Sadly my blog posting has been remiss... School is out for Summer, and though I love every second of life with my 3 kidlets... Summer is IMHO about 9 weeks too long ;) It brings back all those pre-school era memories where the ability to actually accomplish anything only happened if/when your child napped and if you were actually coherent enough to get things done.
But today, a week and a half into summer vacation I think we have hit our groove. We have relearned how to co-habitat 24/7, it's not always pretty but at least its somewhat manageable.
This morning I popped a pork loin roast into the slow cooker with a new dry rub concoction to make dinner slightly easier and less hectic. The kids love pulled pork sandwiches, so that's what we made along with a side of good old Mac & Cheese. Something about BBQ sauce and cheese that is a match made in heaven.
For my BBQ Pulled Pork
1 - Pork Loin Roast
dry rub:
4 tbsp brown sugar,
2 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp cayenne* you can put more but I keep it more mild for the kidlets
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1 container beef stock
Place beef stock in crock pot, add pork loin roast. Mix dry rub mix together in a small bowl then add to the top of the pork loin roast. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours. You won't even have to shred it as it will fall apart.
Mix with your favorite BBQ sauce (or not) and pack it into a dinner roll, slap some Mac & Cheese on the plate and its dinner time !
Enjoy!
p.s. I also did an awesome impromptu craft/home decor thingy that I will tell you all about tomorrow. Needless to say it turned out awesome, and helps to deal with the stuff on the kitchen counter that are must haves ;)
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
It's not surprise that I love food. But as I get older I am learning to enjoy to entire cooking process. From recipe research to picking the best ingredients to getting down and dirty cooking. Most recently we have been working to eliminate as many processed items as we can in our everyday cooking. Sure I could buy a bottle of premade teriyaki sauce for our salmon, but making it myself... its so much more tasty. Maybe its just because I am making it, but I like to believe that the more natural fresh ingredients do actually have a better more full bodied taste !
Tonight for dinner, my husband requested something I haven't made in ages. Seriously, I think Owen was a baby so that's at least 6 years ago. He asked me to make my pork eggrolls with fried rice. Who could say no to that?
The recipe I use is a collection of recipes that I have used over the years, changing this, adding that but basically boils down to this simple recipe:
2 lbs ground pork
1/8 cup green onions (chopped)
1 cup napa cabbage**
2 tbsp soy sauce (or more for your taste preference)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
**thinly slice the napa cabbage, mostly the green portions of the leaves, add to a small bowl and sprinkle with salt, about a tsp or so. Let soak for a few minutes and then squeeze the water from the cabbage until it forms a nice tight round ball. Break apart and add to the pork.
while the napa cabbage is soaking, add the pork and remaining ingredients to a large bowl and hand mix together. Mix together one final time once you have added the napa cabbage.
On a cutting board, stack your eggroll wrappers along side a small bowl of water and a basting brush. Place about a tablespoon and 1/2 into the center of the wrapper and fold. Use the basting brush to wet the ends so they stick together for frying. Once they are all complete you are ready to cook.
I cook mine in a deep fryer using Wesson Best Blend oil, I set mine for 360 degrees (or the fried chicken setting) and cook 4 at a time for 8-10 mins. I then remove them and place on a platter for resting. You can eat them whole or slice them, whichever is up to you !
For the fried rice, we use Jasmine Rice. Make 2 cups according to directions and refrigerate until cool (or you can even make it the night before). If you don't let it cool it will be mushy.
Sesame oil or wok oil
4 cups cooked rice
1 cup peas and carrots mixed (I use flash frozen, just place in a bowl of water to thaw)
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Make sure your wok or pan is hot add oil (enough to cover it slightly to relieve sticking) Add the 2 eggs and slightly scramble, then add the rice. Mix well, then add in the vegetables. Continuing mixing and add the butter and soy sauce. Mix until cooked thoroughly.
There you have it ! Its actually a lot simpler than it sounds, all in all it is about 45 mins of prep & cooking, but well worth it.
Tonight for dinner, my husband requested something I haven't made in ages. Seriously, I think Owen was a baby so that's at least 6 years ago. He asked me to make my pork eggrolls with fried rice. Who could say no to that?
The recipe I use is a collection of recipes that I have used over the years, changing this, adding that but basically boils down to this simple recipe:
2 lbs ground pork
1/8 cup green onions (chopped)
1 cup napa cabbage**
2 tbsp soy sauce (or more for your taste preference)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
**thinly slice the napa cabbage, mostly the green portions of the leaves, add to a small bowl and sprinkle with salt, about a tsp or so. Let soak for a few minutes and then squeeze the water from the cabbage until it forms a nice tight round ball. Break apart and add to the pork.
while the napa cabbage is soaking, add the pork and remaining ingredients to a large bowl and hand mix together. Mix together one final time once you have added the napa cabbage.
On a cutting board, stack your eggroll wrappers along side a small bowl of water and a basting brush. Place about a tablespoon and 1/2 into the center of the wrapper and fold. Use the basting brush to wet the ends so they stick together for frying. Once they are all complete you are ready to cook.
