I don't have pictures for this one so I do apologize.
I found this recipe a long time ago online. I can't even remember where.
I love me some pulled pork. However, the time and ingredient list can grow exponentially.
So here's a simple way to make pulled pork.
Pick your pork. Pork butt or shoulder is best but if your only choice is loin, that's fine too. 4 lbs feeds the boyfriend and I with a little leftover. Family of four should do around 6-8 lbs.
Put the pork in the crockpot on low. Add 1 can of beef broth (or consume) and let it cook for 6-8 hours.
After 6-8 hours, pull pork out and drain the liquid out of the crock pot. Shred the pork with 2 large forks or however you feel like shredding it :)
Put the pork back in the crock pot and add half a bottle of barbecue sauce. This is the fun part. You can pick any type of sauce you want. The Jack Daniels original is my favorite as well as sticky fingers. You can add as much or as little as you want. Stir it in. Turn the crock pot on low, and leave the top off. Let all of that sit for about 30 minutes.
Toast some buns and you're ready to go :) Here's your list
Hamburger buns
Pork shoulder or butt (6-8 lbs)
1 can beef broth
1 bottle barbecue sauce
But really...fall is when we go crazy with decorations and the amazing scents at Bath and Body Works. Fall is such a refresher after a hot summer and the colors are just beautiful.
Since I'm all domesticated and such (he he), I decided to try and make a wreath. I figured this would be a project that would take me a couple days. It actually only took me about 2 hours.
I went to Michael's not having a clue what to do. Luckily, they had wreaths outside to look at. So I picked up a blank one and went a little crazy inside. I spent about $40 for everything
I know it's really hard to see anything in this picture. I bought a grapevine wreath to start off with. I went into the floral section and bought 2 long garlands. Those were my main leaves on the wreath. Then I just bought some pretty sprigs and a purple owl to stick in. I picked a pretty wire ribbon and had to purchase a glue gun that I fought with :(
I'm horribly embarrassed to post a blurry photo. This is one garland that I wrapped around the wreath. I used the glue gun to make sure it stayed in certain places. If you don't want this to be a permanent thing, you can use clips or even bobby pins that blend in.
This is the second garland that had yellow leaves. I just wrapped it around again in the more empty spots.
I added in my sprigs. I didn't glue these. I just shoved them in.
This is the completed wreath. I added the ribbon off to the right side and put a little purple owl down in the lefthand corner. It's not big, but I HAD to get the owl. I have an obsession.
This took me all of 2 hours to make. I didn't realize making wreaths would be this easy. I'm already getting pumped for a Christmas wreath :)
One time for Halloween, I dressed up as Martha Stewart.
Okay...this was in high school for my Spanish Club's "Monster Mash." Yeah, we were so cool. I wore prison stripes and an apron with her actual prisoner number on it. Complete with handcuffs and a spatula.
So imagine my astonishment when I tried a recipe from Martha Stewart and it has become one of my favorite recipes.
I found it on Pinterest (duh) and thought it looked cheap and easy. It is.
It takes all of ~12 minutes total from prep to finish and the outcome is a light, satisfying dinner or lunch.
The most important element I've read is a straight-sided pan. You could probably use a rounded-side but it may boil better in a straight-side.
The original recipe calls for onions but I can't stand them.
Here's what it is:
1/2 box spaghetti/linguine/pasta of your choice
1/2 container halved grape or cherry tomatoes
4-5 sprigs fresh basil
1 minced clove garlic
Parmesen cheese to top
Put everything in the pot with the pasta on the bottom. Put in enough water just to cover the pasta. Bring the water to a boil under the pasta is al dente. Grate fresh parmesan on top with a little olive oil. Done
DONE that's it. Super easy. If you added too much water, just drain it no problemo.
So it's time for a life update, because I don't really have anything on here!
So it's been a month or so since I moved in and I'm really settling in well. I love living with Josh. After 4 years of hoping our long-distance relationship would work, it finally has. I was thinking it might be hard to get used to or a bit of a struggle at first to get used to odd habits. However, it's easier than I could have imagined. It's as easy as breathing. I'm so happy.
I did get a job at PetSmart. Not my dream job, but I needed income. I'm still searching for a full-time position in my field (Biology) but I just can't find anything. Nothing for entry-level at least.
PetSmart...is interesting. I am a Pet Care Associate. I thought most of my time would be hanging around the fish wall helping customers. Wrong. I spend maybe 10% of my day with customers.
I remember when I had fish and I went into PetSmart, I could never find anyone at the fish wall to help me. I completely understand why now, and I will never complain again.
I know a good deal about fish. I know nothing about reptiles, birds, and small animals so I feel pretty stupid in those areas. My coworkers say to me all the time, " You have a degree in Biology, shouldn't you know this stuff?"
Let's settle this right now.
In Biology, I learned about photosynthesis, DNA replication, fish migration patterns, and many other topics. I did not have a class called, "How to change bedding in reptile tanks," or "What to do when your pet doesn't eat." I didn't get a degree in PetSmart. Stop thinking I should know everything. Biology is different from PetSmart. Maybe if I went to vet school, I would know a bit more. But I didn't. I got a general degree in Biology.
It's stressful and there's a lot of information. I'm starting to get it though...I just always have to find someone else to help customers because I don't know a lot of the answers. My leads and coworkers know SO MUCH information. They could go to vet school...seriously.
Other than work, I come home and cook for Josh and we play games and watch Top Gear. We are trying to find things to do around town and outdoors but I work on weekends and my schedule is so weird now. We are going to the driving range this weekend (eeeek) so I can try golfing. This should be hilarious.
We live near a state park, so maybe we will go there one day. It's hard when he gets home at 4 and hungry, so we eat and then by the time we've cleaned up it's usually getting dark so we don't go out. We will figure it out though. I'm not worried :)
So that's my update. Last night I made wings and they were YYUUMMYY. I may do a post but I'm not sure I got the recipe right =/
So I have seen some likes and reblogs from my first few posts so that is a bit of a relief!
I'm going to share a recipe with you that Josh and I have been working on for the past few weeks. It is still a work in process and the measurements aren't really there. But I will give you as much information as possible.
Josh and I love Asian food. Josh loves the culture and I think that was brought about by the love of food. We also love Japanese steakhouses...and who doesn't? The food is made in front of you and there's enough for 50 people.
So we are attempting our own Hibachi/stir fry recipe. Read on for my "recipe"
Here's what we buy:
Chicken breasts
A large sized zucchini
small yellow onion
Soy Sauce
Teriyaki Sauce
Sesame Oil
Vegetable oil
Butter
Mushrooms (Any kind that you prefer)
Broccoli bunch
So I didn't include amounts because it's all going to depend on how many people you have. Even when I follow recipes, I fudge the quantities a little based on how it looks in front of me. I always taste while I cook.
You will need a few different pans. We start the chicken and veggies almost at the same time, but start the veggies a minute or two before.
Chop up all of your veggies into thick slices. It's important to make your veggies thick because they can get gooshy (ew).
Josh cooks these in his wok with cooking chopsticks (obviously you don't have to use those). The wok is nice because of how it distributes heat, but I think you would be fine with a skillet.
Chop up your chicken into cubes (about the size you would see at a steakhouse).
Put a tablespoon of sesame oil into the wok and add the veggies and let it heat up with the veggies in the wok.
Wait a minute or so, then put your chicken in another pan with a tablespoon of veggie oil and a small slice of butter.
Add a tablespoon of soy sauce and teriyaki to both the chicken and the veggies as it is cooking. Add your mushrooms after a minute or so of cooking the zucchini and onions.
Disclaimer: This is an old picture that I realize doesn't have the zucchini in it yet. Ignore this and pretend it is already in the wok.
Continue cooking both until your chicken is browning. When you have about 3 minutes left of your chicken, pull out a small pan for your broccoli. Put 1/4 cup water and a tablespoon of soy sauce in the pan and let the broccoli turn a bright green color. This means it is cooked but still crunchy.
Once your broccoli and chicken are done, put everything inside the wok and add more sauces to your liking.
We serve with rice and hot tea :)
I love this recipe because it is trial-and-error however not so much error. It is really hard to get it wrong. It's mostly about tasting as you go and figuring out what works best for you. We love sauce but not everyone does.
This is probably a more expensive recipe if you don't already have the sauces. Since we are Asian food fans, we already had the sauces. So all I had to buy was chicken and veggies.
We have a slight obsession with Teavana. I first discovered it in Florida at the Florida Mall (or maybe Millennia) and I fell in love. However, I was younger and with my mother. She paid and later told me we would only buy a little bit each time.
I went to Teavana a few times in college as well. The tea is amazing...truly amazing. As you can see through the plastic lid, it is loose leaf tea. If you've never dealt with loose leaf tea, it's a new experience and it takes some getting used to.
What I love about Teavana is the people that work there. They will take an hour to go through every single tea with you and teach you how to brew the perfect cup. You tell them what you like, and they will find it no matter what.
Usually, I blend teas because I find that it's more satisfying. I used to get really fruity teas like Youthberry but now I've calmed down. Josh and I found a Teavana nearby and freaked out.
Might sound weird, but Josh and I love to drink tea and read before we go to bed. It's time to relax and cuddle :)
So we opted for white teas with low caffeine. We picked these two separately. When we blended them, we found that it's very very good together.
What we have never used before, is the Teavana app for our phones. You pick which type leaf you're brewing (green, white, etc.) and it gives you specific instructions and it has a timer. This timer has relaxing, meditation type music during the time you brew. When time is up, it's kind of a ridiculously loud bell song.
At Teavana this past weekend, we bought 1 lb of these 2 teas and the canister sets on sale for $24. Our total was $150. It's a lot of money. We won't get so much next time. I told the lady I had a $10 coupon and she forgot to take it off, so she gave me a refund..still hasn't shown up on my account.
If you haven't tried Teavana....do it. Don't get a lot and try everything. It's wonderful :)
I'm sorry I haven't posted anything new. We are going down to the OBX for the weekend, so it will be some time before a new post comes up. Ta ta!
You are going to have to order your own lego parts but it is super easy and dirt dirt cheap. The grey piece for the keyring is part #3176. The original blogger using a smaller flat piece than I did. They used a 6x8 but once I saw the prices for the bricks, I picked bigger ones. There is a 16x16 that is $4.00 but I got a 6 x 10 that was a whopping $1.00. I got two different colors to try but we ended up stacking them on top of each other. The Design ID is 3033 for the plate.
You need the bricks, a keyring and your key. I bought 4 of the grey connector pieces in case we wanted to hang more keys.
The original blogger put a little stormtrooper on the plate and we wanted to do something similar. We went to Wal-Mart and found a Batman and Catwoman set for $12.95. So we just added it onto the plates. Our phones are named Batman and Catwoman so we thought it was perfect. They also had Lord of the Rings and Star Wars sets. You could make this a huge set up if you wanted to.
This is the link to Lego Pick A Brick if you are interested!
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pick-A-Brick-ByTheme
Happy Lego-ing!
My Legos did take a while to ship to me but it was pretty cool to receive.
I did change this up a little bit. I didn't use the tomato soup because it would have made it too watery. I did add a little bit of water but the soup would have been too much. I also didn't top it with the lettuce and I used precooked rice from the night before. All you really had to "cook" was the beef. I added everything else and just warmed it. It took 15 minutes and it was a big hit.
Also, the benefit of not using the tomato soup is you can use the leftovers for tacos later.
It was so good and I plan on using this for parties later on :)
I wanted to share something really simple for anyone looking for decorative/bedside tables. This was something my mother told me to do.
Sometimes decorative tables can be a little pricey. If you're looking for something simple, cheap, and easy to move if needed, I have something for you.
Disclaimer: Ignore the wrinkles, I'm working on that today :)
You can purchase a round decorative table from Bed Bath & Beyond for $10 (Crazy, right?) that takes seconds to put together. The three legs screw into the round top and that's it! Near these tables they sell round, glass tops to go on top of the table. These are also $10.
Then you just pick out a fitted sheet in the color or pattern that matches the room. I used a regular sheet once and it worked fine but I didn't like that it went all over the place. The fitted sheet curves inward so it stays close to the table.
I used this in college except I had a zebra print sheet that went with my dorm room perfectly. We used these all over the house back home, and now I'm decorating the apartment with them :)
Happy decorating! Here's the link http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=123601
Hello there! This will be a brief (or very long) introduction to my new blog. Let's start off with who I am!
I just graduated college in May of 2012. I graduated with a degree in Biology and a major in Chemistry. Sounds fun, you say? It's fun if I could find a job. Story for a later time. I participated in the Disney College Program last fall and just got back in January. I have moved in with my wonderful boyfriend into a new apartment.
This is me and my boyfriend at graduation (cutie, right?) We have been together for almost four years and all of that was long-distance while I was in school and at Disney. He has put up with so much from me and I am so very thankful for him. He lost his job last July do to a contract issue with his company. Everyone was laid off and he was forced to find a new job by February. I came back in January so it seemed like a good time to find a place together. He found a job and we apartment-searched for a while and found the perfect one. I just moved in last weekend.
The hardest part in all of this is the job search. Turns out, no one wants fresh graduates and the biological field is ridiculously hard to get into. I applied for full-time at Petsmart and I was informed they only had part-time. A job is a job. I should be starting this week. I was proud of myself for getting a job within the first week of being home. However, it's not quite in my field.
Upon moving in, I found that we needed a lot of stuff. I also have to start cooking real food instead of Easy Mac every day (but I still sneak it in). While discovering all of this, I realized this would be a good time to start blogging all of it.
I am also a huge make-up fan. I mean...it's a problem. But I love it. Hopefully I will find time to fit that in as well. So here's a run down of what this blog will be.
Recipes-mostly from other people and I will cite them of course. Some will be my mother's :)
Decorating-It's so hard to decorate on a budget but we are figuring it out
Makeup-I love it and I would love to share my opinions with everyone
Life updates- my random life happenings and what we are up to
I truly hope this blog will be successful and a fun hobby for me. I should have some posts coming up soon. Enjoy!
The Adventures of Apartment 301 @lifeat301 - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
