1/4-1/2in rings, keeping the rings together. Oil both sides of the peppers and onions.

Once your grill is hot on high, add the steak and vegetables until the vegetables are tender and the steak has reached 130-140 degrees internal. Let the steak rest for 10mins.

Preheat the broiler on your oven, mix the ingredients for the Aioli in a small bowl. Spread over each of the hoagie rolls. Slice the steak across the grain in 1/2" slices. Add to the hoagie roll equally and top with 3 slices of cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and bun begins to brown.

If you love saffron, this recipe is needed for the ready and if you never tried saffron what are you waiting for. This is a simple dish that takes one pan and a few ingredients that are readily available at the store. If you don’t know what saffron is, it is the dried stigma (tiny threadlike strands) of the Crocus Sativus Linneaus, a member of the iris family. It makes a very distinct yellowish color to the meal with a great bold flavor. Saffron is known to help with mental and heart health.

Now to the dish.
 
The first thing I do is dredge the chicken breast in flour that is seasoned with salt and pepper. (You can skip this step for health reasons) I do this for the coloring of the chicken. Add the oil to a hot pan and sear the chicken until it is golden brown and remove for the pan, you might need to do batches of this a couple times. The chicken should not be fully cooked since it will finish cooking later.

Once the chicken is finished being seared, add the diced onions and cook until golden brown then add the garlic and cook until the garlic is soft.

Add the rice and stir in until the rice and  onion mixture is combined

Add in the Chicken stock

Then it is time for the star ingredient, when adding the saffron  grind it softly between your fingers to break it up and let it release its aroma faster into the dish.

Add the frozen peas, add then frozen so they don't over cook and fall apart while the dish is cooking. Stir everything together thoroughly.

Add the chicken back into the pan. Cover the pan and let it cook over low for about 35 mins until the rice is fully cooked. I remove the chicken and give the rice one good stir before serving so everything is  fluffed up.