Sometimes you just need a taco. Or a glass of wine. Or…both.
Thursday was a “both” day. Whether it be in celebration or on consolation, there’s something about a good taco that calms and comforts like a chat with a good friend or a glass of wine. You can also make them out of pretty much anything in the cabinet! Anyone can find a way to eat a taco whether you be vegan, vegetarian, or carnivore. The preparation is also a variable whether basking in simplicity or it’s own braised beauty!
Tonight was a much needed “comfort” night, including some home cooking which always has a way of reminding myself that there is something worthwhile that I can do, and do quite well. In addition to home cooking, include a challenge to overcome and a hearty pour of wine. For my challenge I chose the chopping jalapeños without staining my fingers in the fire juice and promptly wiping my eye which seems to be a habit of mine. For the home cooking, Carne Asada Steak Tacos, oven roasted Padron Peppers and some good old Grilled Cabbage Slaw. For the wine, honestly whatever was open on the counter would do but at this point. I looked for Rioja to make the complete “spanish” experience but settled for a glass from the bottle of open Chianti that always has a home on my counter.
The result, a masterpiece that both soothed my mind and filled my belly. You can’t go wrong with a taco!
Well Seattle, we’re back. Back to the rain, wind and grey skies. Three weeks in Hawaii was quite a nice time to thaw out but, until the sad realization that I had to actually trade my daily uniform of shorts, a tank top and my bathing suit for real clothes pales in comparison to the AMOUNT of real clothes I have to wear hit me. Currently, I’m sipping hot water and alternating sitting on my hands while I sit here in my coat and scarf….I’m INSIDE! What gives!
Cold weather typically sends me reaching for the Crockpot, or curling up in front of the heater without moving. Since I was craving short ribs, the crock pot won. When we were on Kona, we made a …few…trips to Roy’s Waikoloa. Okay okay, we ate there THREE nights in a row! Can you blame us!? They closed our Seattle location so we had to eat all we could get! Well, on night two as we were bellied up to the bar sharing their AMAZING appetizer canoe, (yes, CANOE!) we saw the couple next to us dig into their amazing looking dinner and we flagged down our bartender Brandon (he was AWESOME if you visit that location) and he informed us that it was the Slow Braised Char Broiled Beef Short Ribs. So, night three you know what we ordered?
Yep, Ribs! It was SUCH an incredible dish that when we got home we immediately started searching for the recipe to try our hands at recreating such an impeccable dish! After an absurd time googling various versions and combinations of the words “Roy’s Waikolaa Short Ribs entrée Recipe” I found one that was said to be biased on the Roy’s recipe so I gave it a try! (Original recipe found here) I didn’t have all the ingredients so I altered a bit.
Delicious food deserves pictures…
Dijon Honey marinade
Left over dijon
Marindae in the making
Ready to be grilled
Action shot
Grilled goodness
Grilled ribs
Dinner time!
Close up on the ribs!
Slow-Cooker Braised Short Ribs with Honey Garlic Glaze Adapted from Roy Yamaguchi Yield: 2 large portions
For the short ribs:
2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
Salt and pepper
EVOO
Beef stock, enough to fully cover the short ribs (about 32 ounces)
6 cloves garlic, sliced thick
1 large onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced thick
2 carrots, sliced thick
2 bay leaves
1 inch piece of peeled ginger, FRESH ginger
Honey Garlic Glaze:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1/4 cup sliced green onions, both white and green
Allow the ribs to come to room temperature for thirty minutes. Season all sides of the ribs well with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Brown the ribs well on all sides, about two minutes per side.
In your slow cooker make a bed with the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf and ginger.
Place the browned ribs on top and add enough beef stock to just cover and Cook (Low for 8 hours or High for 4).
Prepare the glaze, cover and refrigerate until meat is done, or you can make it right before you pull it out. I like to have as FEW dishes as possible so I’m a “make ahead” kinda girl! The picture above shows you, if for some reason you wanted to eyeball the dijon, what’s left over after using a half cup. I was worried I’d have too much left over but hey, egg salad here we come!
When the timer goes off, remove the lid and take the initial wiff of your amazing deliciousness! The meat will be very tender and you may lose a few bones (which is a GOOD thing!) Remove the ribs from the slow cooker and, while still warm, pour the glaze over the ribs making sure they are well coated. Allow the ribs to sit for at least thirty minutes (or store in the refrigerator overnight).
While the ribs rest heat your grill, or a skillet, to medium high heat. Grill, or sear, the ribs for about one minute per side, or until the glaze sets and the ribs are brown and crusty.
Fall is on its way… leaves are turning colors, the air is crisp and the pumpkin spice latte signs abound. Today it feels like a cozy grey blanket was spread across the city, and it’s tucked up under my chin making me feel like I’ve found the warm part of the bed and don’t want to rustle the covers. You know what I’m talking about? It’s the same feeling as the morning when you wake up and the mattress is perfectly indented with your body and you can feel the cold air in the room on your nose but under the covers it’s all warm! Well, that’s how today feels.
I LOVE fall! Boot season, reaching for scarves, leaves turning, impending holidays in the planning… I love ALL that fall brings with it but mostly I LOVE Fall cooking! I can’t walk past a pumpkin without sizing it up for how much pumpkin it would yield for after roasting, mentally creating a cutting plan in my head of how I would slice it to fit on a roasting sheet!
One of my fall favorites is spaghetti squash. It is such a simple and warming dish to make for those nights you don’t want to spend your night in the kitchen making dinner! I love to make extra and pour cinnamon and soy milk over it the next morning for breakfast or pack some for lunch sprinkled with cheese! I was going to write my own recipe and include pictures BUT as luck would have it one of my favorite food blogs to read, Roost, posted this very day (yep you guessed it!) Spaghetti Squash!
Caitlin is the author and creator of Roost, and her photography is out of this world! I want to curl up and live in every picture she takes while I devour ALL of the lovely food! She created Roost when her husband was diagnosed with Crohn’s and focused on all things gluten-free. In this recipe, She makes her spaghetti squash with meatballs and sauce, but I love to make my Roasted Fennel and Tomato Dressing and Homemade Turkey Meatballs!
So, head on over to Roost for the Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Meatballs recipe and gawk at her lovely photos and let me know how you dress up your spaghetti squash! Feel free to post your own recipes in the comments!
Sometimes you just need a taco. Or a glass of wine. Or…both.
