End of Summer

You know, I always look forward to a 3 day weekend but this being Labor Day weekend can only mean one thing - Summer is coming to an end! Kids are back to school, there is a chill in the air, so we have to enjoy the nice days while we can. And today was one of those days:

Plenty of sun and about 70 degrees = Barbecue Bash

The original plan was to smoke a pork shoulder (had an 8 pounder in the freezer) but I forgot to take it out in time so Sunday morning it was still a brick. This was taking longer to defrost than a Thanksgiving turkey! So the next best things to smoked pork? The BEST Ribs Ever of course. That was the main course and we recruited plenty of friends to enjoy the day and bring all the sides. Here is what we had:

menu
appetizers
homemade guacamole
shrimp cocktail (Johnny)
johnny's famous bloody mary's
entree
Best Ribs Ever
potato salad (Cindy)
johnny's sesame coleslaw
baked beans, spicy and mild (Karen)
fresh sweet corn (Rindy - fresh from the garden)
dessert
chocolate zucchini bundt cake with ganashe (Kristen)
homemade whipped cream (Rindy)

guacamole
ingredients
2-3 haas avocados
juice from 1 lemon
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 red onion, diced

6-9 splashes of Tabasco

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 small plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

directions

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. Dig the flesh

out and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice from the

lemon over the avocados (to prevent browning), add the garlic, onion, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Using 2 knives (going in opposite directions) slice the avocado mixture, leaving chunks of avocado. Add the tomatoes and mix with fork.

BEST Ribs Ever (click to find recipe for ribs and johnny's sesame coleslaw)

chocolate zucchini bundt cake with ganashe

(recipe courtesy of Zoe Bakes)

ingredients

2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour, scoop and sweep

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar, well packed

¾ cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup plain yogurt

2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini, tightly packed

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate,

melted and cooled to room temperature

Confectioners’ sugar for the top of the cake

Note - we used a chocolate ganashe instead

Preheat oven to 350° F

Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt Pan , set aside.

Cut the tops and bottoms of the zucchini off, and

then cut into quarters. Remove the seeds if they are

large and at all tough. This was only necessary for the

child-sized squash, when I picked them early and they

were a reasonable size I didn’t have to remove the seeds.

Use a Box Grater or the grater attachment for a Food Processor

Sift together the flour, soda, salt and cocoa powder, set aside.

In a stand mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar using the paddle attachment, until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the oil, until it is evenly distributed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the yogurt in 3 additions each.

Remove from the mixer and stir in the grated zucchini until it is evenly distributed.

Stir in the melted and cooled chocolate.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about one hour

or until a tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in the

pan until nearly room temperature, you should be able to

comfortably handle it.

In the meantime make the ganashe and let cool. Pour over cooled cake and serve with whipped cream. Tasty!!!!

This turned out to be quite a spread and a great meal to end the summer party season!

After eating, Steve got a fire blazing in his fire pit and we hung out, listening to music, telling tall tales and having a great time.

 Some of us did not make it the entire night!

See you next week.

Cheers from the Gang!