Short Ribs and Cupcakes

I made short ribs and cupcakes today. I loved prepping all the vegetables, it was such a nice variety. The short ribs we used weren't as trimmed as others I've gotten. I tried to trim down the fat a little myself, but I wished the butcher would have done a better job trimming them. It was a lot of steps, roasting, sauteeing, boiling, baking, more boiling. But the slow cooked flavor you get from all of that is hard to get any other way. The vegetables, though very soft, were so flavorful; layers and depths of flavor. I did cook it for 3.5 hours instead of just 2 because I wanted the meat to really fall off the bone (again, could have been a problem with the cut). Everyone liked them although they all said they liked my Braised Short Ribs better, and I think I have to agree. It's an easier recipe (all in the crock-pot) with amazing results. These were awfully good though.


Sauteeing all the veggies in lots of olive oil.

Added the wine (we use a $3.00 variety from the liquor store and it works beautifully) and herbs (lucky enough to get rosemary from one of Sara's bushes).


The finished ribs.



The cupcakes were soooooo good. I thought the recipe was easy, I was careful to not overbake, and dipping them in the ganache was easier then spreading frosting. I made one cupcake without the instant coffee and the rest with so we could taste and compare. In a blind taste test, my family said they could tell a big difference. Josh said, even though he couldn't taste the coffee, the ones without tasted boring in comparison. I have to agree. I was skeptical that it would make a difference, but it did.