A Couple of Recipes to Share

Thanks to Pinterest, I have been finding a lot of new recipes to try, encouraging me in my efforts to cook 99% of our meals at home. I am a person who likes plenty of variety in what I eat, and I am enjoying trying new recipes since I have the time to cook at home. Recently, I tried cooking ribs for the first time. Other than chicken and pork chops at times, we typically don't eat a lot of meat. However, I wanted to give this a try. They turned out great!! Ethan ate them well too, and we often have a hard time getting him to eat meats especially. He would like to live on carbs, cheese, and avocados right now. I also tried out a recipe for pumpkin dinner rolls, which complimented the meal wonderfully. I have posted the recipes below the picture as well.

FALL OFF THE BONE RIBS
www.somewhatsimple.com

Ingredients

(Makes 2 full racks of pork ribs)

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Ribs (we used pork ribs, but you can use beef if you’d like)
• Your favorite BBQ Sauce

Directions:

1. Make your rub by mixing together the brown sugar, paprika, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Trim off the excess fat from your ribs.
3. Cut and pull off the thin membrane on the underside of the ribs. (This helps it fall off the bone so much easier!) I had never done this before so it was fascinating to me!
4. Rub both sides of the ribs with the dry rub mixture. Pile it on and work the mixture into the meat as best as you can. You don’t need to do too much on the underside as most of the flavor will need to go on the meat which is on the top.
5. Wrap each rack in foil 2 times to insure no flavors drip out in the baking process. Let this marinate for several hours or in the fridge overnight. (This recipe takes patience, which is something I am working on!)

Then…
6. Bake in the oven at 220 degress for 5 hours. (Again, patience my friends.)
7. Preheat your BBQ, drench with your favorite BBQ sauce, and throw those ribs onto the grill! The meat should already be cooked so just grill them long enough to get the smoky flavor and BBQ feel.


HONEY BUTTER PUMPKIN DINNER ROLLS
www.averiecooks.com

Dough
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (bread flour may be substituted; rolls will be firmer and chewier rather than softer and fluffier; you may only need 2 cups bread flour)
2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin  pie spice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste                                                                  
Honey Butter
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey
Tip: Combine equal parts softened butter (not melted) and honey, and whisk together until fluffy and combined for serving with the rolls

Directions:

1. Dough - Add milk to a 2-cup microwave-safe measuring cup, or microwave-safe bowl.
2. Add butter and heat on high power to melt butter, about 45 seconds. Stir until butter has melted smoothly into the milk.
3. Add the egg, pumpkin puree, and whisk to combine.
4. Return measuring cup to microwave and heat for about 15 seconds to warm mixture up. This will help to activate the yeast; set aside briefly.
5. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or large mixing bowl for hand kneading, add the remaining dough ingredients, thorough optional salt.
6. Pour wet pumpkin-milk mixture over the dry ingredients.
7. Turn mixer to low speed, and knead for 5 to 8 minutes, or until dough is smooth and has come together. This is not a sticky dough and if your dough is sticky, tacky, or gloppy, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough is no longer sticky. I doubt you will need to add any, because I could have made this recipe with 2 cups flour, but went up to 2 1/4. Don't over-flour your dough because it creates rolls that are dense and heavy.
8. Turn dough out into a mixing bowl that's been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Flip dough over once so both sides are lightly greased, and cover bowl with plasticwrap.
9. Place bowl in a warm, draft-free environment until dough has nearly doubled in bulk, about 45 to 60 minutes. Do not go by time elapsed on the clock. Wait until dough has nearly doubled in size, and if it takes longer than an hour, that's fine.
10. Punch dough down and turn it out onto a nonstick surface. I spray my counter with cooking spray and don't even need to add flour.
11. Divide dough into 8 to 12 equally-sized portions, rolling each portion into a ball. I made 8 rolls and they were very generously sized. I would aim for 9 to 10 rolls. They may look skimp now but don't worry, they rise and swell very nicely.
12. Place dough balls into a foil-lined and cooking sprayed 9-inch square pan. If you would like to use an overnight or make-ahead option, after you get the rolls into the pan and covered with foil, place pan in fridge. When ready to bake, pick up with the next step below, making sure to allow the dough to come to room temp and rise nicely; it could take longer than the 45 minutes indicated below since dough is coming right out of a cold fridge.
13. Cover pan with a sheet of foil, place pan in a warm, draft-free environment until dough has nearly doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. In the last minutes of rising, preheat oven to 375F.
14. Honey Butter - Melt butter in small microwave-safe bowl, about 45 seconds on high power.
15. Add the honey and stir to combine.
16. Before baking, generously brush dough with honey butter; reserve any extra and brush it on after baking.
17. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until puffed, golden, domed, cooked through, and when tapped, the rolls should sound hollow. Allow rolls to cool in pan until they're cool enough to handle before serving. Rolls will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days. Heat in microwave for 5 to 10 seconds as necessary to recreate the just-baked taste and to soften. Finished (baked) rolls will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 6 months. I have not tried freezing this dough in the unbaked state but you could likely freeze it after step 12 and upon thawing, pick up with step 13; however I haven't tried. Nor have I tried doubling the recipe, but I imagine that would be fine. Bake in a 9x13 pan or similar.