Beautiful Sunday Afternoon

So my oldest daughter, Alicia and I are planning her brother’s Graduation Party and thought, let’s get together and discuss the details. Great idea! Because it was such a beautiful day, my son in law wanted to try out his new pellet smoker grill. Then we invited my youngest daughter and her fiance, Tim. Yay! A party planning party. I love when these things happen. Here’s how our afternoon went…

Ribs!!!!! OMG!!!!

These were made on a pellett smoker grill. There are about as many methods to make these as there are people that love them. These were given a dry rub and then finished with bbq sauce. The secret? Cooking them slowly in foil (about 4 hours) and adding to it a splash of apple juice and some sliced jalapenos. Then about half-way through, unwrap the foil and add some more bbq sauce until they finish cooking.

Now for the Rest of the Meal

Alli is very healthy and always makes something healthy and tasty. Today she made one of her favorites:

Alli’s Cucumber Salad

• about 4 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
• a sprig of fresh dill
• juice of half a lemon
• tablespoon of olive oil
• red onion
• salt
• pepper

This was enough for 6 people. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you prefer a creamy cucumber salad, simply add some sour cream.

I made my roasted sweet potatoes. They are quick and easy and go well with the Ribs.

Mom’s Easy -Peasy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

• 6 sweet potatoes (about 1 per person) peeled and quartered
• half a stick of butter (cut into pieces)
• salt
• pepper
• about 6 TBLSP of olive oil
• sprinkling of cinnamon
• some water

This couldn’t be any easier. Just put the sliced and quartered sweet potatoes in a baking dish. I used Corning Ware. If you want to make things even easier, use a baking sheet and line the pan with foil or parchment paper or use a Silpat Baking Mat. Add some salt and pepper, drizzle some olive oil over the potatoes, then top with butter and add a sprinkling of cinnamon. I add a little water to the bottom of the pan to help the potatoes steam and get soft without burning. Bake in a 375-degree oven until roasted. That’s it. Really.

When Life Gives you Lemons…

But the best part of the afternoon was that Alicia has been growing a little lemon tree on her window sill for about a year. And after a year of careful care and watering (mostly not allowing ANYONE to touch them) she was finally able to pick one. The other lemon fell off the tree. (t’s OK…it’s OK…OK).

Alicia’s Spiked Lemonade

This is simply some Pink Lemonade, she used the powdered kind. The “magic” ingredient, Ketel One Grapefruit Rose, but any kind will do, and her prized lemons. (you’ll have to grow your own or just get some at the grocery store). And there you have it. Now to get to work on Easter.

Thank You So Much Alicia Marie Jones!

Great job as per your usual.