Late Summer Feast!

If you live in Baltimore, you know that you can't live without a roof deck. It is the way to 'get away' from the noise and the grit of the city. You can watch the sun set over the skyline while sipping a cocktail and you know that's what life is all about.

One summer night recently, my beau and I invited over R and her significant other for a summer feast on the roof deck. We had ribs, un-baked beans, homeade mac and cheese, and a summer salad.

I cooked the ribs in the oven low and slow, I think about 300 degrees for a few hours. Alton Brown has a great recipe online. For the beans, I soaked a bag of beans over night, and then simmered them in a pot, with some bacon, smashed garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and some onions, until tender, adding more water as necessary while they cooked. The mac and cheese was just a thick cheese sauce (made with milk, cheddar, garlic powder) over some rotini pasta. I topped the casserole with parmesan cheese and homeade breadcrumbs. I think homeade breadcrumbs really make this dish and are not much extra work. You just throw a couple of pieces of regular old sandwich bread and a couple of cloves of garlic into the food processer and pulse until its the consistency of, well, breadcrumbs! Then I like to take it a step further and throw them in a big pan with some butter until they are golden and crisp! Hey, go big or go home! I think Paula would be proud of this one...

I definitely dove into that salad before I remembered to take a picture... In any event, it was a memorable night, with beloved friends and delicious food.
--S