Author Archives: Cynthia

The Loofah is Real!

My mom got a bunch of fresh home grown vegetables from a friend of hers. She gave me some of it, and there was mystery package included. It was a lumpy package wrapped in several layers of newspaper. In it were 3 squash. They were very soft and squishy, like they were rotting inside. I was like, wtf is this mom? The name she said translated to silk melon. I’d never heard of it, so I looked it up. It is also known as silk squash, Chinese okra, luffa, loofah, and some other names. Wait, loofah/luffa?! I’ve seen that before. At some Chinese restaurants, I’ve seen loofah or luffa on the menu. I always assumed it was an Engrish blooper or a bad translation. But, lo and behold! This here is the loofah!

My mom told me to peel it. I tried… but it was so soft that the peeler kept taking chunks out of it, and it looked pretty terrible after the peeling. I couldn’t even peel the ends because they were so soft. I read more about it after I peeled it. Turns out I could have left the skin on. If the squash is older and tougher, then you should peel it. Oops. I bent the squash to show you how squishy it is,

I cut them into .75 inch pieces.

I got my aromatics here: shallots and half a head of garlic sliced thin.

I had a pack of thick cut bacon that I’ve been meaning to use up for a while. I cut them up into 1 inch pieces and put them in my French oven on medium heat. The bacon was very fatty and I overcrowded the pot, so it took a while for all the bacon to render, maybe 30-40 minutes. I just let it sizzle, and stirred and flipped the pieces every few minutes.

After the fat rendered out of the bacon, I scooped the bacon out and poured out most of the bacon fat to save for future dishes. Look, it looks like bacon soup. I dare you to drink that. No, please don’t do that, I was kidding.

I cooked the shallots and garlic in the remaining bacon fat for about a minute until they started turning golden brown.

I added the loofah and seasoned with salt and pepper. Then I covered the pot and let it cook for about 5 minutes. My mom told me that the squash will emit a lot of liquid, so no need to add any cooking liquid.

After the loofah turned translucent and got real juicy, I mixed in the crispy bacon.

Here is my opinion of this dish that I totally made up using an unknown main ingredient. It tasted ok, I mean, imagine a squishy zucchini mixed with crispy bacon chunks. I particularly liked eating the loofah seeds. They were tender and I liked the popping sensation they gave when I bit into them. I wasn’t a big fan of the loofah though. The loofah itself had a mild flavor that soaked up other flavors well. But it had a slightly gelatinous and slimy texture and mouthfeel that reminds me of okra, and I’m not a fan of okra. I actually liked the end pieces better since they still had the peel, because the peel gave it a crisper texture. So there it is. I won’t go out of my way to cook and eat loofah, but it’s cool that I now know what loofah is.

If you want to experience loofah yourself, here is what I did. Or you can just order it the next time you see it at a Chinese restaurant. It’ll probably taste and look better since they actually know how to handle the loofah.

Bacon and Loofah
Ingredients
– 3 loofah
– 1 pack of thick cut bacon
– 1 shallot
– half a head of garlic
– salt
– pepper

Directions
– Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces. Render the bacon in the pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once the fat renders out of the bacon, remove the bacon. Leave a thin layer of fat in the pot and pour the rest into a separate bowl to save.
– Cut the loofah into .75 inch pieces, if they are young, there is no need to peel them.
– Slice the shallot and garlic into thin slices.
– Fry the shallots and garlic in the pot for about 1 minute, or until they turn golden brown. Add the loofah and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot for about 5 minutes until the loofah turns translucent and juicy. Mix in the bacon and serve.

Loop the Loop

Leave a reply

Do you ever walk by accessory stores selling super cute hair clips, and think, for the price of two pairs of clips, you can buy a few materials and make like, 50 clips yourself? And then, you end up buying the two pairs of clips anyways because it would take too much time and effort to make them yourself.

