Foodie

I am a self proclaimed FOODIE! And Proud of it! My slight obsession with food and new restuarants is fine with me! I love to go out to new establishments, but some of the big chains are my favorites. This weekend I was persuaded by the TV to go to Olive Garden and try their "New Limited Time Only" special. I believe it was the Parmesan P0lenta Crusted Chicken! It was fabulous (as usual) and fattening (as usual). I love Olive Garden because my parents would take me and I would get to spend time with both of them and if I lived closer to my Pappy(My Daddy) he would have me there about once a month. One of my favorite restuarants in my current location is Asiago's. They have a WONDERFUL lunch time menu that is cheap. I would not advise anyone to go unless they have a hour and half lunch break because the staff is kind of on the slow side. But the food is wonderful! From the bread, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and cheese to the fabulous pasta dishes- I assure you it is worth your time.



When I get home from work I like for dinner to be almost done. I hate walking thru the front door knowing that there is nothing in the oven. So lately I have been trying to crock pot at least a dinner a week. Last week I bought some ribs and gave them a go! I used a nice little recipe that I found in the Betty Crocker Crockpot Cook book and modified it to my liking. The recipe called for about 3 1/2 pounds of rib but since I am a single gal living alone (and had no dinner guests) I cooked a smaller portion. First you rinse off your ribs and rub them with a garlic, brown sugar and seasoning and place them in the crockpot. Next, poor about 1/2 cup of coca cola in the crockpot, turn it on low, put the lid on for 8 hours and go to work! I used beef ribs (the recipe called for pork). When I got home from work, I poured out the liquids and mixed up a quick batch of my homemade bbq sauce (ask me for the recipe if you are interested) and dumped it in the crockpot and let it simmer for about an hour. I must admit that the ribs on the first day were not perfect. I could still taste the garlic and was not impressed with my ribs. I had the ribs again the next day and boy let me tell you, they were great! I guess sitting in the bbq sauce over night was like a wonderful little marinade because I sure did enjoy those tasty ribs!