Books... and recipes of course

So, I impulsively decided to buy myself an early birthday present (my birthday is next week, hint, hint, nudge, nudge) and got myself a Nook. YAY!

I have been putting off getting an e-reader because I really like the look and feel of actual books. But, being realistic, my library takes up a ton of space in my apartment as it is and I rarely buy books because I have no place to put them, plus in the day and age of instant gratification, I never take the time to go to the library to get a book when I have the urge to read one, just takes too long. BUT, if I can just "click, click" whenever the mood strikes, I am sure I will read a lot more. 

So, in the last week, I have been lost in my new Nook and have rarely surfaced for air. It is a huge time suck, but at least I feel smarter than when I just waste time online. When I have pulled myself away from my fictional bliss, I have found myself in the kitchen. With Memorial Day and the end of the Community Goups for the year, there have been some food gatherings. This weekend, I made peanut butter cookies with Reese's Pieces in them, which were super yummy. Pulled pork in Dr. Pepper, which was good but not as phenomenal as I read online. The reviews made it sound like the Dr. Pepper gave it a much better flavor, but I honestly didn't notice a difference. I also made my mom's baked beans, which are really good. Baked beans sound kind of blah, but trust me, these ones are delicious at a BBQ. Anyway, here are the recipes:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

(optional: 1 1/2 cups Reese’s Pieces)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in peanut butter, egg and vanilla, craping down side of bowl once.

Gradually stir in flour mixture with mixing spoon, blending well. (Optional: add in Reese’s Pieces) Roll heaping tablespoons of down into a ball and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down until flattened into a cookie shape. (dough doesn’t spread out much while baking, so if you don’t press you will have round cookies that aren’t done in the middle)

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes, Remove cookies with a spatula to a wire rack and cool.

BBQ pulled Pork with Dr. Pepper

7-8 lb. pork butt (also known as a pork shoulder)
1-2 cans of Dr. Pepper (enough to fill your crock pot)
2 yellow onions, cut into large chunks
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp. dry ground mustard
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
9 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 bottle Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce

Place the chopped onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Place the pork butt on top of the onions and add the garlic, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the Dr. Pepper on top and cook on low for 8 hours.

Very carefully, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place on a large cutting board.  Using two forks, shred the pork by pulling away from each other.  The meat should be very tender by this point.  Place the shredded pork back into the slow cooker and continue to cook for an additional hour. 

Drain the remaining juices and toss the meat and onion mixture in the BBQ sauce.  I don't have an exact amount listed- just add a bit at a time until you get to your desired sauciness! 

Baked Beans

1/4 lb. bacon

3/4 lbs. ground beef

1 1/2 medium chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup beef broth

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup ketchup

1 1/2 Tbs. mustard

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 28 oz. cans Bush’s baked beans

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. Pour drippings out. Brown ground beef, onion, and celery until meat is brown and onion and celery is soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.