Catching up

Rather busy recently.

1. I had a huge project going on at work. It's not over yet, either, but the bare bones are in place so the hard part is over. Thank goodness.

2. Puppy shopping. And I thought the cats were spoiled! The Man and I had so much fun on Friday afternoon, wandering through the pet store to get stuff for the new addition. I took a list with me to keep us in check on the spending, and we pretty much stuck to it, but we went a little overboard buying stuff she won't even play with for a while. And the squeaky plush toy we now own has been appropriated by Baby the Cat. I put it on top of the new dog crate; Baby moves it to the middle of the living room, licks it like crazy, then goes to a different room after becoming bored. I pick it up - he puts it back. It's a mother/child power struggle.

3. Girl stuff. For almost 2 weeks now. I must be getting anemic because man, am I tired all the time. I am boosting my iron-rich foods in hopes that it will help.

4. Haunted barn planning. We are trying to get the entire plan for 2007 together so we can meet with the owner of the pumpkin farm and get the ball rolling earlier this year.

5. Easter.

6. The Chicago Cubs Home Opener Party, held yesterday here at the house. I spent the weekend scouring the house in preparation for the party and started cooking yesterday morning at 5:30. We had a great time even though the Cubs lost.

So while all of this was going on, I still have a couple of recipes and pictures. So here they are.

Thursday's dinner was a crockpot thing. Well, not a thing. You know what I mean. I made garlic, cheddar, and sour cream smashed potatoes to go with the country ribs I cooked in BBQ sauce and boy, did it hit the spot.

BBQ Pork in the Crockpot

4 pounds country ribs
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
A few shots of Tabasco
1/4 cup worchestershire
1 cup ketchup
1 cup water

Place the ribs into the bottom of the crockpot. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan on the stove. Heat over low heat, stirring until well combined. Pour over the ribs, cover the crockpot, and choose your desired time setting. I put mine on 10 hours and came home to pork goodness.

Ham Glaze

I didn't take a picture of the Easter ham. Sorry about that. I had a couple of men acting like unfed vultures when I pulled the ham out of the oven, so I sliced it up and fed them for my own safety.

1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring well to combine, until bubbly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. The sauce will thicken; use to baste a half-ham every half hour it's in the oven.

Not a recipe - Gidget Update

Gidget's caretaker brought her over here yesterday for about an hour. Oh, how sweet and snuggly she is! I introduced her to Baby and Sylvester; it went a lot better than I expected. Vester wanted nothing to do with her, not even with the bribe of treats. Baby, on the other hand, stuck his nose right into her fur (this was before I even showed her face to them), took some good sniffs, then sat down, right by us. There were a few half-hearted hisses from the big beast, but other than that, everywhere Gidget and I went in the house, Baby followed. I feel so much better knowing that my boys will probably be okay when we bring her home.

A few new pictures, taken with a camera this time instead of a phone:

Gidget next to a 4-oz cat food can. Man, is she tiny!