Thursday night dinner

After Chris's week of cooking, I was ready to get back to planning and cooking the meals this week.

We had a delicious dinner on Tuesday night but that post will wait for another time. Wednesday night was...ehhh, okay. But, tonight more than made up for it. We had Honey Chipotle Ribs, Iceberg Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries (normally I make these, but tonight we used a package from the freezer).

It was my first attempt at ribs, and they turned out even better than I expected. The slaw was another first...my first time to use herbs out of my garden (parsley and dill). Iceberg gets a bad rap these days, but it sure is yummy with a fresh ranch dressing on top.

Honey Chipotle Ribs
from Everyday Food

1/4 c. minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. mustard powder
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 racks spare ribs (2 1/2 pounds each) - I used a 4 1/2 pound rack.
vegetable oil (for grill)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine chipotles, 1/4 c. honey, mustard powder, 3 TB salt (I might try a little less than this next time), and 2 tsp pepper.

Place a large double layer foil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place ribs on top and rub with chipotle mixture. Wrap ribs tightly in foil and bake on sheet until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Remove ribs from foil adn let excess liquid drip off. Brush ribs with 1/4 c. honey adn grill until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cut between bones to separate. Serve (with lemon slices if you like).

Iceberg Slaw
Also from Everyday Food

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 TB buttermilk, 3 TB plain yogurt, 1 TB chopped fresh dill, 1 TB chopped fresh parsley, and 1/2 small shallot, minced; season with coarse salt and ground pepper. Fold in 1 head of iceberg lettuce (about 1 pound), quartered and shredded. Taste and season.

Christopher said it was the best coleslaw he had ever tasted! (It was a little more like salad to me than slaw, but it was tasty!)