Super-easy salted garlic rib roast

Here’s an easy recipe for rib roast that takes only 10 minutes of prep time and 2 1/2 hours of cooking time (it’s worth the wait).

Ingredients:

4-6 pounds of prime rib roast (with bones and a bit of fat) – yields 5-7 servings

1/2 cup of kosher salt

1 tablespoon of ground black pepper

2 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F while you’re preparing the ribs.

2. Sprinkle a layer of kosher salt on the roasting pan.

3. Make your seasoning mix with 1/2 cup of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper. Rub a generous amount on the fatty top side first, then rub the remaining seasoning mix to the sides. Then cover the fatty side with chopped garlic.

4. Place the seasoned meat on the roasting pan, with the fatty side up and bone side down. Cook for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F. Then reduce temperature to 325 degrees F and roast for an additional 1 1/2 -2 hours.

5. The fatty juices will begin to melt away and sizzle. Check the internal temperature of the meat with a thermometer every 20-30 minutes. An internal temperature of about 140 degrees F will produce a medium-rare rib roast. For well-done roast, cook to about 150 degrees F.

6. Here’s the result of a 5 pound rib roast with bones after roasting it for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, then letting it sit at 325 degrees F (about 2 hours) until the internal temperature was 140 degrees F. The rib roast was juicy, medium-rare, with a slightly salty, crusty top. Yum!

Create panoramic photos with Windows Live Photo Gallery

You’re on vacation and want to share with family and friends back home the scenery you’re enjoying. But you don’t have wide angle lens for your camera or simply room to capture the view in one snap.

Don’t give up! Take sequential pictures to cover the entire landscape, overlapping 10-25% of each view with subsequent pictures. It’s helpful if you incorporate a large element from the previous shot, such as a lamp post or cloud.

I downloaded the free Windows Live Photo Gallery to create a seamless panoramic image by stitching multiple images I took on a pier. Once you’ve download your images onto your computer, open Windows Live Photo Gallery and select the images you want to stitch together. Then under Make, click on create panoramic photo. The process is automatic and takes just a few minutes. The result of my panoramic photo is below.

Pier fishing in Connecticut – Fort Trumbull State Park and Pier

Pier fishing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors with family and friends. All you need are some basic tackle, rod, and some bait. Many states allow one to fish off a pier without a license.

While there aren’t as many piers in New England for fishing compared to other parts of the States, such as California or Florida, Fort Trumbull State Park and Pier in New London, CT is one worth checking out if you happen to be nearby.

The pier juts out from the bottom of the hill that supports the historic Fort Trumbull (built between 1839-1852; open to visitors from May 21 through Columbus Day). It’s over 500 feet long, with 24-hour access to free parking, fresh running water, individual pole holders, restrooms, vending machine, and a short trail for strolling with your pet. The pier also has 24-hour lighting, and during the summer months, some of the best fishing can be done at night. It’s also one of most clean and well-maintained piers I’ve seen.

You can fish the Long Island Sound for porgy, striped bass, bluefish, tautog (blackfish), weakfish (sea trout), or flounders (fluke). Check for the most updated fishing regulations at the CT DEP website.

(several large porgies)

You can purchase tackle, bait (including live bait), as well as get helpful fishing tips at AJ’s Bait and Tackle in New London, CT. It’s just 3 min drive from the pier). Half dozen live sandworms (cost me about $3 and change) is good for about 2-3 hours of fishing for one person.

I found that porgies love live sandworms (cut the head off first, then cut them into 1 inch pieces),

and bluefish strike on cut chunks of bunker. Striped bass will bite on both sandworms and bunker. I’ve seen flounders being caught on strips of squid, but they’re often too small to keep.

Even if you return home empty-handed, you’ll enjoy the scenery of Long Island Sound and the cool ocean breeze at Fort Trumbull. Have fun fishing! And don’t forget the camera and sunscreen!