Our Early Spring Getaway

Guy and I decided to get out of town for a few days, things have been crazy busy so we made arrangements for Riley to stay with friends, we packed up the truck and headed to Massanutten resort near Skyline Drive, VA.  It  was a beautiful day for a drive so we took our time and just enjoyed ourselves and arrived about two hours later.We unpacked, ran to the grocery store, explored the area a bit as neither of us had been here in years.  We had a simple dinner of steak and potatoes on the grill and watched a movie (although I forget which one) and crashed early.This is what greeted us in the morning.  Where did this come from?

Snow on the pond video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k8ET3If4vsIt's late spring Mom Nature and I am ready for warm weather, not this.  Guy on the other hand was ecstatic.  He likes this stuff for some reason.I must admit, it being in the mountains made the landscape so much more beautiful than if it had just been snow on the side of a highway and since I had a hat, gloves, and boots with me (I lucked out on that last minute packing) I actually really enjoyed it.A few more views:Us at the Massanutten Lookout

It was an all to short weekend, I loved the scenery, watching the deer, exploring the mountains and eating great food as well as just relaxing.  We hope to get back to the mountain soon!

Carolina Pork BBQ

I can’t believe how delicious it was and how easy! It makes about 6-8 very healthy servings with left-overs! It’s definitely going to be one of my regulars from now on.

2 large onions, quartered

2 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Paprika

2 Teaspoons Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 4-6 Lb boneless pork butt or shoulder roast

1 1/2 Cups Apple Cider Vinegar

8 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

3 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

3 Teaspoon sugar (white)

1 Teaspoon Dry Mustard

1 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Cut the onions into quarters and place them in the bottom of your slow cooker (crock pot). Note: Don’t turn on pot yet!

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt, and ground black pepper and then use as a dry rub for the roast. Rub over the entire roast, top, sides and bottom. Placed rubbed roast in slow cooker/ crock pot, on top of the onions.

In a small bowl, combine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, white sugar, dry mustard, garlic salt, and cayenne. Stir and mix well. Drizzle 1/4 – 1/2 of this mixture over roast. Then, cover and refrigerate the remaining portion, to be used later. Cover, turn on pot and cook on low for 10-12 hours. After about 8 hours, start checking to see if roast is thoroughly cooked. The roast is done when it pulls apart easily with two forks. Just insert the forks and pull in opposite directions, meat should fall apart and begin to shred very easily.

After roast is cooked, lift it out of the pot and set on cookie sheet to drain. Remove onions and juices from bottom of pot and put them aside in a bowl. If your family doesn’t like onions, you can just throw them out, but they really do add a nice flavor and texture to the pork. Shred or chop the pork with knife and forks and stir in a few spoonful’s of the reserved drippings. You can also chop the onions now and add them to the shredded pork. If the mixture seems dry, add more of the reserved drippings/juice until it gets to the consistency you like. I like it fairly moist, so it holds together nicely on the buns, so I add most of the drippings. Add another 1/4 of the vinegar mixture to the shredded pork and put the rest on the table (I use a gravy boat) as some people may want to add more to their sandwiches.

Serve on hamburger buns with creamy coleslaw as a side, although, to be authentic you really MUST put the coleslaw on top of the pork and eat it right in the sandwich.

Steph's Salisbury Steak

Used this recipe for years and years.  it's a favorite!1-1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef1 jar (12 ounces) fat free beef gravy, divided2 egg whites1/2 cup bread crumbs1/2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper1/4 tsp. onion powder1 small onion, thinly sliced1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced1/4 cup water1. Combine beef, 1/4 cup gravy, egg whites, bread crumbs, salt, pepper and onion powder; mix well. Shape into 6 oval patties.2. Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Brown patties over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and keep warm.3. In same skillet, saute’ onions and mushrooms until tender. Stir in gravy and water and simmer for 1 minute. Return beef to skillet; cover and cook another 10 minutes, or until beef is cooked to desired doneness. Yield: 6 servings.Steph’s Country Kitchen Goodness

Libby's Meatloaf

6 pounds ground chuck3 eggs (that's all I had)2 cups bread crumbs24 ounces tomato sauce1 1/2 large onions, chopped1 1/2 green bell peppers, choppedSalt, to tastePepper, to taste1 tablespoon savoryCombine chopped onions and peppers with eggs, tomato sauce and tomato sauce.Add salt and pepper and savory. If necessary, divide this mixture in halfand mix half of your ground beef in at a time. Mix with your hands untilcombined.I put the mixture into 3 x 5" mini pans and they're in the freezer. Whenthey're frozen, I'll wrap them in freezer paper and label. When ready tocook, I'll thaw and remove to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so. I may add some additional tomato sauce ontop or some bacon strips or some cheese in the last few minutes of cooking.Now I have to go clean up the kitchen. Next weekend I need to defrost andinventory my freezer. It's a mess.