A Rush of Culinary Ambition

I was feeling a rush of culinary ambition the other day. In order to feed that ambition, I made homemade ribs for the first time in my life. Along with those ribs, we had Roasted Pine Nut salad with an orange vinaigrette and Pumpkin Cream Trifle for dessert. Why the big meal, you ask?
I realized that a guy I went to high school with is stationed here at Ft. Bragg. Kyle Simon is a captain in the area of Civil Affairs. I haven't seen him in over 10 years!!! We all had a nice night filled with conversation and yummy food. Here's what I made....

First was BBQ ribs...
I know this looks odd, but they were extremely good! The ribs are under all the fruit and veggies you see in the picture. There's orange juice, beer, apples, oranges, sage, and a jalapeno in there. You simmer it for about an hour and a half. Then, brush it with the homemade BBQ sauce. Throw them on the grill for 7-10 minutes on each side. They come out looking like this...

They were OH SO delicious!

I made a Pumpkin Cream Trifle for dessert....even Brandon could eat it! It was also super delicious! It was as tasty as it was pretty!