Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwich with Potato Salad (Photo by Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment)

Having lived in different regions of the U.S., we quickly learned that every region has its own take on barbecue. But only of those regions seems to really get it right – the South. This recipe for pulled-pork sandwiches marries everything that we love most about Southern barbecue: heat from cayenne pepper, tangy flavor from cider vinegar, and a touch of sweetness from brown sugar. The best part about this dish, however, is how easy it is to prepare! So enjoy a taste of the South with your family this weekend.

PREP: 10 minutes
COOK: 2 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into four pieces
• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 Kaiser rolls split
• Barbecue sauce for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, with racks in the upper and lower positions. Combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper in a small bowl.
2. Place pork quarters in a large Dutch oven and rub with spice mixture.
3. In a medium bowl, combine garlic, cider vinegar and 1/2 cup water, then pour over pork. Cover pot and place in oven on lower rack. Cook until pork is tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Pork will be done when it is easy to tear with a fork.
4. Transfer pork to a large bowl and reserve pan juices. Using two forks, shred meat. Drizzle pan juices over top of it and toss to combine. Put pork on rolls and top off with a dollop of your favorite barbecue sauce.

YIELDS: 8 servings

Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

There seem to be two things that folks like to celebrate in Texas, getting hitched and birthing babies. Hopefully in that order. So on Saturday we went to our first wedding shower in the Lone Star State for two of our friends, Jake and AnaLyse, who are about to start the next chapter of their lives together as husband and wife. 

Pam Austin, Jathan’s aunt, was one of the hostesses of the event. She asked if we could bring a couple of dishes to the party because she wanted to make sure that there was enough food. While we were happy to oblige (we prepared Spicy Baked Penne Casserole and Spicy Lasagna), Pam didn’t need to worry. Everyone brought something to eat and there were tons of vittles (something they call food in Texas), with everything from barbecue brisket and pulled pork with all the fixings and lots and lots of deviled eggs, something they just seem to adore down south.

The shower was held at a little community center, but it wound up being quite cute after the hostesses put lots of thought and time into carrying off a country western motif. There were pictures of the engaged couple everywhere, along with burlap table runners, Mason jars with candles flickering inside and wildflowers tucked into china teapots.

Everyone seemed to have a great time, chatting with one another, surrounded by family and friends as they ate and watched the bride and groom delve into their cake, and then open their presents. True to form, since arriving in the South, we’ve come to realize that pretty much everything centers around family, from their shared triumphs to their worst tragedies. It is a simpler way of living, focused on community, life and love.

Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

Since we moved to Texas, I’ve done a lot of things that I never thought I’d do. My job is as far removed from books as it could possibly be. I’ve filmed commercials for a credit union. And I’ve even gone to Indy Races at Texas Motor Speedway. So now it seems the time has come to take on another challenge. 

Last night, after Jathan picked me up from work, we went out to my father-in-law Pat’s new property, a five-acre parcel of land called Bluebird Hill where he’s going to build his dream house. He showed us the progress he’s made so far: he’s cleared the land, put up a huge storage building, planted grass, installed a fence, and raised chickens. Lots and lots of chickens.

Pat Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

At the ‘Chicken Ranch,’ as Jathan likes to call it, roosters run free. Hens of all kinds and sizes lay multi-colored eggs. And an orphaned pigeon named Pierre rules over them all. He’ll also land in your hair if you’re not careful! (Pierre seemed to love nesting in Jathan’s golden locks.)

Inside the chicken coop, Jathan said I should hold a chicken so he could snap a picture for our blog. (I tell you, I do anything our faithful readers!) So I hope you like the snapshot. This is the first and last time I’ll ever do this. The only poultry I like to hold is the kind that comes already plucked so I can prepare it for supper.

Jathan and Pat even convinced me to collect eggs. That wasn’t too bad since most of the nesting boxes were vacant and I just had to pick the eggs up and put them in a basket. But then I came to one box that was occupied, and Miss Cluck wasn’t about to get off her eggs. Pat said I just had to slide my hand under her and grab the eggs. But Clucky had other ideas, pecking at my hand to let me know she meant business. So I let dear father-in-law grab those golden eggs. He’s used to that kind of treatment from these plucky birds.

At least now we have farm fresh eggs for breakfast. And I’ve learned that I’ll never make it as a farmer. But hey, food in the fridge and a lesson learned boils down to what Martha Stewart calls a ‘good thing.’

Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

I love cinnamon, and my husband loves cake. So this scrumptious recipe went over famously in our house. Just serve it with your favorite coffee (ours is Peet’s Coffee’s Major Dickason’s Blend) and dish it up for your next brunch or morning business meeting. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with cooking spray. 
2. Blend 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar and eggs. Add yogurt and butter, beat well. Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder and mix well. Stir in vanilla and nuts.
3. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon.
4. Pour half of the batter into the prepared plan. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. Cover with remaining batter.
5. Bake for 8 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for an additional 40 minutes.
6. Loosen cake from sides of pan with a knife, let cake cool for 10 minutes then flip carefully onto a plate.
7. To create glaze, whisk together milk and powdered sugar until smooth.
8. Poke holes into top of cake with a wooden cake rod, then brush cake with glaze and allow to cool completely. Cover.

Jathan and Heather Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

When moving to a new town, which person can be the most difficult to find? Doctors? Dentists? Actually, those professionals are pretty easy to locate. Insurance plans see to that. But some other professionals can be harder to track down and are even more difficult to trust!

In November, we went to the Taste of Home Cooking School at the Four States Entertainment Center. That night, not only did we learn some new recipes, but we also met some area vendors and professionals. One lady named Patty gave us her card that night, and today we finally got the chance to visit her business.

As a way to celebrate Jathan’s one year anniversary at his job, I decided a little pampering was in order. So I treated him to a brunch and then we went to visit Patty’s shop, Savvy Nails & Spa and we both got a deluxe manicure. After a relaxing, exfoliating sugar scrub and soak in warm paraffin wax, our friendly hostess lathered us up with lotion, took care of our cuticles, gave us arm massages and buffed or polished our nails.

Not since we left Cincinnati have we found someone that truly knows how to treat our hands… at least until today. Our first experience with manicurists in Texas actually left a bad taste in our mouths, particularly since after treatment my nails fell off!

Patty, however, knew exactly what she was doing and left us both feeling relaxed and looking our best! So if you’re in East Texas, next time you need to give your hands a little freshening up, contact our newest friend at:

Savvy Nails & Spa
989 Plaza Suite 103
4115 North King’s Highway
Texarkana, Texas 75503
(903) 838-0155

Not only will Patty make you feel good, but she’s truly one of the friendliest folks you’re ever going to meet. She even offered plenty of other recommendations, giving us business cards for everyone from chiropractors to hair stylists, all to help us feel more at home in Texarkana. She offers others services too, including pedicures, waxing and more.

Studio portrait of American actor Barbara Stanwyck (1907 – 1990) leaning forward on an ottoman and wearing a fur coat and diamond necklace,1949. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

One of my favorite film actresses of all time is the inimitable Barbara Stanwyck. If you’re not a classic movie buff like I am, you may not remember that she was once more than just a television star. TV audiences likely recognize her for playing iconic roles like Constance Colby Patterson in The Colbys (a spinoff from the 1980s hit Dynasty with Joan Collins) and Victoria Barkley in the 1960s western series The Big Valley (with Linda Evans). But before she turned to television, Stanwyck led a very successful career as a movie star and was nominated for the Oscar four times.

Today, as 2012 drew to a close, Heather was sick and in between tending to her needs and catching up on a bit of reading, I sat down for a Barbara Stanwyck double feature on Netflix. Both films were classic suspense tales, which is undoubtedly my favorite kind of movie. Although I’d seen Stanwyck in other thrilling tales like Lady of Burlesque (1943) and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) with Burt Lancaster, this was the first time I’d had the chance watch Witness to Murder (1954) and No Man of Her Own (1950). So I was in for a treat!

In Witness to Murder, Stanwyck plays Cheryl Draper, a woman whose sanity comes into question when she thinks she sees her neighbor, writer Albert Richter (played by George Sanders), strangle a woman in his apartment. Sanders plays Richter with understated relish in this game of cat and mouse, all the way until the heartstopping climax.

http://youtu.be/pTDqb-gCw7A

In a performance that is equally gripping, Stanwyck plays Helen Ferguson, a woman penniless and pregnant who is dumped by her boyfriend in No Man of Her Own. Rejected, Ferguson boards a train and heads for home. On her journey, she meets a kind couple who is also about to have their first child. But before they arrive at their destination, a horrible accident leads to a case of mistaken identity, blackmail and murder. Caught in a tangled web of deception and violence, will Helen escape her past and find happiness?

http://youtu.be/qehCeqTys5c

If you have a Netflix subscription, do yourself a favor and add these breathtaking films to your streaming queue. They’re unforgettable classics that you won’t want to miss.