When my daughter finally started growing more hair, that was really exciting for me. For the first two years of her life, she looked like a boy, and strangers would always say, “what a sweet boy, he is so cute,” and I would just go with it because I was tired of pointing out that he is a she. This even happened when she wore dresses, so, whatever, shrug.

So she finally had enough hair for me to do stuff to it. I happened to have leftover ribbon from other projects, so I tried my hand at making hair clips. Suddenly, I found myself scouring craft stores for their sale and clearance ribbons, and now I have a lot of ribbon.

A few days ago, I was at Joann’s, and I saw fall themed ribbons on sale, and I couldn’t resist getting a sparkly orange ribbon. I already had some black ribbon at home, so I decided to make Halloween hair clips. Here is my model with the finished Halloween flower hair clip.

I got out my glue gun, scissors, ribbon, 2 alligator hair clips (use clips with no teeth), 2 gems, needle and thread, and Fray Check. I used a shiny orange ribbon, black satin ribbon, and a thin sparkly black ribbon. You can use whatever color thread you want since it won’t be seen in the end. Fray Check is a liquid seam sealant that keeps fabric from fraying. It’s not necessary, but I get paranoid and like to dab a bit on the ends of the ribbon, just in case.

The alligator clips are 1.75″ long. I cut two 6.5″ pieces of shiny orange ribbon, and two 6.5″ pieces of thin sparkly black ribbon. I dabbed a tiny bit of Fray Check on the ends of the ribbon.

I used the glue gun to first glue the orange ribbon onto the clip. The ribbon is long enough to cover the entire outside of the clip, and most of the underside of the clip. I worked in small sections because the hot glue cools fast and I didn’t want to rush and screw up. I started from the inside, and worked my way around the clip.

After I glued on the orange ribbon, I glued the thin black ribbon on top of the orange ribbon.

Ok, so they look kind of like caterpillars right now.

I cut sixteen 1.9″ pieces of orange ribbon, and sixteen 1.5″ pieces of black satin ribbon. Each flower needs 8 orange and 8 black pieces. Depending on how big you want your flower to be, you can make these pieces longer or shorter. I dabbed some Fray Check on each ribbon end.

I stacked one orange piece with a black piece and went through the center of one end with the needle and thread.

I stacked the other end of the two pieces and connected the other end with the needle and thread to make a loop.

I made loops with 8 sets of orange and black pieces. See where I’m going with this?

After I finished making the 8th loop, I tied a knot at the end of the thread and cut the extra off.

I used the glue gun to connect the ends of the first and last loops. Fluff the loops out if they got squished. Then I glued a gem to the middle of the flower.

Glue the finished flower to the hair clip. Now do everything again to make the second flower.

Yay! Cute hair clips. One of these days, I need to get a tripod so I can make video tutorials. Let me know if you have questions.

Braise It Up! Braise It Up!

Leave a reply

I love me some tender, fatty, and super flavorful braised beef short ribs. It is one of my favorite hearty comfort foods, especially now that the weather is cooling down. Short ribs do require extra loving care to reach their maximum juicy potential, but the reward is worth it. It’s not difficult, it just takes some patience. Well, I guess patience can be pretty difficult when you are soooo freaking close to tasting that chunk of meaty perfection.

So, what is braising? Isn’t this just a beef stew you ask? Well, it is pretty similar. A braise is when you partially submerge meat or vegetables in a cooking liquid, and cook it low and slow. The long soak in the hot tub is so relaxing, those hard knotted muscles melt into a puddle of wobbly meat goo. A stew also takes it low and slow, but the meat and vegetables are completely submerged in the cooking liquid. The meat and vegetables are also usually cut into uniform pieces.

I got about 4 lbs of bone in beef short ribs. After letting the meat sit at room temperature for about half an hour, I patted them dry and rubbed them with Montreal steak seasoning.

