This and That

1. How long do you think it'll take for Matt and me to eat this much basmati?

Damn you, Sam's Club!

2.  Mitch continues to be the cutest animal on the planet, and I continue to be obsessed with Ann's 50mm lens (which I am never giving back to her, FYI).  

Why so serious all the time, dog?

3.  Wouldn't be a post this week without another picture of the hydrangeas that I didn't kill.

4.  I hate mosquitoes.  

5.  I showed this picture of Grandpa B to one of my students a couple of days ago and she said, "Ooh!  Your grandpa was HOT!"  How do you like that, Grandpa?  (Grandpa is blushing right now, probably about to snap those red suspenders of his.  Careful, Grandpa.  Don't want to get the ladies all riled up.)

6.  You know what's delicious?  Sprees.  And the smaller ones are better because they're just a tiny bit softer.  And they're pretty.  And full of nutrition.  And they make you smarter.  (If by smarter you mean fatter.)

7.  Yesterday, during some really exciting EOCT prep with my ninth graders, we were discussing the difference between persuasive writing and expository writing.  One of the students had a very, very interesting question, which then led us into a discussion about the difference between expository and suppository.

8.  That little episode made me check out the calendar to see how many days of school are remaining this year.  Nineteen.  I can do it, I can do nineteen. . .  The countdown is ON, the internet!

9.  I don't think I ever want to live anywhere that doesn't have little lizards running around.  Not so much because I love the lizards (even though I do when they are: behind a window or screen or in one of my paper lanterns, or more than 3 feet away from me), but because I think I am lizard-like as far as my ideal climate goes.  Yep.  Now, if only I could train lizards to eat all of the mosquitoes, then I wouldn't seem like a dirty meth addict all the time while I scratch my one bajillion mosquito bites.  Hmmmmmm.

10.  Well, I've got to get going, because Shecky just called me to rave about her new pajama jeans.  No joke.

Rub a Dub Dub

But no three men in a tub.  Sorry.  This just isn't that kind of website.

Grilling season is in full swing here at M Cubed, and we couldn't be more excited.  Couple that with our new memberships to Sam's Club, and it's even more fun.  Last week we bought approximately 89 pounds of pork chops for like $2.  Matt had been jonesin' to grill some bone-in pork chops, and he wanted to find a marinade and a dry rub.  We started with the dry rub, since it was more Operation: Skinny Unicorn friendly, and we haven't even made it to the marinade yet because the dry rub was so tasty.

Also, next time I get all gripey and complainy about Savannah, remind me that grilling season goes from February to November and that should get me to shut up. 

Okay, okay, so I know you're dying to find out about this dry rub, so here it is.  You need some spices, but nothing too BANANAS!  (The paprika, as you might guess, is also from Sam's.  We're so far over on the dark side it's not even funny.)

Pork Chop Willy's Grilling Rub

Ingredients
3 tablespoons sweet paprika, preferably Spanish
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne

Six to eight 10- to 11-ounce bone-in pork rib chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
Vegetable oil spray


Preparation


At least 1 and up to 8 hours before you plan to grill the pork chops, prepare the dry rub, combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chops with the spice mixture, place them in a large plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate.
Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).
Remove the chops from the refrigerator and let them sit covered at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Spray the chops with oil and transfer them to the grill. Grill for 18 to 20 minutes total. Turn onto each side twice, rotating the chops a half turn each time to get criss-cross grill marks. The chops are done when just a hint of pink remains at the center. Serve hot.

I should note, too, that we also used this rub on some boneless skinless chicken breasts, and that was really good, too. 

What have you been grilling lately?