Luau Pork Shoulders in the Caja China

Hey all,

Roasted up 4 pork shoulders (6lb ea) in the Caja yesterday for my little girl’s birthday Luau. They came out great!

After bringing the shoulders to temp, I scored the fat cap and rubbed them with coarse sea salt and liquid smoke.

Then wrapped them in banana leaves (couldn’t find Ti leaves) tied with string, then wrapped in foil.

 

Roasted them for about six hours, maintaining a box temp of about 200d. Started with 16lbs of coals and added 5lbs every half-hour. That’s not exactly how the instructions read, but I’ve found the “every hour” thing caused dips in the heat, and I can maintain a more even 200 by adding less coals, more often. I used the racks and flipped the shoulders after about 4 hours. Then unwrapped them and peeled back the banana leaves to let the fat get crispy for the last half-hour.

 

Cooked to about 180d (would have cooked longer, but I had hungry guests waiting, lol) Chopped the meat and then mixed with a wash of 1/2 cup liquid smoke, 4 cups hot water,  1/4 cup Adobo Criollo spices, and 2 Tbs seasoned salt. I let that sit about 15 minutes, drained remaining liquid (most had been soaked up) and served.

I think the wash made it all much more flavorful, I will be be experimenting with different types in the future!

Happy Independence Day

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

Great video on Fireworks safety for kids

Thought this was a great “how-to” video. Mostly common sense, but good info anyway.

http://video.about.com/childparenting/Children-and-Fireworks-Safety.htm

-Perry

Happy Father’s Day, Coot!

I must have been three or four years old…I’m taking a nap with my dad, resting in the crook of his arm. It’s a warm afternoon. I can smell the comforting aroma of old-spice, brill cream, and cigarettes…I’m dozing off to sleep.

It’s a sensory memory, triggered whenever I smell the combination of two or more of the above. Feeling safe…like my dad is the biggest guy in the world, and he’s watching out for me while I sleep.

It seems like too young to remember, but I do. I’m sure it happened before my parents divorced (when I was six) as I doubt we took any naps together after he moved out.

That means he was five years younger than I am now.

My next memory, probably a year later, is my mother crying, and me running out to the parking lot and screaming, “I hate you!” at my father’s retreating car. I didn’t hate him, I didn’t even know what was going on, I just wanted to help my mom.

How that must have hurt him.

It was never mentioned, so I guess I can live with the idealistic hope that he didn’t hear.

It’s amazing how memories can fade, but guilt lingers. Now that I’m a father, the idea of hearing those words from my own daughter makes me cringe, and I wonder what my girl will remember, thirty-eight years from now.

Those, of course, aren’t the only memories. I have a nearly endless parade of beach trips and camp-outs, movies and hamburger lunches. Though my father didn’t live with us, I know that I was blessed to spend more time with him, more quality time, than most of my friends who still had dads at home. He never missed a visit (twice a week) or a birthday, Christmas, school or scouting event, he was never too busy with work, or anything else, to be there for me.

The years passed. I grew up, got a job, got married, and Dad’s health grew worse. 

He lived with us for awhile, until his nursing demands were two much and he chose to move to an assisted living facility. Then the years seemed to reverse, and it was me and my family visiting him every week, taking him for trips to favorite restaurants, shopping at the mall, and bringing him to our house for birthdays and holidays.

At sixty-eight, Dad was ecstatic to finally become a grandfather, and never hesitated to share new pictures and stories about his “baby Grace” with all of his friends and neighbors, often several times. He still loved to laugh, and she found it infectious, soon she was bursting in to a smile as soon as she saw grandpa wheeling out to meet us.

Gracie’s Grandpa Frank passed away in September 2008, when she was just thirteen months old.

This is our first father’s day without him.

We’ll miss him, of course, and while we grieve for the years that Grace will not know her grandfather, we’re comforted by the pride, joy and love he had for his granddaughter this past year. Grace will grow up knowing her Grandpa Frank through the love and stories that we will share with her.

If he were here now, I would thank him again for all the memories, and for all the lessons he taught me. I’d tell him that I hope I can be the father to my daughter that he was to me.

Dad, thank you…I love you…I hear you in my baby’s laughter.

 

 

Google Error Message

Hey all,

Apparently this happens a lot (do a search) but it’s the first time it’s happened to me. I was happily browsing through my Google Reader, and all of a sudden I get an error message that reads:

“your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application…”

Tried refershing the page, no good. Shut down and restarted my browser, nada. Finally I did a search (the rest of Google worked find, I just couldn’t access reader.)

Based on MANY previous posts, I gleaned the following fix: just delete your cookies, and everything goes back to normal.

1. At the top of your browser, click “Tool”

2. Choose “Internet Options”

3. On the “General Tab” under the “Browsing History” heading, click on “Delete”

4.  In the new window, click on “Delete Cookies”

I did this for my “Avant Browser Options” (also under Tools) and when I refershed the Google Reader page, everything was fine.

Good Luck!

-Perk

 

 

 

45 lessons

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio “To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written.” My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more: 1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone. 8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present. 12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain.   25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ’In five years, will this matter?’ 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do. 35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s,we’d grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

Come see us on “Rice Cereal Sucks!”

Hey all,

Just a reminder, if you don’t see very many new posts here at Cubeville, it’s because I’m spending 90% of my blog time over at Gracie’s blog http://www.ricecereal.wordpress.com

C’mon over, and pardon the oatmeal on the walls!

-Perry

How to Protect Your Computer Against the Conficker Worm

No April Fool joke here…

This is a great post to protect your computer from the latest scumbag attack:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4877031_protect-computer-against-conficker-worm.html?utm_source=eHOD&utm_medium=email&utm_content=4877031&utm_campaign=01_04_2009

Thank you, finsyourfriend!

-Perry

Prayers for our family

Hey all,

Please keep our family in your prayers. I just learned that my cousin was the pilot of the FedEx jet that crashed in Japan last week. A good man, and a good family, please pray for peace and comfort.

http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/03/memorial_service_set_for_hills.html

Blessings,

-Perry

Tim Hawkins is so awesome!

Check out this new video by my favorite Christian comedian…and fellow Chick Fil A fan!

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=31989c8eea4c0225ce0f

-Perk