One Year on.....

This time last year I was in a very different mood than the one I find myself in tonight. This time last year I was full of uncertainty and lacking direction. It wasn't a good place to be and at times I wondered if things would ever improve. Tonight I am full of reflection. I wrote THIS blog post after new year, I was trying to be positive and in someways it was a note to myself, so that if I felt myself slipping I could read it & remember that I had to make things better.

So here I am writing my first blog post for a very long time (sorry about that!) thinking how much my life  our lives have changed, one year on.

On October 31st all the hard work of the previous 8 months paid off and we opened the doors to our Coffee shop called......Chouxchouxbedoo! What else!?!

I'd love to tell you it all went swimmingly, that it was great fun & we loved every minute but I'd be lying if I did!
Getting to where were are today took months & months of blood, sweat & tears & back breaking hard word & sacrifices from all of us. There were so many times when I thought it would all get too much, that this next hurdle would be one too many but we kept plodding on and kept believing we'd get there one day and get there, we did. Admittedly we put off the 'Grand Opening' several times & every time someone asked when we'd be opening all I could reply was "soon". But eventually, finally, soon came and we opened our doors to family and friends to show them and share with them what all the fuss had been about.

There are still little bits that need finishing in the shop and still things that we need to get to grips with, but we have a steady flow of customers, many wonderful regulars and we really are doing what we set out to do all those months ago!

2012 hasn't been kind to many of my friends, it's taken loved ones, shattered hopes and dreams, caused worry and heartache and left them aching to see the back of it, exactly how I felt about 2011.
I faced my 2012 with a determination to be positive & boy did it test me at times!!

So I guess my hope this New Years Eve is that those of you who didn't have the best time in 2012 will have a wonderful 2013, and that some, if not all of your hopes and dreams come true. And to those of you who had a good 2012, I hope your 2013 is just as good if not better!
Even when we get what we wish for, it can still be a challenge as many of us know!
So here's to rising to the challenges, what ever they may be & wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year xxxxx Cheers! xx

Cake of the Week - Cakes for Boys

Once again I have an entry for Helen's Casacostello Cake of the Week blog. This week I'm bending the rules slightly (it's OK I asked first!) and I'm entering cakes that Mr P made.

Every now and them he gets an idea in his head and comes up with something amazing!

Last week it was Sabbuteo cupcakes!!

He painstakingly made each little figure with attention to detail way beyond my patience levels and came up with these

 The writing relates to some of Mr P's Twitter followers who were awarded very special #cakeawards

I think he did an amazing job for someone who says he's not creative, imagine what he could do if he was!! ;oD

Pop over to CasaCostello & see the other entries.

Pulled Pork Recipe - No photo's!

I've been meaning to add this recipe to a blog and share it for a while now, but every time I make it I'm in such a hurry to eat it that I forget to take pictures!

So I'm posting the recipe anyway! It's too good not to share!

The recipe is not totally my own, I adapted it from a recipe that was posted on a friend's Facebook, when she found herself kitcheless, with only a slow cooker for family meals.
Now those of you who know me will know how much I love my slow cooker! I'm proud of the fact that I've converted a couple of friends to use them too!

This recipe is an American recipe. I don't have American measuring cups so for a recipe like this when quantities don't need to be precise, just in proportion I use a tea cup as a measure and call it measuring in 'ish'. Using this method for this recipe has never let me down!

I use a 1.2 - 1.5 kg piece of Pork shoulder. I look for a piece with very little fat or skin, as unlike when I do a roast & want it all crispy, you'll just be cutting it off.
This cut is very often on offer in the supermarkets so I always buy a piece and make this recipe. It feeds 6 easily with left overs and can be stretched to feed further depending on how you serve it.

Today we had it with potato & sweet potato wedges, corn, coleslaw & onion rings.
We've also had it mixed with beans, rice & cheese in a wrap to make burrito's or in Burger buns with fries & salad. Either of the last two suggestions work really well for a crowd!

So grab a teacup and make this marinade!

Into the slow cooker dish goes

1 large onion roughly chopped
1/2 a cup ketchup
1/3 cup cider or wine vinegar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp American mustard
1/2 tsp salt
a good grind of black pepper

Mix well and put on LOW.

Take the pork and cut away any fat or rind & discard. Cut the pork into 4 pieces, no need to be fancy you just want 4 hunks of meat!

Place the pork into the slow cooker & coat thoroughly with the marinade. Place the lid on the slow cooker & leave to do it's thing for 8-10 hours, yes really!

There's no need to add any liquid, just leave it on low and walk away.

Once ready remove pork from the slow cooker and turn heat setting to HIGH to reduce the sauce. I always skim the fat from the top if there is any.
Take 2 forks & shred the pork. Once all shredded either spoon over the cooking sauce or place the meat back in the slow cooker and turn heat setting down to 'WARM'

Serve in any of the ways suggested above and enjoy :o)

If you like a little spice I suggest adding a little Harissa paste to the mix or Chipotle chilli paste but do so with CAUTION! Slow cookers intensify the heat, I'm thinking a teaspoon would be more than enough!