Big Boy Hair Cut

Before ...

During ...

AFTER!!!

Israel

My big brother Josh has ended his time in Bagdhad and is now living in Jerusalem! He starts working this week as a security contractor (same job, different country). He told us that he went grocery shopping for the first time in several years this weekend. He has been eating in military base chow halls all this time. Here are a few pictures of his new apartment. I love that you can see a playground from his balcony!

Pulled Pork

Well after spending two days preparing this aforementioned pulled pork, it turned out well! The seasoning had a little bit of a kick to it. The pork was tender. I can't say that it was worth two days worth of effort, but at least we were able to eat something different, could share it with friends (Dan and Erica came over for dinner), and now DJ will have something to make sandwiches out of while he's in the fields. :) I would recommend the recipe, but be prepared for some time committment and definitely serve it with barbeque sauce!

Trying out a new recipe...

I'm in the mood to cook. After being on vacation, and essentially not really cooking for the past 10 months or so :), I am going to try to make pulled pork this weekend. Wish me luck! I've always wanted to try to make this so we'll see how things go. Here's the recipe that I'm going to follow:

Ingredients
1 whole boston butt (4-7 lbs.)

Dry Rub
1 tbsp ground cumin1 tbsp garlic powder1 tbsp onion powder1 tbsp chili powder1 tbsp cayenne pepper1 tbsp salt1 tbsp ground pepper1 tbsp paprika1/2 cup brown sugar
Mix well and store in an air tight container.

Brine Solution
1/2 cup salt1/2 cup brown sugar2 qts cold water2 bay leaves3 tbsp dry rub mix
Add salt to cold water and stir very well until all the salt is completely dissolved. Then add the brown sugar, dry rub, and bay leaves and stir well to combine.

Pork shoulder preparation:Rinse the pork shoulder and place in a large container, pour in the brine solution until the shoulder is completely covered. Cover the container and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Then remove pork shoulder from brine solution, pat dry with paper towels, place in baking pan that is bigger than the shoulder by at least a inch in length and width and at least 3 inches deep. Sprinkle dry rub onto the surface of the shoulder and massage in such that it adheres to the surface. Coat all sides. Make sure the fat layer on the shoulder is facing up before cooking! Place baking pan uncovered in a 225 degree oven on the middle rack. Insert a probe thermometer into the center or thickest part of the shoulder, but not touching the bone. Monitor the temperature throughout cooking (a digital thermometer with an alarm function is the easiest way to do this). Do not remove from the oven until the center of the shoulder reaches 200 degrees. When the shoulder has reached 200 degrees, shut off the oven and let the roast cool for a couple of hours before removing from the oven. If the bottom of the pan is dry (or crusted with dried spices) then cover the pan with foil to retain internal moisture of the meat during the cooling period. When the temperature drops to 170 degrees or slightly lower, remove from oven. Place on a large, clean work surface such as a cutting board, and remove the large sheet of crusted fat on the top. Pull apart with two forks, it will pull apart very easily. Serve for friends and family!

Wish me luck! I'll update on Monday. :)

Firsts

This year has been so amazing. Jack will be 10 months old next week and I can hardly believe it! It has been so much fun introducing him to the world. Every week we get to do something fun together that is BRAND NEW to Jack. Last week we went on our annual first visit to the hot dog stand with Aunt Dawn, Clark, Kelsey and Pixie Sue. So fun! Jack LOVED the hot dogs (another first) but I don't think his stomach liked them later that night. P.U.!!! :)

On Good Friday Jack and I went to the zoo with our friends Vienne and Kelly. We had so much fun! Jack's favorite were the KOI and the monkeys! It was a gorgeous, summer-like day - a great way to start off the spring season. Here's some pics...