Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Spring is, like, springing.

Spring Springs Whether You Like It or Not.

It's official - the Cold Place has an expected high of 55 today and I think this alledged winter is over. It's supposed to be 65 on Friday and rain this weekend. I briefly considered thinking about yard work. Briefly.

So here is Odessa, in a fashion:




Click here to see Grumperina's gallery of Odessas. Now don't you want to make one? I mean, some people can actually take pictures. Ha.
I'm making this hat for Paul's mom. I know it's spring and all, but I can't control the knitting. The knitting controls me. Also, her husband is in line for a liver transplant soon and this is my token of here-i-made-you-this.

Culinary Experimentation

I am in love. And my love is for the pizza shop on the edge of our neighborhood. Now I haven't told Paul, although he was there for my first tryst with the pizza shop last night, but let me tell you... boneless buffalo wings are even more blissful on day 2. Le sigh. We ordered a 12 cut (that's how they do sizing here - cuts) with meatballs and spinach (meatballs are cubed, not rolling around in there) and 20 boneless wings. Oh. My. Goodness. Oh my goodness. My. Goodness.

Last week I did a little test kitchen chemical experimentation on Darby's turkey tetrazzini recipe. I can't tell you what it is or I'd have to kill you, but it turned out great for a take-and-bake-later for the grandparents. Canned soup, shredded chicken, sour cream, secrets, and whole-grain spaghetti. Now I have this absurd urge to make a tuna noodle casserole. And Rhett - yesterday, by sheer coincidence, I did vacuum while wearing my pearls. Isn't that supposed to mean something?

Also last week I fulfilled my southern destiny and made pulled pork barbeque for our turn to cook dinner. Rhett and Rhett's mother pretty much told me exactly what to do, and it worked! It worked out well!! And it was easy!! I just got a pork tenderloin (which had 2 in there, but whatever) and trimmed off some of the icky looking fats, added a spice rub (secret! killings!) and put it in the crock pot with about a cup of water for 4 hours on high. Shred with 2 forks pulling in opposite directions, and adding liberal amounts of barbeque sauce. Preferably some good mustard based sauce, but up here it is all red all the time. :( Serve on hamburger buns. We also had onion rings. :) Every time I talk or write about this barbeque though, it makes me want to make it again!! Ack!! I have to find a cheaper cut of meat to use...

It smells like spring outside. I've been watching retired joggers and mommies with strollers go by all day. The cats want in to sleep and out to play simultaneously. I'm going to go join them!

(I wonder if I can post secrets? This is in white for all you Bloglines addicts such as myself. Just an experiment.)

4 comments:

Rhett said...

i saw the secret... it barely shows up on the website, and wouldnt show up on bloglines... but it's cool!

glad the cooking is going well for you. we made a fantastic lamb stew this weekend that i have been eating on since kevin is out of town and i can't throw away food... nor do i have money to buy anything else :)

anyway, the knitting controls us all... i am on my second square... after i make two for the purse i am going let you know how the sewing went.

Anonymous said...

Your secret showed up in bloglines for me...

My ex-mother in law made great pulled pork barbecue, using cheaper cuts of pork; I think maybe a pork roast or butt? They are strictly non-drinking, but her "secret ingredient" when she added the sauce was to get a beer from one of her sons and put it in with the sauce. The alcohol cooks out, but the beer does leave a good taste.

Anonymous said...

Hey. Your drawings are getting really good. I had to look close to figure out it wasn't your knitting. :D
I'm hungry now. I need to find a good place out here with square meatballs. Yum!

Kimswhimsy said...

Oh, you must be from the South- pulled pork! I'm only 30 minutes from my fav barbecue place in the NC mountains, and I still get longings for it. Try stuffing it in french bread- doesn't get all soggy like a hamburger bun. (That's what the mountain place does.)

Nice to meet you- I'm Kim in NC.