Notes from a bemused canuck
Katy and I invited the office bunch on Saturday for an informal xmas potluck. We discovered that 17 adults and 4 kids is pretty much the maximum that the house can fit, when the halls are fully decked. I hope that people had a good time. I know that there was plenty of food and booze, so that’s always a good place to start ;)
All pictures, and more are here: http://www.flubu.com/various_pics/xmas_2012/
Ahead of December 21, which marks the conclusion of the 5,125-year “Long Count” Mayan calendar, panic buying of candles and essentials has been reported in China and Russia, along with an explosion in sales of survival shelters in America. In France believers were preparing to converge on a mountain where they believe aliens will rescue them. Doomsday scenarios suggest that the date marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. They include the arrival of the next solar maximum, an interaction between Earth and the black hole at the center of the galaxy,or Earth’s collision with a planet called Nibiru.
Since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass murders. carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii. Scary fact #1, that’s more than 2 a year. scary fact #2, there have been 12 incidents in 2012 alone!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/nation/us-mass-shootings-2012/
Dear chav lady with glittery nails. Slagging off your barrista will not make your coffee brew any faster.
This would be the sort of bras I’d wear :)
Even though I’ve been working at the EBI for close to 8 years now, this is my first Christmas Lunch on campus. I really have to give it to the catering team for going well above the call of duty to cater for my allergies (Thanks, Laura, Tony and all the guys!). It was yummy (and the last-minute specially-prepared pancakes made some people jealous, which is always a bonus!)
Feeling very so much like this today.
1½ cup Fancy Molasses
5 lb pork shoulder
Dry Rub
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoky paprika
1 tsp smoky cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground mustard
2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp finely ground instant dark coffee
Stir all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Massage the spice rub onto the pork, coating each side thoroughly. Place meat in a dish and pour the molasses over the meat to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. (You may have extra rub, save it in an airtight container for another time.)
Remove the pork from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before you cook it. Preheat oven to 250 F.
Add 1 teaspoon of canola oil to a heavy bottomed casserole dish, and place the pork in the pan, fat side up. Cook, uncovered, for about 8 hours (about 2 hours/lb if you want to use a bigger or smaller piece of meat), or until very tender. Remove meat from oven and let sit for an hour. Do not be alarmed by how black it is–it’s not burnt that’s bark that’s been formed by the coffee rub. Pull meat into strands and toss with as much or as little sauce as you prefer. (I like to do it with 1 cup and then serve the extra on the side.) And be sure and chop some of the bark and mix it with the tender interior meat.
Molasses Barbeque Sauce
*Yields 3 cups
2 onions, diced
2 – 840 mL tins plum tomatoes
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 apple, sliced
1 cup coffee
1 cup fancy molasses
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
Sautee onions until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf and blend until smooth.