Just returned from 2 weeks in the Carolinas.
We’ve got a bit of an airline hangover, but we made it safe and sound.
Resting up in order to enjoy some Kingdom Rock this week ~ E & H are first time VBSers.
I know they’ll love it.
Carolina Summer recap to come….
Nighty night.
XOXO
I love the south.
I could totally live there.
I love that everyone is so friendly ~ “How y’all doin’?” or “Where y’all from?”
I love the slower pace. The {country} roads. The sweet tea. Bruster’s Ice Cream. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
I love that some of our favorite neighbors from Nor Cal now live 10 minutes from my in-laws and we were able to get together for a couple play dates AND a mamas night out!
{they may have not all been smiling…ahem, Holden, but at least they were all looking semi towards the camera}
I love that there was a Naartjie outlet in Myrtle Beach.
I love that the water in the Atlantic is warm.
I love that we could start out at the beach and then when we got tired of the sand, we could walk across the street, shower off and jump into the resort pool.
I love that Jay and U-Rod took the kids to putt putt {mini golf} one afternoon while I got caught up with Bravo and Pregnant In Heels.
I love that we got to see some fireflies.
I love that we were able to celebrate Lolo’s 75th birthday with him.
{homemade sign}
{Lolo back in the day}
I love that the kids got to spend quality time with their paternal grandparents.
{mommy said they had to share an icee, but Lola said they could get their own}
I love shrimp & grits.
Making this soon!
*****
THANK YOU Lolo & Lola for making this beautiful summer vacation a reality for us. We loved every minute of it and we can’t wait to see you again in October!
We discovered Bruster’s Ice Cream this evening…
Sooo glad these don’t exist in our neck o the woods. I would be there daily…they have some incredible flavors.
So long Baskin-Robbins.
I’ve discovered 31 new flavors!
{If you’re under 40″, you get a FREE kiddie cone with rainbow sprinkle hair, two little eyes and a mouth ~ this is Purple Dinosaur which is just vanilla taken up several notches on the color wheel!}
The ice cream was to-die-for.
They have Coconut Chip.
‘Nuf said.
***
In this weather you need to eat quick.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
We went through {lots} of napkins.
When it comes to BBQ, there is a distinct difference between “Carolina BBQ” and say St. Louis BBQ. One has a mustard/vinegar base (Carolina) and the other is tomato/ketchup based. Personally, I prefer the thicker, sweet sauces of the St. Louis region, but the traditional Carolina vinegar variety is certainly nothing to turn up your nose at.
Jay came across a Carolina BBQ recipe in my new Crock Pot recipe book, so that is what we prepared for this week’s Sunday night din din.
I was looking for a light, low fat side dish and found a “Polynesian Coleslaw” recipe on allrecipes.com. If you haven’t discovered this website and love to cook, please do yourself a favor and check it out. Gazillions of great recipes to be found!
I was intrigued by the coleslaw because it had a peanut butter based dressing rather than the typical mayo based sauce. It will be great for summer picnics since there is no mayo. I thought it was delish and complimented the pork nicely. The reviews say that the slaw is better the longer it sits, so I am looking forward to seeing how the flavors marry overnight. I also added a bit of crushed pineapple ~ sweet, salty from the soy and tangy from the rice vinegar!
Carolina Barbequed Pork
2 onions, quartered
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 4-6 lb. boneless pork butt or shoulder roast (I used a bone-in shoulder)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Hamburger buns (I used sesame to compliment the Asian flavors of the slaw)
Place the onions in the Crock-Pot. Combine the brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper and rub the mixture over the roast. In a bowl, combine the vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Drizzle 1/2 of the vinegar mixture over the roast. Cover and refrigerate the remaining vinegar mixture. Cover; cook on Low for 10 hours or on High for 6 hours. Remove the meat and onions and drain. Chop or shred the meat and chop the onions. Serve the meat and onions on buns. Use the remaining vinegar mixture to drizzle over the sandwiches.
Which do you prefer? Tomato or vinegar?
I’m stickin’ to tomato, but this meal would’ve made the Carolinians proud, I think!