I cook mine in a deep fryer using Wesson Best Blend oil, I set mine for 360 degrees (or the fried chicken setting) and cook 4 at a time for 8-10 mins. I then remove them and place on a platter for resting. You can eat them whole or slice them, whichever is up to you !
For the fried rice, we use Jasmine Rice. Make 2 cups according to directions and refrigerate until cool (or you can even make it the night before). If you don't let it cool it will be mushy.
Sesame oil or wok oil
4 cups cooked rice
1 cup peas and carrots mixed (I use flash frozen, just place in a bowl of water to thaw)
2 eggs
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste
Make sure your wok or pan is hot add oil (enough to cover it slightly to relieve sticking) Add the 2 eggs and slightly scramble, then add the rice. Mix well, then add in the vegetables. Continuing mixing and add the butter and soy sauce. Mix until cooked thoroughly.
There you have it ! Its actually a lot simpler than it sounds, all in all it is about 45 mins of prep & cooking, but well worth it.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Had an absolutely amazing time hanging out in Palm Springs with my mom and sister. It was perfect, relaxation, yummy food and great conversations. It needs to be an annual thing. Life gets busy, we all get busy but we need to maintain our connections to the people we love.
A good portion of the time was spent talking about my sisters relationship with her boyfriend. She is 22, he is 24. My sister has been through a lot over the years and is much more mature than her 22 years, she is ready for life. Wants to have experiences, grow as a person. Where her partner is fine being 24. Which in itself isn't a big deal just within the context of their relationship they are on different paths. It made me think a lot about when I was 22, newly moved to Seattle. I fell in love with the absolutely most wrong person for me, I even knew it at the time but I figured, as well all do when we are young, that I could mold myself into the person he wanted me to be and then everything would be great. It was the great heartbreak of my life, my first real true love... it was devastating and led to a lot of bad decisions. But good did come from it.
I moved from Seattle to Phoenix, and after many long conversations with my mom about how searching for love was a waste of time and that true love would find you when you least expected it. I spent the next year not dating. During that year I got to know myself, who was I really? What did I want in life? During that time I came up with a list of what I call the "Non Negotiables" The things that I wanted in a partner that weren't open to compromise. If you had 4 of the 5 things on my list, you didn't make the cut. While that might seem superficial, it was about who the person was. My Non Negotiables?
Integrity
Intelligence
Humor
Adventurous
Loving
Not all that complicated, but you would be surprised. When I met my husband, he was already on my radar as we had already met many years earlier through a work function when I lived in Seattle. I knew him to be kind and considerate, smart and funny. He was unlike anyone I had ever dated, yet I felt so drawn to him that it was like the universe just knew. We dated, we married, we had 3 kidlets... almost 17 years later I still get butterflys when he kisses me.
Too many times we doubt ourselves, our abilities to make the right choices. Life is a series of choices, one leads to another, to another. There are never NO choices, not making a choice is still a choice. So as I listened to my sister talk about her relationship and her life, I realized that I am so happy to be where I am today. As my mom would say, a Beautiful Smart In Control Woman :)
A good portion of the time was spent talking about my sisters relationship with her boyfriend. She is 22, he is 24. My sister has been through a lot over the years and is much more mature than her 22 years, she is ready for life. Wants to have experiences, grow as a person. Where her partner is fine being 24. Which in itself isn't a big deal just within the context of their relationship they are on different paths. It made me think a lot about when I was 22, newly moved to Seattle. I fell in love with the absolutely most wrong person for me, I even knew it at the time but I figured, as well all do when we are young, that I could mold myself into the person he wanted me to be and then everything would be great. It was the great heartbreak of my life, my first real true love... it was devastating and led to a lot of bad decisions. But good did come from it.
I moved from Seattle to Phoenix, and after many long conversations with my mom about how searching for love was a waste of time and that true love would find you when you least expected it. I spent the next year not dating. During that year I got to know myself, who was I really? What did I want in life? During that time I came up with a list of what I call the "Non Negotiables" The things that I wanted in a partner that weren't open to compromise. If you had 4 of the 5 things on my list, you didn't make the cut. While that might seem superficial, it was about who the person was. My Non Negotiables?
Integrity
Intelligence
Humor
Adventurous
Loving
Not all that complicated, but you would be surprised. When I met my husband, he was already on my radar as we had already met many years earlier through a work function when I lived in Seattle. I knew him to be kind and considerate, smart and funny. He was unlike anyone I had ever dated, yet I felt so drawn to him that it was like the universe just knew. We dated, we married, we had 3 kidlets... almost 17 years later I still get butterflys when he kisses me.
Too many times we doubt ourselves, our abilities to make the right choices. Life is a series of choices, one leads to another, to another. There are never NO choices, not making a choice is still a choice. So as I listened to my sister talk about her relationship and her life, I realized that I am so happy to be where I am today. As my mom would say, a Beautiful Smart In Control Woman :)
not to shabby for 44 :)
Saturday, May 17, 2014
@snapconf #snapdaily photo challenge for May 17th, ORGANIZED...
