Celebrations.com Virtual Memorial Day Potluck

Pork boneless back ribs. Pork country style boneless ribs, too. Oh, and a fantastic velvety, savory (and a little sweet) Woodchuck Summer Cider Blueberry Barbecue Sauce. Yeah, you know you want to taste them! All juicy and tender. Yes, let’s dig in.

Memorial Day is right around the corner! Are you planning your menus? I can’t say that I am yet. I’m always a last minute person. But Celebrations.com is holding a Virtual Memorial Day Potluck with appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, cocktails/beverages and desserts--so I’m sure you’ll find something that you’ll like! If you haven’t checked out Celebrations yet, you should! They have everything you’d need to think about for any celebration that comes up.

My contribution to the potluck is ribs--two kinds. We have the petite boneless pork back ribs, and the hefty boneless country style pork ribs. They’re priced reasonably, and kids love them, too. No bones to mess with. These ribs and the sauce I made got thumbs up from all four of my kids. They even wanted seconds!

The barbecue sauce is made with my favorite hard cider, Woodchuck. I used the Summer Cider for this sauce, which has a balance of cider and blueberry in it, so pairing it with fresh blueberries was a natural progression. The Summer Cider is seasonal, so if you can’t find it, go ahead and use any of the other varieties. The berries will still go beautifully with any of them. Let’s get to the recipes.

All Purpose Grilling and Smoking Rub

Makes about 1/2 cup, maybe a bit more.

2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp Kosher salt
2 1/2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
3 tsp Chinese Five Spice
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a small airtight container or zip top bag. Rub on pork, chicken or beef before grilling or smoking. (If you don’t have Chinese Five Spice, you can make your own: Combine equal parts Szechwan (or black) pepper, star anise (or anise), cinnamon, cloves, and fennel, all ground.)

To use on ribs, sprinkle some of the rub all over the ribs, and rub it in with your hands. Let the ribs sit with the rub on for a couple of hours or overnight. In the fridge!

Woodchuck Summer Cider Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Makes 3 cups. Set aside two hours total for simmering the sauce!

1 tbsp oil
4 shallots, finely minced (about 1/2 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (12 oz) Woodchuck Summer Ciders
2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen is ok, too)
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup rice vinegar (or cider vinegar)
2 1/2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp prepared horseradish
1 tbsp spicy mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cocoa
2 tsp chili powder (the seasoning blend, not plain ground chilies)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté until nice and soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the two bottles of cider and turn the heat up to high. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium high and simmer (a good bubbling action, but not a rolling boil) for about 25 minutes.

Add all remaining ingredients (blueberries through cinnamon). Stir well, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Keep it at a good simmer.

I don't have an immersion blender (I know! What am I waiting for?!) so I pureed the sauce in my blender. Do it in two batches. Hold a dish towel over the lid of the blender to catch any drips and also to hold the lid down. Puree half of the sauce for a few seconds until smooth, transfer to a bowl, and do the second half of the sauce, and add it to the already pureed sauce. It's really not as complicated as it may sound. Then again, if you have an immersion blender, it's even easier! Just get all the lumps out of the sauce--you want it velvety smooth.

Use immediately with your favorite grilled meats, or cool completely and store in the fridge.

• Don’t be scared by the ingredient list. It’s really very simple and comes together quickly.


• And homemade barbecue sauce? Hello! It’s fabulous. Your friends and family will all be impressed that you actually made it yourself, with no weird chemicals. This isn’t spicy, by the way. If you want, add some heat in whatever form you like.

To Cook The Ribs:

After you’ve rubbed the rub blend into the ribs and prepared the sauce, it’s time to cook.

We smoked the boneless back ribs for two hours total. They’re not very big, and rather small compared to the country style monster sized ribs! Cover with foil and set them aside while you wait for the other ribs to finish.

Smoke the larger country style ribs for 4-5 hours.

Get your grill ready--get the coals going and all that. When the coals ready to go, put all of the ribs on the grill and get some color and char on those babies. They don’t need much time, you’re just getting the flavor of the grill on them.

In the last few minutes, brush the barbecue sauce over the ribs, both sides. Use as much or as little as you like. We like a lot. When they’re done to your liking, remove from the grill and serve. You can serve some sauce on the side for dipping or drizzling over the top. We also do that.

Check out the other Virtual Potluck Dishes from the rest of the guests! And thank you to Celebrations.com for putting this party together!

