I'm a Ford Truck (Wo)Man :)

Chad and I are the new owners of a 2006 Ford F-150 :)

Healthy(er) Honey, Ginger Chicken Tenders

Although I am renowned for my atrocious spelling habits, I do know "healthyer" is not how you spell healthier.  Please forgive me but my creativity has hit an all time low, particularly after spending the better part of this morning researching all sorts of theories and definitions of creativity for a summer class.

Last night's dinner was uniquely delicious.  As a youngin', I inhaled McDonald's Chicken Nuggets with Honey.  You'd rarely find any red meat in my hands, and if you did it was a plain-jane burger with just the meat and the bun... well salt and pepper if I was feeling particularly daring.   I still love chicken nuggets/tenders but struggle justifying the deep frying process as my metabolism is not at all what it used to be.  Through my copious food blogs, I found an interesting take on my tried-and-true favorite: Crispy Honey Ginger Chicken via How Sweet It Is  (Photo courtesy of How Sweet It Is.)  Both Chad and I loved this recipe and look forward to her other versions (Crispy BBQ Tenders and Buffalo Wings.)  Mosey on over to her blog for some fantastic sweets (most have a slightly healthy swing to them) and some creative reinventions of comfort food classics.

Tonight, time permitting, I'm braving into the world of eggs, Guyere cheese, bacon and green onions.  That's right; you guessed it: Quiche Lorraine!  The only quiche I would touch with a ten-foot-pole for the better part of my life.  Now that I'm all grown up, I've timidly tip-toed into the world of spinach and other fillings but still stand firmly behind the quiche that stole my heart.  I'll let you know how it turns out and maybe even post some pictures if I remember. 

Meanwhile, here's my latest project: HERBS!

Cast of Characters for Herb Pot 1: Sweet Basil, Thyme and Italian Parsley

Cast of Characters for Herb Pot 2: Garlic Chives, Rosemary (YUM!) and Cilantro.

No more buying the expensive $4 packs of fresh herbs, using only a teensy bit, and ultimately wasting money as the rest of them dry out.

Next project:

Resurrecting these very vintage, very rusty patio chairs and table.  Much like the majority of our furniture, these are family heirlooms.  In fact, these beauties are my parents' first patio set from the late 60s!  Don't you worry... I have a stiff steel brush and a can of matte black Rustoleum paint.  These puppies will look brand-spanking new in the near future!

Off to cheer camp!

Whirlwind weeks...

Whew! These past few weeks have been crazy busy.  Here's a brief rundown of our past happenings:

1. Chad graduated on May 15th.  We had wonderful food (recipes posted below) and hung out with great friends and family.

2.  Returned to KC Sunday and Monday post-graduation to collect a new-to-us couch, rug and WASHER AND DRYER! (I've never been so excited to do a load of laundry in my life! After a year of doing buckets of laundry at a laundromat... it's extremely nice to have the capability to "air your dirty laundry" in the privacy of your own home.)

3. Drove back to Manhappiness to pack up all our belongings only to move out on Thursday.  Thursday, Friday and Saturday were spent moving in to our new Wichita apartment (pictures coming soon).  But then Sunday we drove back to KC for a dear friends baby shower and to watch LOST series finale.

4. Bright and early Monday morning we drove back to Wichita only to return to KC Wednesday evening for Memorial day weekend festivities.  Chad was with his student group in Indiana while I basked in the sun and enjoyed time well-spent with my family. 

5. This past Sunday both Chad and I returned to Wichita to host two of our great friends Monday evening.

6.  Yesterday was Chad's first day of work and my first cheer practice.

7.  Today and tomorrow, I have cheer practice in the evening and then Friday and Saturday are our day long cheer camps while Chad continues to work :)

With all of the above happening, I've barely had a moment to breathe, let alone catch up with blogging and begin work towards finishing my Master's.  As a result,  I failed to post about the wonderful food we had at graduation!  I apologize in advance as I was too busy entertaining around 15 people in our tiny little apartment; I didn't take pictures of all the food.

Graduation BBQ Pulled Pork:

BBQ Sauce a la Neely's on Food Network:

 

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoons fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tablespoons onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoons ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients into a medium sauce pan.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer (low to medium-low).  Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 1 hour 15 minutes.

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Note: I made the sauce the day before, jarred it and then reheated it on the stove top for about 45 minutes while the pork finished cooking.  I also found another version of BBQ sauce that I'd like to try next.  Instead of 5 T of sugar, you add in 4 T sugar and 1/2 T of molasses, cook for 2 hours or until thickened... this would make a much thicker sauce than the above recipe)

Drunk BBQ Pulled Pork (No Picture... sorry!)

•  A 5-6 pound pork butt... apparently a pork shoulder is the same thing.  If you're confused, ask your butcher.  Some recipes call for a trimming of the fat slab, I kept mine until the roasting process was complete.  Leaving on the fat slab creates much juicier and flavorful meat... just trim in off after the meat rests and immediately prior to serving.
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt (I recommend using kosher salt as it adheres to the meat better.  But if all you have is the regular stuff, by all means, use it!)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 bottles blackberry wheat beer
• 3 bottles honey beer
• 12 hearty, toasted sandwich rolls, sliced lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 225.  Season pork butt generously with salt and pepper and place, fat-slab side up, in a large roasting pan.  Pour all six bottles of beer on top of the pork butt, tent with aluminum foil and let marinate at room temperature for about an hour.  Then place in warm oven for six hours or until pork pulls apart and shreds easily.  Remove from oven, let rest for about 10 minutes and shred with two forks.  Allow meet to mix with pan drippings and set aside until ready to mix with BBQ sauce.

While the pork is resting, crank the oven up to broil.  Slice your sandwich buns (I used Kaiser) lengthwise and butter each side (optional).  Place buns face up on a cookie sheet.  Broil until crisp but not burnt.  Toasting your sandwiches provides a more steady surface for the moist meat.

Easy-Peasy Pineapple Cole Slaw

• 1 bag of pre-made Cole Slaw (you can chose to make your own, but I was saving my sanity)
• 1/2 a jar of pineapple Cole Slaw dressing found in the refrigerated dressing section of your local grocier... usually in the same area as the Cole Slaw.  You'll have to look around as some stores carry this tropical version of an BBQ staple while others don't.  I suppose you could make plain-jane slaw, but I'd urge you not to.  The pineapple flavor with the fruity/sweet flavor of the meat is divine. 

Stir together and serve on top of your BBQ Pulled pork sandwich!  YUM!!

I also made Corn and Black Bean Salsa (recipe in a previous post) and a sweet potato salad that didn't turn out so well.  I'll save you the time and frustration by NOT posting that recipe here.  Hey, everyone's gotta fail at some point, right?  Some more often than not in my case :)

Tonight's dinner will be a healthy version of a family favorite... crispy chicken tenders!  Tomorrow night or Friday, I'm preparing my first Quiche Lorraine.  We'll see how it goes!