As an update on the Progressive rack. I did break down and haul my cheapo stockpot into Sur la Table to check sizing. The canning rack did just barely fit--once home it took a small amount of pressure bending the 'flower petals' up slightly, but it now fits perfectly without scratching or forcing into the bottom. Now, if only I didn't already have a shelf full of jam--farmer's market this morning had 2lbs of strawberries for $1 each. Visually, it seems like the rack is good enough quality. My careful bending did not appear to stress the welds, though I was very careful to not put too much pressure on them. It fit pint jars just right, and the half pints have to be placed in the right spot so as not to wobble toward the edge, but I can handle that. Looking forward to using it in the future.

LG has a half load cycle and you can put your plastics top or bottom. It's also the quietest DW that you can purchase under 1K that has internal grinding blades for food particals. LG used to have complaints because they didn't have a lot of local service people on board in some areas. They have recently made huge efforts in that department. In many markets, they hired a dedicated LG tech whose only job is to respond to LG customers. They also still have the usual appliance repair center authorized guys that work on all brands, so getting repair is a lot easier---IF you need repair. The majority people who have purchased LG don't have any issues at all and come back for other LG appliances.

A friend made this for us and it was so good I asked for the recipe. It's very unusual as the meat is browned, then marinated, then cooked. Her modifications are included: (MODIFIED) Braised Short Ribs for 4 people For the Marinade: 2 tablespoons peanut oil 6 (10-ounce) beef short ribs or 5 lb chuck roast at least 2" thick Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 cup) 1 carrot, chopped (1 cup) 2 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup) 3 cloves garlic 1 bottle dry red wine, preferably Merlot or Zinfandel 1 small bunch fresh thyme For the Braise: 1 pkg Knorr vegetable soup, reconstituted with 3 cups water and simmered 15 min. 1 small bunch fresh thyme For the marinade: Brown the roast or short ribs. Place bone side in container just large enough to hold the meat in a single layer. To the same skillet, add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Add the wine and thyme. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool for 1/2 hr. Pour over the meat. Cover, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning meat at least once. 4. For the braise: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large Dutch-oven, have the soup stock at a boil, and add the marinade liquid. Bring to a boil again and taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and some brown sugar if too tart.. Place the meat in the Dutch-oven and pour the liquid over it. 5. Cover, and transfer to oven. Cook for 3 hours. Uncover, and check for tenderness Meat should be falling off the bones and well glazed. Cook uncovered if you want to reduce gravy further. Her note: The recipe calls for six 10oz ribs (1 per person). That would total 3.75 lbs, for 6. I got 5.5 lbs for 5, and had leftovers for a couple of meals for myself. Increase other ingredients proportionately. For my 5.5 lbs, I also used about 2 Tbsp each of tomato paste & harissa, in the last half-hour. The other thing it doesn't mention which I did was to trim off pretty much all the fat on the outside of the ribs. I also cooked it much longer than the original recipe called for (90 min just wasn't long enough). Note: These recipes have been adapted from "Craft of Cooking" by Tom Colicchio. Copyright ° 2003 by Tom Colicchio.

They're real to me too, LOL, and I've been to Kansas City! We always raised pigs, so I've eaten a LOT of ribs in my life (we bought a farm when I was 7, and I'm 62, so probably 55 years worth), and I like them pretty much every way, but Sue's is still my favorite. AnnT's TBQ sauce is pretty darned good, though, and although I've never stuffed ribs it kind of reminds me of how my maternal Grandma used to put a pork steak in a pan, add stuffing, and fold the steak over to encase the stuffing. Later she started just putting the stuffing in the pan and layering the pork on top, so the juices would flavor the stuffing. Where did she learn this? From my paternal Grandfather, who was from Ontario, Canada, LOL, a little place called Buckhorn, north and east of Toronto, near Bobcaygeon. So, maybe it IS a Canadian thing, like peameal bacon... Anyway, to each their own. I'm not going to say any kind of ribs are right or wrong or real or not. There are the smoked ribs, the mustard based sauces, the sweet tomato based sauces, even the mayonnaise type sauces. Dry rubs, wet mops, grilled, low and slow, there's a zillion ways to make ribs. I like pretty much all of them. The only problem I have is that pigs just don't have enough ribs! Annie