Saturday, July 30, 2011

Party Prep

Sorry for the lack of posts, we have been wicked busy since Bobby left a couple weeks ago, Cori was here to visit (that was awesome) and I've been preparing for Punk's first birthday party (not his first birthday, he'll be three, but his first party none-the-less).  I've got lots of fun things up my sleeve and I'm working like crazy to get it all figured out.  There will be lots of party posts after, but I don't want to give too much away...stay tuned.

Friday, July 22, 2011

No Recipe - Pork Wanton Tostadas

Remember the Root Beer Pulled Pork?  Well, I used the leftovers to make these:


It's a flat take on Applebee's Pork Wanton Tacos (which are our absolute favorite thing on the menu at Applebee's).

I fried up the wanton wrappers flat (because I didn't want to deal with the whole folding them while frying thing) so they are tostadas instead of tacos.

I made the coleslaw using about half a bagged coleslaw mix that I added about 1/2 a chopped red onion to and I made the dressing with mayo, rice wine vinegar, stir fry sauce, an Asian sesame salad dressing/marinade and a little sugar (honey would have been a better choice, but I didn't have any), I just played with the dressing until it tasted good and used it to moisten the slaw/onion mix.

I put a heaping tablespoon of the pulled pork on the fried wanton, added a some slaw on top, garnished the whole thing with cilantro and squeezed some lemon over the top.

They were pretty awesome (if I do say so myself), Bobby liked them so well that he found something else to order when we went to Applebees a few days later because "You can make those at home"...

Next time I make them I'll try to take some measurements and I'll write down the brands of the sauces I used AND I picked up some honey so that the sweetening will be more on.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Day Thirty - Your Favorite Song This Time of Year

This is the birth month of both of my children...it's a song for them:


Saturday, July 16, 2011

Day Twenty-Eight - A Song From a Musical You Have Never Seen

I've never seen it, but I'd like to:

Day Twenty-Seven - A Song You Wish You Could Play

Since I can't play anything past a CD player...I'm gonna go with all of them...

It's a cop out, I know, but I can't narrow what I'd like to be able to play down to one song...and I don't want to.

Friday, July 15, 2011

More Punk

At dinner at Famous Dave's, I already ordered Punk's food:
Me, Bobby and Cori place our orders.
Server walks to next table.
Punk: "Excuse me, excuse me, I need macaroni, excuse me."
I explained I already ordered his...as I tried to control my laughter.  We maybe eat out too often since my son not only knows how to order, but how to get the server's attention politely as well.



Thursday, July 14, 2011

The World According to Punk...

So, he's almost three with all the things that come with that...

We were driving into the parking lot at a Costco Punk had never been to the other day:
Cori: Where are we Punk?
Punk looks out one window: That's gas.
Cori: No, the store, look on the other side.
Punk: Oh, that's a Costco!
My baby can READ!

At dinner at Famous Daves:
Punk (pointing to my cornbread muffin): That's a pancake!
Me: No, Punk, it's not a pancake it's a muffin.
Punk: A muh-tin?
Me: Yes, a muFF-in.
Punk: Look at my mouth.  A MUH-TIN.
He has trouble with consonants in the middle of words, they often come out like "t"s so I tell him to "look at my mouth" so he can see how to say the words...


Walked out of the bedroom yesterday after getting dressed:
Punk: Mommy!  That's a red shirt...you are a RACECAR!

In the front room the other day:
Punk: Mommy, you are a princess.  I need to slay the dragon and give the princess true love's first kiss!
Me: Who is the dragon?
Punk: DADDY is the dragon.
Epic battle ensues, Punk wins, the dragon is slain.
Punk: I have to give you true love's first kiss!
Jumps in my lap and kisses me.
He's been watching a lot of Shrek...

Day Twenty-Six - A Song From Your Favorite Movie Musical

Okay, well, I have two favorite movie musicals.

