Gong Hey Fat Choy!

18 weeks

1/22/2012



4 months

1/18/2012



17 weeks

1/15/2012



16 weeks old

1/8/2012



15 weeks old

1/1/2012



pulled pork BBQ sandwiches and coleslaw

so delicious and I haven't even officially eaten it yet (the cook has to taste test)

I used a recipe I found online about how to make pulled pork for BBQ sandwiches

Pulled Barbecue Pork Ingredients

• 1 pork shoulder (make sure the piece of pork will fit into your slow cooker) I actually used cubed pork shoulder- that's how I store it in my freezer. I used about half a large shoulder.
• 1/4 cup of water
• salt and pepper
• barbecue sauce

The secret ingredient: patience, as time really is the key to success for this southern delicacy!

Add the Pork to the Crockpot

First, put a thin layer of oil in the bottom of the slow cooker and warm your slower cooker for approximately 15 minutes before placing the piece of pork inside. Salt and pepper the meat and pour 1/4 cup of water in the slow cooker. Turn the temperature to high for one hour. After time has past, turn the heat down to low for approximately seven to nine hours.

Keep the Crockpot Covered

Throughout the cooking process, try to resist taking too many peeks under the lid of the slow cooker, unless to check the liquid level, and to add a quarter cup at a time if needed. Each glimpse allows for significant heat to escape and ultimately adds about 20 minutes to the cooking time. I did not have to add any liquid- it actually had more than enough liquid in it when I got home from work. Feel free to set it and forget it.

Remove the Pork From the Crockpot

After a good night's sleep or a full day of work, the pork should be very tender. Using extreme caution as it is incredibly hot, remove the pork shoulder and discard the fat and juices that remain in the slow cooker. With the cubed pork, I just sorta ladled most the juices out then shredded it in the crockpot with a fork. It was so tender it just fell apart with a some stirs and a little encouragement for the bigger pieces.

Shred the Pork

Once the piece of meat has had a few minutes to cool, use a fork and knife to chop, or if you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, shred the pork by hand for a truly homemade look. See above

Continue Cooking the Pulled Pork

Once the chopping and shredding is complete, return it to the slow cooker.

Add the Barbecue Sauce to the Crockpot

Mix in your desired amount of barbecue sauce and cook on low for another hour. Remember I told you, patience really does pay.

Serve the BBQ Pulled Pork

Serve on warm split sandwich buns with coleslaw on the side. Or if you would like to prove that you're a real southerner, not a Yankee, add the coleslaw directly to your sandwich.

Since I am an anti-mayonnaise Yankee, here is the recipe for the dressing to the only coleslaw I ever like to eat:

Great Grandma Isbell's Cabbage Coleslaw Dressing

1/2 C Apple Cider vinegar

3/4 C Sugar

1/3 C Oil (I used canola)

1/2 Tbs Salt

Black Pepper to taste

Whisk together and mix with coleslaw. This dressed about 1.5 bags of the premade stuff, or homemade using an entire head of cabbage and cucumbers, carrots, etc.

I used 1.5 bags of the premade stuff and added a green onion and cucumber

Again, I mixed this in a Ziploc bag then transferred to a bowl for serving. Easier to toss it around in the bag than the bowl.

I also opened up a can of "grillin beans" to serve on the side.

Serve on buns and enjoy! The pork is so delicious already I am blogging about it to kill time so I don't eat the whole thing before my husband gets home.

fish tacos

a friend recently asked me "do you have any good recipies" so I will try to blog more about my cooking adventures that turn out good

Fish Tacos

Ingredients

2-3 fillets of flaky, white fish. I used frozen tilapia (I suggest using frozen and saving some money-use the fresh for grillling)

coleslaw- make or buy the bag

salsa

hot sauce

sour cream

apple cider vinegar

white sugar

salt

pepper

olive oil

lime juice

other seasonings to taste

Coleslaw as base for tacos:

-whisk equal parts apple cider vinegar and white sugar with salt/pepper/lime juice/seasonings to taste together for a very LIGHT coleslaw dressing

-taste dressing before tossing to make sure it's not to sour or sweet. add a little more of whatever ingredients necessary to balance it out before adding it to the salad

-toss with coleslaw salad (I put it is a ziploc bag and tossed it around- it worked better than using a bowl)

Fish:

-defrost fish in warm water

-cube fish into about 1X1

-marinate fish for 20-30min in a few tablespoons of lime juice and olive oil, add salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste (suggestions: garlic and herb mrs dash, chili pepper, lemon pepper, season salt)

*whisk up marinade in large bowl

*place fish in bowl and toss lightly then marinate

-coat bottom of sauté pan in olive oil and heat up

-sprinkle a small amount of flour onto the fish after marinating and toss again

-fry fish in pan after it is quite hot

-turn with spatula to get some crispy brown sides

-break up the fish with the spatula into smaller flakes

-taste fish and add seasonings as needed

-give it a final toss and serve

Serve on corn or flour tortillas

Place coleslaw in bottom of tortilla

Add fish on top

Garnish with salsa, sour cream, and/or hot sauce

Serve as is or with a veggie on the site (we had broccoli)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our family to yours

14 weeks old and first Christmas

12/25/2011

2 weeks old

10/2/2011

Photos courtesy of Tom Linz Photography



4 weeks old

10/16/2011

A New Year

Every year, many people make resolutions when January 1st rolls around.
I am normally not the type of person to do this, as I feel like you should make long term lifestyle changes not just resolutions because it's a new year, but since I have been planning on making many of these things a reality anyways here is my resolution list:

1) get back to pre-pregnancy weight (and maybe even a little lighter!)
2) cook a homemade meal, not out of a box, at least 80% of the time
3) get better at eating at the dinner table, instead of on the couch
4) take weekly photos of our beautiful growing daughter
5) spend more time with all our family
6) go to church every week
7) keep up on the house cleaning. actual cleaning, not just tidying
8) read more novels
9) be more patient and understanding. especially with work
10) crochet more
11) make date night a priority at least 1x/2months
12) spend less money on impulse purchases
13) let more things "roll off my back"

A very happy new year to all!