reruns are delicious + a new twist

Today's entry features three things I have already made for you here on the blog, although one of them is a bit of a new take. That being said, all of these dishes are delicious, and I guarantee they will make you a very full and happy camper should you choose to make them!


the tried and true

Nathan and I cooked dinner over at his place last Wednesday before Top Chef and it was really great. There's a reason I've made lime cilantro coleslaw and dry rubbed ribs before— they are delicious!


orzo in pesto with yellow squash

I also gussied up some pesto sauce by serving it with orzo and summer squash sauteed with garlic and parsley in olive oil. I was initially planning on making a soup with squash, zucchini and the pesto, but I forgot to bring over my immersion blender to Nathan's so I had to improvise. If the soup sounds intriguing, you'll be pleased to know that I ended up making it a few nights later— and it was even better than I had imagined. As I learned from my makeshift orzo squash pesto dish, basil and zucchini make very good bed mates. It's a delicious combination I encourage you to try.

As for the ribs and coleslaw, I didn't really change anything this time around. I added too much salt to the coleslaw, but after an hour in the fridge, the salad mellowed, thankfully. Since we don't have a grill, we cooked the ribs in the oven at 350° for an hour. They were awesome. Bursting with flavor and nice and tender. We had plenty leftover, which made for tasty rib and coleslaw sandwiches. Mmmm.


moist and flavorful dry-rubbed ribs

I'll leave you with one last shot of glistening ribs. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them. It's going to be far too long before I can sink my teeth into a nice healthy chunk of meat. I hate my life right now.


ribs glorious ribs

dry rubbed ribs/zucchini and yellow squash with tomato sauce

dry rub barbecue

So couple of weeks ago I went home and my dad and I made dinner. My parents had ribs in the fridge, but we decided to try something new and try a dry rub recipe.

This turned out to be really easy. We used a lot of brown sugar mixed with cracked black pepper, kosher salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, nutmeg, mace and savory mix. Dad massaged the spice rub into the meat, let it sit in the fridge for an hour or two and then slowly grilled it to perfection.


that's the rub

Sweet, savory, spicy and delicious. No barbecue sauce required. I'm a girl who often hates ribs slathered in gloppy sticky sweet sauce, so these really were right up my alley.


zucchini in tomato sauce is a Cascone family favorite

We also made zucchini and summer sauce in tomato sauce. This is something my family has been making for years, and it's easy and delicious. Simply slice the zucchini and squash into centimeter thick rounds and simmer in your favorite tomato sauce. Serve with extra black pepper and grated romano cheese.


ribs, coleslaw, potato salad and slightly out of place zucchini in tomato sauce

Here's the whole dinner plate. As you can see we also had leftover coleslaw. You can also catch a glimpse of the potato salad with homemade mayo that I'll be talking about in my next post. I know that Nathan hasn't posted anything this month, but you'll all be stuck with me for at least two weeks longer. Boyfriend is off exploring Italy for the next two weeks, and I'm holding down the fort up in Harlem. Hopefully, this oppressive heat won't prevent me from keeping busy in the kitchen while he's gone!