First each side of the meat got seared to get a crusty brown coat, which will taste better than it sounds. I turned the heat on high, and dropped a nice big spoonful of bacon fat into my trusty 8 qt Kirkland French oven. After a few minutes, the pot was super hot enough for the meat to go in. Don’t crowd the bottom, or the meat won’t get a good sear. Sear in batches if necessary. Oh yeah, your kitchen will get smoky, so turn on the fan and air the place out unless you want to live in a meat cave for the next couple of days. I was preparing the vegetables while the meat seared, so I didn’t keep good track of time. But, each side seared for about 5 minutes.

While the meat was searing, I washed and cut the vegetables. I happened to have 1 lb of carrots, 2 small zucchini, and an onion. That mysterious brown pile in the middle were what was left of a bag of assorted dry mushroom pieces.

You can also use other vegetables such as fresh mushrooms, potatoes, celery, parsnips, squash, and tomatoes (ok, technically not a vegetable).

Here is the shallot and half the head of garlic I minced.

After the meat finished searing, I took them out of the pot. Just use the plate they were on earlier. One of my goals whenever I cook or bake is to wash as few dishes as possible. It was so tempting to grab a short rib and have my way with it. Too bad it was still raw and chewy inside.

I turned the heat down to medium, and tossed the vegetables into the pot for a few minutes until the onions started to turn translucent. Pour more oil in if necessary. Also, hit the vegetables with salt and pepper. We want every layer of this dish to have good flavor.

While the vegetables cooked, I got my herbs ready. You can use fresh herbs, but I happen to have a lot of dried herbs taking up lots of space in my pantry that I am trying to use up. I got out 2 bay leaves, a sprig of rosemary, a little pile of thyme, and a little pile of oregano. I tied them up in a piece of cheesecloth so they would be easier to extract later. I do reuse my cheesecloth. I rinse it out with some dish soap, and then throw it into the washer with my towels (no fabric softener).

I scooped the vegetables out of the pot and put them back into their bowl.

What are those questionable looking blobs floating in the pot?! Remember the pulled pork I made a few days ago? A quart of beer, beefy, and porky goodness was left, so I saved it. The collagen in the pork shoulder turned the liquid into meat jello.

If you didn’t happen to make pulled pork, you can also use chicken stock, beef stock, beer, wine, canned tomato, tomato paste, a combo of the above, etc.

Once the liquid boiled, I turned the heat down real real low. I added the beef and bag o’ herbs, and covered the pot. I gave the meat some privacy and left it alone for about 2 hours. I don’t know if it made a big difference, but halfway through, I turned the beef over so both halves had a chance to soak. You can see the pouch of herbs in the top left corner of the pot.

After the meat had their alone time, the vegetables joined the party. I covered the lid again and let everyone soak for another hour and a half or so. You can let it cook for longer or shorter, depends how tender you want your beef. After you turn off the stove, resist your primal urges, leave the pot covered, and let the meat rest for 20 minutes.

Your mouth watering meat lollipops are ready for your mouth. They will taste excellent now, but if you have the willpower to let them sit overnight, they will taste even more awesome once all the flavors get to know each other and make happy. Oh also, there is a lot of oil floating on top, so skim it off first. If you do let the dish sit overnight, the oil will solidify for easy removal.

Braised Beef Short Ribs
Ingredients
– 4 lbs of bone in beef short ribs
– 1 lb of carrots
– 1 large onion
– 2 zucchini
– handful of dried mushroom pieces
– 1 shallot
– half a head of garlic
– dried herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaves
– 1 qt of beer and stock
– bacon fat
– steak rub
– salt
– pepper

Directions
– Let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, Pat it dry and season with steak rub. Melt bacon fat in a French oven on high heat. When the pot is very hot, put the meat in the pot and sear each side for approximately 5 minutes until a brown crust forms. Take the meat out of the pot.
– Wash and cut the vegetables. After the meat is done searing, turn the heat down to medium. Cook the vegetables for a few minutes until the onions start turning translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the vegetables from the pot.
– Pour the cooking liquid into the pot and let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the beef and herbs. Cover the pot and let it simmer very gently for about 2 hours.
– Add the vegetables, cover the pot and let it cook for another hour or until the meat is very tender. Let the meat sit for at least 20 minutes before eating. Skim off the oil before serving. You can let the dish sit overnight so the flavors meld together more, and the oil will also solidify, making removal easier.

