Help Kelly Ripa and Electrolux raise money for Ovarian Cancer

Hi gang! This week, I wrote a guest post for a good cause.  Head to Modern Mom to read my post, entitled “Return to the Kitchen,” all about how to get cooking with confidence.  Then head over to Kelly Ripa’s Cake Off For A Cause from February 10th to the 19th. Why? Because Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every vote cast in the Cake Off.  You will also get great tips on baking from Kelly and the Cake Boss himself.  And don’t forget to enter to win an Electrolux Induction Range while you’re there!

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butternut squash soup with the mar vista mom

On a brisk autumn day, (which, in Los Angeles, means it was about 78 degrees), I met Sarah Auerswald at the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market for some shopping and dishing about motherhood and organic vegetables.  Sarah writes a witty, insightful blog for local moms and beyond called The Mar Vista Mom, and every friday she meets a lucky interviewee to shop and create a recipe made from farmer’s market produce.

I chose butternut squash and made a fabulous fall soup with honey crisp apples and roasted garlic.  This soup couldn’t be easier: My secret is roasting the squash first (means I don’t have to peel and cube those monsters, which I’m FAR too lazy to do).  This picture features two small squash, but the recipe here says to use one large one.  Honestly, you could use as many as you want, as long as you have enough stock or water to cover the scraped-out insides when you’re done.  It’s been a standby of mine for Thanksgiving for years.  Enjoy!

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Love Muffin

This muffin has the perfect resume: It tastes great, it’s irrefutably good for you, and it can last in an air-tight container for a week!  I make these on the weekend with my kids and then they’re ready and waiting on Monday morning when I’m whizzing through the kitchen, packing lunches and serving up breakfast to the rest of the gang.

I found this Cooking Light recipe for Morning Glory Muffins in 2007 in a doctor’s waiting room (yes, I tore it out and stole it!), and it’s been a regular in my repertoire ever since.  Fear not the wheat bran and flax seed— would I steer you wrong?

Try these out, or at least think about other easy ways you can feed yourself in the morning.  You’d never send your kids to school without a nutritious breakfast, so why deprive yourself?

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summer hoisin ribs

I’ve been cutting back on my meat consumption this summer, and I’ve definitely noticed a difference in how I feel. But sometimes, I just need my fix, and it wouldn’t be summer at the cottage without a big pile of ribs.  I have my stand-by basting sauces that I usually fall back on, but I’ve been playing with a new one this summer, and I swear, I’d eat your hand if it was covered in this stuff.

The best part about this recipe is that it doesn’t have you running back and forth to the bbq for hours… a big chunk of the work can be done DAYS ahead, and they only need 20 minutes on the grill to finish.

Warning: Sticky hands and full bellies are known side effects.

SUMMER HOISIN RIBS

Serves 6-8

1/4 c. hoisin sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbs. rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 racks baby back ribs (about 4 pounds)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the sauce: Combine first 7 ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Bake the ribs: Place ribs in shallow baking dish, add boiling water until it’s about 1/4 inch high, then cover with foil. Bake ribs for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the meat begins to shrink away from the tips of the bones.  You can cool and refrigerate at this point for up to 3 days, then finish at a later date.

Grill the ribs: Preheat grill to medium-high heat.  Grill ribs for about 20 minutes, turning and basting frequently.  When they have a deep mahogany glaze and it’s tough to turn them without the meat falling off the bone, you know you’re done.

Enjoy!

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