Organization is something I know that I struggle with. While I haven't reached Hoarder stage, I often wonder why the need to keep every single thing all the time. In the process of our kitchen remodel, I had to empty the room, each and every drawer & cabinet. When it came time to put it all back together I realized that so much of what I was holding onto I didn't really need or use. Some items I wondered why the heck I even had them, it was cleansing in a soul searching way to eliminate *stuff*.
My parents now are in the midst of a whole house remodel, the idea of out with the old and in with the new, while scary can be very liberating. So when we checked into our villa and began opening drawers and cabinets we realized that what was contained within were the necessities. There isn't a junk drawer or a cabinet full of items that are no longer practical or useful. In a word organized.
It has made me think over the few days we have been here about being more organized, what does that really mean? In the past its always meant that I organized all the crap I had. But what happens if I dig deeper, instead of just organizing a cabinet what if I remove what I don't need or use, what if I just keep the basics? How would that feel? I don't know, but I think i'd like to try.
Organization is something I know that I struggle with. While I haven't reached Hoarder stage, I often wonder why the need to keep every single thing all the time. In the process of our kitchen remodel, I had to empty the room, each and every drawer & cabinet. When it came time to put it all back together I realized that so much of what I was holding onto I didn't really need or use. Some items I wondered why the heck I even had them, it was cleansing in a soul searching way to eliminate *stuff*.
My parents now are in the midst of a whole house remodel, the idea of out with the old and in with the new, while scary can be very liberating. So when we checked into our villa and began opening drawers and cabinets we realized that what was contained within were the necessities. There isn't a junk drawer or a cabinet full of items that are no longer practical or useful. In a word organized.
It has made me think over the few days we have been here about being more organized, what does that really mean? In the past its always meant that I organized all the crap I had. But what happens if I dig deeper, instead of just organizing a cabinet what if I remove what I don't need or use, what if I just keep the basics? How would that feel? I don't know, but I think i'd like to try.
What are you going to organize today?
Ive been following @snapconf on Instagram for a while, always inspired and awestruck by their wealth of information, desire to help others and just random fun-ness. Right now they are running an Instagram link party where each day you are given a word and you must post a pic that represents that word.
Today's word is peaceful.
My world is filled most often with the sounds of my 3 kids. That in itself, that freedom and expression is peaceful, but today I in the desert with my mom and sister enjoying a girls weekend. and it is peaceful.
I realized that to be the best woman, wife, mom that I can be that I need a certain amount of peaceful experiences for myself. Time to replenish my soul. So this morning, I will sit here on the patio where its already 85 degrees and gaze at the serenity of the desert around me and soak up the quiet. The peace of being one with the world.
Today's word is peaceful.
My world is filled most often with the sounds of my 3 kids. That in itself, that freedom and expression is peaceful, but today I in the desert with my mom and sister enjoying a girls weekend. and it is peaceful.
I realized that to be the best woman, wife, mom that I can be that I need a certain amount of peaceful experiences for myself. Time to replenish my soul. So this morning, I will sit here on the patio where its already 85 degrees and gaze at the serenity of the desert around me and soak up the quiet. The peace of being one with the world.
have a peaceful day :)
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Things I learned today:
1) Grouting tile on a wall surface is much, much harder than a floor. You can't just slop it on, otherwise it ends up in the tub which makes clean up a pain, not to mention all the grout you are wasting. #thereshouldbeaneasierway
2) Finding delicious desserts online, then making them late at night while your kids are asleep and your husband is out of town is awesome. What's not awesome? Having their deliciousness in the house ALL DAY while you are trying to work. #mustlearnhowtomake1/4recipes
3) There are only 20 more days of school... #writingandcreatingtimedropstozero
I met my friend Sharon of the awesome Creme de la Creme Boutique in Downtown Collinsville to get her approval for the drink favor tags I have been working on for her sisters wedding. Being May day I decided to 'create', sharing my Butter Caramel Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake from momontimeout.com in blue chevron bags from my Etsy store and cute mermaid stickers from Living Locurto. I officially dubed today Happy Mer'May' Day and sent Sharon back to her office loaded down with treats for her co-workers!
How did you spend this first day of May?
1) Grouting tile on a wall surface is much, much harder than a floor. You can't just slop it on, otherwise it ends up in the tub which makes clean up a pain, not to mention all the grout you are wasting. #thereshouldbeaneasierway
2) Finding delicious desserts online, then making them late at night while your kids are asleep and your husband is out of town is awesome. What's not awesome? Having their deliciousness in the house ALL DAY while you are trying to work. #mustlearnhowtomake1/4recipes
3) There are only 20 more days of school... #writingandcreatingtimedropstozero
I met my friend Sharon of the awesome Creme de la Creme Boutique in Downtown Collinsville to get her approval for the drink favor tags I have been working on for her sisters wedding. Being May day I decided to 'create', sharing my Butter Caramel Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake from momontimeout.com in blue chevron bags from my Etsy store and cute mermaid stickers from Living Locurto. I officially dubed today Happy Mer'May' Day and sent Sharon back to her office loaded down with treats for her co-workers!
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