I hope you all have a safe and bountiful harvest season... Although every spring during planting season I declare that my favorite time of the year, I truly think harvest is it. We can all breathe a little sigh of relief that another growing season is in the books.
Harvest is in full swing for us here. We got started picking corn yesterday afternoon - obviously when I say "we" I mean my farmer. I watch from afar snapping pictures and making sure that dinner is ready when he gets home. I have this dream of bringing dinner to the field. Hauling everything out there, setting up a table and having dinner there for my farmer and his dad - I think they would both look at me like I was crazy if I did that. They would both rather eat when they get home. Do people still eat dinner in the fields on your farm?
Sometimes dinner is fairly reasonable during harvest (8:30) last night. And sometimes dinner is much much later. Sometimes when it's extremely late I eat first, but regardless if I do or not I am always up and always have dinner on the table when he walks in the door. I realize that in a few years from now things will be busier and it might not always happen just like that, but during busy times this is the only conversation that I have with my farmer. So while some days I might choose sleep over staying up and hanging out with him - its not going to be anytime soon.
SO I am always cooking a fairly easy yet filling dinner for my farmer during harvest. We usually try to eat your usual healthy fish, chicken and salads, etc at least a couple of times a week (sometimes followed by pizza) But I can't imagine giving him salmon and broccoli when he gets in from the field. He needs something more filling so he sleeps all night for the long next day ahead.
Enter Oven Baked Ribs...
I got this recipe from my sweet sister in law, Melissa. She is a busy mamma to four little kiddos and my brother owns his own tiling business, so he is always working super late. Somehow she manages to do it all. I hope I learn a thing or two from her.
And she puts recipes on recipe cards..... I love that and have since been trying to do that - even my pinterest recipes.
Place ribs on aluminum foil and sprinkle a little salt and pepper.
Apply generous amount of olive oil.
And a generous amount of barbecue sauce.
Cover tightly with foil and place in casserole dish. Bake on 400° for 2 hours.
They literally fall off the bone.
In addition to the ribs I made cheesy hash brown potatoes. My farmer literally said "what did I do to deserve this". It was SO funny. We normally would opt for maybe some roasted potatoes but I wanted to kick harvest off with a bang. PLUS these are so easy to make up as soon as I get home from work and pop them in the oven about an hour or so before I think he will be home. This recipe also came from my sister in law, Melissa.
I chop one small onion and shred 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese. I always always always shred my own cheese... Do it, I promise you will not be disappointed. it tastes so much better.
Add the onion and cheese to 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 2 pounds of thawed shredded hash browns, 1/4 cup butter and 12 ounces of sour cream and salt and pepper.
Mix all together.
Spread in a casserole dish, top with corn flakes and 1/4 cup of melted butter.
Bake in 350 ° oven for 45 minutes. (I usually end up cooking it for close to an hour)
I promise we had this really delicious green salad while I was waiting for the potatoes to finish up. I just failed to get a picture. Meat and potatoes, every farm wives staple during harvest.
See that big pile of apples... I'm making apple crisp tomorrow night.
Cheesy
Hash Brown Casserole
2
pounds of thawed hash browns
½
cup melted margarine
Salt
and pepper
1
can cream of chicken soup
12
oz. sour cream
2
cups grated cheddar cheese
2
cups of corn flakes
My people have always been raisers of cattle rather than grain, but when we used to cut hay we went through a similar exercise every year. That is, the old boy and I would be cutting, raking and baling hay into small squares, and then have the backbreaking job of loading, carting and stacking it. Because we would always cut hay in early-mid summer, often we stopped wok during the hottest part of the day and then got back into it from about 4pm to about 9pm. I can tell you, coming in for a solid restorative dinner (and also a shower to wash off the dust and the dry grass) was positively heavenly. Oh to have had this ribs recipe at the end of days like that!
ReplyDeleteAs the main combine driver, I would welcome you to come set up your table along my field for supper. ;) I try to start something in the crockpot or have something already prepared in the fridge that my boys can heat up for supper while they do their chores. These ribs look wonderful!! Thanks for linking up to the Country Fair Blog Party!!
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