I See Seashells at the Seashore

Leave a reply

I love the Outer Banks, also known as OBX. I have so many amazing memories of OBX from over the years. Our trip to OBX was always the most anticipated trip of the summer. We’d rent a house with friends and family and have ourselves a grand time playing at the beach and eating all day. I was really sad we couldn’t go this summer. I looked longingly at photos of past beach trips, and remembered that I actually have a part of the beach here with me. Literally.

Every time I went to OBX, I would spend hours looking for shells. The worthy ones had the honor of coming home with me. Over the years, many many shells found a home in large ziplocks on my craft supply shelf. I always told myself that I would do something with them later, but I think I am mostly a shell hoarder.

Last year I bought my daughter a 3″ x 6.5″ x 5″ wooden box from the crafts store. I kept meaning to decorate it so she could have a treasure box, but obviously I didn’t get around to it. This was the perfect opportunity to make her a special box that also celebrated our great love for OBX.

My supplies: hot glue gun, tacky glue, shells, scissors, fabric marker, sheet of felt, ruler, and gloss sealer.

I wanted to line the box with felt so any treasures inside don’t rattle around and break. I measured the inside of the box and used the fabric marker to mark the felt for cutting. I like using the fabric marker because the marks will wipe off easily with a damp cloth. Make sure your scissors are very sharp or else the felt won’t cut cleanly and you’ll end up with a mangled mess. I actually just got my scissors sharpened at Joann’s the other day, so I was quite excited to slice through the fabric so effortlessly. I ended up with 2 pieces that were 1.75″ x 5.75″, 2 pieces that were 1.75″ x 4.5″, and 1 piece that was 4.5″ x 5.75″. Do a test run and make sure the pieces fit before you glue.

I used the hot glue gun for the felt. I found it easier to put the side of the box I was gluing, down on the table, and glue the box instead of the felt. Hot glue dries very quickly, so don’t dilly dally, or you’ll have hard clumps on the wood that you’ll need to peel off and redo.

Now for the fun part. Decorate the box with pretty shells! If you want to be even fancier, you can also use mini flat marbles, gems, and sea glass.

I used tacky glue for the shells. The flatter the shell, the easier for it to stay stuck on the box. I had to reject many a shell, because they were too curved, and there wasn’t as much surface area to glue onto the box. I didn’t want shells that would pop off easily. After you finish gluing one side, let it dry for about 30 minutes. It won’t be completely dry, but it should be dry enough for you to rotate the box and work on another side. If shells start to slide around, turn it back and let it dry some more before you work on another side.

When I got to the side that opens, I used a thin rubber band to hold the lid and the base together and just shifted the band around to glue shells.

After I finished with the shells, I let it sit overnight to dry completely. Here is my finished box before spraying with a gloss sealer.

While the sealer isn’t necessary, it does give the shells that freshly washed out of the ocean on a sun soaked beach glow. I took the box outside and put it on cardboard and sprayed on 4 thin layers. Make sure you check the breeze. I got a face full of sealer and my hair got all sticky and the fumes were nasty. Your box will be ready after sitting overnight. I actually don’t know how long it takes for the sealer to completely dry, but overnight is probably a safe bet.

Wish I could be, part of that world.

One more thing: I made this seashell picture frame last year with shells from OBX. The frame is from a crafts store and comes with 3 sheets of clear plastic instead of glass. I first spread a thin layer of Mod Podge on the wood with a brush. Then I sprinkled a layer of sand and shook off the extra. Yes, I also brought a bucket of sand home. I didn’t put sand on the treasure box since the box will be handled a lot, and sand might come off and make a mess. After the Mod Podge dried, I glued on shells. Once the glue dried, I used the gloss sealer to finish.