Walking down Chrystie Street. (Photo by PamHule/Flickr)

Sometimes a novel comes along that introduces us to unforgettable characters, captures our imaginations, and makes us contemplate societal issues that are just as important now as they were over a century ago. This is the case with The Virgin Cure, our latest book club selection. 

Harper Collins

Having just finished reading this beautiful book by Ami McKay, I must say that it is one of the most important, insightful and compelling novels I have read in some time.

Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, we’re introduced to a 12-year-old girl named Moth, a gypsy’s daughter who lives in one of the worst neighborhoods in New York City where life is hard, cruel, and unforgiving.

Yet Moth has dreams of a better life, where she is the mistress of her own house with a lovely garden and lovebirds kept in gilded cages. But an unimaginable act of betrayal threatens to shatter her dreams when it thrusts her into a life she never wanted.

In the pages of this remarkable novel, McKay recounts a tale about a nation fraught with change, where both children and women are forced into impossible situations and science has yet to liberate the population from dangerous myths.

The Virgin Cure deftly captures the attitudes and circumstances of children forced to make adult decisions and draws unmistakable parallels between the novel’s heroine and children who are discarded by people either unwilling or unprepared to parent them today.

It also raises the question: given the chance, what are we willing to sacrifice to save a child from an unspeakable fate?  Read this provocative, engaging, and ultimately inspiring novel. You won’t soon forget it!

An Interview With Ami McKay

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About the Author

Ami McKay is the author of the number one Canadian bestseller The Birth House and has received numerous awards and nominations for her work. She is active with UNICEF and other organizations. Originally from Indiana  she now lives with her family in Nova Scotia.

Check out her blog or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Buy The Virgin Cure from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or download it from in iTunes.

Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

When we decided to embrace the whole Texas experience, we had never even heard of the Texas Motor Speedway. But then, we had never followed NASCAR or any of the other races that take place there. In fact, the most we knew about race car driving came watching Disney’s Cars.

Then our friend Jeff Easterling, one of the DJs who work with Jathan, snagged him some tickets to the Texas Triple Throttle Throwdown IndyCar races in Fort Worth. He got us a sweet deal too, with seats in the VIP lounge high above the race track and passes to the pit so we could meet the drivers and their crews and see those awesome cars up close and personal.

Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

We took Ed and Sheila Lollis, two friends Jathan’s known since he was a child, to the track with us. None of us had ever been before and had no idea what to expect, but Jeff told us to bring ear plugs because it can get pretty loud. He wasn’t kidding!

When we first got to the speedway, we were amazed by how huge it was! The stands climb into the sky like giant monuments to the racing world and seat 159,585 people. The track was massive, a quad-oval slice of asphalt that a mile and a half around.

The first races we watched were the Hoon KaboomTX, part of the Global RallyCross that combines circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition. Drivers brought their souped-up cars from all over the world to literally soar through the air in a competition that was lots of fun to watch.

Afterward, as we waited for the Firestone 550 Indy races to start, we all headed down to the pit where we met some of the crews as they prepped the cars, checked tire pressure, and made last-minute adjustments. Some of the pit crew members we met had worked in all aspects of racing, including Formula 1™ with the British Grand Prix. It was amazing to see how lightweight the tires are, and how quickly the crews actually change all the tires when the cars pull into the pit.

Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment

One of the drivers we really wanted to meet was Spain’s Oriol Servia. We tracked down his car, and then met his crew who eventually told us where we would be able to find him. Originally from Catalonia, he was the nicest guy, very enthusiastic and fun to meet, not to mention cute!

When the races started, we returned to the VIP lounge to watch. As the cars sped past, it sounded like a swarm of bees tearing around the track. We were all surprised how riveting the races were to watch, even if our guy did come in 13th as Alex Tagliani won the race. Still, it was a blast and we’re eager to return again for another event in the fall.

So be honest, did you ever think we’d be writing you from a race track? Now while we already know what our next event will be during our Big Texas Adventure, can you guess what we’ll tackle next? We think this one will really surprise you. So stay tuned!

Have you ever wondered who wins big at Monopoly? (Photo by wootam!/Flickr)

Everyone from McDonald’s to Albertsons seems to team up with the popular board game, Monopoly, these days to feature contests with all kinds of prizes from free food to big money. But does anyone ever actually win the loot in these sweepstakes?

