Sunday best

Here I am!  Not lost, just delayed Dear Reader.  Just busy living and working and now, very happily, on vacation for one glorious week!  Yipee!  I have been in slow motion all weekend doing my usual domestics etc. and enjoying the leisurely pace.  Here it is Sunday night and I don't have my usual case of "sundayitis".  A welcome change for this girl!  Tomorrow I plan on getting up and making a cherry cake and a tomato tart. The puff pastry and butter are defrosting as we speak, (so to speak).  I plan on sharing these with you tomorrow.  How's that for relaxed?
 
As well as baking tomorrow, I will be packing for a trip to our nation's capital!  I know I will have lots to share with you later this week.  We are staying near the Byward Market and a hop, skip and a jump from the Parliament buildings.  I have read a lot about the market and can't wait to wander from vendor to vendor.  We are thinking about going to the Royal Canadian Mint too.  We have planned a proudly patriotic trip!

It has been a mostly lazy Sunday at my house.  We have all had our noses stuck in books while we lounged in the backyard or sprawled on the sofa.  We are all readers at my house as the heap of books and magazines on the coffee table can attest to, not to mention the basket in the upstairs bathroom.

My husband spent much of the day futzing (thank you Molly for such a great word!) about with spareribs.  We created a recipe and tested it out on an enormous amount of ribs.  The marinade base was stout combined with other ingredients.  After marinating and slow cooking and basting for hours, we decided that they were good, and certainly had potential for greatness, but not quite blog worthy.....yet.  So close. 

I have made extensive notes in my recipe journal and will be tweaking this recipe for another attempt.  Stay tuned!  I did have success with a recipe for coleslaw I created to accompany the ribs.  It was creamy and tangy and crunchy and yummy.  A perfect side dish for the saucy ribs.

Cupboard Love Coleslaw

1 head of green cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, grated
3 stalks celery, diced
6 green onions, sliced thin
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Shred cabbage in food processor or alternatively, slice cabbage into thin strips.  Place grated cabbage into large bowl.   Grate carrots in food processor or by hand using a box grater and add to shredded cabbage.  Clean and dice celery and add to cabbage, carrot mixture.  Finally, clean and slice green onions and add to bowl.  Using your hands, toss coleslaw until well mixed.  In separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, mustard, white wine vinegar and lemon juice.  Whisk until well combined.  Add dressing to shredded vegetables and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.    I think next time I am going to add diced apples.  Dear Reader, if you add the apples, let me know how it was.  We're in this together!

I split the shredded vegetables into two bowls.  I dressed half the salad and reserved the remaining dressing in a mason jar as this recipe makes quite a large amount.  Dressing and vegetables will keep for a few days tightly
sealed in refrigerator to enjoy with another meal.

So Dear Reader, tonight the PVR gets a rest.  I can stay up and watch The Newsroom and True Blood ( a guilty pleasure) as my alarm will not be screeching me up and out of bed tomorrow.  Hooray for holidays!  See ya tomorrow!