Instant Pot BBQ Pulled Pork & Creamy Coleslaw

Here is a little something about me: I can’t pass up a good sale on groceries. It is a severe issue.  I do need a chest freezer.  In my opinion, a vacuum sealer is one of the best inventions known to man.  Of course, a good Sharpie rounds it all out.  

So when I saw pork shoulder-butt on sale, I had to get it.  The fact it was about six pounds of pork for one person did not phase me at all. The first thing I did was cut it in half, freeze it for an hour before vacuuming, sealing it for it to stay in the freezer. 

About a month later, the desire for pulled pork and carnitas hit all at once.  Even with about two and a half pounds of shoulder butt, I knew that was still too much for me.  So I did the most logical thing.  I cut it in half.  One side for BBQ pulled pork and the other for carnitas in this post.

Another thing I love doing is combining two recipes to make one, then tweaking it if need be to make it more like my own.  For this recipe, I took a little bit from here by Food Network and a little bit from here by The Kitchn.  I altered the quantities to fix the amount of pork I was using.  Honestly, aside from the brown sugar, I combined the two recipes. 

What was unique about this pulled pork is going to be low carb!  Recently I discovered G. Hughes sugar-free BBQ sauce. They are so good to me!   Currently, I am using the Hickory, but there are several other flavors and teriyaki sauce, and sweet chili.  I had hamburger buns by Sola from Meijer. For the low-carb coleslaw, I took some inspiration from Wholesome Yum.

Put it all together, and you have the picture above!  It was so delicious, and I didn’t even miss the sugar.  It was nice to enjoy such a wonderful treat. Why don’t you try Instant Pot BBQ pulled pork & creamy coleslaw this weekend?

Instant Pot Carnitas

Pork shoulder butt was on sale at Kroger. They can range from four to six pounds, which for me is a problem.  I live alone, and thanks to the gastric sleeve, I now have a tiny stomach.  As I stood in front of the meat case, contemplating my next move, I realized I wanted pulled pork and carnitas. Even if I cut it in half, it would still be too much for me to handle.  My only option was to reduce the half of the half. Yep, quarter it, and use my Instant Pot.

My adoration runs very deep for my Instant Pot; however, I still need help to make sure I am using the correct times.  I also need a good marinade, leading me to Gimme Some Oven recipe for Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas. The mojo sauce catches my eye. The ingredients include garlic, fresh-squeezed orange and lime juice, oregano, and cumin. I added my little spin by using half of it as a marinade and the other half as directed.

My little trick to shred pork, chicken, or beef uses a hand mixer on low speed. Once I had it pulled to my liking, I simmered it in the mojo sauce to get the consistency I wanted.  From there, they went under the broiler to get them crispy, using the leftover sauce to keep the meat moist, as stated in the recipe.

Talk about tender and delicious. I made nachos out of the, but the star of the show was the tacos! Instant Pot carnitas tacos were a fantastic success!

While I had the shoulder marinating, I decided to make some pickled onion.  After I found this recipe online, I got to work.  I knew the carnitas would be excellent on the tacos and with anything else I made from the carnitas. They were super simple to make.  A quick brine and a slicer to get the onions nice and thin before they went into a sixteen-ounce jar.

Lastly, I topped the taco with pickled onions, grated cotija cheese, cilantro, and poblano tomatillo salsa verde on top of a Maria & Ricardos Whole Wheat Low Carb 6 Inch tortilla. Do yourself a favor and try Instant Pot carnitas tacos!

Roasted Bone-in Chicken Breast

Roasting an entire chicken for one can be a bit too much. This fact is even more true now that I have had gastric sleeve surgery. So what does one do with a tiny stomach and a craving for roasted chicken? You strike a compromise. My hero comes in the form of a bone-in skin-on chicken breast. I always keep one in the freezer for this reason. Depending on the size of the piece, it can last me two or three meals. This time frame is pretty similar to how long half of the chicken would last me.

Another reason I give precious freezer space to the bone-in skin-on breast is how roasted chicken makes me feel. There is a level of comfort radiating from this dish. The food which causes this cozy feeling is known as comfort food—types of comfort food change from person to person and culture to culture.

Precisely because of this reason, boneless, skinless chicken breasts do not invoke feelings of comfort. While I am partial to the breast, thighs, and leg quarters will also do.

Insurance for the Bone-in Chicken Breast

Before it goes into the oven, I prepare a bit of seasoned “insurance” in the form of butter. Soften butter with salt, pepper, whichever herbs tickle my fancy on that particular day. If I plan to use some of the breast for another day, I will only use salt and pepper. After the seasoned butter mixture, it is placed into the freezer to harden. Breast meat tends to dry out; keeping the skin and bones intact gives some protection from drying out. Placing the frozen butter under the skin will baste the chicken as it cooks.

