Where has it gone?

Conditions at 5:30 am: overcast and 16'
Expected later: rain for most of the day and 18'

I can't believe we are almost half way through summer already. The weather sure hasn't felt like it a lot of the time.  But the days are getting noticeably shorter, as it's now dark when I wake up at 5:00. I suppose we got very spoiled with the beautiful summer we had last year. Oh well, it will make us appreciate the next nice summer we get.  But we're still extremely fortunate when we see the temperatures the rest of the country is experiencing. We really have nothing to complain about. But the good news is they are predicting nice weather on Sunday. I know it's a bit early but I'm hoping they're right. I've invited a few people over for BBQ ribs and if we're not careful, this could turn into a party. Our friend Zesty, (well, he's not really a friend but he does live here on the island) posted a recipe for ribs on his blog last week that I'm eager to try. Here's what we're doing:

Apple Wood Smoked Barbecue Ribs Posted: 20 Jul 2011 06:23 AM PDT Happy Wednesday to you from sunny PEI. I really cannot believe I just wrote that opening line based on the weather we have had in June but…. we have been to the beach the last 4 days. Weather has been fantastic. The other morning I had taken a couple of racks of ribs out for an evening snack and I knew had to start early to prep them. I started off with a dry/wet rub that would stay on them for about 6 hours while we hit the beach. After that point, I picked up some apple wood chips and created a little smoker pouch and cooked the ribs for 3 1/2 hours over indirect heat. The results were well ummmm…. DELICIOUS Here is the lowdown on the rub and the rest of the grilling details. If you ever have a lot of time on your hands or you just want to taste ribs at night, I highly suggest you give this project/labor of love a try. Ingredients 2 racks of Pork back ribs 1 Tbsp. dry mustard 1 Tbsp. Cumin 1 Tbsp. Coriander 1 Tbsp. Olive oil 2 Cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp. Smokin’ Stampede 1 Tbsp. Onion powder 1 Tbsp. Paprika Method Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Rub all over ribs and massage into the meat tissue. Wrap the ribs in saran wrap and let rest for at least 3 hours Soak wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes prior to putting on the grill. Once the 30 minutes has elapsed, preheat grill on high on one side. Place the drained wood chips in a tin foil pouch on the side with the heat turned on. The wood chips will last about 30-45 minutes. (I created a few pouhces before I started) Place the ribs down on the grill without the heat turned on and close the lid. Check back every 45 minutes to give them a baste and switch out the wood chips. Cook them for about 3 1\2 to 4 hours if you can stand to wait. ENJOY! Zesty Tip: To keep the ribs juicy, I highly suggest basting the ribs every 20 minutes or so on the grill with your favorite barbecue sauce. They really hit the spot despite the time and effort.  Late night ribs with an ice cold beer sitting around a camp fire.  Tough to beat.  Check out the camp fire pics.  Our camping neighbor gave us a color packet that you drop on the flames and it changes the colors…. so cool. Have a great Wednesday.  I think we are hitting the beach again. Talk soon and let me know if you make these ribs. Take care zesty So, here's hoping mine turn out as good as these look.  We'll start off with some steamed mussels, probably the same as the ones everyone enjoyed at the church on Sunday and then add some salads and I've made some strawberry cupcakes with the left over strawberries from Sunday as well. I'm going to top those with whipped cream and more strawberries and serve with some vanilla ice cream and call it dessert. The cakes are in the freezer waiting for whipped cream on Sunday. It will be an easy dinner but lots of fun - I hope.