YUM!

Today was another one of those Sundays plus 2 (2 kids, that is - Laurel and Alex slept over last night and went to the pool with us this morning).  Being in charge of the safety of my kids at the pool is one thing, but being in charge of the safety of 2 other kids, who were full-on daredevils on the diving board, is another!  I am wiped out. 

4 kids
Wimbledon
my mom
and the best darned carnitas ever!

4 kids - the pool safety thing, the clean up thing, the "I hope they are having fun so they will want to come back" thing, the different rules depending on the family thing, the my kids handle the world better when there is structure thing, the my house isn't my house with extra children thing!

Wimbledon - didn't get to watch until 3:30pm, so I was trying to avoid any news and then, well then, there was a lot of energy spent trying to will Rapha onto another championship...first Andy, the Roger and now this...sigh...

My mom - well, she "went over to What'sHisName's or Joe's (depending on which of the 20 times she told me about it) house last evening for dinner.  His son (or father or brother, see earlier parentheses) came and picked them up, blah, blah, blah...good heavens!  I don't love that she has a boyfriend or good friend or whatever, but I do care if she's getting in a car and going off with him...she doesn't know my phone number and refuses to carry the organizer I got for her walker and she's off her nut for a man and if she gets conned out of what we have left, she's going to end up in a nursing home with Medicaid care...ugh!  What the heck?!

and now, drum roll please........ the best carnitas EVER!.... the real reason for this post.  Dar, Lisa (and by Lisa, I mean Craig!) and Tracy (makes lots, so your Holden Beach crew would love you!) - you MUST make this recipe...I can't do it justice with mere words...it was delightful!

1 bone-in pork shoulder (5ish lbs)
1 bulb of garlic, cut in half lengthwise to expose the cloves
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk (no kidding, I promise)
1/2 can of full strength Coca-Cola (still not kidding)
2 cinnamon sticks
Kosher salt (more than you think you need)

Cut the pork in 4 pieces, leaving the bone in.  Salt all 4 pieces (like you mean it) Place in the bottom of a dutch oven.  Pour the condensed milk and the Coke over the top.  Add the cinnamon sticks and garlic to the pan.  Add a little bit of water - don't cover the meat, but bring the liquid to 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the top of the meat.

Cover the pan and simmer on Medium-Low for 2 hours.  I turned the pieces over 1/2 through the cooking.

Uncover, take out meat, let cool briefly, pull apart with 2 forks and fry in a non-stick pan (I sprayed mine with a bit of olive oil spray) until crispy.  The recipe didn't call for this, but I added about 2 more ounces of the Coke to the pan to carmelize it more.

I served mine with warmed corn tortillas (flour for the kids), avacado slices, shredded cabbage (lettuce for the kids), salsa and homemade pico.  I also made Mexican rice (took the easy way out and used one of those packaged things, sorry).  It was the best Sunday dinner in a long time - you could tell from about 5 minutes into the cooking just how good this was going to be...run, don't walk, to your local market and get he stuff and get cooking!!!

The kids decided they wanted to watch Titanic tonight - weird choice, but better than one of the "Buddies" movies, I always say!...but it's so long...the ship will have to sink without me!