Party Day!

First things first, shout out to my husband Wayne Armstrong on his birthday. 

I left work early yesterday (thank you Paul D'Ambrosio) so I could brine the pork butt and break down the turkey, cook the macaroni and potatoes, and do laundry...ahhh pipe dream!  First I stopped at the grocery store, vacuumed, mopped, started laundry, took care of the dirty dishes, and 5:30 I finally started what I left to begin.  I cooked the macaroni drained and cooled, made the brine, as that cooled I did the potatoes and cooked hard boiled eggs for the potato salad, as they cooled I finally put together our dinner and said the heck with breaking down the turkey, I’ll do that in the morning.  Big mistake.  Dinner came in really low in points because I had just did the old salad in a sack, tomatoes, 6oz of chicken, and balsamic vinegar.  The glory of preparing a great deal of food is that it diminishes my appetite.  Always has.

So this morning I had to get up supper early to dry the pork butt and dry rub it with brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper.  I put the wood chips in the smoker and a bottle of Bud Light Lime in the drip / steam tray, hit 275° and 6 hours.  Back up to the house (garage is a misnomer; it is bigger than my house!)  to finish the potato salad.  Pulled out the eggs, set the birthday boy to peeling them as I cut up the potatoes added sweet relish, salt and pepper, paprika, and chopped onions.  I have a Robo Coup- restaurant strength food processor, which is magical so I did not actually chop the onions, it did.  Add a lot of mayonnaise, (Army’s favorite food I think).  Put together the macaroni salad; easy, I make it the way my mom did, with canned peas and carrots and onions and, of course mayonnaise.  Army grabbed the turkey which had been defrosting in the fridge in the garage since MONDAY—guess what, not thawed.  Uh-oh.  It is currently in the sink, in cold water breast side down.  I’m thinking worst case scenario I pull of the breast meat and we grill it when it gets closer to party time.

Cake will be here in a half an hour and I have to get in the shower.  Let you know tomorrow—Sunday Off, I cannot wait until I share what I am doing- tune in tomorrow.

Have a great day, and share the love!