sunday supper

'They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts'

Acts 2:46

have you ever been a part of a small group where the conversation was loud and lively, the energy light and the company enjoyable? and then... you sat down on couches and chairs in the living area and the banter changed from easy to awkward? the mood shifted from silly to serious. time to get down to the business of question asking... or far more frightening... question answering. it got quiet. and, just, weird. well, i have been there. and one thing i've noticed over the years is that those easy, light moments, more often that not, took place around the table.  there's something about gathering together, partaking of good food and great wine, that draws our hearts into deeper camaraderie and connection.  there is an ease of conversation... yes, even while shoveling big bites of food from a fork into your mouth... that exists at the table.  and i think that ease helps pave the way to a freedom, a familiarity, that makes the questions more authentic and the answers more honest. 

we have loved creating, or rather really just facilitating and allowing, those moments to happen at our table over the years. 

i wish we had thought to capture them all on film ages ago.  all those dinners, all those moments, each precious evening full of (massive amounts of) laughter and even some tears.  alas, 10+ years ago social media hadn't hit the scene quite yet. no instagram. no blogs.  but... better late than never! this feature, Sunday Supper, is an attempt to capture as many of those gatherings as we can from here on out. in addition, i plan to share my tips for throwing last minute gatherings, both large and small.  i've learned some pretty helpful tricks along the way... some from older, wiser friends, and some just from experience (hard learned lessons mostly of the i'll-do-THAT-differently-next-time variety). each will be a little different from the next, although, as you'll see, similarities will abound.

you will come to know my husband, Brian Ray, as Chef. the one in the whites. the rest of us (literally who ever happens to be walking through the kitchen when Chef needs something RIGHT THEN) are the sous-chefs. we shop, chop, stir, and taste. 

I do pretty much everything else. not meant to be a brag, just the harsh reality of motherhood...AMIRITE!!!  i set the table, vacuum the floor and clean up after. and again...whoever happens to be here ends up getting put to work. you've been forewarned.

let's get cooking 

BBQ Ribs // roasted sweet and russet potatoes // tomatoes // rosemary 

//BBQ sauce//

1/4 cup extra Virgin olive oil
2 medium Bermuda onions , chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced
2-3 red jalapeños.  Finely chopped with seeds
3 carrots peeled and diced
28oz can San Marino tomatoes (diced)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons  chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put olive oil in medium heavy bottom pot.  Heat on medium/ low. Add onions and carrots and jalapeños and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer for 3-4 minutes.   Remove from heat and in small batches purée in blender and place back in cleaned pot.   Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes until sauce thickens.  Taste every 10 minutes and adjust salt and spice as needed  

//Ribs//

2 large pork slabs of ribs (not baby back)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (pestle and mortar) 
1 teaspoon cumin 
1 ground cinnamon 
2 chili powder
3 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl and rub on all sides of the ribs. Let sit in fridge for 1 hr. Apply mustard to ribs and wrap in foil. Put in 300 degree oven for 3hrs. Should be falling off the bone at that point. Take foil off and add Bbq sauce liberally on ribs and place under broiler for 3 minutes on each side.

//potatoes//

          wash and cut into quarters any combination of potatoes you desire.

        drizzle with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. bake for 2 hours (or until done) in a shallow baking dish along with the ribs. keep in mind that sweet potatoes cook faster than russets.

load it all up on a platter with some fresh tomatoes and sprigs of rosemary and serve

roasted pears // vanilla bean ice cream

this is one of my favorite desserts.  it is equally delicious with peaches! i've tried several different variations, but for this i tried Martha Stewarts vanilla syrup version. hers called for figs, but i opted out since they weren't available (read: limited resources in Montana). you can find her recipe here: 

Martha Stewart Baked Pears

and then of course we added Madagascar Vanilla ice cream, from our favorite place in town 

Sweet Peaks, a local purveyor here in Whitefish. 

                                                                  // coffee //

  if you follow me on any social media outlet, you already know that my family and i are coffeeholics.     even my dad is obsessed.  he has HIS barista's in town (both here in Whitefish as well as back in    Yakima). he frequents local coffee establishments based on who's working.  seriously.  but his favorite barista is Izzi. and as we serve all kinds of various brands of beans at our house...   (from       Handsome Coffee Roasters to Gimme Coffee to Heart) ...  there is always serious shot-pulling       going on.  which, of course, makes my dad happy. 

*all recipes are created by Brian Ray unless otherwise noted
*photos by Bethanne Ray