SUPER BOWL SUNDAY

Sunday is the biggest football day of the year.  It is the one day that everyone sits in front of the TV and watches the Super Bowl. It’s the day when husbands sit and hang with their friends, eat lots of food that is bad for them, and it’s the one game day that no wife in America complains about - she either joins in on the fun and the festivities or she leaves him totally alone.

Super Bowl in the Green household was always huge; Irwin always liked the playoff games more, because he felt the teams always worked harder to make the Super Bowl and those games were the best, but when Super Bowl finally came around we always had a house full of people, and the menus always changed.  They came to watch the game, but mostly for the food and friendship.

Last year I did not watch the Super Bowl or pay much attention to who was playing; I was too busy being submerged in my own grief at the time.  Well more than a year has passed since Irwin passed away and things are much different for me than they have ever been.  I have a thriving business, family, and many friends (old and new)which I am blessed to have in my life. I write a fantastic food blog, get up every day, function, and have learned to take care of myself.

The loneliness and missing Irwin lessens every day, but the love inside of me that I have for Irwin will always be there and my memories are embedded deep inside my mind.  There is not a person alive who can take any of that away from me.

Next Sunday I am spending the day at my parent’s house with people who I care about and who matter; those who do not matter will not be there.  Family and friends, new and old, who have been caring and supportive over the past year, and most of all people I care about.   After careful menu planning with my nephew who happens to be a huge foodie, we have decided on the following menu to be washed down with cold beer for the adults and much tamer drinks for the minors.

So let’s go Giants, and anyone who cares to be part of my Super Bowl tradition and have some fantastic food, the party is at Madeline & Mike’s house! Everyone knows they always have had an open door policy; everyone is always welcome!

Enjoy the game, stay safe, and please don’t drink and drive…

LET’S GO GIANTS

Mile High Dry Ribs

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup chili powder 
1/2 cup paprika 
1 tablespoon white pepper 
1 tablespoon black pepper 
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 
1/4 cup brown sugar 
2 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoon onion powder

Yellow mustard

4 cups apple juice

BBQ sauce to taste

3 slabs ribs

DIRECTIONS

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

To prepare the ribs, remove the membrane from the back side of the ribs. Coat the entire racks of ribs with yellow mustard. Then coat the ribs with dry rub. Coat well, and then shake off excess.
Let the rib marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, wrapped in plastic.
Take ribs and unwrap from plastic wrap.   Preheat the oven to 250F.  Place ribs in a roasting pan and put in the oven, cover tightly with tin foil.  Roast for about 5-6 hours, until ribs are soft and almost falling off the bone.

Take the ribs out of the oven and place on hot grill  or under a broiler.  Grill for about 10 minutes, on each side and baste with BBQ Sauce, keep basting so ribs become dark and glazed.  You should keep them on the grill or under a broiler for about 20 minutes total time.  Turning and basting as you go along (ten minutes on each side).  Everything should be on high heat. 

Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 8 pound bone-in pork picnic shoulder
• 1/3 cup freshly cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons granulated garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated onion powder
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup hot dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup hickory chips, prepped, method follows
• mop sauce, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Let rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 hours. In a small bowl, combine black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, dry mustard and cayenne. Rub mixture all over the pork.
Arrange the oven racks in the middle and lower parts of the oven and preheat to 225 degrees F. Put a sheet tray on the lower rack and the pork directly on the middle rack, uncovered. Put the cast iron pan with the hickory chips on the floor of the oven. Remove the chips after 2 hours of cook time. The entire cooking time will be 8 to 10 hours.
Apply mop sauce every hour throughout the cooking time.
In the last hour of cook time, remove pork, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil and return to the oven for 1 more hour. Remove the pork from the oven to a work surface. Let rest until cool enough to pull the pork from the bones.

Hickory Chip Directions:

Soak the chips submerged in water for 15 minutes. While chips are soaking, preheat a 9-inch cast iron pan on the stove top over medium heat until it is ash-white hot. Remove chips from the water and add to the cast iron pan. Put the pan on the bottom floor of the oven for the first 2 hours of pork cooking time.

Mop Sauce:

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and reserve.

For Slaw:

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon horseradish
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

Directions

1 head cabbage, cored, tough leaves removed and shredded
2 small carrots, shredded
Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add the cabbage and the carrots and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for1 hour.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

INGREDIENTS 

COARSE SALT AND GROUND PEPPER

1 POUND ELBOW PASTA, COOKED AND DRAINED

4 TABLESPOONS BUTTER

1 SMALL ONION, CHOPPED

¼ CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR SPOONED AND LEVELED

4 CUPS MILK

1/8 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER (OPTIONAL)

1 ¼ CUPS (5 OUNCES) SHREDDED YELLOW CHEDDAR CHEESE

8 OUNCES HAM DICED INTO ½ INCH PIECES

2 SLICES WHITE SANDWICH BREAD 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375F.  Cook pasta and drain; reserve.  Meanwhile in a 5 quart heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat.

Add onion; cook stirring occasionally until softened. 3 to 5 minutes.  Whisk in flour to coat onion.  In a slow steady stream, whisk in milk until there are no lumps.

Cook whisking often until mixture it thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in cayenne, if using and 1 cup each yellow and white cheddar cheese, season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Toss pasta with cheese mixture fold in ham.

Transfer to a 9 by 13 inch baking dish or individual dishes.

Using a food processor, process bread until large crumbs form.  Toss together with remaining ¼ cup each with and yellow cheddar, and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Top pasta with breadcrumb mixture.  Bake until top is golden about 30 minutes.