Anne gave me props for my cooking

First off- Dave Matthews Band. "Hello Again." Great song. Get the live version with the frackin' crazy awesome drum solo in it.

Anyway, onto the meat and potatoes of the post (HA ha...)

I made this awesome dinner for Anne tonight. She and I loved it! I was a little worried while cooking it, but it tasted really good! She said I should register daveisamastercook.com. Here's a quick recipe so you can try it too:

(all hyperlinks are unique, and irrelevant ... as usual)

Chili-Orange Country-Style Ribs

Prep: 15 min; Bake 2 hr; 4 Servings

Ingredients:
3 - 4 lb pork boneless country-style ribs (I just used pork chops. Wrong cut, but it worked fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade (I know! MARMALADE?!?)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Place meat in pan, sprinkle both sides with salt, marjoram & pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
3. Bake 1 hr 30 mins; drain.
4. While baking, mix chili sauce, marmalade, Worcestershire sauce & mustard in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until flavors are blended. Stir in chives. Brush or spoon over meat. Re-foil and continue baking.
5. Bake uncovered 15 min. Brush or spoon again with sauce. Bake 10 - 15 min longer or until glazed. Serve with remaining sauce.
   

Twice-Baked Potatoes

Prep: 1 hr 35 mins; Bake 20 min; 8 Servings

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes (I did this with medium sized taters (creepy) and they worked fine)
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Steps:

1. Pre-heat to 375. Gently scrub potatoes, but do not peel. Pierce (I know. Different spelling) potatoes several times with fork to allow steam to escape while potatoes bake.
2. Bake 1 hr 15 min.
3. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut lengthwise in half (parallel to the flat sides); scoop out inside into a bowl, leaving a thin shell. Scoop out potatoes using a soup spoon leaving about a 1/4 inch shell. Mash potatoes in bowl with masher or mixer until no lumps remain. Add milk sparingly.
4. Add butter, salt & pepper; beat vigorously until potatoes are light and fluffy and like a little piece of heaven. (I added that last part) Stir in cheese and chives. Fill potato shells (I like to think of them as potato boats) with mashed potato mixture. Place on cookie sheet.
5. Increase oven to 400. Bake 20 min.

The key is to start both dishes at about the same time. Get the meat in first and then wash and start the taters before moving onto the meat rub. Everything should be easy after that if you keep good time. Serve with a few orange slices on the side for some originality. It'll really match your pork.

So if you give this a whirl, let me know how it works out. Make it for your significant other. S/he'll love it!*

* Results may vary. This is not a guarantee. Void in Alaska and Hawaii.