robot•jumping•rope

previously: i whined. a lot. then i heard a tap at the back door. once opened there was nobody there. but there was a nice big cyberbasket of wishes and prayers, a thermos of virtual earl grey - and brownies. oh the brownies. all fudgey and nutty. it was a nice change from the coffee and krispy kremes and it’s almost enough to make a mama cry a little. so stop it already!

::is a little verklempt::

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currently: posting this riding the crest of a simple sugar rush, surrounded by almond joy and payday wrappers (dude, our neighbors give out the best treats - no tootsie rolls here) cause i might have slipped into the candy bags while the kids are at co-op. what? like you haven’t done it?

the little man is SO much improved. a little dose of steroid did the trick and he had a much better night. after a little superman-clad trick or treating he tuckered right out and slept for long stretches. it was a very, very good thing. amazing what 5 hours of sleep in a row can do for one’s mental stability.

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as you may remember, i was muscled (lori, you know i love you) into this nablopomo thing. yikes on a biscuit, how am i going to do it? better yet, how am i going to cheat by post-dating stuff? kidding. sort of. i’m afraid 12 days in it might come down to listing the contents of my purse. prepare yourselves for the worst.

it does look like a kick in the pants for those of us who might lack blogging consistency, though, doncha think? i’m pointing a chocolate-smeared finger directly at myself here, just so you know.

so i’m giving it a shot. let me know if you are too, so we can hook up over there. i need way more people on my friends list.

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roT is Recipes on Thursday, something i started long ago in this space but stopped doing with any consistency (ah HA) around my 100th post. no idea why. it now seems fitting to reward your comment kindnesses with one of my favorite meals so here we go again.

today i present to you a simple yet delicious carnitas delight. a friend’s family makes this every christmas eve and it really is perfect for that because it is easy and tasty and probably pretty fattening - all the things a good holiday dish should be. but it’s also perfect for a chilly evening. or any evening.

i’ve started using my crock pot/slow cooker with alarming frequency. used to hate the thing because every dish came out tender to the point of mush, but now i realize it is absolutely perfect for some things, namely tough meat that likes the heck cooked out of it, especially pork shoulder (or pork butt, or boston butt, or picnic roast, or a few other titles that escape me at the moment.) If you’ve never cooked this inexpensive cut, you need to try this recipe just to see what delicious flavor and superb tenderness you’ll become addicted to. trust me. i quote (loosely) mark bittman on this “well-cooked pork shoulder will have your guests brandishing forks like weapons to get to the meat.” or something like that.

let’s proceed.

put in your large slow cooker…

•4+ lbs pork shoulder, excess fat removed (but not all fat!)

•several bottles of Corona - enough to almost cover the meat.

•2 limes cut in half and juiced over the meat

•fresh cilantro - i use an entire bunch because i love cilantro, use more or less depending on your level of affection.

•1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced in quarters. (i use poblano or mild anaheim so my kids will eat it, but your kids might have more accepting palates)

•3-4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

•salt and pepper.

let all of this simmer for about 8 hours. when it is, and it will be, incredibly tender, take it out, shred it and return to pan with a little bit of the cooking liquid to keep it moist.

we eat it in corn tortillas with seasoned pintos or over rice with cornbread or sometimes just in large forkfuls straight out of the pot it is THAT GOOD. perfect for a chilly fall evening. don’t forget to have a corona with lime at hand.

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enjoy,

and happy, happy thursday.

love,

me

p.s. again with the no pictures. perhaps tomorrow.

p.p.s. let me know if you make the carnitas and if you like them. please.