pulled pork

Awhile back, I found this recipe for pulled pork at http://www.crumblycookie.net/2008/05/30/crockpot-pulled-pork/. I've been using it for a couple years now, and it's the best! Everyone I've made it for or given the recipe to likes it!

I mixed up some of the spice rub and sent it to to her, along with the recipe, for her birthday! That's how much I like this pulled pork. And, it makes a ton, and I always like leftovers!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper
1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional, I never put it in since I never have any)
2 cups barbecue sauce

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.
2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid in liner. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.
5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

birthday chocolate cheesecake

A friend of mine had a birthday in January, and I told her I'd make a cake. When I asked her what kind, she didn't care, so I decided on chocolate cheesecake! (After confirming that she likes cheesecake, of course!) My uncle has a SPECTACULAR chocolate cheesecake recipe, so I decided to do that!

It turned out awesome! (She was generous enough to give me a piece!)

pro rodeo

Since the National Western Stock Show was in town, and both my cousin and I wanted to go see the rodeo, we convinced our significant others and got tickets to the Pro Rodeo!

The event did end up being a little expensive, $61 for two tickets, but Alex and I had planned on seeing some kind of show this winter, so I think we got off pretty easy.

And...we had a blast!

We saw...

Bareback Bronco Riding

Mutton Bustin' (That's right, that's a 6 year old on a sheep!)

 Team Roping (One rider was responsible for lasso'ing the feet, the other the head)

 Saddled Bronco Riding

 A cowboys and indians skit, complete with bison

 Barrel Racing

Bull Riding

 Cow Tying

 Steer Wrestling

vegetarian dinners

We are trying to eat a little healthier, and as a part of that, we are trying to designate one day a week to be vegetarian. So, I need vegetarian dinners! 

This one was my first attempt. It's not that I've never made anything that was meatless, but this was the first time I went looking for a recipe that was meatless.

I came across the recipe for this dish online, it's a pasta/broccoli casserole. To be honest, not the best dinner we've ever had, so I'm not going to post the recipe.

But, it was made, it was vegetarian, and we ate it. Steps in the right direction. 

(Did I mention it was also a really cheap meal? Pasta, broccoli, cheese...that was about it. It's hard to figure out where it went wrong.)

30 friend dates

 

(Colorado Dragon Boat Festival - great example of a free festival!)

Ok, here it is! My list of things to do with friends that are relatively inexpensive!

Out and About
1. coffee
2. go for a walk
3. window shopping
4. hiking
5. free festivals/fairs
6. movies - find a theater that does $5 Tuesdays or Sundays!
7. sand volleyball
8. ride bikes
9. photography list
10. laser tag
11. mini golf
12. take your dog to the dog park
13. volunteer
14. bowling
15. wine tasting
16. frisbee or frisbee golf
17. yard sales/flea market

At Home
18. make dessert
19. watch favorite tv shows
20. workout video at home
21. game night
22. video games
23. no-money poker night
24. borrow a movie from the library or redbox
25. tye-dye something
26. do a puzzle
27. pot luck
28. cookie exchange
29. paint nails 
30. make dinner (split the ingredients)

What else?!

the girl at the car dealership

I'm posting today to report a major win the in the friendship hunt! I've been posting about the book MWF seeking BFF, and in my last post, I wrote about how to find friends.

Number 3 on that list was to introduce yourself to that girl at the [insert public place here]. I also admitted that I had never actually done that, but I did it last night!

I went to get an oil change (on a Friday night, glamorous, I know) and the girl at the desk in the waiting area seemed like she was probably about my age. At first, I sat in a chair reading, not expecting to have any conversations.

After awhile, she asked me what book I was reading (Bride for a Night, just something I grabbed from the library because it was available), and continued to talk to me from there. Instead of just going back to my book, we had a good conversation about working with kids (we both coach sports teams), customer service experiences, what her boyfriend does, and where we grew up.

When my car was done and I went to pay, I worked up some courage and dug one of my business cards out of my wallet. (They had to come in handy sometime, right?) I wrote my personal e-mail address on it and told her if she ever wanted to hang out to e-mail me. She seemed a little surprised, but pretty receptive. 

So, if she e-mails, she e-mails. If she doesn't, she doesn't. There was nothing to lose by throwing it out there, and I'm very proud of myself.

I'll keep you posted if I hear from her!

meeting friends

It was pointed out to me that in my post about the book MWF seeking BFF, I listed that I had learned two things from the book, and the first one was to make friends, you have to meet people.

I skipped this one as I was writing, moving right along to talk about how friends are expensive. But, I did want to come back to this idea!

Some of the things that Rachel Bertsche, the author of MWF seeking BFF, did in the book to meet people are, by themselves, expensive.

She talked about how she attended a yoga class, for example. Although I think a yoga or fitness class would be really fun, I don't have the budget for that at the moment. She also tried websites that are similar to a dating website, but for friends, which would also cost money.

However, here's a list of things that you can do for (almost if not) free to meet people, some from the book, some not.

1. Join a club (running, painting, etc)
     You can find groups of people doing various outings at meetup.com. I've used this website a couple times, going to a couple meetups. Be forewarned, though, a lot of the meetups have a fee. Sometimes the fee is $2, sometimes it's upwards of $10, $30, $50. Most groups charge a little something, since there is a fee to own a group on the site.
2. Join a church group
     I have recently joined a book study through my church, open to 20-something ladies. I've met a really cool group of girls and enjoy our weekly meetings! (My church also does groups of people that run, or hike, and lots of other activities)
3. Introduce yourself to that girl at the gym/grocery store/clothing store/park/restaurant
     This one is a little scary, I know, but it's all about putting yourself out there. In the book, the author went on friend dates with girls she met in almost all those places. The worst that can happen is he or she is completely not interested, and you never see him or her again. (I have to admit, I have not done this one...still a little chicken!)
4. Bond with work friends
     The people you work with are the people you see the most, so you have to be careful with this one. Even though they may turn into friends, they will still be your colleagues. That being said, I have a pretty regular game night with a group of friends from work, and it's going just fine. :)
5. Get a second job
      This seems counter-intuitive, but if you get a second job doing something that you love, you will meet other people who most likely share that interest. I have a second job coaching cheerleading, and although I wouldn't call my fellow coaches really close friends, I enjoy spending time with them a couple nights a week, and it is pretty social.

How else do you meet people?