New Recipe -
Another Pioneer Woman recipe from her blog. This time it was something I have sadly never tasted the deliciousness of before. Her Twice Baked Potatoes recipe is to die for. I can't believe I have never had these before. I am a fan of the potato and this was one I have definitely been missing. Here is the outcome:
So one thing I learned when going back through these photos is 1. I need better lighting in my kitchen (thankfully the hubby already fixed that for me) and 2. I need to learn how to take better food photos (Unfortunately, hubby can't really fix that one for me!)
These yummy potatoes were my Valentine's Day dinner surprise for that awesome hubby o' mine. To go with them is my secret recipe baby back ribs. Ok, maybe not so secret since I am going to post the recipe here:
Oven Baked Baby Back Ribs
1 tbs salt
1 tbs freshly ground or crushed black pepper
2 tbs sugar
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbs paprika
This is plenty o' rub for two full racks. Mix the ingredients above in a small bowl and sprinkle both sides of the rib racks generously with mixture. I usually get pretty dirty and actually rub the mixture into the meat, but your level of contact is up to you! Let the seasoning sit on there as long as possible (a few hours if you got it!). Preheat the oven to 300 and bake for about 2 hours. When done baking, turn on the broiler (or turn your oven up as high as it goes) and pop those suckers right under the heat for about five minutes or until they get a little crisp outside. And viola! Ribs are done.
** NOTE** The secret to making this rub work is the pairing of the BBQ sauce. It works best with a sweet sauce. Our personal favorite is from Smokin Mo's BBQ called Sweet Carolina. They only have a few locations, so we always stock up when we go by one. They also have a website where you can order a variety pack or a case here. And trust me, we could use a case up pretty quickly around here. There is nothing quite like this sauce!
Learn Something New
February was an amazing month for me. It was the month I took these photos. It's taken me until this actual photoshoot for me to realize I really do have something special when it comes to photography. I have been shooting for years, worked for a photographer, even freelanced for a magazine, but up until this point on this actual day in February when I sat looking through these photos, I finally learned that I actually have a knack for this.
So with great vengeance and determination, I set out to finally set up my own photography business. So most of my learn something new stuff for the past few months has been focused around building a business. Applying for a license, finding insurance resources, setting up a domain name, ordering business cards, and still trying to improve my skills as well.
A lot of my time was spent building my website, but thankfully I finally got it complete. Here it is: Lynne Ashcraft Photography. With a website, I finally feel legit! More on the progress of the business later...
Read More
In February I finished the classic novel Daniel Deronda by George Elliott. I am not sure what to say about this novel. First would be that it was incredibly long! Not Moby Dick long, but loooooong. And I think it seemed longer to me because I really did not like the heroine. I am not even sure she was meant to be a heroine. But if she wasn't, he sure did spend a lot of time writing about her. But I did love Daniel. And it was some interested insight into how Jewish people were viewed back in the late 1800's.
Take More Pictures
See post above about Learn Something New. More to come...
Move More
This is the one I have struggled with the most. But I have at least tried. Even if it is just Wii Fit every now and then... I guess the animals are so excited they want to get in on the action too!
