Happy Star Wars Day!

Get it? May the 4th . . . Sigh. It is also National Candied Orange Peel Day if that is better.

This weather sucks! I feel like I am back in Pittsburgh. This weekend was a nice relaxing weekend. Well, compared to the last few anyway.

Saturday we ventured out in search of shoes for me for a wedding we are going to next weekend. A whole lot of walking for me considering I have spent most of the last few weeks avoiding walking. But I did pretty well. I am able to take a few "normal" steps now. But it hurts and my ankle gets really tired really fast. We did eventually find shoes and then stopped at DiBruno's for some snacks on the way home. $30 later we had lots of cheeses, olives, bread, pepperoni. Yum! We got home in time for the Derby. I had picked Dunkirk to win (because he was the only true grey), General Quarters to place (because he was the heartstring favorite and because he is a beautiful black with dark grey hindquarters) and Mr. Hot Stuff to show (because he had the best name). Of course they came in 11th, 10th and 15th respectively. I am so happy that Mine that Bird won. A 50-1 shot with a local yokel type jockey (he is great!) who was driven from New Mexico? Awesome! After the race and some time with my foot up we headed to Karla's. We hung out there, got dinner from Greek Lady and played House of the Dead: Overkill. Which is pretty fantastic. It is a zombie . . . I am sorry mutant, shooting game. With a gun. You dont have to move, you dont have to do anything. You just point and shoot at the zombies . . . sorry mutants. And there is swearing (strange for a Wii game). We played through the whole game.

Sunday we were supposed to go for steaks. But we couldnt decide on where to go. So we decided we wanted Mexican. And then couldnt decide where to go. So we ended up at National Mechanics. We had only been a few times to drink and had heard good things about the food. The weather was AWFUL! And of course we just missed a 17 and no 40s came so we had to wait in the rain for awhile. And then we forgot about Equality Forum closing down Market in Old City, so we had to walk. But whatever. We finally got there and sat at the bar. I tried the make-you-own-bloody mary bar. Not as good as Astral Plane, but pretty good for $8 (for Absolut). Matty had an Obama-bomb (Boddington's with a shot of Van Gogh Triple Espresso and Tuaca) which was pretty tasty. The trouble came when it came to our food. Because we ordered . . . and then waited for an hour! Which is ridiculous. It wasnt packed, it wasnt crazy, it wasnt early, or late. They were nice enough to take off a round of drinks from our bill. And we didnt really ahve anywhere to be. But still. An hour! But once the food actually arrived it was delicious. Matty had the National Burger (burger, fried egg, provolone [he added], served with fries) which was cooked perfectly and was very tasty though the egg was a little overcooked. I had the National Skillet (ham, potatos and tomatoes with oaxaca and fried eggs) which was also delicious. We stopped at the Terminal to pick up ingredients for dinner and then headed home to avoid the rain.

We watched True Romance (1993). Neither of us had seen it before which is a bit surprising. Since EVERYONE is apparently in it. It is a bit of a Bonnie and Clyde-esque romantic comedy of sorts, Quentin Tarantino style. Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette play the leads. Mmmm . . . 1993 Christian Slater! Then you have Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, a very young Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, Bronson Pinchot (Balki!), Samuel L. Jackson (for a hot second), Michael Rapaport and a very skinny James Gandolfini. And those are just the big names. Because there are so many others that you recognize in there. IT was pretty great. In a Quentin Tarantino-written, early 90's romantic comedy, crime drama sort of way. You should see it. You really should.

For dinner we had Pork Carnitas with Carmelized Onions and Chipotle. I totally forgot how much I love these! They are time consuming which means I don't make them often. But yum! Yum yum yum! I am trying to decide what to do with the cooking liquid because it is just so delicious! Just thinking about it make my mouth water! For dessert Matty made toaster oven s'mores! Yum! A tasty night indeed.

Pork Carnitas with Caramelized Onions and Chipotle (the onions are totally not carmelized)


Serve with jicama, roasted red peppers, and avocado wrapped in soft corn tortillas. Or spoon over a bed of rice. (We served ours in soft corn tortillas with cotija cheese)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I used about a tablespoon)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed and cut into (1-inch) cubes (We ended up with a 2 lb bit of loin I think because they had it in the size we needed)
2 bay leaves (I used 3)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Cooking spray
2 cups chopped onion (about 2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I used 1 tsp)
1 chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, halved
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat pork. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. (The other two times I made this I did this, this time I didnt since I wanted it that night. And honestly I dont think I noticed a significant difference)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (I use my French oven for this, it would have to be a very large skillet) Remove pork from bag. Add pork to pan; cook 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. (I just cooked the pork with the oregano, black pepper and bay leaves)

Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in salt, cumin, and chile. (I added cherry tomatoes here this time for a little different flavor and highly recommend). Return pork to pan, and add broth. Bring to a simmer; cover. Cook 2 hours or until pork is very tender. (We probably ended up letting this simmer for about 3 and a half hours). Remove from heat; discard bay leaves. Stir in cilantro and juice.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup) (Ha! I guess if you served it with rice, or something else, for us it made enough for 3, maybe 3 and a half) CALORIES 191 (35% from fat); FAT 7.4g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.8g); IRON 1.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 45mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.3g; SODIUM 631mg; PROTEIN 21.7g; FIBER 1.2g Cooking Light, JANUARY 2007