zoom...and it's gone again.

Oh, Sunday.  You're so spry and fleeting. You've barely arrived when you're gone again and I'm left scratching my head and wondering where you went.  I even got up early to cook today because we had friends coming over for deeeeee-lish barbecue! I worked last night and got home at about 2am, then rubbed a 15 pound pork shoulder with spices and put it in my handy-dandy crock pot overnight so it would be ready to make pulled pork with today.  YUM.  It's so easy and comes out so great every time.  I put about 2 cups of apple juice in with the meat and spices and let it cook.  Once it's done, I remove the fat and bones and it falls apart so nicely.   I found this absolutely fabulous applewood-smoked sea salt and I toss it with the meat when it's pulled apart to add some nice smokiness and flavor.

I made cheese & sausage biscuit balls, and onion dip with fresh crudites for appetizers. I love how bright and colorful the vegetables are, and they taste so good too! The biscuits only have 3 ingredients and are always a big hit here at our house.  They're good for appetizers or breakfast!

I got lots of compliments on the bowl that the biscuits are in.  We bought it in Turkey when we were on our cruise.  I love it! The shape is unique and the bright, vibrant colors make me smile.

I also made potato salad and cole slaw to accompany our pork feast of meat.  Having grown up down south, some might say I am a little snotty particular about Barbecue.  Just grilling is not Barbecue.  I make my sauce from scratch; it's sweet and has a sneaky little kick to it, courtesy of some fabulous chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  I am really, really, really picky about cole slaw though.  So far, I have only found 3 recipes that I like: (and 2 of those are probably the same ones) Mom's, mine, and Smokin' Al's in Bayshore, NY.  The dressing has to be a little bit sweet and tangy. It has just enough vinegar in the sauce to just almost take your breath for a second.  My potato salad has some garlic and a secret ingredient that make you wonder what it is in the sauce that makes it so addictive.  I also add bacon on top for color because everything is better with bacon.

 Marc does the ribs.  He rubs them down with spices then puts them on the smoker for hours to make them tender and juicy.  He used hickory wood chips today, and let me tell you, the whole neighborhood smelled good today!!! I forgot to take pictures of the ribs "before". Sorry about that.  I got excited to eat after slaving away cooking for hours to get ready. This is what was left of the baby back ribs he smoked today.  He smoked 3 racks of baby back ribs, 2 racks of country style ribs, and then we had the aforementioned 15 pound pork shoulder, and there was bacon in the potato salad and sausage in the appetizer.  I think it's safe to say that pigs should run screaming from our house.

For dessert, I made 4 layer chocolate delight.  It's so good, and so easy to make.  Every time I eat it I remind myself to make it more often.  I also forgot to take a "before picture of it, so here's an "after". 

One of our friends is quite the baker, and she made some really yummy cupcakes for dessert also.  Thanks, Cheryl!

Dinner and company were both fabulous.  I love entertaining guests here at our house.  I love to cook, and especially for people who like to eat; as if you couldn't tell by the amount of food we made! 


Now I've got to try to find space in the fridge to store all of the left-overs.  We'll be eating well this week!


I hope you all have a great week!

Cheers,
Kelli