Making pulled pork sandwiches would be a heck of a lot easier if I used a slow cooker and started the process in the morning. But since my slow cooker is packed in a box somewhere in the attic I decided to prepare tonight’s dinner on the stove top using a heavy duty pot with a lid.
Instead of braising the pork in my favorite bbq sauce, I decided to try something different. I found a dry rub recipe for Kansas City barbecue ribs on About.com. I adapted the recipe ever so slightly and massaged the rub into the large cubes of pork. I decided not to sear the meat but instead added water and a couple chicken bouillon cubes to the pot and let the pork first come to a boil reducing the heat to a low simmer for two hours. Two hours later I grabbed a few pieces of the pork with metal tongs and was very happy to see the pork pull apart so beautifully.
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I love watching funny romantic comedies, don’t you? My favorite down time activity is a date night with myself. I like to grab a pint of Häagen-Dazs coffee ice cream, one spoon, a comfy fleece blanket, and a large Diet Coke on ice before plopping down on the couch for the evening to watch a romantic comedy chick flick. For two hours I get to laugh and scream into my pillow as cheesy love scenes play out right before my eyes. It’s how I prefer to unwind and enjoy a nice reprieve from my own life. I only wish I watched movies more often than twice a year which seems to be all I have time for.
I also love reading books. There is something about the feel of the printed word in my hands. Flipping pages, sometimes highlighting passages I hope recall later, and folding dog ears to bookmark where I finish reading for the night and where I hope to pick up the next day. The anticipation of reading a page here or a chapter there when I find tiny pockets of free time gives me something to look forward to especially if I’m vested in the book I’m reading.
Many years ago my sister introduced me to chick-lit books after the birth of my second daughter, Mimi. She assured me it would make the long stretches of nursing a newborn baby go so much faster. She was so right. Reading the Ashley Tinsdale series by Kristin Billerbeck had me in stitches, laughing out loud, and almost peeing my pants.
After ordering six books in the last six months and having them neatly organized (cough.. thrown on top of one another) on my nightstand, I came to the sad realization I would not be able to enjoy any of these books anytime soon. With my dad’s passing, mom moving in, kids crazy schedules, blogging, and writing for PBS, the concept of “free time” is not something to be had in this season of my life. One of these books I purchased was The Pioneer Woman – Black Heels to Tractor Wheels love story by Ree Drummond. [click to continue…]
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I know summer is right around the corner when the familiar scent of burning charcoal briquets perfumes the air and the chatter of backyard bbq’s becomes white noise around me. If you haven’t already, now is the time to wipe down your grill and get it ready for summer grilling.
Reading all the recent entries for the 2-N-1 grill giveaway happening right now, many people shared how they loved to grill steak. I love a good steak myself and my favorite way to prepare them is by grilling them seasoned with just salt and pepper. I won’t be offended if you want to call call me a minimalist.
Often times when I grill steak for friends and familiy they always ask how how I managed to have a juicy, succulent steak that is neither dried out or tasteless. My answer is quite simple. If you want a juicy steak, the key is not to over cook it. The picture above is taken from a post I did last year on how to grill London Broil. I thought it would be very helpful and useful to those of you who are new to grilling or simply haven’t achieve the results you’ve been looking for. [click to continue…]
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Memorial Day weekend in Seattle is always problematic for me because the weather is so unpredictable. My oldest daughter asked if she could host a BBQ for a couple families in the neighborhood Memorial Day. With the weather as it was (on Friday), I checked the weather report on three news channels, the local paper, and online weather stations. According to these sources Sunday was the only day it wasn’t suppose to rain. We invited two families over on Sunday and of course… it was grey, cold, and raining. Yesterday (Monday) was beautiful, sunny, and warm – typical Seattle weather.. so moody!
For our BBQ, the great folks at Sam’s Club provided me with a gift card for everything we needed including pork back ribs, wild Copper River salmon, hot dogs, buns, potato chips, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and other party essentials.
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Have you ever walked by the butcher case at your local grocery store and noticed how perfectly uniform the hamburgers they sell are? I have. A few months ago my sister and I were walking through Whole Foods and there was a man forming hamburger patties in this
thingamajig in the meat department. As I watched him for a few seconds I found a sudden urge to know exactly what that thing was he was using. So I asked and he seemed surprised I would even be interested. Before telling me what it was, he joked that if I wanted one it would cost $20. Say what?! Then he looked at me, smiled and chuckled.
“Oh this? This is a lid.”
A lid?
“A lid, you know.. from a jar.”
Oh..oh thanks.
I looked at him feeling pretty stupid and decided I wasted enough of his time and moved on to another part of the store. My sister laughed at me but also agreed we just stumbled into a great kitchen/cooking/grilling tip. [click to continue…]
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