Well, this post is a bit overdue, but I tried out a modified rib recipe, and I'm here to report that it was a SUCCESS!
Actually, there's nothing special about the recipe, but the method is different and I'd like to preserve it here since my baby-brain seems to preserve nothing these days.
No-Foil Oven Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients and Supplies:
-1 rack baby back ribs
-Half a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce
-Rectangular cookie sheet
-Roasting pan about the same size as the cookie sheet, roasting rack removed
-Spoon
Directions:
1. Bring ribs to room temp by warming on the counter or in the sink for a few hours.
2. Preheat oven to 300F.
3. Remove white membrane on the underside of the ribs. Usually I can get a finger or knife underneath it, grasp it with a papertowel, and remove. There are several good youtube videos if you are still confused.
4. Slather both sides with BBQ sauce and set on cookie sheet, meat side up. Cover with roasting pan.
5. Cook for 1 hr. Add oven-safe dish with 1-2 cups of water to the oven.
6. Cook for 1 more hour. Uncover. Add more BBQ sauce to the meat-side (the side that is up already).
7. Cook for 40 min. Remove from oven, rest for 10 min and eat!
A few notes: Some people like to broil at the end to get a really glazed finish. I find that it isn't necessary for our tastes. Also, you can remove the membrane and slather with BBQ and marinate for up to 24 hours before cooking.
These turn out super tender (you can eat them one-handed with a fork!!) and this method is a good starting point for other fancy things like dry rubs, etc.
Showing posts with label nontoxic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nontoxic. Show all posts
22 February 2013
20 January 2013
Dishwasher Detergent Chronicles
Well, as many of you know, I am on a slllloooowwwwww quest to rid my household of unnatural toxins. Here are my guidelines for now:
1. Use up what I have that works for me now or find a good home for it. The idea is to minimize waste.
2. Replace with well-researched options from companies who conduct themselves with morals and values that align with my own and with an emphasis on supporting local small businesses.
3. Replace with items that are effective!
4. Remember that keeping costs low is a priority, but not THE priority. Sometimes it is financially worth it, to me, to support a great company and a great product.
5. Aim for simple and homemade but no lamenting when my homemade option stinks.
6. No fretting when a good option isn't available, viable, or practical. The grand scheme of things is what matters in the long run.
So, where did I start?
Dishwasher: We didn't have a dishwasher at our old house so that was one of the first things on my mind when we moved to the 1240 House. First, I bought dishwasher cleaner. It is a small bottle with a wax seal on the top. I don't remember the exact instructions but you put it upside down over a tine and run the dishwasher empty on the hottest setting. It supposedly cleans, freshens, and disinfects. I didn't really care what kind of chemicals were in it because the only thing I find more disgusting than cleaning chemicals is other people's ick and filth. I did run three cycles on hot with copious amounts of white vinegar to make sure all of the toxic-ness from the cleaner was washed away.
As far as day-to-day detergent goes, we finally have settled with two options after SIX failed attempts. Yes, I had dirty dishes coming out of the dishwasher for a very long time because I refused to throw away the failed brands. I started with a non-toxic liquid detergent from Target that only worked about 80% of the time. We thought that maybe our older dishwasher model was just a piece of junk, but then I tried a homemade version with NO borax in it (I'm just not comfortable using Borax on food surfaces) and it did a slightly better job. Stubborn foods like avocado, cooked eggs, and some dairy never really came off so I ended up washing about 5% by hand. We also tried Seventh Generation tablets which didn't fare much better. I slowly worked through all of the non toxic liquids and tablets sold at Central Market (a local co-op type grocer) and Target. The two brands we use now that work wonders are the Honest Co Pods and the Method Smarty Dish Plus Pods. Note: none of the other Method products worked well for us!
I wish I was one of those people who was awesome about keeping track of prices, but I'm just not. Especially after so many failed attempts, I didn't care how much the pods cost once I found a kind that worked.
So preferences....I don't prefer one option over the other, in the end. I honestly haven't done much research on either company but the ingredients and packaging of the products both meet my standards. When they run out, I'll pay attention to prices, I promise!
Here's the link to the Method product on Amazon. They look to be about $0.30 each before shipping.
Method Smarty Dish Plus, Fragrance Free
And here's the Honest Co link: Honest Co Dishwasher Pods
1. Use up what I have that works for me now or find a good home for it. The idea is to minimize waste.
2. Replace with well-researched options from companies who conduct themselves with morals and values that align with my own and with an emphasis on supporting local small businesses.
3. Replace with items that are effective!
4. Remember that keeping costs low is a priority, but not THE priority. Sometimes it is financially worth it, to me, to support a great company and a great product.
5. Aim for simple and homemade but no lamenting when my homemade option stinks.
6. No fretting when a good option isn't available, viable, or practical. The grand scheme of things is what matters in the long run.
So, where did I start?
Dishwasher: We didn't have a dishwasher at our old house so that was one of the first things on my mind when we moved to the 1240 House. First, I bought dishwasher cleaner. It is a small bottle with a wax seal on the top. I don't remember the exact instructions but you put it upside down over a tine and run the dishwasher empty on the hottest setting. It supposedly cleans, freshens, and disinfects. I didn't really care what kind of chemicals were in it because the only thing I find more disgusting than cleaning chemicals is other people's ick and filth. I did run three cycles on hot with copious amounts of white vinegar to make sure all of the toxic-ness from the cleaner was washed away.
As far as day-to-day detergent goes, we finally have settled with two options after SIX failed attempts. Yes, I had dirty dishes coming out of the dishwasher for a very long time because I refused to throw away the failed brands. I started with a non-toxic liquid detergent from Target that only worked about 80% of the time. We thought that maybe our older dishwasher model was just a piece of junk, but then I tried a homemade version with NO borax in it (I'm just not comfortable using Borax on food surfaces) and it did a slightly better job. Stubborn foods like avocado, cooked eggs, and some dairy never really came off so I ended up washing about 5% by hand. We also tried Seventh Generation tablets which didn't fare much better. I slowly worked through all of the non toxic liquids and tablets sold at Central Market (a local co-op type grocer) and Target. The two brands we use now that work wonders are the Honest Co Pods and the Method Smarty Dish Plus Pods. Note: none of the other Method products worked well for us!
I wish I was one of those people who was awesome about keeping track of prices, but I'm just not. Especially after so many failed attempts, I didn't care how much the pods cost once I found a kind that worked.
So preferences....I don't prefer one option over the other, in the end. I honestly haven't done much research on either company but the ingredients and packaging of the products both meet my standards. When they run out, I'll pay attention to prices, I promise!
Here's the link to the Method product on Amazon. They look to be about $0.30 each before shipping.
Method Smarty Dish Plus, Fragrance Free
And here's the Honest Co link: Honest Co Dishwasher Pods
11 December 2012
Favorite Safety Resources
Environmental Working Group database....see what's in your products!
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/?sunscreens=1&best=1
Keeper Of The Home - a wonderful blog! Sometimes she's more extreme than I'm ready to embrace, but I highly respect the way she keeps her home.
www.keeperofthehome.org
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/?sunscreens=1&best=1
Keeper Of The Home - a wonderful blog! Sometimes she's more extreme than I'm ready to embrace, but I highly respect the way she keeps her home.
www.keeperofthehome.org
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