I FINALLY MADE A PULLED PORK SANDWICH!

There should be more capital letters up there, because I am THAT excited to finally get my pulled pork sandwich. FINALLY! (Yes, finally. Remember when I was pulled pork-less? Yeah, it was a sad time for me too.)

I accompanied my pulled pork (!!!) with an Asian inspired slaw. But really, all I cared about was the pulled pork. Happy happy day!

I'm really not THAT big of a pulled pork fan, for those of you who are just tuning in. I have just had a hankering for a saucy, slightly spicy, pulled pork sandwich for AGES now. And FINALLY I can put that craving to bed and move on to something else. Because that's how I roll.

Two recipes for you today!

Asian Slaw

1/2 head green cabbage

1/2 yellow pepper, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 green onions, finely sliced

1/4 cup parsley, minced

Dressing:

1/4 cup jalapeno peach preserves

1/2 cup olive oil

1 TB sesame oil

red pepper flakes and salt, to taste

Mix the salad ingredients together and set aside. Melt the preserves with a splash of water in the microwave. Whisk to smooth the now melted jam, then whisk in the olive oil to create a suspension. Whisk in the sesame oil to incorporate, toss in some red pepper flakes and season with salt. Toss with salad ingredients and let sit for an hour or so.Optional: Top with toasted sesame seeds or almonds (I obviously didn't have either.)

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

1 small onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, pasted with salt

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 

2 tsp black pepper

hot sauce, to taste

Heat a medium sauce pot with just a teaspoon or so of oil. Cook onions and garlic just enough to lightly caramelize the sugars in the onions. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn the heat down to medium low. If the chunks of the onion bother you then you can now puree your barbecue sauce with an immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor. Just be careful because it's hot! Allow sauce to simmer for an hour or so, then add in your pulled pork and let all that marry a few hours over low heat, or sit overnight and reheat. 

This is not Barbecue Pulled Pork

I had this uncanny hankering for barbecue pulled pork this past week. I know, odd right? Probably because last weekend was St. Patrick's Day and there was a plethora of cabbage in the grocery store, waiting to be boiled with corned beef, and cole slaw (or as my uncle used to call it, cole salad) is a natural accompaniment for pulled pork. So while perusing the aisles (and realizing I get inexplicably and somewhat shamefully excited by grocery shopping,) I pondered the feasibility of making pulled pork in my minimally equipped college kitchen. I could make barbecue sauce, that wasn't a problem, but how shall I make the pork tender and juicy, without a crock pot, which is my traditional cooking method for pulled pork?

Still pondering, I collected my ingredients somewhat haphazardly - ketchup, brown sugar, onion, and Tabasco for barbecue sauce, whole wheat buns for sandwiching, and a pork shoulder for roasting - and headed home, still pondering the best way to go about this endeavor. I could tightly cover a baking dish with foil, but needed to be careful not to over cook the pork into tough, chewy submission. 

Plan in hand, I returned home only to find out that we were out of aluminum foil. What?! All visions of moist and succulent pulled pork evaporated and I was left with bags full of groceries for which I now needed to find uses. I found a can of jalapeno diced tomatoes in my cupboard, along with a jar of salsa, and decided to retreat into my comfort zone and go the Tex-Mex route. After all, anything wrapped up in a tortilla is delicious. Plus the extra liquid from the canned tomatoes and salsa would help keep the pork moist and create a protective crust, sans foil.

Taco comprised of roasted pork, warmed salsa, shredded cheddar, spinach, and lime

This was delicious and all, but I still want pulled pork!

Cranberries are not Just for Sauce

In fact, I have been using them all over the place (see here.) Since it is no longer cranberry season and you can't find the bright, tart little joys in the produce department anymore, I thought I would write about a meal I made my family back during winter break, right before I had my wisdom teeth removed, as a final "hurrah!" before having to give up chewing and solid food in general for a few days. 

For those of you who have had the procedure done, I hope you had as much luck as I did - I slept through the whole thing and was never in pain. I, of course, have my wonderful parents to thank for that, as they took good care of me while I was reduced to a less than independent state to say the least. My mom was reminiscing I'm sure while feeding me mushy foods during the first 12 hours after the operation as I drifted in and out of a euphoric sleep. I remember very little, but according to my sister, who is always looking for an opporunity to get my goat, disappointedly reported that I did nothing of interest.

This mean was a way to also use some leftovers in the fridge, including a forgotten half bag of cranberries from Christmas. I made a quick pan sauce with them, containing strawberries and fresh thyme, and deglazed the pan with a splash of white wine and chicken stock to round out the flavor after searing my pork chops in the skillet.

I served these panko crusted and roasted pork chops with herbed quinoa which, if you have never worked with it, is really a miracle grain. Just as versatile as pasta or rice but so incredibly healthy. I chopped up a lot of left over fresh herbs to dress this ancient grain, including tarragon, thyme, and rosemary, and then drizzled in sunflower oil and lemon juice.

I threw these last two photos in here an encouraging image to all home cooks out there. I am probably one of the messiest cooks you will ever find, and most of the time when I am at home I have to tell my mom not to come in the kitchen less she freak out at the monstrous mess I have made. The good thing about these messes, which sets them apart from most obnoxious sties, is that they are edible.

The Move in is Complete!!

A huge huge HUGE thank you to my mom, dad, and sister for helping me FINALLY get all moved into my apartment today. It is decorated, and thanks to Shelby, feng shui-ed to be best of her ability so I will have the optimal rest and relaxation space. (I type this with a chuckle since I am listening to "I Gotta Feelin'" by the Black Eyed Peas... not so feng shui.) The beautiful canvases that Shelby and I painted are hung, along with a homemade white bookshelf, some more canvases in our living room, and a bulletine board or two and hot dog we are in business. I gotta feelin' this is going to be a great year! (Pun intended.)

So as a thank you I thought I would reminisce for this week's post about a wonderful dinner we had together a few months back. I had actually forgotten about this meal so thank goodness there was photographic evidence! A culinary catastrophe was most nearly avoided just there.

A while back I was inspired by some really beautiful renditions of meat and potatoes, so thought I would make some of my own. Here is a picture of the meal I made:

More closely now - we have grilled asparagus (by far the best way to prepare asparagus in my opinion,) and roasted garlic mashed potatoes (place a whole head of garlic with the tip of it head cut off, drizzled with olive oil, in an aluminum foil package and bake at 350 for an hour or until golden, soft, and fragrant. Squeeze the desired amount into your potatoes and save the rest for garlic bread, marinades, compound butter, hummus...) The meat of this meat-and-potatoes meal is also a variation on the typical beef candidate. I roasted a pork tenderloin with lots of fresh rosemary (by far my favorite fresh herb to use) and then topped it with a sauce made from some of the yummy pan drippings and macerated cherries.

And let us not forget dessert! What is a celebratory dinner without dessert, I mean really. This is a simple shortcake variation made with smoked bourbon salt and lavender, topped with homemade lemon curd and fresh sliced strawberries. Oh how I miss summertime cooking already!

See the difference between Shelby's plate and mine? (Hint: she LOVES to play with the whipped cream...)

And because she is a big jokester, here is Shelby!

A quick note to all of you who thought Shelby should get her own photography blog to feature her wonderful pictures and talents... SHE HAS ONE NOW! Follow this link and check it out!

http://focusandflash.blogspot.com/