Walking Tacos

We just got back from camping on beautiful Sanibel Island in Sunny South Florida this weekend.

And I have to say...now I know why people don't tent camp in South Florida in the summer.

Hot.

Humid.

Buggy.

But the beaches were BEAUTIFUL...the shelling was AWESOME...and Periwinkle Park, the only campground on either Sanibel or Captiva Islands, was PERFECT (my kids especially loved all the tropical birds on display...particularly "Fred", a Scarlet Macaw that talked and liked to whistle at Savannah every time she passed by...making her blush).

So, I thought in honor of our trip, and since it's been woefully long since I've posted on this site, I'd post a camping recipe. This is a tried and true recipe that is GREAT for Scout camp-outs...and works good for families, too...

and it's called...

Walking Tacos

2 pounds ground beef
2 packages taco seasoning
1 package ranch dressing powdered dressing mix/seasoning
chopped tomatoes
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese
a bag (or two) of Fritos
Ziploc baggies

1. Brown ground beef and prepare with taco seasoning as package directs. Add ranch dressing mix in at same time.

2. In a Ziploc baggie, add desired amount of Fritos, meat, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Seal bag and mix lightly.

Now - you can do one of two things...

A. Pack Ziploc baggie in backpack and go on a hike. When you get hungry, open the bag and turn edges down, and eat STRAIGHT FROM THE BAG WITHOUT FORKS AND SPOONS...just eat.

OR....

B. Do the same thing...right there at your picnic table.

Sounds messy, right? It kinda is...but once your kids get the hang of it...its GREAT...no packing extra silverware, totally ecologically friendly, and REALLY YUMMY. Plus...there's something about eating food from a baggie without utensils that appeals to kids...kids and men, that is...because men ARE kids...

Anyway - I only took a disposable camera on our trip, so I'll post pictures LATER...

until then...

enjoy your baggie of taco!!

courtesy me!!!

Country-Style Ribs Baked in Barbecue Sauce

There is only one way that I cook ribs. And it's not by grilling.

I hear a collective gasp from the masses (also known as the 3 people that read this blog)...because it is INGRAINED in our collective psyche that ribs should be GRILLED...or else they are not to be considered ribs.

But see, several years ago I stumbled upon a recipe in a familiar culinary tome known as The Joy of Cooking (heard of it?)...and it recommended slow-cooking ribs in your oven.

For hours.

And I said...hey, lets try that.

And I did.

And it ROCKED.

And I've cooked them that way ever since.

So here is the INSANELY easy, no-thought , surefire way to have tender, mouth-watering, barbecued spareribs for dinner. Just know that you need 4 HOURS to cook ribs this way...and there ain't no shortcuts, baby. This is NOT a wait-to-the-last-minute-oh-crap-what-am-I-making-for-dinner-hey-how-'bout-these-ribs kind of recipe.

I totally doubled the sauce on this because I cooked eight MAMMOTH beef spareribs, and we ate it with German Potato Salad and buttermilk biscuits. Mmmmm...heaven....

Country-Style Ribs Baked in Barbecue Sauce

4 pounds country-style ribs (pork OR beef)

1-1/2 cups barbecue sauce (pick your poison...we used a Spicy Honey barbecue sauce by Kraft)

1 cup orange juice

1. Preheat your oven to 300. Arrange ribs in a 13x9 inch baking dish.

2. Whisk together barbecue sauce and orange juice in a bowl. Pour over ribs, turning ribs to coat evenly. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 3 hours.

3. Uncover, increase temperature to 350, and bake another hour, turning the ribs once after 30 minutes. Don't worry if they fall apart a bit while turning.

4. Remove ribs to a warmed platter and let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon off fat from the sauce and serve the ribs with the sauce.

5. Resign yourself to the fact that you are NEVER grilling ribs again...

courtesy The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker