More Sweet Margarita

recipe is for one drink

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Ingredients:

1/3 cup silver tequila
1 tablespoon triple sec
1/4 cup lime juice (about three limes per drink)
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. simple syrup

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Schlooppo. i made a margar-ita. Note to self. Do not type an alcohol lic recipe after consuming the alcoholic drink. Makes snese right?

You would think so.

But sense has never been my middle name.

I was making my chicken tacos (do you know that if you misspell tacos with a “c” for the “a” as tchos, autocorrect will not guess tacos? Nope. It suggests you must be thinking of “tc how.” Which makes as much sense as tchos. I decided to look up acronyms for “tc.” Spoiler: there are a lot of them. My favorite is “take care.” Which really makes total sense. Maybe autocorrect was looking out for me. But then I scrolled further down the list to “Tom Cruise” and then “top cat” and I realized autocorrect was just drunk on margaritas… too). Anyhoo, I decided what would make the meal perfect. Just perfect. Would be a margarita. So, I made two based on this recipe from The Food Network. But it was much too much too tart for the likes of me. If you like your margaritas more authentically tart, I definitely recommend using the original recipe in the link.

I changed it up just a bit and from now on, this is the only way I shall make my margaritas.

Or type a recipe.

Autocorrect never had it so good.

Directions:

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Make your simple syrup. In a small saucepan boil one cup of water and one cup of sugar until sugar dissolves. Whisk occasionally to make sure sugar does not stick to bottom of pan. Set aside. This would be better made in advance and chilled in the refrigerator. It keeps for one month in the refrigerator.

Squeeze limes into a clear 2 cup measuring glass until you have the appropriate measurements for the amount of drinks you are making.

Fill a glass with ice.

You may brush the rim with simple syrup and stick it in sea salt or sugar if you like that sort of thing. I do not. Too Coarse.

Pour your tequila, triple sec, lime juice and simple syrup into the glass. Mix.

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Drink.

Try to type a coherent recipe.

I dare you…

Take Cover.

‘Cause

You’re Too Cool

To Calculate

The Charges.

Now Toast… and Cheers.

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“To Crazy.”

When Baking Goes Wrong… Distract Them

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I have been sitting on these pictures for months. I really liked the outfit. I really disliked the recipe I made that day. So, I was unsure what to do. Should I still show the outfit or scrap it?

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Well, with all of us baking this holiday season, there are bound to be some mishaps. If the same happens to you, just know at least you will probably be fully clothed when it happens. Winning.

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Although showing a bit of undergarments is a sure fire way to distract folks from bad food.

Or not.

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I have a chicken empanada recipe that is out of this world. It is my sister’s favorite thing that I make. And if memory serves me, my daughter’s too. Although I have never shared it here…yet. I am a bit slow on the draw.

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I decided to try making sweet empanadas. Sounded simple enough. Just fill pie crust dough with a filling (I originally typed “feeling” and that would probably have turned out better), crimp, sprinkle with sugar and bake. But the lemon curd filling oozed out everywhere and the Nutella ones I made dried out and it was all a big disappointment. My husband and my mom both liked them, but in my opinion, they were not worth making again.

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What are you baking this holiday season? I am making pie crust cookies. And chocolate chip cookies. And when I want something simple, I pick up the prebaked sugar cookie shapes at the grocery store (available at Albertson’s where I live) and dye vanilla frosting then let the kids take over. For dinner last night, I made Tyler Florence’s Pot Roast Tacos. The night before I made a very easy lasagna I will be sharing here next weekend. Tonight I am making Beef Enchiladas with the leftover taco meat. Tomorrow will be Pioneer Woman’s Perfect Potato Soup. Do you plan your weekly meals in advance? I love to cook. And I am trying not to fry my brain as I work out exactly how many more presents I still need to pick up. Smells like Christmas… And singed hair.

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I am oblivious to the future of these pastries as I happily wear Anthropologie’s Horizon Lines Maxi (sold out, similar here), Free People’s Shadow Hacci Top, and Cosabella’s Never Say Never Sweetie Bralette in this picture.

“Mom, You Smell Good!”

That sounds nice, right? Sweet, right?

Well, it does sound nice. And it does sound sweet.

But, unfortunately, it was not.

It ended up not being true.

Let me backtrack.

I was making sloppy joes for dinner. I had wanted to make my Sloppy Joe Pie, but time only allotted for the making of sloppy joes.

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I was browning my meat. I was humming. I was drinking my Kung Fu Girl wine. I decided, Hmmmm, maybe someone would like to see how I make my sloppy joes. My husband is smirking at my secret thoughts right now. I added my dashes of worcestershire sauce and garlic powder to my meat. And I took a picture.

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Oh, yes! This is lookin’ good, thought my Kung Fu brain.

I took another picture.

Which turned out fine.

But what you cannot see.

What you are not seeing, is me dumping the whole sloppy joe packet down the front of my pajamas (don’t tell me you don’t cook in your pajamas, my heart could not bear it. Actually, I was wearing these pajamas).

It landed all over the floor.

Of course, I thought.

Of course. I am making Sloppy Joes. How could I make them and not be sloppy?

I couldn’t.

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My husband sweetly vacuumed up my mess while I finished dinner. Here is a tip: I add a quarter cup of ketchup to my sloppy joe mixture, in addition to the tomato paste the packet calls for (and yes, I had to open up a new packet. Because my other one was consumed in equal parts by the floor and the vacuum).

We ate dinner. I forgot about my mishap. Moved along. Took pictures of my fancy food.

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Later, I laid down in our bed to read my husband and my son a bit of “The Magician’s Elephant” (review coming soon. Spoiler: I give it a ten out of ten).

My son cuddled up next to me.

“Mom. You smell good!”

My heart melted.

“I do?” I thought about what it could be. Could it be my deodorant or my IF perfume? I had worn both forever. I was surprised it had taken him this long to comment on liking them.

“What do I smell like?”

He thought. Then he sniffed loudly.

“Garlic bread!” He proclaimed.

“Whhhhhaaaaaatttttt?” I unhappily asked.

He tried to make me feel better. “I love garlic bread!” He assured me.

This was still not what I wanted to hear.

I sniffed my shirt where he had been laying. It did smell like garlic.

I looked inside the pocket. And I gasped. Inside the pocket of my top was half of the sloppy joe packet I had dropped earlier.

I guess my shirt was hungrier than the floor and the vacuum.

I quickly went into the laundry room and changed. But I could not help reflecting on the fact that making sloppy joes had turned out to be messier than I had thought it would be.

I was downright sloppy.

Wait for it.

I was a Sloppy Jenni.

But it was okay.

Little boys are crazy for the stuff.

And I can think of a lot worse things than smelling like garlic bread.

But not much.

P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day! Today I am wearing a bright pink caftan that I bought on sale. It makes me feel ultra feminine and romantic. What are you wearing today? Doing today? We are going out to lunch as a couple and then I am making homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner with the family.

I hope your day is sweet!

And that you don’t smell like garlic. Or sloppy joes! Or worse, Sloppy Jenni!

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P.S. I shared this on Savvy Southern Style.

And My Romantic Home.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

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I. Love. Pork.

That’s all. No more commentary. Let’s just keep it simple and sweet. A lovely declaration.

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Ingredients:

21/2 – 3 pound pork roast
1 16-18 oz. bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (1/2 cup used in crockpot, remainder to use on rolls)
1 cup root beer
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Italian dressing
1/2 Trader Joe’s container of diced onions, garlic, shallots (approximately 1 minced clove garlic, 1Tbsp. Diced Shallots, 1/4 cup diced onions)
3 Tbsp. Butter
Rolls (I buy the delicious take and bake ones from Trader Joe’s)

Spray crockpot with nonstick spray.

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In a skillet, melt butter and add onion mixture. Cook on medium-low heat until onions are soft. About eight minutes. I like mine to get a little brown.

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Add onion butter mixture to bottom of the crockpot. Return the skillet to the stovetop. Turn the heat to medium- high. Sear pork roast on all sides. About 1-2 minutes per side.

Add the pork roast to the crockpot.

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Mix all of the other ingredients (using only 1/2 cup of the barbecue sauce) except rolls. Pour over pork.

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Cover. Turn the crockpot to high and cook for 4-6 hours (my old crockpot took 6) or cook on low setting for 8-10 hours. I turned my roast in the middle of cooking.

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Remove pork to a large bowl. Shred with two forks, remove fat layer while doing so (discard it). Add some of the liquid from crockpot back in to the pork until it is moist. This ends up being about one-one and a half cups.

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Serve on rolls. You can top with reserved barbecue sauce. I served ours with chips and salad.

Ha! Of course, I had to comment. Because. Hmmmm. Maybe, I don’t need to comment.

I’ll just add a little somethin’ somethin’. This recipe is yummy. I loosely adapted it from a pulled beef recipe from one of those small Betty Crocker pamphlets I picked up at the grocery store many years ago.

For leftovers the next day, I heat up the leftover pulled pork and serve it over steamed rice. Then I top it with barbecue sauce and chopped cilantro. A new meal!

Enjoy!