Birthday #6

A half dozen years now under her belt. It was a "wonderful" day with ballet practice, macaroni and cheese, and presents. We already had some birthday fun yesterday, and will have some more on Saturday. Tune in again for more pictures.

There's a sad story about that pitiful little cake (it was *not* baked in a bundt pan). I won't bore you with the details, but the moral of the story is, "Never bake in a hurry." =)

Hair History

Some of my groovy hairdos for your amusement:

"The Mrs. McGillicuddy"

Oh, wait! That's a wig! It IS terribly appealing, don't you think?

"The Bangs"

I believe this is commonly referred to now as a mullet.

"The Eighties Business Woman"

My favorite era...not!

"The Susan Powder"

It got a little dicey here.

"The Pixie"
Here we went darker. Nice duds there, Farmer Browning!

"The Platinum Pixie"
So many colors, so little time...

"The Burgundy"
Hair coloring disaster. I've only shown you the toned down version; the first run was not pretty.

"The Monroe"
Whether Marilyn or James, I'll leave it to you to decide.

"The Rapunzel"

Letting it grow as long as possible. (Long hair IS fun; I miss it a little.)

And here's the current style:
My own color. My own design (with a little help).

What daring coifs might the future hold?

Fall Fare

I tried out a recipe from dear Martha today and it turned out de-and-licious!

Braised Pork Shoulder

6 ounces pancetta, finely chopped (I used poor woman's version: bacon)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 bone-in (or not, if Costco has boneless) pork shoulder (6-7 pounds)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 head garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds

2 cups Belgian-style ale

1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 300*. Crisp pancetta in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, until fat is rendered, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon.

2. Add onions to Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 25 minutes. Transfer to plate using slotted spoon.

3. Season pork with salt and pepper. Add oil to Dutch oven, and sear pork, fat side down, until golden, about 5 minutes. Flip, and repeat.

4. Add garlic and spices to pot. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ale, stock, pancetta, and onions; bring to a simmer. Transfer to oven, and braise pork, covered, basting every hour, until meat is falling off the bone, about 4 hours. Shred meat (just what you're using) using 2 forks, and drizzle with warm skimmed jus.

recipe from Martha Stewart Living

And I got to cook it in this gorgeous new red Dutch oven that Mr. B. bought for me! I'm spoiled rotten...=} He just couldn't wait for this meal, having anticipated it all week.

Caramelized onions...mmmmm.

Crushing the fennel.

It doesn't look half as scrumptious as it was! And while it was cooking I vacuumed and scrubbed, so the house was neat and smelled divine when Daddy came home. He had three helpings, so I'm thinking he liked it. =)

P.S. I haven't forgotten to share pics of the new do. I'll try to get to those soon!

Costume Parade

We have our kitty, complete with paws (can you see one?) constructed of Mama's socks stuffed with wool and stitched with thread to make toes.

And our graceful fairy. The tooth fairy, specifically. Gotta love the rubber boots to complete the ensemble!

On our way through the forest to seek out some sweets.

And this handsome couple! What a TREAT to have such great neighbors!