One of the favorite foods at most cook outs are ribs and tenderness is a major part of the enjoyment! No one likes to bite into a rib and have to chew and chew just to get it off the bone, this recipe works for either pork or beef ribs, and everyone will want to know how you made them so tender.

To make ribs that are fall of the bone tender, boil them first in beer, or if you have a problem cooking with alcohol, use water with a couple of teaspoons of yeast. The yeast breaks down the meat, causing the tenderness. I found out about this secret when I had ribs at a friends cookout one year, they were by far the best ribs I had ever eaten, I asked her the secret and she told me to boil them in beer first.

Cooking in alcohol removes the alcoholic content, but some people still have a problem with the idea of using alcohol to cook with, so yeast works just as well.  (It is after all the yeast in the beer that does the trick!)

Boil the ribs in the beer or yeast water for about two hours, then place in a baking pan, cover with bar-b-que sauce and refrigerate until ready for use.

You can also prepare these in the oven or even in an electric skillet.  In the oven, broil them approximately 10 minutes, coating with sauce and turning after 5 minutes, since they are already cooked, it is just a process of flavoring them with the sauce.

To cook ribs in an electric skillet, turn the skillet to simmer, put ribs in pan and cover, do not open the vent, this allows them to cook in their own steam. Cook them for a couple of hours turning after the first hour, and coat with sauce after you turn them. Enjoy!

Natural meat products are a hot topic in the food industry these days. You’ve probably seen it at your supermarket, labeled in a number of ways. It may state “all natural”, “organic” “minimally processed” or “no artificial ingredients”. Although the different labeling makes for a confused consumer, nonetheless the natural meat market has grown from just over $100 million in 1996 to about $3 billion today.

High-end restaurants, big chains and small neighborhood cafes are all jumping on the natural meat bandwagon. Consumer demand, safety and health concerns are driving this market.

There’s no question that truly natural meat is superior in flavor, tenderness and has a definite clean taste and texture. The difference is outstanding, and is worth the higher price.

Animals grown for the natural meat market are “free-range” which means they are given lots of room to roam. They are not kept in crowded pens or forced indoor living quarters. Free-range animals are not given antibiotics or growth hormones. If the free-range label does not state “no growth hormones or antibiotics”, ask your butcher to be sure. Raising animals in open spaces and feeding them quality foods, such as whole grains and organic (pesticide-free) grass costs the producer more, so the price at the market will be higher.

Natural meat is better for your health and safety. It stands to reason that the growth hormones and antibiotics with which meat has been injected is going to enter your body when you consume the meat.

There have been cases of cancer diagnosed in humans which were determined to be “hormone driven” which means the cancer may have resulted from hormones consumed in meat and dairy products. This makes a strong case for a switch to natural meat.

There are also concerns with the antibiotics fed to animals that may lead to reduced effectiveness of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor.

Animals fed with animal by-products pose the risk of Mad Cow Disease, a wasting disease of the brain. This single fact has given the natural meat market a big boost in consumer demand.

The confusion caused by variations in labeling needs to be addressed. Definitions do not accompany the label, so it’s hard to know what “organic” means as opposed to “all natural”. How about “minimally processed”? That evidently means “not enhanced”! The meat industry is working to straighten out the confusion with some straightforward meaningful labeling.

Until they do, when looking for natural meat, ask your butcher. He knows his suppliers and can tell you whether it contains growth hormones or antibiotics, and if the animal was fed animal by-products.

Try a free-range turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll taste the difference!

If you are looking for a real challenge, go from cooking for a family of six, to cooking for two, the kids are off to college, or have their own families. However, you still find yourself with enough leftovers for an army!  What do you do? Well, you reduce your portions and make smaller amounts of food.

Cooking for two is also a great weight loss help, because now you have no extra food, only extra portions. The place to start for this is in the market, choose foods that are easy to divide or come in sizes that are made for one or two. Chops, chicken pieces, steaks, sausage, hamburger and fish fillets are a good place to start.

If you miss the old standby roast, get the smallest one you can, then if it is still too big, divide it into two pieces and freeze one for later use. Leftover roast is great in soups
and stews too, and again it eliminates leftovers.

It is easy to buy fresh fruits and veggies by the piece, except in the case of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and even lettuce. There are ways around this: Buy broccoli and cauliflower in stir fry packages, you can take out whichever one you want and save the rest for later.

Lettuce comes in packages prepared for salads now, and shredded cabbage for cole-slaw is great for corned beef and cabbage.  Whenever you can, buy the smaller packages, as cooking for two does not require large quantities. However, this isn’t always the best way to go if you are on a budget.

Cooking for two requires a great deal more planning ahead; for instance, plan to use extra canned vegetables in a soup or stew.  Once again, most vegetables are available frozen, in which case you can remove the amount you need and leave the rest frozen.

Creativity and advanced planning are the main requirements for cooking for two. It requires smaller portions, but you will find it extremely cost effective when you finally get it down to a fine art.