Spring Anxiety Strikes. . . .

I just posted and sent out my monthly family newsletter and I realized something. . . we've been talking, making, and eating a lot of BBQ this past month.  It all rather culminated over the last couple of weeks. 

Our anxiety for spring finally overtook our logic and we had a BBQ this past weekend - pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, beer, and brownies. I told you we had it bad! Some friends came over and we had ourselves a real true-blue picnic. . . inside. It was winter cold and drizzly outside. . . . but the food and company sure made the sun shine! That, and we turned all the lights on.

Hubster and D most totally outdid themselves on smoking that pork! They truly put those pork butts in their place - and that place was smoky and delicious!  Each of the guys had their own Secret Recipe rubs and each butt got rubbed.  Tasty stuff! 

And S's potato salad really hit the spot.  We were still talking about it a couple days later.  We're not sure what her secret is - but it was light and fresh and full of flavor - potatoes, red onions, boiled eggs, mayo. . . and not sure what else.  I WILL find out.  And maybe I'll share the secret?  Maybe. . . .

I don't eat baked beans, but they sure smelled good.  S was disappointed that they were so runny, but the guys were quick to point out that, with the aid of a slotted spoon, they were perfect and went with the pulled-pork sandwiches.

The macaroni and cheese was leftover from the other night.  Hubster just stirred it up and put it back into the oven to reheat.  I had my doubts. . . but was proven most totally wrong.  It came out wonderfully and was also a big hit!

J-boy made some brownies that were pretty darned tasty too. I was sad when those were gone.  Have you ever tried making homemade brownies?  It's the consensus, at least among the handful of friends I asked, that you just can't make homemade ones as good as the boxed kind.  I've tried, they've tried.  If you have a recipe that does beat the box, I'd love to try it!  Pass it my way. . .
I'm thinking the weekend before was a bit of a precursor to our final breakdown.  We found ourselves eating at the awesome BBQ Shack (there we go with that BBQ again!) in Paola, KS, just south of Kansas City. We were on our way farther north and wanted to stop for some lunch.  Hubster did some research on the internet before we left and found this place he had seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  Oh man!  the owner was super-friendly.  And even though he was there by himself that Sunday afternoon, the service was fairly quick, all orders were perfect (there was a total of 10 of us), and the food was absolutely marvelous.  Guy Fieri was exactly right on this one.  WOW!

With that, I'm going to wave bye-bye to the squirrel out my window, pull the blinds, get me a beer, turn up the heat and the lights, and pretend it's spring. . . Thinking we've got some of that smoky pork butt in the fridge and it's got my name on it.

Have a Spring-BBQ kind of day ~

Robin Z