Cooking with Sara: Brown Sugar Pork and Southwest Quinoa Salad

Happy Memorial Day, my lovelies!  Be sure to hug and thank a serviceman this weekend in appreciation!  Both my Dad and Brother are ex-Navy, so I'm sending them a big, "Thank you for your dedication, commitment, and sacrifice!"

Now, to the recipes:  Some of you may know about my tortured relationship with pork.  I've tried and tried and tried to cook it, but it fails me every time.  I can whip up a fantastic steak, an oven-roasted chicken, and sea bass to melt your heart.  But, pork?  The last time I cooked it, I ended up throwing my silicone potholders across the room, and Bo immediately hopped up with an offer to pick up something from a restaurant.  (In my defense, the dang meat probe was set to Celsius, and I way way way overcooked the pork as a result.  And then threw the potholders.)  So I thought I'd give it one last go.  Of course, I didn't actually cook it.  In my world, bbq-ing and grilling is strictly a Man Job.  I don't even know how to turn on our grill, and I like it that way.  So, I whipped up this marinade and let Bo work the grill magic outside.

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops and Southwest Quinoa Salad recipes on From Blah to Ta-Daa

The salad recipe is a variation of a Texas Caviar salad recipe given to me by Chimly's family.  The Texas Caviar recipe is yum city as written, but I thought it would be fun and interesting to add quinoa to the mix.  And, we loved it!  Be sure to make it at least a couple of hours before your bbq so that it can get really chilled and let the flavors set in.

Happy long weekend, everyone!  Be safe out there!

Whistling Dixie

My name's not Dixie.  And I ain't from around these parts. 

And did you know that I can't whistle?  Like, I do not know how to whistle.  My sister thinks it's hilarious.  Bo thinks I'm just not trying.  When I whistle, what comes out is an airy whisper of a sound.  On a good day, I can get one clear sound to emerge.  On a really really good day, I can sputter out a tune - as long as it doesn't contain more than 3 different tones.

Now, none of this has really bothered me thus far in life.  I actually thought of it as a fun unique thing I have going for me.  Until now.  See,  Rory has totally traitored on me.  She left the land of Sara Love to set up camp in Bo Town.  I'm pretty much only interesting to her when I've got a treat or when I say, "Wannagoforaride?"  Aside from that, she's totally become Bo's dog.  It's entirely unfair.  I routinely remind her that I'm the one who adopted her, I'm the one who buys her food, I'm the one who gave her a name.  But none of this seems to matter.  If Bo whistles at her, she immediately gives him her attention.  I can yell or clap (my latest favorite for trying to change her focus), but it's as if I'm doing nothing.  So, I've decided that I need to learn how to whistle.  Even tho I only know men who do this (my dad, included), I'm convinced that, unlike bbq-ing, it's not a gender-based ability.

So tonight, I asked my good pal Herr Google to teach me how to whistle.  To be honest, I'm astounded at the number of results that came back.  I had no idea that so many people had broken whistlers just like me!  EHow promises me that with practice, I will be able to whistle "with comfort and ease."  (Oh.  I hadn't even thought about its being comfortable.  Are you whistlers out there doing it uncomfortably?  This is information I might need if I'm venturing over to your side.)  Another site instructed me to practice in front of the mirror for 5 minutes every day.  (That sounds like way too much commitment for me.  Pass.)

These instructions for a fingerless whistle are fabulously detailed, so I might* just have to give them a shot.  But then I found a whole slew of how-to videos:

 

I wonder how much practice this will require?  I really need to learn how to whistle like this if I have any hopes of stealing my dog back being able to get Rory's attention when she's focused on a squirrel.  

Do any of you have broken whistles?  Anyone else want to join me on my quest?  Let's check back in a couple of weeks to compare notes, alrighty?

* "Might" because I'm currently sitting on the couch sitting next to Bo.  Who's deeply involved in the playoff game on tv.  I'm not about to practice this and potentially hyperventilate.   It's not even halftime, and I fear I'd be dead by the time he noticed my limp body turning blue.

Wordless Wednesday: A Heckuva Lot