Thoughts today

Well it's been a couple of days since I have posted. I have been busy, but I haven't fallen off the wagon!

I succeeded with those ribs I was writing about. I used 12 ounces of really flavorful beer that had an undertone of cherries. The beer had 3 carbs for the entire pot of ribs and NO SUGAR! And, it was so good. Hubby said it was a keeper.

So, here is what I did:

In slow cooker:

1 onion, sliced
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crush in your hands
2 pounds country style pork ribs
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 cloves of garlic crushed
12 ounces robust beer, preferably with a fruit undertown

Set on high and cook for 5-6 hours.

YUMMY!!!

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Daily Thoughts

Today I am reading through a great cookbook called "500 Low Carb Recipes" by Dana Carpender. I am looking for methods as well as recipes. One specific thing I was looking for was ideas for making ribs or anything that cries out for a BBQ sauce.

Since most BBQ sauces are full of sugar, I was looking for more natural ways to sweeten tomatoes and vinegar without sugar. I didn't find the answer in the book, but I was reminded that one of our favorite ways to enjoy ribs was to cook them in a slow cooker with diet soda. The soda does 2 things. First it tenderizes the meat; it's the carbonation that does that. And, it sweetens the meat from the artificial sweetness in the soda. It doesn't really work on the stove or in the oven with diet soda because bringing aspartame to a boil makes it very bitter. But a slow cooker slowly cooks/heats it so all you get is the sweetness.

Tonight is one of our favorite local bands at a place only 1 mile away. We will eat dinner before we go, so it will be a very cheap night out.

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