30 Minute BBQ Boneless Pork Ribs

Moist and tasty. Another weeknight recipe for one of my favorite "Cooking For Two" meats, country style boneless pork ribs. A little pan searing, coat with BBQ sauce and finish in the oven. Very good.

Oven Baked Parmesan Asparagus

Sweet, tender and tasty. An easy side dish for that special meal. Start with fresh asparagus, coat with some Parmesan, bread crumbs and spices and bake until tender. And you end up with something special.

Marlowe's of Memphis

So I have been MIA for a while... lots of excuses but I'm thinking of you as I'm setting in my room at The Peabody in Memphis. We came for a pediatric convention but we drove in a little early. Time for some site seeing and I decided a side trip was in order. We went to a famous place on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Go south past Graceland and the Piggy Wiggly and you will find the world famous Marlowe's.

This is the place I wanted to go to in Memphis. I like Elvis music in small doses but my wife does not and starring at stuff from the 50's just is not on my bucket list... but Marlowe's was. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of Elvis here but a quit tolerable amount even for her. She just had to get use to U of M being Memphis and not Michigan. It looks like almost any BBQ place/bar in the country. Come in blue jeans, not your Sunday best... You will get messy because I think eating ribs must be with fingers.

First I made two mistakes. The first was arriving at 2:30 pm. The Memphis app said the hours were noon to 3 am. Wrong, they open at 4 pm. We hadn't eaten for 5-6 hours but we went downtown and checked in at The Peabody and went back.

Second mistake, we ordered the ribs for two at the suggestion of out wonderful waiter. Another mistake... it came with one slab of ribs which is our usual... but it took only 5 minutes to devour that. Not that it was small, it was just that good. We decide to forgo desert and get a second slab. It didn't surprise the waiter at all.

Rating

Absolutely a 5. Very highly recommended. I tend to like my ribs falling off the bones. These pulled off the bone cleanly but did not fall off. Just fine with me. Great taste and just the right amount of smoke.

A note about the sides. I'm a baked bean hater. I goes way back to Campbell's Pork and Beans as a child. I absolutely hated them and have refused anything similar for years. I have tried variations highly recommended by others but really these are the first I enjoyed and  I cleaned my bowl.

My previous Marlowe/Memphis related posts:

Memphis Dry Rub Ribs

Marlowe's of Memphis BBQ Dry Rub

Marlowe's Black Magic Seasoning

Memphis  BBQ Sauce (Not Marlowe's, My recipe)

Updated

March 23 2012

DrDan

Fresh Broccoli Salad

A crunchy fresh side and you control the contents. Summer is coming and you will need a go to side for the family and company. Take it to that pot luck summer event and you will be the only one without the potato or macaroni salad.

Based on a Food Network Paula Deen recipe. I varied the ingredients a little. I include some options for ingredients that you can vary for your taste.

Rating

A very solid 4.

Notes: There are a lot of recipes out there. The original Paul Deen recipe was a little heavy in vinegar, heavy in cheese and had some tomatoes. I have modified these some and I included options for you to customize for your tastes.

For a "Healthy Broccoli Salad", substitute a low fat mayo product, cut the bacon substitute in a diced ham or Canadian bacon or just skip the meat.

This is an excellent recipe to cut in half or double for your needs.

Start by washing and trimming the broccoli. Trim of the florets off and cut smaller if needed.

Don' throw the stem away. Trim off the leaves and the tough peal then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. You need 6-8 cups for a full recipe. That is 3-4 small heads or 2 large heads.

Cut up 8 slices of bacon and cook until crispy over medium high heat. About 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.

Additional ingredients: 1/2 cup (one medium) red onion chopped.  1/4 to 1/2 cup sharp cheddar in small cubes. Optional: 1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup gold raisins, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Make dressing with 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, 1-2 T white vinegar and 1-2 T sugar. Vary the sugar and vinegar for your taste. Mix well then combine with all other ingredients.

Fresh Broccoli Salad

by DrDan at 101 Cooking for Two March-13-2012

A crispy and fresh side for all occasions. Vary for your tastes and needs and ready in 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 6-8 cups Broccoli trimmed
• 8 strips bacon
• 1 medium (1/2 cup) red onion
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sharp cheddar small cubes

Optional

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halves
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 1-2 T sugar
• 1-2 T white vinegar

Instructions

1) Start by washing and trimming the broccoli. Trim of the florets off and cut smaller if needed. Don' throw the stem away. Trim off the leaves and the tough peal then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. You need 6-8 cups for a full recipe. That is 3-4 small heads or 2 large heads.2) Cut up 8 slices of bacon and cook until crispy over medium high heat. About 5 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.3) Additional ingredients: 1/2 cup (one medium) red onion chopped. 1/4 to 1/2 cup sharp cheddar in small cubes. Optional: 1/2 cup of halved cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup gold raisins, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds4) Make dressing with 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, 1-2 T white vinegar and 1-2 T sugar. Vary the sugar and vinegar for your taste. Mix well then combine with all other ingredients.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 10 servings

Updated

March 13 2012

DrDan

Pan Seared Oven Roasted Filet Mignon

Fork tender with a great garlic taste. My go to method for this cut of the beef tenderloin. An extremely dependable 30 minutes including resting time recipe. Skill level 2/10.

Frozen Green Bean Fix Up - Sour Cream and Bacon

What self respecting food blogger would use FROZEN veggies... Me. Remember this is everyday cooking and in everyday cooking  I don't always have fresh veggies on hand and frozen fills in frequently. Now the question is how to "doll it up" to make it a non-boring side and make you want to eat your veggies. Well sour cream, garlic and bacon can do it for me.