Bacon Wrapped Dates

Easiest/Best appetizer to bring to a party. I have an account with Berryman and love love love to order fruit and vegetables from them in large quantities. I have been working on a box of dates (500 dates) for the last 2 months so its been a popular appetizer.

Ingredients:
Bacon
Pitted dates
Honey

Directions:
Slice bacon into 3rds for each bacon slice
Wrap bacon around dates
Bake in oven at 400 degrees
Drizzle with honey

Babyback Pork Ribs

Tonight’s meal was a huge hit with the boys. I had leftover BBQ Sauce from Monday's dinner to prepare a delicious set of pork ribs. I was concerned about time with having work and the gym, but it is really a hands off type of dish with little to no preparation. I was able to cook while relaxing and working on around the house.

Ingredients for ribs:
Babyback pork ribs
Homemade BBQ sauce from Monday’s recipe (Sean snuck some whiskey in the sauce demanding that it was a must for ribs)
1/2 cup water

Directions:
Place oven at 400 degrees
Glaze ribs with 3/4 of the BBQ sauce into Pyrex dish
Add half a cup of water
Cover tightly with tin
Place ribs in oven and cook for 1.5 hours till meat is falling off bone
Add additional layer of BBQ sauce to ribs and place on BBQ for a quick char
Add additional layer of BBQ sauce and serve

I also served baked artichokes and Brussels sprouts as sides.

Recommended drink to serve meal with - Piraat Ale

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Taco Tuesday!

Tacos are a huge hit at our house and with constantly having Sean's friends over and dinner parties; this is a reoccurring weekly dish for us. Since this is a popular dish, I try to serve it in a variety of ways with either shredded chicken, ground turkey, carne asada, ground bison or pastor and sometimes even veggie or fish tacos (Sean's least favorite).

Last night we went with carne asada from Mayo's Market on De La Vina. This is as authentic as it gets in Santa Barbara.

Ingredients for carne asada marinade:
1 Lime
1 Orange
1 Garlic clove
1/2 Onion
Cilantro
1 Teaspoon season salt

You can either BBQ the carne asada or sauté it in a pan. If you sauté the meat in a pan, I like to add habanero infused silver tequila to spice it up.

Tacos:
Corn tortillas fried in a deep fryer with vegetable oil (1 minute each side)
1 Diced tomato
1 Diced onion mixed with cilantro
Crumbled queso fresco
1 Wedge of lime

Popular hot sauces used:
Cholula
Tapatio

Paired drink: Michelada (My absolute favorite drink ever!)
Ingredients:
Negro Modelo
1 Lime
1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Tapatio
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire
1 Teaspoon soy sauce
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
Dash of Mexican salts

Pulled Pork Sandwhiches

Ingredients:
3-4 pound pork shoulder or butt bone-in
1 onion
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons raw sugar
1 tablespoon butter
Fresh ciabatta loaf

Ingredients for Sauce:
1 onion
1 garlic clove
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup catchup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried mustard
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red chile flakes

Place pork in crockpot with all above ingredients (except for brown sugar, honey, lemon and lime juice) for BBQ Sauce on low. You will need to chop the onion and garlic till very fine. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.

You will need to drain the sauce from the pork after or around 6 hours. Place sauce into sauce pan on high. Add brown sugar, honey, lemon and lime and and stir on high for 3-5 minutes. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until sauce has thickened to your desire. You will then add half of the sauce back into the pulled pork and soak into pork for 10 minutes. Remaining sauce can be used as dipping sauce.

In another pan, add butter, raw sugar, honey and sliced onions to medium heat to carmelize onions.

Bake ciabatta in over at 350 degrees.