Roasting Process

Using a cast-iron skillet keeps the heat consistent even and makes sure the chicken does not dry out. Using a higher temperature of 375 degrees will also keep things from drying out as well.

Self-Care Day

Today, I decided I needed a self-care day. It was a painful, emotional past few months.  I’m finally back in Ohio.  Yet, my tension is still quite high. It has been a while since I had taken some time to myself, alone.  It was time I put everyone else on hold.  For a few hours, I need to shrug off all my stress, hurt, and confusion.

I decided I needed a little bit of pampering, entertainment, and a meal out.  A few days before I decided to go out, I call Ulta and made an appointment with their Benefit Brow Bar at The Greene.  Before I moved to Dayton, I had not been to the Benefit Brow Bar.  It was always less expensive in Long Beach to get my brows done.  I didn’t understand why I should pay $40 for the service.  However, it quite a bit more expensive to my eyebrows done here. It was with this fact I had in mind when I was at a few months before Ultra and decided to give it a whirl.

My brows have a lovely natural shape, but they are a bit on the light side. Benefit has a tint and wax service for about $36.  When I say my brows had never looked better, I would not be exaggerating at all. My technician did the wax first to get the shape perfect.  Then it was time for the tint, which she did in half black and dark brown. It was just dark enough for me. My brows looked like Instagram brows, so close to perfect.

After the eyebrows were finished, I went over the Cinemark to watched the newly released Spider-man: Far Away from Home.  As with most Marvel superhero movies, I enjoyed it. Tom Holland is the only Spider-man who feels like a teenager. His portrayal of Peter Parker is so impressive.  Don’t wrong, I like the other Spider-men, but they struck me more as a college student than high schoolers. The downside of Tom’s Peter to me is how they seem to downplay how intelligent he is supposed to be. You get the idea he is smart, but not at the level Peter usually is. Nonetheless, it was a fun movie.

Lastly, I capped off my self-care day at bd’s Mongolian Grill. I have always enjoyed this Mongolian BBQ concept rows of protein, vegetables, spices, and herbs to go on top of my favorite carbohydrate.  Squeeze as much meat, veggies, and noodles into a bowl as you can top it with my favorite sauces and seasonings. After that, you hand it off to the folks working the round grill with long sticks.  Regardless of how much you cram into the bowl. I always get it back with a lot more room than I think I should have.  This time, since I was getting ready for my surgery, I did not get any noodles or rice.  Unfortunately, I put way too much chili power on my creation and didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have liked.

It is nice to have finally shrugged off some of what I had been feeling.  There are times when you just have to take a self-care day and breath.

When Life Gives You Lemons

** Trigger Warning ** This post deals with suicide. Please proceed carefully. 

When life gives you lemons, they said you should make lemonade.  There are times when the lemons are so tart, and it doesn’t seem as if they will be enough water or sugar to make the lemonade sweet enough to be enjoyed. I find myself in this exact situation, which brings me back to California.

I am back home suddenly because or at tragedy. My friend’s son took his own life. His passing was sudden out and out of the blue.  Yet isn’t it always?  I had no idea he was suffering so much. Of course, I wish I had found out sooner.

Zack was barely 25 years old. He had the biggest brightest smile. The free hugs button was something Zack would wear.  I was close friends with his father since he was eight years old. To say I knew the kid for a while is an understatement.  He was always the sweetest child.

Quickly, I came back to California to support my friend though this trying time. I am stuffing my grief down to stay helpful.   If the tears started to fall, I don’t know when I would be able to get them to stop.  Aside from my grief, I feel the sadness for his parents and friends who are devastated by his passing.

When I was standing in my friends’ mother’s backyard, I saw these lemons on the tree.  I thought about how much I do like fresh lemonade. I wondered if anyone else would appreciate some fresh lemonade as well. It made perfect sense to me, when life gives you lemons, of course, you make lemonade.

These were not the first lemons off the tree. I just happened to the first ones I picked myself.  As I was making the lemonade, I keep thinking to myself I can’t do anything about the situation. I can not bring Zack back. There is no way for me to take away their pain and ease their suffering.

Their pain was the lemons given to them.  It was for them to figure out how to make lemonade out it.  It is such an ugly, bitter lemon. It is hard to see how anything could come from them.

When life gives you lemons, it doesn’t always mean making the best of it.  I feel it means to learn from this situation.  Matters concerning precious loved ones it hard to find the “lesson.”