Mom-1, Kid-0

Leave a reply

My 4 year old daughter has had issues with eating since she was a baby. I won’t go into details, but, I was overjoyed when she took a liking to Frosted Mini Wheats. She tried all the flavors, she ate them all the time, and I got many boxes when they were on sale.

Now, she refuses to eat them. Well, let me rephrase that. She will eat them very, very reluctantly, and it is not a fun time for anyone. Instead of using brute force and making her sit there and eat the same tiny bowl of cereal for 2 hours while we both get more and more frustrated (yes, this happens), I went a different route. Some of you might think I caved, and should have made her sit there and eat. But, I look at this as a win, since in the end, SHE ATE IT AND SHE LIKED IT. Hell yeah.

I told my daughter to wash her hands and help me with a cooking project. I filled a sandwich bag with Mini Wheats, and told my daughter to crush them with the rolling pin. She thought that was a lot of fun. I rinsed the bag out and let it dry so I can take it to the grocery store to recycle. FYI: Many grocery stores and other stores like Target and Walmart have bins where you can drop off plastic bags to recycle. They take all sorts of bags like shopping bags, ziplocks, bread bags, toilet paper bags, etc. Please don’t just toss them in the trash.

I poured the cereal into a bowl with peanut butter and Nutella. I didn’t measure, but it was about 1/4-1/3 cup each. Come on, it’s PEANUT BUTTER and NUTELLA. Go ahead and dump half the jar in, I won’t judge.

My daughter helped me mash everything together into a delicious gooey mess. At this point, you can just shovel the delicious gooey mess into your mouth by the spoonful. Or you can make it look nice, if you so desire.

We rolled the mess into little balls, which I put in a container lined with wax paper. I popped the container in the fridge for a few hours until the balls hardened. Tadaa, quick and pretty healthy snack.

Cereal Balls
Ingredients
– sandwich bag full of Frosted Mini Wheats
– 1/4-1/3 cup peanut butter
– 1/4-1/3 cup Nutella

Directions
– Crush the cereal with a rolling pin, a wine bottle, your fist, whatever
– Pour the cereal into a bowl with the peanut butter and Nutella, and mix everything together
– Roll the mixture into little balls and place the balls on wax paper. Put the balls in the fridge for a few hours until they harden.

Oh Rapture, Oh Garlic!

Leave a reply

Garlic. What a most beautiful vegetable to grace the kitchen. Embrace it, crush it, squeeze it until its juices drip out. This flavorful and fragrant bulbous head does wonders to the temple that is your body. Just a few raw cloves will coat your mouth with a heady aroma that will make people and vampires alike, gasp in wonder.

This velvety and vibrant orange tube will coax those cream colored nuggets to burst forth in delight. It can be found in the vast world of the Amazon.

To prepare the garlic cloves for insertion, cut the woody ends off. Shhh, it’s ok. It’s just the tip. Ease a few cloves into the tube and gently roll the tube. Once, twice, roll until you can no longer roll. Listen to the gentle crinkling of the allium shedding its delicate paper clothing.

With much anticipation, pour the cloves out of the tube, and see them in all of their splendid, naked glory. The now spent and soft tube of silicone can now clean up and rest in the washer of dishes.

Oh, pure joy

Get Your Shit Together and Compost

Leave a reply

Whenever I suggest to someone that they should try composting, I hear all sorts of excuses. It’s too much work, it will smell, it will attract pests, I don’t have the space, I don’t garden…

I am going to tell you how easy it is, and why we should all be doing it.

Think for a minute. What went into this week’s kitchen trashcan? Coffee grounds, tea bags, eggshells, banana peels, apple cores, wilted lettuce, moldy tomatoes, the list goes on.

Do you think about what happens to your trash once it leaves your house? Probably not. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Guess what, that trash you throw out will most likely sit in a landfill for decades. It will take lifetimes to decompose, and it is contributing to the destruction of this planet. Thanks. Thanks for kicking our struggling planet when it’s already down.