Not animated:


Animated:
Side note: this live action version of After Today is the brainchild of a good friend of my brother and sister-in-law's by the name of Ted Sowards...he's a genius, I'm just sayin'.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Monday, July 11, 2011

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Day Twenty-Two - A Song You Listen To When You Are Sad

I'm usually sad because Bobby is gone, so I often listen to songs that remind me of him, or of our relationship...lately I like this one quite a bit:

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Day Twenty-One - A Song You Listen To When You Are Happy

This song always makes me smile, as does pretty much everything from Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband:

Friday, July 8, 2011

Day Twenty - A Song You Listen To When You Are Angry

Mad music?  I don't have a lot of that right now (maybe I need more), there was a time when it was all Alanis all the time though...


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Day Nineteen - A Song From Your Favorite Album

I have several "favorite" albums...but here is a song from one of them...

Day Eighteen - A Song You Wish You Heard on the Radio

As a Dyhard it would have to be either Spin or Collide from the, now defunct, Living Daylytes.

No Youtube on this one, they were never that big, but you can play a few of their songs on their MySpace page.

If you ever get your hands on a copy of their CD "Spin" check out the thank you's in the liner notes, I'm in there...

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Day Seventeen - A Song You Hear Often on the Radio

Lately I've been hearing this song A LOT, and I'm okay with that, because I kind of love this song (and so does Bobby, so when I hear it it makes me think of him, and that makes me happy):

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Root Beer Pulled Pork

Made delicious Root Beer Pulled Pork tonight thanks to Gina.

We ate this with a side of steamed asparagus with a little butter, salt and pepper and some yummy seedless watermelon.  Both me and Bobby really liked the flavor of the meat, because of the root beer I added to the sauce you do get a little root beer flavor, but if you didn't know what it was you would just interpret it as a different kind of sweetness coming from the sauce.  I will make this again for sure although it could have used a little more heat for me, so I think next time I'll add some cracked black pepper to the sauce.




3lbs pork roast (I used two small tenderloin roasts)
20 oz root beer (I used Mug because that is what the little grocery store here carries, any brand will do)
18 oz prepared BBQ sauce (use your favorite, I used Sweet Baby Rays Original)
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
2-3 T Water

Place the roast in your slow cooker (if there is any fat on the meat make sure it is facing you so the fat can run down the meat and help keep it moist while it cooks) pour 2/3-3/4 of the root beer over the roast, cook until it shreds easily (probably about 6-8 hours on low).  Remove meat from the juices/root beer in the slow cooker and discard juices from cooking.  Just prior to serving pour remaining root beer in a large pan (I use this one in the "butter"color, because after all, it is Paula Deen cookware), cook over med-high heat 5-7 minutes or until reduced by half.  Add the bottle of BBQ sauce to the pan.  Put the water and Worcestershire Sauce into your BBQ sauce bottle and shake it up, add mix to the pan.  Remove any residual fat from the meat and chop/shred meat to your preferred consistency, then add to the pan.  Fold all together until the meat is covered in sauce.  Serve on your favorite roll (Bobby picked our rolls, so they were, of course, potato bread).


There is a TON of this leftover, I'm thinking I might try my hand at a take on Applebee's wanton tacos with what we have left (and if I do, I'll post all about it).

Day Sixteen - A Song From Your Favorite Broadway Musical

That musical would be Wicked, if you haven't seen it you are missing out in a BIG, BIG, BIG way, and you should run out and by tickets to it immediately.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Day Fifteen - A Song The Describes You

Thought this was today appropriate...

Happy Independence Day...remember how we got that way and how we stay that way.

Day Fourteen - A Song No One Would Expect You to Love

Here it is...Eminem, you didn't know did you?  I don't listen to his music regularly and we disagree on a lot of things, but I think the guy is kind of a genius.

Advisory: This is pretty clean for Em, but well...it's still Eminem.





Sunday, July 3, 2011

Day Thirteen - A Song That is a Guilty Pleasure

I have a guilty pleasure decade (the 80's) but I'd have to say that my all time fave's from that time come from the Bangles:

Smurfy







Friday, July 1, 2011

Day Twelve - A Song From a Band You Hate

A band I hate?  Wracked my brain on this one and really couldn't come up with anything...so how about the afore mentioned "Gold Digger" from Kanye West?  This is the clean AND Glee version...