I am not even sure if there was a lesson for me in it other than realizing life is precious and fleeting.  This whole thing has me holding on to it with both hands.

Take a Sip and Get Ready

This morning I work up quite anxious.  I had a long list of appointments, and that fact alone had me on edge from the moment I opened my eyes. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm my thoughts, just long enough to formulate a plan to a bit of peace before the storm possibly hit. Pulling out my phone, I discovered there was a coffee shop near my first appointment. At this time, my friend Norma was letting me drive her car, as she was still recovering from her illness.  First on my list was dropping Norma off at work, for a 7:00 AM start time.  At 8:00 AM, I had an appointment with the  Greater Dayton Premier Management, looking for housing options. Between those appointments, I stopped in at Ghostlight Coffee.  I had been there a time or two before, but never alone. This place is such a cute place to me. I enjoy the environment of this coffee shop.  After staring at the menu for a bit, I ordered a caramel latte with a sesame seed bagel and lemon poppy cream cheese.  Once I got my order, I settled down into my seat; however, my anxiety was trying to keep me from feeling comfortable.  I closed my eyes, and in my head, I said, “take a sip and get ready for the day.” I repeated the phrase in my head at least five times before I was able to take one deep and slow breath.  As the air slowly flow out of my lungs and passing through my lips, I felt my tension float into the air.  When I opened my eyes, my latte was inviting me to take a sip and get ready finally!

The latte was excellent, the bagel was perfectly chewy, and the cream cheese seemed super cream with a hint of tart lemon flavor.   I had about 45 minutes to kill before I needed to leave my first appointment. Plenty of time to savor this morning meal, while the sun was starting to make its appearance.

Depending on the level of my anxiety, there is always a small window where I can get in there and disrupt it’s attempt to take hold of me.  Coping skills like these take time and practice. Often in a panic, I forgot to employ my coping skills.  It is one of the reasons I practice them regularly, allowing them to become second nature.  There are instances when this works entirely and other times when it works enough to get through.  I feel “take a sip and get ready” has come to mean practice a coping skill for this situation and get ready to move forward from this place.

What coping skills do you employ to help you move forward?

Leader of My Pack

Over the last few months, I noticed a few people I am down with and a few people who are down with me.  The peculiar thing about this, both said not contain the same people. I have changed how I interact with many people; some do not seem to have noticed.

Some of these people who once held a high place in my life were not surprised about this. I had conversations with them personally.  I didn’t say I am not going to be involved with you anymore.  Instead, I said I am not happy with this relationship, and this is why.  For most of them, this was not the first conversation about our friendship.  However, this was going to be the last one.

There were not going to be any more “This what you can do to fix it.” conversations.  Simply stated, I tried to fix things, but there was not a response. If there was a response to change, it did not occur.  I was at the point of accepting the new parameters of the friendship.  I had finally realized the loss of the place they had in my life. I can’t for anyone to be what they do not want to be. I can’t insist on a certain level of friendship.  What I can do, however, is move away from or “reclassify” things that do not fit me any longer.  I had to be the leader of my pack.


All the pain I was feeling before the conversation was because I was not accepting this as a new status.  I was fighting against the truth of the matter.  In a way, by not opening my eyes to the truth, I was hurting myself. By expressing and acknowledging the new state of things, I could free myself of that grief and move forward.  

Yes, I still “see” them around me, and, in some cases, I love them still.  The difference is, I no longer let them hurt me. I know what to expect from them. I no longer have to depend on them to help nourish my soul or feed my companionship without an invitation from myself first.  

I’ve been learning a lot about limiting and protecting myself from anything and everyone. If it does not enrich my life, then I have no space for it.  The hardest lesson has been learning NOTHING is immune from this process.  This practice is about creating and accepting peace within myself. Setting boundaries can be immensely challenging but equally rewarding.  

I will not beg for love.  I will not beg for attention.  I will not beg for respect.  I will not even ask or demand them.  If my actions and interactions do not lend themselves to receiving those gifts, then the universe has shown that a particular person is not to reside in my life at this time.  I will no longer force it.  I will not take it personally.   

I am the leader of my pack. Each of us can be the leaders of our pack while residing in other packs as well. Each of us can control our circles.  We can control how we allow people to treat us. We can control how people act within our pack. Of course, initial “offenses” will happen, and we can control if we will continue to let ourselves be exposed to them again.

Dealing with Fear

It took me so long to understand how much fear I lived with and how it was slowly strangling my dreams and life. I wouldn’t make moves with Simply Catering because I could not see a clear path to success. I was afraid to fail, which meant I was scared to try.

