Monday, January 25, 2010

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I don't share recipes very often because I don't consider myself much of a cook - but this one was quite the hit in our house this week and it was really easy (because the crock pot does most of the work), so I thought I would share:

Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 7-10 hours

3 lbs Country style pork ribs (should be boneless)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used the chopped garlic in a jar)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cola (Pepsi!!!)
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (we used Honey BBQ sauce and it was very good)
Sandwich rolls of your choice

1. Spray inside of Crock Pot with cooking spray
2. Mix brown sugar, pepper, liquid smoke, garlic and salt; rub mixture into ribs (I just brushed it on)
3. Put ribs in slow cooker. Pour soda over ribs.
4. Cover and cook on low heat setting 8-9 hours (I never remember to put it in early enough so I cook on high for bout 5-6 hours (plus I prefer to cook everything on high!!). This time I actually cooked them at night and reheated for dinner the next day - since I kept forgetting to put it in in the morning) :)
5. After 8-9 hours Remove ribs from slow cooker. Drain and discard liquid.
6. At this point the ribs should be practically falling apart. (optional step - take out any pieces of fat you see). Return them to the slow cooker and add Barbecue sauce. Stir thoroughly until all the pork is shredded. Cook on low for 1 hour.
7. Add shredded pork to sandwich rolls (we used sour french)

Makes about 6-8 sandwiches

Yum!!! We have been eating these for lunch and dinner the last few days.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Drive-Ins

About once or twice a year we head out to the drive-ins for a movie. Last time we went, James was a lot younger and it was very challenging to keep him entertained. This time, both the kids did a pretty good job watching the movie - Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was very cute and it was fun cuddling in the car.








Saturday, January 16, 2010

Winterfier

I always love getting together with my girlfriends from high school. We had the chance to catch up at April's annual Winterfier party. It's funny to see how our gang grows every year with all the kids!! Great to see you girls!




Jack and Haylie had SO much fun together:


Thursday, January 14, 2010

The Dentist

Haylie had her first dentist appt this week. We went to get her teeth cleaned but we also really needed to check out her alignment in her mouth. She has started speech therapy because she mixes up some of her sounds and the speech therapist thought she might have a cross-bite. The dentist office we went to was SO fun - I wish my dentist was like that. Haylie was very nervous about going to the dentist because last thing she remembers about the dentist was when Raider got his wisdom teeth pulled and was crying and couldn't walk. However these wonderful people at this office put her right at ease and she came away loving the dentist!











Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Wicked

For Christmas, Micah's mom got us tickets to see the play Wicked, in San Francisco. Ever since we saw it about seven years agoJustify Full on Broadway, I have been wanting to see it again. I was so excited to go, in addition to the fact that Micah's parents watched the kids for the night so we could stay in San Francisco for a night away! I started by busting out my soundtrack a week in advance to start reacquainting myself with the songs. I have been listening to it ever day since the play as well. It was so great and I highly recommend that everyone see it - I heard that it ends at the end of March.


Dinner - just the two of us - yippee:




The next morning we had breakfast at a cute little creperie - we LOVE crepes:



At our hotel:






Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A Barbie Culture

Sad story... I took Haylie to the video store tonight so I could get the next installment of Glee Season 1 (Thanks Sar - I do like it). Well - they said I get a free kids movie so Haylie picked out Barbie in the Nutcracker (since she just started ballet classes). In the car she was telling me how beautiful Barbie is and here's how the conversation went from there:

Haylie: I'm not as beautiful as her
Me: Yes you are Haylie, you are very beautiful.
Haylie: No I'm not, I'm just a little bit pretty. Barbie is very beautiful.
Me: (Insisting that she is just as beautiful as Barbie and even more so)
Haylie: No I need a crown like her.
Me If you had a crown like her, do you think it would make you just as beautiful?
Haylie: No, I need pink lipstick too...dark pink
Me: Anything else?
Haylie: I need a heart necklace too.
Me: Anything else?
Haylie: No, that's it.

After that I went on to explain of course, that those things don't make a person beautiful and that to me she is beautiful in every way. I was so sad though - I don't know how to protect her from a culture that teaches women they have to look a certain way and have certain things to be beautiful. I admit I've felt that way myself before, which makes it even harder to combat.

One more even sadder story about Barbie. On the way to church one morning, we drove past a terrible billboard with a picture of a half-naked lady with huge boobs on it (it is an advertisement for a strip club). I hate the billboard and even more I hate driving past it every day. This particular day James looked up at it and said - Barbie! It makes me so sad that my two year old son is not only noticing that billboard but recognizing it and associating it with a character that my daughter wishes she was like.

As a parent, what do I do? Not allow them outside the house? These days girls are more insecure than ever, cutting themselves for attention and texting naked pictures to boys in order to feel sexy. How do we protect our children from these things???

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Saturday, January 2, 2010

New Year's Eve

At the last minute, we realized we didn't have any plans for New Year's eve, so we invited some friends over for some games. We got a new game for Christmas - Wits and Wagers and we had a fun time learning new facts - like What % of pet owners said they would risk their life their pet? The game said 93% - WOW. OK - so we're old!! We decided we actually really prefer small quiet evenings with good friends over uncomfortable outfits and loud parties - maybe that is a sign of being old!! :)


Kiley spent the night so the kids had fun with their own little party:

Wits and Wagers:













Happy New Year friends!!!