my dog is awesome.

he's growing up so fast, isn't he?! he's a little over 5 months right now. i love him so much. i really have nothing else to say. hah. yay pictures! don't you love the ones of him and mark?

the best carnitas evaa!

my second recipe to share....carnitas! to let people know (just in case; i didn't know they were called this) carnitas are a type of pulled pork, just a mexican version. carnitas literally means "little meats."  to me, they are sooo much better than bbq pulled pork.

i adapted this recipe from my mom's carnitas recipe. she had always roasted it in the oven, and i wanted to do it in a slow-cooker. i also added some things to the recipe to make it extra flavorful.  mmmm its gooood.

this recipe makes a lot. but pulled pork keeps very well, and you can eat it in so many ways...on nachos, quesadillas, tacos, a salad, in wraps or a burrito, on a sandwich, by itself, etc. i ate mine on a bed of spinach leaves with salsa verde on top.

with this recipe you will need a 5-quart slow-cooker or larger. hope you like!

SLOW-COOKER CARNITAS

ingredients:

2 lbs pork butt or shoulder (same thing btw)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 large lime)

7 cloves garlic, whole intact

1/2 cup beef broth

1/2 tbs sea salt

1/2 tsp mexican oregano

1/2 tbs chili powder

1/4 tbs ground coriander

1/4 tsp pepper

directions:

1. cut off all extra fat from pork.

2. in small bowl, combine salt, oregano, chili powder, coriander, and pepper.

3. rub dry mixture all over the pork, then plop into the slow cooker.

4. throw in whole garlic cloves.

5. pour the citrus and broth evenly over the top of the pork.

6. cook on low for 8-10 hours, but check at 6 or 7. pork is done when it shreds easily with a fork.

tips:

- you may substitute apple cider vinegar for the citrus.

- regular oregano is okay to use, but lower the amount to 1/4 tsp.

- make sure slow-cooker does not let any steam through the lid; if it does, cover slow-cooker with a sheet of foil, then put lid on over that.

- know your slow-cooker! every one is different. mine cooks very fast, so the carnitas were done at 6 hours.

cynthia's portraits!

so i'm not a professional or anything (far from one), but i do like taking photos and i do know how to work with a camera a bit. so when cynthia (the bff) asked me to take some photos of her, i was delighted! she needed just a photograph of herself for an awards ceremony, and she hadn't had any pictures done in yeears. so we found a few places in deep ellum (downtown dallas) and started snapping.

cynthia probably won't like that i put the jumpy picture up there, but oh well because i think it's cute! and we found a mural of dallas, so we just had to do that last one. isn't cynthia beautiful?! none of the laugh-y pictures would have worked without mark. he keeps cynthia laughing all the time.

easter service.

"for god in all his fullness was pleased to live in christ, and by him god reconciled everything to himself. he made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. 

this includes you who were once so far away from god. you were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. 

he has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. 

as a result, he has brought you into the very presence of god, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault."
colossians 1:19-22

we go to the village church here in dallas. matt chandler, the lead pastor, spoke in depth about these verses on easter sunday. i am so blessed to be able to attend a church that makes me want to strengthen my relationship with christ at all times. i will never be perfect, but i can strive to be, and this church helps me to see that, recognize it, and act upon it.

when explaining my church to others, i tell people that i always leave church feeling hopefully convicted. in a short explanation, i simply mean that i am plainly made aware of my sinfulness and guilt, but i never feel down about it. with that conviction i also feel hope, in that i am able to do something about my lowliness -- that i can change for the better, with christ in me, and with knowledge pending in my brain from the recent sermon.

i encourage anyone living in dallas to visit this church, or at least the website, and encourage others to listen to matt chandler's sermons, which are available (for free!) on the village website, or on itunes. sorry for the plug!