Growing hurts! It is calling “growing pains” for a reason. It is not easy to be uncomfortable. To look myself in the face and say, “I’m afraid,” was one of the most vulnerable feelings I have faced. It seemed like out of the blue when I decided I was NOT going to be controlled by fear anymore. I was going to move in confidence. I was not going to be afraid to fall on my face. I was not going to be scared to be successful. I was not going to be afraid to heal. I was not going to be scared of my best possible self.

With that in mind, I moved 2000 miles away. I gave up some of my independence and freedom by living in another person’s home. I can not express how much it stung my pride. I was a forty-four-year-old woman with a cat, renting a room in someone else’s house, after eight years of being on my own again.

However, I could not get hung up on pride. I need to take these steps back to take steps forward. It has taken almost a year, but I have never felt healthier. Crazy part is, I am not even CLOSE to reaching my goals. Yes, I have GOALS and PLANS! I am not going to let fear stop me from moving towards them, changing or achieving them.

A Night Out in Dayton

After being cooped up in the house, a night out in Dayton was on the menu. However, this is my first winter here in Ohio. Now being a California girl, this single-digit weather does not agree with my constitution. That being said, it is not as bad as I thought it would be. It has been a while since I had been out and about. When I found out  Picwas having mac-n-cheese pop up at Toxic Brew Company, it was the perfect reason to brave the elements.  

Upon arriving at Toxic Brew, it was pretty crowded for a cold weeknight. My friend and I promptly jumped in line to get our mac-n-cheese. It was a cool little set up where they add the sauce and condiments of your choice to the macaroni. Pictured above is the buffalo mac and cheese with bacon and ranch dressing that I ordered. For the most part, it was pretty tasty. Unfortunately, it was a bit cold. I think they were cold holding the pasta, thinking the cheese sauce would be hot enough to warm them up. It just wasn’t enough heat. 

After we finished our pasta, we hung out for a bit, until it was a bit too crowded for my anxiety. Little did I know that was just the start of my panic.

A Night Out in Dayton Takes a Turn

My friend had been ill recently and wasn’t able to drive. Not having much to do, I donated my time to help her get around. Once this night, I was on my way to pull the car around to pick up when I noticed I didn’t have the keys. Frantically, I was rushing back to the bar to see if my friend had the keys. She did not. A search around the area we were seated was launched. After that failed, I asked the staff if they had seen them.

I decided to check the car to see if I had possibly locked them in the car. There was no such luck, a man asked me what was wrong, and I told him I lost my keys. Lucky for me, someone had found them and placed them on the pay for parking kiosk. 

Being happy and relieved didn’t completely counteract the feeling of wanting to pass out. As a result of this adventure, my heart rate had increased. Regardless of the temperature outside, my forehead was covered with sweat. Closing my eyes, I paused in my tracks and took 4 deep, slow breaths. It was only after those calming breaths I was able to relax enough to drive home.  Thank goodness for coping skills!

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

Cajun Red Beans and Rice is one of my favorite comfort foods.  It is an inexpensive and easy soul-satisfying meal.  People have been using beans and rice for decades to feed their families on a budget.  With the vegan version of this dish, it is even less expensive to make.  A pound of most dried beans costs around $1.50 and will feed about four to six people. 

The vegetables are nothing fancy, just the Holy Trinity.  The Holy Trinity is to Cajun and Creole cooking as the Mirepoix is French cooking.  Both mirepoix and the trinity are flavor bases for the cuisines. The trinity consists of onion, celery, and bell pepper.  The mirepoix is onions, celery, and carrot.  Usually, there is a 2:1 ratio, with the onions being the more significant part.  For example, if you have one cup of onion, you would need a half cup of celery and a half cup of carrots or bell pepper.

Seasoning

Now for the seasoning, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper are mandatory. No ifs, ands, or buts! Next are the other spices, such as cayenne pepper, smoked paprika (or liquid smoke), and thyme.  Now some say, do not add salt to your beans as they cook because they will never get soft.  In the past, it has been my experience adding salt at the start of the cooking process lengthens the cooking time.

All of this simmers in a luxurious vegetable stock. I like Kitchen Basics. There are a few options for cooking vessels: crockpot, in a pot on the stovetop, or an Instant Pot.  To honest, I have heard people using their oven on low in lew of a crockpot. One other thing, if you go the stovetop route. Make sure the pot is covered.   Using a lid ensures you have plenty of liquid to go over your rice.

Lastly, about 30 minutes before your beans are done, put a pot of rice.  Do yourself a favor, and drop a bay leaf in there as well.

I hope you enjoy our little chat about Cajun red beans and rice.  Feel free to check out some recipes while you are here.