My Adventures in Cooking: Mixed-Rub Ribs

So, it's been a hot minute since I updated.  In my defense, I've been very busy.  Working 30 hours a week, going through finals (I got A's in both Remote Sensing and GIS though, yay!), and working on my thesis is no cakewalk.

But tomorrow is Memorial Day, and since I have no soldiers to cook for, I decided I'd make myself a festal (pair of) meal(s) to cheer myself up.

First, be awed by my incredible thriftiness:

 

But wait - there's more -

So, when was the last time YOU saved $15.42 on your groceries?!

 I got peaches for $0.88 a pound, and a "personal" watermelon for $1.88.  I'm excited for them...will probably have them for dinner since I'm so full.  But more of that later.

 This is my secret wing sauce.  I'm still perfecting the recipe.  Once it's perfect I may share it, but it's not perfect yet, and I won't share it til it is!!

 All that meat for $5!!  I love sales!

 Mmm...yum!

 I decided to try mixing a dry rub and a "wet" one, to see what it would taste like.  So this is a little bit of my wing sauce.

 My dry rub.  This one is a secret that is coming with me to my grave!

 Yeah...that bit was a little gross.  But I covered it with foil and put it in the oven for 3 hours at 300F.

 I love wings.

 I LOVE wings!

 Also, marinating in separate bags is awesome, because you only have to cook a little at a time.  How perfect?

 My new favorite Brussels sprouts recipe.

 So there weren't as many sprouts left in the bag as I thought (and a couple had bugs, ew), so I had to add a little something.

 Luckily, I had some asparagus I'd forgotten about, so I chopped half of it up and threw it in too.

 It tastes SO good - but it's SO messy!!!

 Is that awesome or what?

 I mean really, how do you get better than that?

 Oh yeah, once it's cooked.  Mmm...so delicious!

 Mashed potato time!

 I love this mixer - and it cost me TEN DOLLARS!  I've paid more than that for a roast!

 Most invaluable tip to new cooks: clean up as you go along!  It makes SUCH a difference.

 Now, is that a tender cocoon of awesomeness or what?!

 Getting it out of the pan and onto the plate was pretty nerve-wracking, but I managed it.

 Look.  At.  That.

 Mmm...so delicious.  SO delicious!

 Asparagus was great in this recipe, I gotta add it again.

 ...there are no words.

 Except for "mmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmMMMMmmmmm"!!!

 It all fell off the bones!  So I removed them from the plate.

 Those bones are picked clean.

 This was so rich and so fatty I had to start drinking diluted lemonade just to cut the fat.  Finally, I understand what they're always talking about on Chopped!

 Pretty much says it all.

So...after all that, guess what I'm going to do?  Goodnight!