Today's Quiz

So which of the following was this week's biggest hit at the castle, the recipe I'll definitely be making again?  Was it

these jam-filled muffins?

Was it this shortcake topped with

blueberries and home-grown peaches?

Was it these oven-barbecued spareribs?

Was it . . . wait a minute.

Was it this three-berry freezer jam, made with home-grown strawberries, blackberries, and store-bought raspberries?

I'll give you a minute.

(Idle whistling.  Whistle whistle whistle.)

Ready?

You sure?

If you guessed jam-filled muffins -- nah.  Too much muffin, not enough jam, even though the jam kind of oozed out the sides of the muffins.  Not bad, but not stellar.

Did you guess the fruit-topped shortcake?  This was definitely tasty, but I am still auditioning shortcake recipes.  I believe this is the fifth so far this summer.  No worries, friends, I will bravely soldier on.

The spareribs?  Ding ding ding ding, we have a winner.  I loved these.  They came from a children's cookbook but I am not ashamed.  They were simple, tasty, foolproof.  I love that in a recipe.

The cute little table runner is a demonstration of my current obsession, using up fabric scraps to match flowers from the garden.  Yesterday Kahuna spotted yet another little tabletop trivet and announced, "You are dangerous."  Yes indeedy that's me.  The dangerous little scrap hoarder.

The three-berry freezer jam, just finished, tastes promising but is still runny, even after the recommended 30-minute wait time.  It may debut as ice cream sauce rather than jam.  Nummy either way.

Here, then, is my favorite of the week.  I'd love to hear about yours.

OVEN BARBECUED SPARERIBS
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth (I used powdered bouillon mixed with water)
1 t. ground ginger
1 rack pork spareribs (3 - 4 pounds)

In bowl, mix sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chicken broth, and ginger.  Cut rack of ribs into manageable pieces and place in large plastic zipper bag (gallon size).  (The ribs I bought were not quite 3 pounds so they all fit into one large bag; if you buy more ribs, you may need to use a second bag.)  Pour in the marinade and let soak four hours or overnight, turning occasionally if you think about it. 

When ready to cook, heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet (or two, if you need to) with foil and place ribs on foil.  (Throw out marinade at this point.)  Bake for one hour.  Cut to the bone to make sure meat isn't pink on the inside.  If it is, bake 15 more minutes.  (Mine was done after one hour.)  Cut into individual ribs before serving.