Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Yesterday, I tried my hand at pulled pork in the slow cooker. I even concocted my own barbecue sauce. It was a great meal if I do say so myself.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced onions
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
10 drops of Tabasco
1 beer (used Fat Tire New Belgium)
3/4 cup ketchup
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 oz tomato paste (about 2/3 of a 6 oz can)
1/2 cup mustard
2 lb pork tenderloin

Steps:
1. Heat oil, minced onion and powder in a pan on medium heat (2-5 minutes)
2. Add chili powder, paprika, cayenne, and Tabasco. Stir until mixture becomes fragrant.
3. Mix in beer, ketchup, vinegar, tomato paste, and mustard. Bring to a boil.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Place tenderloin in slow cooker. Pour barbecue sauce over tenderloin. Cover and cook on low for at least 6 hours.
6. Remove tenderloin from slow cooker and shred with a fork.

The Final Product:
Oh yummy. Okay, the sauce was a little bit on the spicy side but hey, every now and again you need to clear out those sinuses. I served the pork on some home style biscuits with a side of Rice-a-Roni. It made enough sauce that I have now have a wonderful Mason jar filled with it. No need to buy barbecue sauce for a while. :)

I apologize if the formatting is a bit off. I am using an app to upload this post. Nice to not have to be sitting right in front of the computer when I want to post.

Babies Do Not Like DST

Daylight Saving Time - observed by most of the United States (yes there are a few exceptions) and probably hated by most. The scientific mastermind Ben Franklin had the wonderful idea that maybe we should be awake when it is light out. Novel idea really! This way we all could get more accomplished during the day.

Unfortunately Mr. Franklin this new mommy disagrees. Daylight Saving Time has wreaked havoc on my baby boy. We are still getting over the whole lost hour. Our usual rhythm, nap times, even temper tantrums were thrown out the window.

Just hoping everything will return to normal, well, as normal as life with a baby can be.

Sweet PEAS

Today, JT's food adventure reached a new destination - Peas!!  JT has really enjoyed the past week of bananas, Naners as I have come to say.  I almost think he was a little disappointed today when I didn't say, "Open wide for Naners!".  He seemed a bit hesitant but in no time we were gobbling up the peas.

I have also noticed a marked difference in John's behavior.  Six months really must have flipped a switch.  I can tell he is working things out in his little head and beginning to make connections with the different words that we are saying.

It also has been rather interesting seeing him interact with the hubby.  The hubby has taken an extended vacation.  He has been helping out with JT more.  JT has been giving me funny looks like - "What is this guy doing?  Doesn't he know we have a routine?"  The hubby tried to feed JT some cereal earlier - said the exact same words as I do - and JT just stared at him.  Mouth locked shut.  I got a hold of the spoon, said the magic words, and voila - breakfast time commences.

Every day is a new adventure!

NurturMe baby food

I have been searching for a way to give JT food without having to carry around those little baby food jars. I am pretty sure I have the answer - NurturMe baby food.

It is organic, quick-dried fruits and veggies in a pouch. All you need is water, formula, or breastmilk to reconstitute it. You can add as much water to make it just the right consistency for your baby.

JT does not like soupy baby food. After inspecting several jars of baby food, I noticed that most of these seemed very watery. I have found that JT likes things to be on the pasty almost chunky side. This lets me make fruits and veggies just the way he likes it.

But how did he like it, really? JT's first taste of bananas was NurturMe bananas. The ones we had bought from the grocery were not yet ripe. He gobbled them down. It was the first food where he sat with his mouth open waiting for more food. Go Bananas!

Pasta with Ricotta Cheese and Greens

Well, I posted a picture of this dinner on facebook and was asked to put the recipe up.  So I am kindly obliging with this yummy recipe.  This is a variation on a recipe found at Williams-Sonoma.  I sometimes get a bit intimidated with Williams-Sonoma because the recipes seems to involve a long list of ingredients or the steps just seem like orchestrating a symphony.  But this one, I assure you is very simple and quick to make.