Melissa at Celebrations: Buffalo Chicken Dip

Erin at Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts: Quinoa Salad with veggies and a lime, garlic cilantro dressing

Beth at Hungry Happenings: Patriotic Biscuits

Rowena at Aprons and Sneakers: Speck Skewers with Herb Mayonnaise and Grilled Mediterranean Aubergine Bundles with Provola

Katrina at In Katrina's Kitchen: Picnic Tablecloth Cookes

Tara at Smells Like Home: Lemon Cupcakes with Raspberry Curd Filling and Lemon Buttercream

Valerie at Une Gamine dans la Cuisine: White Chocolate Mint Cake

Tortilla Wrapped Burgers and My Weird Dog

Tortilla Wrapped Burgers. Is that a good name? I don’t know. I actually sat at my desk for a while, staring at the blank “title” field in Live Writer. It doesn’t help that I have a headache. That tends to make me stare off into space instead of concentrating. They’re burgers, shaped more like a sausage so they roll up well in the tortillas. I added fresh guacamole, sliced tomato, queso blanco, sliced shallots and cilantro to top off the taco seasoned burger/sausage-type patties. We had these over the Memorial Day weekend. Still making our way through a delicious stack of Tortilla Land tortillas in the fridge, these are a fun twist on burgers with buns.

We also watched The Hunt for Red October over the weekend. Come on, it’s a classic! When my husband and I were dating, he dragged me, kicking and screaming, to see this movie. I didn’t want to see it. I thought a root canal sounded more entertaining. But I went. Playing the sweet girlfriend role. Because that’s how you get things in return. Like cameras and shoes and shiny things. It’s all give and take.

And then I sat on the edge of my freaking seat! The cat and mouse games. The stealthy hunter, stalking it’s prey. When that sub came out of the water? Whoa. They can DO that? The good looking guys in uniforms probably helped, too.

I loved it!

Still do.

Where am I going with this? I do have a point, I promise. One of our Corgis, Hamilton, has been doing something odd lately. It’s only at night, when they go out for the last time before bed. The dogs will do their thing, and then wait on the deck to come back in. They all come right in, except Hammy. He waits to be asked back in.

Hello?! I know! Quite often, he’ll just sit there and look at us like we’re crazy. My husband started giving him titles, like “Come in, Dr. Hamilton.”

“Sir Hamilton.”

“Lord Hamilton.”

“Your Highness Hamilton.”

“General Hamilton.”

“Colonel Hamilton.”

“Admiral Hamilton.” <--He especially likes that one. Why? I have no idea. But it does have a certain ring to it, yes?

When he hears one he likes, he’ll come in. What a goof! Sooo…while we were watching Red October, we get to the scene where Ramius is addressing the crew for the first time on the voyage. Hear that whistle right at the beginning? Hammy was asleep on the floor and as soon as that whistle sounded, he was on all four paws, straight at attention. Billy looked down and said “Oh, sorry for startling you, Admiral Hamilton!”

Totally cracked us up! Was Hammy an admiral in another life? Does he watch too much TV when we’re not home? Does he just have a damn good imagination for a dog?

Not a clue. He is entertaining, though. And although he looks sort of admiral-ish in that photo, he’s not. He’s a huge, snuggly, hairy bozo. With a personality complex.

Tortilla Wrapped Burgers

These are great for those of you that don’t want to fill up on a big burger bun because you’ve been snacking on all the other goodies at your cookout. This isn't so much of a recipe, as it is a guideline. Use your own amounts and toppings according to what you like. I was going to use red onion, but it had decided to turn green, so shallot was the lucky choice for the day.

-ground beef, about a pound or so
-taco seasoning or your favorite burger seasoning
-guacamole 
-sliced tomatoes
-queso blanco, shredded, or your favorite cheese
-thinly sliced shallots (or red onion)
-fresh cilantro
-tortillas
-hot sauce

Add the taco seasoning to the ground beef and  mix well. Shape into sausage type shapes. And yes, I'm well aware of what they look like. Ha! Shhh. Quit it. Grill until they're done to your liking. Remove from the grill and set aside.

Heat the tortillas on the grill until they're warm and you get nice grill marks and delicious char marks on them. Spread each tortilla with some guacamole, add your burger next...and speaking of the burgers, we cut them in half down the middle so they didn't look like, well, you know.

So add the burger, cheese, tomatoes and all of the other goodies. Roll up and serve with something ice cold, and some crunchy corn chips. Oh, some extra guacamole on the side would be awesome, too. For the chips!

Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Steak Wraps

Grilled marinated steak, crunchy veggies, grilled pineapple, and a miso Greek yogurt sauce, all wrapped up in the most delicious grilled flour tortilla my taste buds have ever had (thank you very much, Tortilla Land!). We had this last weekend, and as I’m writing this, I find myself wishing we still had some! 

Someone asked the other day, on Twitter I believe, what everyone's favorite grilled food was. I gave it some very brief thought and answered chicken. But now I realize I can’t choose just one. I absolutely adore grilled vegetables--if you’ve never tried grilled leeks, DO IT SOON. Pure heaven! We eat way less meat than we used to, so it’s easy for us to have a big old plate of grilled veggies and a small serving of some meat. If you put a grilled steak in front of me, it makes me a very happy Elle. Simple burger? Yeah! If you add sliced garden tomatoes to that burger, you could probably get me to do almost anything. Almost.

We like to get our vegetables and fruits at a place called Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, MA. They have a huge selection of their own (and other local) fresh produce, as well as their own hormone-free and antibiotic-free chickens, Black Angus beef, and turkeys. It’s good to know that even if we do have some beef or poultry, that it’s great quality. They also make their own sausage and hot dogs! We got some killer Andouille sausage that’s going to star in an upcoming post, so stay tuned for that.

Last week, I received a box of fresh, uncooked flour tortillas from Tortilla Land. When they asked if I’d like to try some, I couldn’t say no. We love flour tortillas. You’re only limited by your imagination as to what to put in them. One of my favorite ways to have them, courtesy of Billy, is just lightly browned in a bit of oil, and then brushed with butter. Have them alongside any meal where you might want bread. So unbelievably simple, but a tasty alternative to bread! The big difference with Tortilla Land’s tortillas, is that they’re uncooked. You simply toss them in a hot pan (or on a hot grill) and after just a few seconds one each side, they’re like you made them at home. With spots of browned goodness that add flavor to each and every bite. Now fill them with something, or have them as a side, and you’ll be totally satisfied.

Tortilla Land’s tortillas are also all natural, have no trans fats, no cholesterol, and no saturated fats. What’s in them? Wheat Flour, Water, Canola Oil, Salt,and Sugar. That’s it. They’re what you would make at home yourself, only you can have them on the table faster. You know how some store bought tortillas can be thick and doughy, and kind of sweet? These are none of those. They’re addictive, especially with the little charred areas that you can get if you let them get that way, which I do.

So! While at the farm last weekend, we picked up some of their steak, which was marinated in their Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce. It was a perfect match for the tortillas.

Grilled Hawaiian Teriyaki Steak Wraps

makes 4-5 wraps

You can use your favorite marinade here. Ours just happened to be already marinated from Tendercrop Farm. Feel free to use whatever extras you like in the wraps--don't feel limited to what we used in ours. If you can't find the seasoning that I used in the yogurt sauce, you can add more sesame oil, sesame seeds, and ginger to taste.

-about 3/4 to one pound of steak, marinated for at least a couple of hours, but overnight is always better
-fresh pineapple slices
-shredded carrots
-sliced cucumber (I used 2 smallish cukes)
-sliced green onions
-hot sauce (optional)
-Tortilla Land Flour Tortillas

Miso Yogurt Sauce:
makes about 8-9 ounces

7 oz container Greek Yogurt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp light Miso
a few drops of sesame oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Toasted Sesame Ginger Seasoning

Make the yogurt sauce:
Whisk all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

Grill your steaks until done to your liking, or you can also cook them on the stove-again, till done the way you like them. Let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before you slice it. After the steak is grilled, grill your pineapple slices. They only take a few minutes. Set those aside.

Just before assembling the wraps, place the tortillas on the grill. Let them get toasty on one side, then flip them-watching carefully so you don't burn them. The charred spots just add to the overall flavor, so don't be afraid to let them get some good color! They cook very quickly.

Spread some of the yogurt sauce down the middle of the tortillas, then top with the sliced steak, carrots, cucumber, green onion, and the grilled pineapple. Drizzle with some hot sauce if you like. We like! Roll the tortillas up and serve.

BONUS: The Miso Yogurt Sauce makes a fabulous veggie dip! We dipped all of the leftover cucumber slices in the sauce and truthfully, I could enjoy just that as a snack--anytime! Try it on other sandwiches and wraps, as well.

I’m sure I’ll have more tortilla recipes coming up. When Tortilla Land’s rep, Alexis, told me that I’d probably receive enough tortillas to share with friends, she wasn’t kidding!

And just look a the gorgeous color on those tortillas. Seriously. If you can get your hands on some Tortilla Land Tortillas, you’ve got to try them!