so i had to do some master planning for my meals this week.  the fourth of july was on monday.  i am not eating meat on mondays.  solution……my fourth of july feast on sunday!   i decided to grill in good ol’american fashion.  one of my favorite bbq items is ribs.  i also find this ironic considering my 5 years of vegetarianism and now one of my favorite items to eat is using my teeth to tear off meat from bones.  yay baby!  i had to consult dad about whether to marinate or not to marinate ribs.  following his advice i dry rubbed the ribs with a mystery seasoning that i had concocted some time ago and had no idea what was in it, and allowed them to get to room temp.

while all that was going on i put together my side dishes for the night.  coleslaw, as well as pea and macaroni salad.  i know i am totally channeling my father when i look down at a dish and think ” there is not enough color.  i should add paprika!”

pea salad with a splash of color

then came time to set up my grill.  this was highly entertaining.  4 trips in totally to get all needed equipment downstairs to the front stoop.  grill, charcoal starter, charcoal, newspaper, lighter, tongs, sauce, brush,  plate with meet, extra plate for cooked meat, and a can of pbr.  i have come to terms with the concept that my neighbors find my entertaining and totally corky.  from planting container gardens on both the front and back stoops to working on art projects outside and now with elaborate grill set-up.

grill set-up (why yes that is an official graceland beer cozie)

grilling always goes faster than i think but when i am in the processes of it, grilling never goes fast enough.  i’m also overly paranoid about turning my meat into giant chunks of charcoal so i have a tendency to turn my meat a little too often.  ribs get me excited.  over the last few years i have actually developed a “rib  voice”  that only comes out when talking about, cooking, or eating ribs.

after the bug bites, the patiently waiting, the heat, and the multiple trips to the stoop and back it was totally worth it my fourth of july feast was finger licking good.  and to top it all off for dessert i had homemade ginger-jack peach pie!

fourth feast

my first peach pie