When I moved to Texas earlier this year for my new job with Townsquare Media, I was really missing the Kroger stores I shopped at when I lived in Cincinnati. But Albertsons was the next best thing in Texarkana, and since they were giving away free Monopoly game pieces that could add up to big prizes, including money and free groceries, I decided to start making my purchases there.

I’ve always been one of those people who entered every Publishers Clearing House or American Family Sweepstakes because I figured somebody had to win. It may as well be me! Now while I haven’t won millions of dollars, a phone call I received in early May really took me by surprise.

I was out running errands when the manager of the local Albertsons store called me to inform me that I won $1,000 in gift cards and they wanted to arrange for me to come and get my prize. You can imagine my shock and delight! When I arrived, the manager gave me a free Monopoly game, two dozen roses and even a cake to celebrate my win.

So the next time you are second guessing whether or not you should play a contest on the radio, play the game at your local grocer or even submit an entry card via mail, remember that your friends have won big via one of these games and so can you!

Jathan and Heather fell in love with the hospitality and food at Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant (Photo © Esperanza Hurley/Jadeworks Entertainment)

While traveling cross-country for any reason, even moving, we’re always looking for new dining establishments to try. Sure, Bowling Green isn’t that far from Cincinnati, but when your moving truck only moves at 35 mph through the hills of Kentucky, it is easy to get hungry in a hurry. Besides, by the time we got there, we’d been on the road a while.

When we pulled off the freeway, we scoured the horizon for restaurant options. There was the usual fair, but we were a little tired of Cracker Barrel and fast food. Then suddenly it was like the angels shone heaven’s light down from the skies like a spotlight until there was no way we could miss the big pink palace with a sign emblazoned with the words “Chuy’s Mexican Food.” Having never been there, and since we rarely meet burritos we don’t like, we decided we’d been sent a sign from beyond.

Although Chuy’s Mexican Food is a chain of restaurants, each of their stores has a different look and feel all its own. (Photo © Jathan Fink/Jadeworks Entertainment)

First of all, we were impressed by how clean the restaurant was. The bathrooms shone so brightly they could have served our tortilla chips on the tile floor and we may have scarfed them down. (Okay, perhaps that is an exaggeration - we’ve never been quite that hungry.) But still, after being on the road and stopping at nasty truck stops with raunchy bathrooms, this place was like an oasis!

Then there was the service. We were served by Devon, one of the nicest guys you’d ever hope to meet, and definitely one of the best waiters we have ever had. Ever. He brought us samples of some of their sauces, like the Deluxe Tomatillo Sauce (closest thing to our own recipe we’ve ever encountered), the Creamy Jalapeno Sauce (imagine that ranch dressing and a spicy jalapeno hooked up one night and had a baby – this would be it… so delish) and my favorite, the Hatch Green Chile Sauce which was filled with slow-roasted peppers and caramelized onions. OMG, it made me want to slap my mama. Hard! It was that yummy!

We asked Devon what his favorite dish was, and while he rattled off a few, it was the Chicka-Chicka Boom Boom which was our favorite! Our mouths still water just thinking about the fresh-roasted chicken and cheese smothered in Boom-Boom sauce made with New Mexican green chiles, tomatillos, green onions, cilantro and lime juice. We wanted to just open a vein and pour that sauce in. Forget blood, we needed a Boom-Boom infusion!

Heather just adored Devon, her waiter at Chuy’s. He delivered the ultimate in customer service! (Photo © Esperanza Hurley/Jadeworks Entertainment)

To top off the meal, Devon brought us a special treat, puffed sopapillas dusted with confectioners sugar, cinnamon and drizzled with honey. The last time we’d had them taste so good was during our last trip to New Mexico.

All the while we were thinking, “Cincy needs one of these places!” Because, to be honest, even with as many Mexican restaurants as we had in the Queen City, there wasn’t anything like Chuy’s. But we’re happy to announce that the wait will soon be over for our friends back in Ohio, because Devon and the manager told us that one would open up in Cincinnati by the end of the year. So if you’re reading this now, consider it your sneak preview, and when it’s built, be the first in line to try these amazing flavors.

For our Texas friends, you don’t have to wait at all. Chuy’s seems to be everywhere (although not in Texarkana yet, but hopefully we can work on that). Still there are plenty of locations in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. If you live in one of these towns, or plan to visit, go get your eat on y’all! Tell them Jathan and Heather sent you!