Stumpy Burger (Review)

On Friday some friends and I tried "Stumpy Burger" a new hamburger joint on Center Street in Provo (South side of the street between 200 and 300 West). The list of items on the menu is not long, but the food was quite tasty. I tried the "Bandit Burger" with grilled onions, and quite liked it. We tried their fries and onions rings, and I liked both. I'm not a big fan of most fries, be these were the heartier steak fries, and I do like those. No goofy seasonings on them either. Definitely try their fry sauce, which has a nice horseradish kick to it!

They also have coconut cream pie and a pie de jour. Because I am a sucker for coconut cream pie, I got a piece "to go". I didn't even ask what the other kind of pie was! Upon reflection, I should have shared it around the table, because it was a very generous piece...But instead, I had half on Saturday and half on Sunday.

If you are looking for a good hamburger in Provo, give them a try...or skip the protein and go straight to pie!

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

This is a favorite in my neighborhood...
My only warning is to be sure and cook the custard until it is thick. Lately, I've taken to adding a smidgen more of cornstarch than the recipe calls for, but not a full 4 tablespoons. I almost got it too gummy the last time, which is the danger of increasing the cornstarch. So, somewhere between 3 1/3 Tbsp and 4 Tbsp is the right amount. 3 1/3 is often a bit too soft for my liking, and nearly 4 was borderline too gummy. The sour cream addition softened it, so the end result was quite edible.

Sour Cream Lemon Pie

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled
1 cup Sugar
3 1/3 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Lemon rind, grated
1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 Egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup Butter
1 cup Sour cream
1 cup Heavy whipping cream, whipped

Combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon rind, juice, egg yolks, and milk in heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat until thick. If it starts to look curdled, keep stirring! It should come together soon thereafter. Do not undercook or it will be unappealingly runny after adding the sour cream. Stir in butter and cool mixture to room temperature. Stir in sour cream and pour filling into pie shell. Cover with whipped cream and garnish with lemon twists if desired. Store in a refrigerator.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

Here is another recipe I have made a couple of times lately:

Crockpot Pulled Pork

1/2 cup Ketchup
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Ground Mustard
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
Dash Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Pinch Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Sweet Onion, chopped
3 Pounds Pork Shoulder


Trim visible fat from pork.

Whisk sauce ingredients together (all but onion and pork) in a crock pot. Place pork and onions into sauce mixture, turning to coat both sides of meat. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on low.

Remove pork from crock pot and put onto a plate and shred with a fork. Discard any bones or pieces of fat. Place meat back into warm sauce to reheat.

Serve on hamburger buns or Kaiser Rolls with BBQ sauce (the liquid in the crock pot will be too thin to use for sandwiches, though I suppose you could thicken it and use it if you like). I like to add a layer of coleslaw to the sandwich.

As a shortcut, you could use 1 1/2 cups prepared BBQ sauce mixed with 1/3 cup of water instead of making a sauce.

Buttermilk Pound Cake

Greetings! I apologize for not posting anything new in quite awhile! Between my new job (which I LOVE so far) and mowing the lawn, cleaning the garage, and other items on my to-do list, I haven't managed to work blogging into my schedule.

However, this morning (it is currently 6:40 AM), I have a cake in the oven and it reminded me that I really should share this recipe with you. It is a yummy buttermilk lemon pound cake that goes really well with strawberries and cream. Here's a confession: I've never actually made "shortcakes" to eat with strawberries! I just alternate between this pound cake and angel food cake.

If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can quickly sour regular milk as a stand-in by putting 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup and adding milk to make 1 cup. Stir and let it stand for 10 minutes or so, and the result should work just fine.

Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pound Cake

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine, softened
1/2 cup Shortening
2 cups Sugar
4 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 cup Buttermilk
3 cups Flour
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Lemon Extract
1 tsp. Almond Extract

Grease and flour a 10” tube pan, a Bundt pan, or 2 loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and shortening; gradually add sugar, beating well at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Dissolve soda in buttermilk. Combine flour and salt, add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Bake 65-70 minutes for the tube pan, check after 50 minutes with the Bundt pan, 45 minutes with loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After removing from the pan, let cool completely on a wire rack. Excellent served with strawberries and whipped cream.

Kittens!

The kittens arrived the day before my neighbor left on her trip, so I missed that adventure. Naturally, the cat ignored the nice comfy box that had been prepared for her and choose underneath the 12-year-old's bed for her labor & delivery. There are 3 kittens, 2 boys and 1 girl. My neighbor tried to move them all to the box (twice), but the mama cat dragged the kittens back under the bed.

After I took them all to the vet the next day, I decided to try the box again. I lined it with a snuggly fleece blanket and tucked it into the 12-year-old's closet. I also added a heating pad, per instructions from the vet to keep them warm. I put the kittens in there, and the mama picked one up and was headed out of the closet, but I closed the closet door. The kittens were making quite a racket, so mama gave up and nursed them, then they all fell asleep. I grabbed a pillow for me, opened the closet door and took up residence on the floor by the opening...then joined them in the sleep zone.

So far, the mama has only tried once more to move a kitten, so I'm hopeful she will just compromise and do things MY way. ha ha.

Last night, the girls spent the night at their aunt's house, and I stayed the night with the kitties. At 5:15 this morning, mama decided it was time for some attention, so we had a little scratch, rub, and pet fest for 15 minutes. By then I was awake, so I got dressed and walked back to my house and started the laundry. On a SATURDAY. And it's raining, so I can't even scandalize my neighbors by starting up the lawn mower nice and early.

Here is a picture of the proud mama


And here is shot of the kittens:


P.S. If you would like a kitten in a couple of months, I know where you can get one!

I'm gainfully employed!

WAHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just accepted a position with Novell, and start on May 11th. I will be attached to the IT department as a Business Systems Analyst. I'm taking next week off to celebrate (because it will be a LONG time before I have enough vacation hours to rub together and do anything fun).

I understand they already have a laptop for me, and a nameplate for my desk.

Thank you so much for the support and encouragement I've received since I parted company with SirsiDynix -- it made a difficult situation bearable.

More later -- still trying to spread the news!