But really, we throw out too much and we waste too much. But the good thing is, a lot of our garbage can transform into really really awesome good stuff. I know I didn’t state any stats or research, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve written a research paper, and I didn’t feel like dusting off my APA writing style textbook. But the internet is a great place. Look up composting and landfills and you’ll find a lot of information. Even though I didn’t give you any stats, just look at the trash bags you take out to the curb. And then look down the street at the other houses…every single week. That’s some real shit right there.

Now that I’ve made you feel sufficiently guilty, let’s talk about how we can work together to decrease our waste.

A few years ago, I did not know or care about composting. Then I happened to read an article about how slowly trash decomposes at landfills. All the junk I carelessly toss is literally trashing the planet. I still have a ways to go with reducing and reusing, but I’m not quitting. Now, I’m throwing less away and I’m saving money on trash bags.

So, what is composting?

Compost is organic matter that helps plants grow healthier, reduces use of chemical fertilizers, and enriches soil.

Basically you find a sunny spot and mix things like fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, tea bags, popsicle sticks, grass clippings, yard waste, leaves, twigs, even hair, shredded cotton and wool, and shredded newspaper. Check periodically to make sure it’s not too wet or dry, and give it a stir to add oxygen to speed up decomposition. After a few months, you should be seeing a dark brown, crumbly matter that looks like potting soil.

Do not include meat, bones, dairy, fats because that can attract pests. There should be very little smell or pests if you stir the pile every few weeks and make sure to bury food scraps in leaves and twigs.

I collect my food waste in a plastic bowl with a lid, and keep it in the fridge for the week, When it is full, I take it outside. You don’t have to keep it in the fridge, but I like how it doesn’t stink as quickly, and it doesn’t attract bugs.

That was a very quick run through of how to compost. You can find complete guides like http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/index.html for more information.

This is the compost bin I recently bought. For the last few years, I’ve been giving my dad all my food waste because he has a compost pile already. But I am spreading my wings and dealing with my own shit now. I like how this bin has a cover to deter animals from getting in. The bottom is open so worms and moisture can come in and out as needed. It has a sliding door to easily shovel out compost. There are many other types of bins available, so don’t think you can’t do this just because you are in an apartment or townhouse.

Some counties have composting programs so check if your area has an existing program so you don’t have to do much work. And if you’re thinking, I hate gardening, I don’t even have a yard, what will I do with the compost? You can give it to your friends and family, or you can even sell it to them. Compost is expensive to buy!

If you are interested in composting but don’t have time to look into it, I can help you. Just say the word. If you still don’t want to bother with composting after reading all this…(deep breath), I hope you change your mind in the future.

I will update you guys in a few months once I successfully have compost.

Oh My Gosh, Look at That Butt

Leave a reply

My easy pulled pork is the little black dress of meat dishes. It can be dressed up or down, easy to pair with, and that beautiful cut will make you go Mmm mmm mmm all night long.

FYI: The pork shoulder comes from the front leg of the hog, and pork butt or Boston butt comes from the top part of the shoulder. So when the label says pork butt, it is not the gluteus maximus, it is actually part of the shoulder.

In its most basic form, this dish only requires three ingredients: pork shoulder, a cooking liquid, and sauce. But I’m going to take it up a few levels. I bought a 7.5 lb bone in pork shoulder that was on sale for $0.99 a lb. You can get bone in or boneless, it’s up to you. To accompany the pork, I got out a bottle of beer, a sweet onion, a head of garlic, and granulated beef bouillon.

I have an 8 qt slow cooker, so that piece of pork was a good fit. You shouldn’t fill your slow cooker over 2/3 full, so pick an appropriate size, or cut a larger piece to size.

Peel and cut the onion into large pieces. Peel the whole head of garlic, but leave the cloves whole. I did cut off the ends of the garlic though. Pour the entire bottle of beer into the slow cooker, mix in a large heaping spoonful of beef bouillon, and add the onion and garlic. Then put the pork shoulder on top.

