Carolyn comes to the Poconos and has some brunch

The lovely and talented Carolyn of the delightful Etsy shop "Sweet Carolyn's"  came down to visit us last month and so we did our best to show her a good time.  Easiest way to do that is to have brunch at Porter's Pub.  Feel free to check out the menu because it is out of this world.  I'm not even a breakfast person but I can't say no to a lazy Sunday at Porter's drinking fine beers and eating delicious food.
Beer of note from this particular trip: Dogfish Head Black and Red.  This beer is not for the faint of heart.  Of course I had to begin with it.  It's dark and fruity and "dry-minted" whatever that means.  Add all of that together and you get a very heady, exciting beer.  I had a few others over the course of our time there as did John and Carolyn.  I enjoyed the Black and Red so much Carolyn partook of one as well.  While we were there our conversation meandered as our conversations tend to do.
Carolyn shrieked the words "Punch fork!" at me several times, so of course, I am now hooked.  Just what I need another social network site to obsess over.  If you haven't already been there, devote a couple hours of your life to visiting this site.  We also determined we have quite a few trips to make together this summer.  We will be hitting Colonial Williamsburg and Bourbon St as well as going on as many brewery tours as humanly possible.  Lastly, we decided Carolyn and Mary Pat need to come to the Jazz Fest this year.  All in all, 2012 will definitely be a busy year!

Jingle Jingle!

So what seems like a year ago, but was really this past December, we went to the Deer Head Inn for their Jingle Jingle event.  We had a blast for so many reasons, but here are some of the highlights.  Joy Mazur did a wonderful spoken word piece about if everyday were Christmas.   Johnny Rydell was outrageously fun and it makes me wish he spent more time on the stage at Sarah St instead of adjusting the sound!  Sara Bauer did some Santaland Diaries fun.  If you haven't read it, do!  My favorite, Bovine Social Club got up and rocked the house.  The Shockenaw Mountain Boys were also incredible even if they were missing a few band members.  If you like Railroad Earth, then you know and like Tim Carbone already and this is another great project that he is involved in.  Tim also got up at one point and did an incredible spoken word which I wish I could remember because it was great!  I also learned a new turn of phrase that night, "new grass".  This definitely describes the awesome music we heard that night.
Now on to the food!  If you ever have the opportunity to go to the Deer Head, you won't be disappointed.  We started with a really nice house salad and a cup of butternut squash soup with almonds.  I love butternut squash soup especially with a little dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.  Perfect toasty feeling for a cold night.  I think it could have done with a small bit of heat or acid to balance it a little better because this particular incarnation tasted a little too much like dessert to me.  Delicious, but sweet.  I absolutely love their stuffed flounder and get it almost every time we go there.  It's got a wonderful lemon beurre blanc sauce that I must learn to make.  John always gravitates to their chicken pot pie, and I can't say I blame him.  It's topped with a crispy, chewy, buttery puff pastry that is divine.  We ended the night with their creme brulee because it is an absolute must any time we go there.  The sugar top is crisp and caramel-ly and the custard is cold and creamy.  Mmmmm... I could go for some right now!  Oh and lest I forget, I won the 50/50!  It basically covered our dinner and also got me a lovely poster of the event autographed by some of the players!  All in all, it was a really fun night and I'm glad that we went and I'm really glad I finally got the opportunity to blog about it!

Pulled Pork and Slaw Sandwiches

Back to a text only blog for a while as I catch up on all of the cooking I have done this year!  What can I say about pulled pork sandwiches that hasn't already been said?  Pulled pork may be the sandwich of the gods and this coming from a girl that has a lukewarm relationship with pork.  My father referred to me as his Jewish princess for years because of my distaste for pork.  The odyssey that is my evolving feelings for pork could fill a blog on its own.
Anyway, for those of you who grew up under a rock or perhaps just further from the Southland than I did, here's what pulled pork is.  It's the result of a slow, low, delicious roasting process.  In this case, I prepared a huge pork shoulder as detailed in building blocks blog for pork.  You can season the pork many ways during this process and just about all of them are good.  The shoulder is fatty, which makes it deliciously juicy.  After hours of slow cooking the pork in the oven, it will become fork tender and then after even more time, it will fall apart.  You always want to make sure you catch it in that sweet spot before it becomes dry.  Dry pork can of course be saved with a luscious barbeque sauce, but let's not rely on the sauce to do all the work.
Now that you have your wonderfully slow roasted pork shredded to perfection, it is time to make some sandwiches!  We never wait til this recipe comes up in the rotation.  We make it the day of or the day after the roast comes out of the oven because it's just that good!  Honestly, in this case, we never refer to the Rachael Ray recipe but just wing it on our own.  The recipe looks excellent though, so feel free to dive in.  And if you're in a pinch for time, or just don't feel like making your own sauce, grab your favorite bottled barbeque and go nuts.  There are some great brands out there!
Oddly enough, I have never been a "slaw" fan either but I have learned to stop worrying and love the slaw. (bonus points if you caught that esoteric reference)  It adds a fun crunch and clean flavor that I enjoy.  I often cheat and make it a no mayo slaw because I much prefer vinegar to mayonnaise.  If you just can't bear to have the slaw on the sandwich, as a certain Bean I know can't, then feel free to slap it along side the sandwich and enjoy!  Or make your own tasty side.  Maybe some mac and cheese or a pasta salad...?  Oh and if you are going to skip that crunchy slaw as a topping I recommend toasting and buttering the bun!  Yum!
I guess I had more to say about the humble and delectable pulled pork sandwich than I thought!  What do you like with your pulled pork?  Are you a slaw on top or slaw on the side or none of the above?

Ode to the Bean

How (Why) do I love Thee....

Let me count the ways...

10. Because you came back for me.
9. Because you showed me there was more to life than the Poconos.
8. Because you loved me when I was young and bitchy.
7. Because you loved me when I was still bitchy and a little more curvy.
6. Because you taught me to love WINE!
5. Because you brought me into your family.
4. Because you accepted the wackiness of my family.
3. Because you brought cats into my life.
2. Because you have unwavering faith me.
1. Because you are you.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Tomorrow I will attempt to recount our lovely 10th anniversary which included going back to the first place we ever went on a date together.