Pasta with Ricotta Cheese and Greens

Ingredients

Coarse kosher salt, to taste
1 bunch spinach, thick stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
6 to 8 oz. dried penne, or macaroni that will grab on to cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon ground thyme
sprinkling of minced onion
splash of lemon juice
½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Steps:
1. Bring a large pot three-fourths full of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach and boil until the greens are just tender, approximately one minute.
2. Using a skimmer or a slotted spoon, transfer the greens to a colander and drain. Return the water in the pot to a boil, add the pasta, stir well and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 10 minutes.
3. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta in the same colander with the greens. Return the pasta to the pot, press on the greens to remove some of the excess water and add the greens to the pot.
4. Add the olive oil, thyme, shallot and lemon zest and toss to coat. Mix in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and ricotta cheeses. If the mixture is dry, add enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to moisten. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Divide between warmed plates and serve immediately. Serves 2.

The Final Product:

As I said at the top of the post, this was quick and easy.  Well, the waiting for the water to boil part was somewhat of a pain but once you start with the greens the remainder of the process only takes about 15 minutes.  This will be a great summer time dish - when I want pasta but do not want all of the heavy sauce and meatballs along with it.  Now, our only reservation is that while it is light, we feel it would do with a little bit more spice or heat - so try adding some oregano or red pepper to the mixture.

Enjoy!

A Six Month Old

That is right - it is my son's half birthday.  It is unbelievable that we have made it all in one piece.

A few nights ago I spent some time just looking at old pictures.  I do not think that I can truly call JT's newborn pictures old but I feel like it has been a very long time since I held my tiny little boy.  We have come a very long way from....

  

to this....

I am just a little teary-eyed with it all.

Bananas and Green Peas

Yesterday, I tried my hand at another baby food. Green Peas - because I like peas. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to pick out peas from a pod. So I ended up microwaving four single packages of Birds Eye Steamfresh Sweet Peas. I dumped the contents into the blender along with a splash of water.

It turned out to be just the right amount to fill up my baby food ice cube tray. The process was so fast that I forgot to even take a picture. I might continue using frozen veggies if it makes the process this easy.

But you said bananas too! Well, bananas need to be made same day. So we bought two bunches. I think I will start JT on them tomorrow since we finished up all the apples and sweet potatoes. The peas, now that they are frozen, will keep for at least another 3 weeks.

I am loving this food journey with John.

Exhaustion

The word that describes this past week. I was working on overdrive in preparation for that charity event. How I managed to keep my head screwed on straight is a miracle. I did not get home until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday and boy, I am not used to that. You would think all the sleep deprivation and dealing with JT would allow me to function but that was not the case. Wee morning hours are not for me. It seems I have a bedtime limit - midnight. Turning into a pumpkin is not fun.

I spent all of Saturday in pajamas trying to recover. It was the first time in months where I am pretty sure I did absolutely nothing- with the exception of mommy type things. There was even a pile of dishes left in the sink. It was thoroughly relaxing. I could really get used to not worrying about all the little household things.

Alas, today the dishes caught up with me. I felt the strong desire to clean. So bye bye growing piles of stuff, hello clean clothes, hello floor how nice to see you again. I guess being lazy went right out the window. How do I maintain the relaxing calm feeling of Saturday yet still manage to get my to-do list done? If you have the answer, please share.

Brief Hiatus

I am not sure how many people read my blog. I am actually quite sad that I have not been more consistent on writing over the past couple of weeks. I am also a bit mad that I have not tried a new slow cook recipe in quite a while.

Or maybe it all just seems like a long time between posting because I have been frantically working on all things technical for a charity event tomorrow - or well as frantically as a momma can with a hysterical almost 6 month old.

I guess it is just disappointment. I was doing so well and I got neglectful. But I intend on rectifying this situation shortly. It will just have to wait another day or so.

Cookbook

I can finally say it - my cookbook is completed.  I will not say it is finished because I am constantly on the lookout for new recipes.  But my recipe format and system of organization is finally in use.  By logging all my recipes in MacGourmet - I know that I currently have 73 recipes that I have made, we have enjoyed, and I plan to keep in rotation.  I am excited to grow that number whenever I can.

As for the filing system - all the recipes are being housed in a magnetic closure binder with two recipes to a page protector.  I purchased these colorful Avery Big Tab Folder Dividers.  One side of the folder holds potential new recipes that I have found and the other side holds recipes I have tried, liked, and have reformatted.  I really like my new system.  Only thing that makes me sad - is the pathetic white binder it is all in.  For now though, it works and it makes finding my favorite recipes a heck of a lot easier.