Suggestions:

Brown the meat before putting it in the slow cooker for extra flavor. Pour the cooking oil and juices into the slow cooker.
Pat the meat dry and rub a spice blend over the meat before placing it into the slow cooker.
Instead of beer, you can try beef stock, chicken stock, apple juice, soda, apple cider vinegar, or a combination of the above mentioned liquids. You only need enough liquid to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.
Depending on what kind of dish you are making with the pork, consider stirring in tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, honey, molasses, soy sauce, sesame oil, sliced ginger, green onions, lemon grass stalks, paprika, cumin, chili powder, curry, liquid smoke.

Let the pork cook on high for about 4-6 hours, or on low for about 8-10 hours. The cooking time depends on the slow cooker you use, the size of your meat, and how often you peek. When you open the lid during cooking, heat and steam is released, which can take up to 30 minutes to replace, so try not to peek too often The pork is ready once you can easily stab and shred the meat with a fork.

This is after 2 hours on high

Let the pork cool down enough to handle. Look at that mouthwatering layer of skin and fat over that juicy tender meat. The Yuengling gave it a light sweetness, which I thought tasted quite good, I like to take the bone and clean off the remaining bits of meat on it. And by clean off, I mean I will stand over the sink going caveman style at that meaty bone. No waste!

I like to break out my Wolverine claws to rip the meat up, but a couple of forks will do. Remove large chunks of fat and blood vessels. After the meat is broken up into smaller pieces, I find it easier to use my fingers to finely shred the meat. I also mashed up the onion and garlic into the pile of shredded meat.

Mix in a bottle of your favorite meat sauce after the pork is shredded. I used a bottle sweet and smokey bbq sauce. You can also use the cooking liquid to make your own bbq sauce, or save it for some other use. There is a thick layer of fat on top, so be sure to skim it off first. If you are not in a rush, let the liquid cool in the fridge until the fat hardens. Then you can easily remove the entire layer of fat.

Suggestions: Use Korean bbq sauce, Chinese bbq sauce, mole sauce, chimichurri sauce, curry sauce, whatever makes you drool.

Serving suggestions:

Make fancy little appetizers at your next cocktail party
Have a messy, finger licking backyard cook out
Bbq pork sandwiches or sliders with cole slaw
Add fresh and pickled vegetables for summer rolls or steamed buns
For low carb, wrap the pork with vegetables in fresh lettuce or cooked cabbage
Put shredded pork into tacos, fried rice, noodles, hand pies, and soup
Freeezes well for a quick weeknight meal

These are pulled pork summer rolls I made with pickled radish, cilantro, Thai basil, mizuna leaves, and peanut sauce. I know my rolls look ugly. I’m working on it!!

These are pulled pork cabbage rolls I made with boiled red cabbage leaves, green bean and carrot salad, and cilantro.

Easy Pulled Pork
Ingredients
– 7-8 lb pork shoulder
– 1 12 oz bottle of beer
– 1 sweet onion
– 1 head of garlic
– 1 heaping tbsp of granulated beef bouillon
– 1 bottle of bbq sauce

Directions
– Peel and cut the onion into large chunks. Peel the garlic and cut off the woody ends, but leave the cloves whole.
– Pour the beer into the slow cooker and mix in the beef bouillon, onion, and garlic. Place the pork on top of the mixture.
– Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours until the meat shreds easily.
– Remove the pork from the slow cooker. Shred the meat when it is cool enough to handle. Mash up the onion and garlic and mix it into the meat. Mix in the bbq sauce.

Sew Sweet and Salty

Author Archives: Cynthia

The Loofah is Real!

Like this:

Loop the Loop

Like this:

Braise It Up! Braise It Up!

Like this:

I See Seashells at the Seashore

Like this:

Mom-1, Kid-0

Like this:

Oh Rapture, Oh Garlic!

Like this:

Get Your Shit Together and Compost

So, what is composting?

Like this:

Oh My Gosh, Look at That Butt

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

So, what is composting?

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: