What's for Dinner? Carolina Barbecued Pork (in the Crock Pot)

Sorry didn't get this one posted sooner - needs at least 6hrs so eat later - kay? 

2 onions, quartered
2 tbsp brown sugar packed
1 tbsp papreika
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (3lb) pork shoulder roast or boston butt
3/4 cup cider venegar
4 tsp Worstershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp crushed red peper flakes
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Hamburger Buns

1.  Place the onions in the Crock Pot slow cooker.
2.  Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper and rub generously all over meat; set in crock on top of onions.
3.  Combine vinegar, worstershire, red pepper, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper, mix well.
4.  Drizzle 1/2 of venegar mixure over the roast and put the other 1/2 in the fridge.
5.  Cover and cook for 10hrs on low and 6hrs on high.
6.  Remove meat and onions chop the onions and shred the meat; serve on buns and drizzle remaining vinegar mixture on meat in sandwiches.

I am also going to attempt to make homemade hamburger buns:

3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine softened
1 tsp salt
1pkg regular or quick active dry yeast
1/2 cup very warm water 120 - 130degrees F
1/2 cup very warm milk 120 - 130 degrees F
1 large egg

1.  Mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, butter, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
2.  Add warm water, warm milk and egg.
3.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 min scraping sides of bowl frequently; beat on med speed for 1 min scraping frequently.
4.  Stir in remaining flour to make dough easy to handle (not too much flour - makes them tough and chewy)
5.  Place dough on lightly floured surface. knead about 5 min or until is smooth and springy; place in large bowl, lightly cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for about 1 hr or until double. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched - thanks Betty Crocker).
6.  Grease two round cake pans with shortening.
7.  Gently push fist into dough to deflate; divide dough into 7 - 8 equal parts; shape each piece into a ball; place in pan; brush with melted butter (if desired).
8.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 min or until double.
9.  Heat oven to 375degrees F; bake 12 - 15min or until golden brown.

Wish me luck!

My Take on the State of the Union Address...

Well, I did get through the State of the Union Address...to me it is like reading a holy book...you know you should do it, but it is just so darn hard to understand!


Here's my take...

First he talked about how he understands everything from the American people perspective...Really?

Then, he laments the bailout, but decrees it was necessary. ok.

Throughout the speech I caught on that Obama wants to tackle lots of stuff (not necessarily in this order) including:

1. National Export Initiative
2. Education Investments/Making College Affordable (increasing Pell)
3. Climate Change/Green Energy - High Speed Rail Roads WTH?
4. Health Care Insurance Reform
5. American Innovation
6. Tax Cut/Tax Credits
7. Civil Rights - Equal Pay for Women
8. Fix Immigration/Secure Borders
9. Beef up Homeland Security
10. Bring Troops Home from Iraq by Aug/Change "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy of Military
11. Bolster Small Business to Create Jobs/Grow Economy
12. Sanction Iran and North Korea

Wow...sounds excellent!!!! How are we going to pay for it? We’ll just put the costs in next years budget...because that is how a budget works...WTH????

He was also able to weave the resilience, strength, hope and spirit of the American people throughout the speech.

He also talked about stopping the Congress political parties attacks on each other...I find this amusing with Pelosi and Biden sitting behind him. (Pelosi, because she is so guilty of it and Biden, because he makes it so easy!)

OMG, did Harry Reid just yawn during the President's comments on the economy??? Oh yes he did...he's toast!

Obama says the nation that leads in clean energy technology will lead the global economy...Really? Last I checked it was China and India who's economies were doing the best and they are not so green...am I wrong?

He then ended with the spirited cry "We will not quit"...yeah - I think...however, some of the things he wants to do - I want him to quit...what do you think?




 

More Ideas on Health Care Reform...

Here are some more ideas from my wise cousin (the health care professional) on health care reform.  This was VERY informative to me and I plan to check out more...

Health Care needs to be Universal- available to everyone. That would cover the problem of people who are able to purchase insurance but the insurance companies turn them down due to pre-existing conditions or drop them due to pre-existing. It must be affordable. We paid nearly one thousand dollars per month for private insurance for many years. Neither of us working in a position with benefits. We are luckily able to pay that but what if our income couldn't support such a high policy. And neither of us are high risk for insurance purposes. So, Universal includes that it is available and affordable
Neither the Senate version nor the House version calls for any cuts or changes to Medicare. NEITHER Version calls FOR CHANGES IN MEDICARE. The House version is more liberal and will cover more people but does include increased taxes. The Senate bill has more "pork" and special interest allocation but is more conservative. Neither bill is perfect, but it can be tweaked as areas are identified. I would have preferred the House bill, even if it increased taxes as it is more comprehensive but either will start the process. Ironically losing the ability to break a filabuster may cause the Dems in the house to pass the Senate bill rather than lose all efforts at reform. So, the Rebublicans may shoot themselves in the foot if they refuse to act on anything.

There has been a lot of hype about rationing care...it is already happening daily. Drs are definitely quicker to order expensive tests like MRIs or CT scans on insured persons than on non-insured persons (research supported statement but I don't have time to find citations). And most of the time a good old fashion, cheap x-ray would give them the info they need. Not as good but unless the patient is getting worse why use it as a first line of dx. The answer malpractice. Now that is a place for reform but lets not go there today. Practicing defensive medicine costs huge amounts of money and limits on malpractice should be part of healthcare reform.

I saw a poll that said 50% of Americans were against the reform, 47% were for it, and basically the other 3% didn't know. The number of didn't know should be much higher. Have you read either of these monstrously long bills? I have read parts but the average American only knows what they have seen on TV. So, if you watch Fox you are going to think one way and NBC the opposite. I am 100% for people being active in telling their representatives what they want but in issues that require specialized knowledge it is difficult for people to understand the real issues at hand.

47 million Americans without healthcare. And when they do get sick, our rates go up to cover their bills. Typically the uninsured do not get preventive healthcare so when they present it is usually to an ER with a costly plan to help them. We definitely need reform in this country-our leaders know that and have been talking about since the 60's. Are we going to talk about it and do nothing for the next 50 years? Lets start with something and then make changes to get it right.

What's for Dinner - Leftovers Again

Having left over chicken veggie/bean soup with dumplings from last night...good thing too - had to go to the grocery store and ran outta time to do anything else - LOL.

Yeah - I Got a Comment - Thanks Shannon!

Whooo hooo, I feel so special now...someone found my blog and commented!  Thanks again Shannon! 

Dinner Turned Out Great!

Dinner last night was GREAT!  I ended up adding about a cup and a half of chicken broth...I like more broth - and then I threw some herb dumplings off in there (I use a half recipe - so half of the below)...

2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme leaves
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp shortening
3/4 cup milk

1.  Mix flour, spices, baking powder and salt in medium bowl, mix well.
2.  Cut in shortening until it looks like fine crumbs. (I don't have a pastry blender, so I use a bamboo spatula)
3.  Stir in milk.
4.  Drip dough by spoonfuls into boiling broth and cook uncovered for 10min, then cover and cook another 10min.

(hint: take the dumplings out of the soup/stew before you turn off the heat...otherwise they get soggy).

Yummy!!!

What's for Dinner? Chunky Chicken Soup

Well, so much for the warm snap we had yesterday...today is cold again and time for some comfort food!!!  I love soup when it is cold and yucky outside...  This soup is extra good, because it has all the meat and veggies plus the kidney beans for a carb - so all you need to have with this is a fruit...  I am having pears.

3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts 1/2" cubed
1 med - large onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (I like fresh - 3 cloves minced)
2 tsp olive oil or vegetable oil
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cans vegetable broth
1 can white kidney beans (2 cans  is better, but I only have 1)
1 can mixed vegetables (2 is better, but I only have 1)
2 tbsp chives
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning...I don't like it - so (4 shakes oregano, 3 shakes basil, 2 shakes salt and 2 shakes thyme)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1.  In dutch oven, saute onion, garlic and chicken in oil until no longer pink. 
2.  Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth; bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2min.
3.  Reduce heat; stir in beans, vegetables and seasonings.
4.  Cook, stirring occassionally for 8-10min. 
5.  Serve and sprinke with mozzarella.

Yummy!!!!  Let me know if you do this and how it turns out.  I will let ya know how it goes for me tonight too.