I made short ribs for the first time this weekend

Often I resort to chicken legs, sloppy joes, and the like to feed the family fast. I feel good about not using frozen or canned meals. But, I’ve recently decided I want to cook more interesting things. This weekend’s choice was short ribs. I’ve only seen these at restaurants and had never even seen them in a store. My rib adventure was a success!

I chose the short rib recipe from Rachael Ray’s Big Orange Book. This cookbook is great! It has lots of pictures and a nice mix of easy and challenging recipes. It also has recipes that can be used for all types of meals and times of days.

This recipe includes two sides: creamy polenta and beets. I found out the beets are $3.99 each now, so I chose to use canned beets. Since I didn’t need to roast them like the recipe suggests, I chose to add them in to the pot with the carrots and onions. I also couldn’t find polenta at the store, so I used grits. Other than these changes, I followed the recipe you can find at this link on Rachael Ray’s site.

The ribs were tender and juicy. They didn’t fall off the bone though, which was nice because they retained a nice texture. The vegetables held up well and were a nice crisp tender. Adding the beets in to the meal made them a little colorless, so I’d add them later in the process or buy the fresh ones she suggests. I will definitely be making this recipe again. Here’s to good eating.

Searing the short ribs

This recipe calls for carrots and onions

The finished short ribs

Plated short rib recipe