Missing the Weekend Already!

This weekend was fun and I am missing it already. I know it has been said before, but wouldn’t it be sweet if you could switch to five-day weekends and two-day work weeks? Yeah!

John and I stayed home on Friday and watched movies. That was a nice change of pace, considering last week was hectic coming back from nearly two weeks of vacation. Saturday we ran your typical Saturday errands then ended up going out to dinner with friends to a local restaurant called the Bayou. It was a ton of fun and we hadn’t been there in a long time. They pretty much have a variety of Cajun favorites and a beer list that is the length of a novel. They usually have some live music as well, so it’s a lot of fun and a pretty chill place to have dinner. Yesterday was pretty much filled with cooking (well, for me anyway…John ended up working and helping his brother with snowmobile stuff - poor dude hardly ever gets an entire weekend to do what he wants). I wanted to try a new breakfast casserole. It turned out pretty good, but I am going to make some modifications before I post the recipe. Then came dinner…I really do love it when I have time to actually make a good meal. We had ribs, chicken, Cajun sausage black beans and rice, and roasted broccolini. 

Ribs

To make these bad boys, remove the membrane from the back of the ribs. Yes, this step is very important. Rinse and pat dry. Rub with your favorite rib rub (I use Stubbs usually), then cover and refrigerate overnight. Turn your oven to 250 degrees and bake with foil over the top for 4 hours - spare ribs can usually use one hour longer (so 5 hours). Remove the foil, turn up the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes until there is a nice crust. Trust me, these ribs fall right off the bone. If you like sauce, add the last 10-15 minutes of cooking).

 

Chicken

I hate dry chicken! Well, everyone probably hates dry chicken, but I really hate it. That usually means, I go for thighs when making this dish versus breasts or tenders. Marinate your boneless, skinless thighs in equal parts beer and your favorite bbq sauce (I prefer Stubb’s spicy) and salt and pepper, then throw on the grill. Very simple. Obviously the longer you marinate your chicken the better it will taste. I would say a minimum of 12 hours.

 

Cajun Sausage, Black Beans, and Rice

They actually serve this side dish at Pat’s BBQ in SLC. The first time I had it I loved it so much, I just had to try to recreate it. It is pretty much a staple every time we make bbq at our house. Take 3 - 4 cajun sausage links and cut into one inch pieces. Pour a little bit of olive oil  in a pot. Brown your sausage then add in a can of black beans (juice and all). I usually get seasoned black beans for this dish. Simmer for about 20 minutes and serve over white rice. When I make my rice, I add in about a teaspoon of the rib rub. Tastes good!

 

And last, but not least Broccolini

To make this yummy side, toss broccolini in olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

After we ate, John went into a food coma. He loved everything so much that he just kept eating. Then he was a little bit miserable and just had to lay there for a while. It was pretty funny! Can’t wait for summer, so I can make more BBQ!