Destination # 2 - Houston, TX.

Strangely, I've visited the great (as in size) state of Texas a few times. I have very little explanation as to why other than life landed me there, "Deep in the Heart of Texas! clap clap clap clap" on more than one occasion and through a myriad of cities. I even once took a road trip with a friend (who happened to live in Plano at the time) from Dallas to Austin. We were seventeen. All I can remember about that road trip was that it was very flat and that I was entirely unaccustomed to having the air conditioning blasting in the car; that it literally made it hard for me to breath, but what choice do you have when it's 150 (give or take) degrees Fahrenheit outside, right? Austin is also the lucky city to claim my very first gay bar attendance. I was two years yet from understanding that I was gay but it was a memorable and exciting experience nonetheless and I have nothin' but positive things to say about the city of Austin in general. Years later I found myself in Houston, TX. for work-related training and my oh my did I walk away with a lot of impressions. Not all bad. Not all good. For starters, I like the name. I've always wanted to have a small southern baby and name him "Houston" but that's neither here nor there. A brief smattering of impressions: everything really *is* bigger in Texas. Giant hotel rooms, big wide streets (no sidewalks/no pedestrians), and BIG BIG BIG portions of food. Oh - and all the girls wear their hair parted on the side but whatever... let's get back to the food! Everything I ate during my week stay in Houston was pretty much delicious. A little Texas BBQ, and equal parts of a shit-ton of Mexican food and Margaritas. AH-MAZING Margaritas, I should clarify. The best. Sincerely. Which leads me to why we chose to do Carnitas for Texas. Obviously, Texas has a lot of classics where cuisine is concerned but personally I will always associate crazy awesome Mexi food and Margs with Houston, TX.

Pulled Pork Carnitas - recipe courtesy of America's Test Kitchen

1 (3.5-4 Ib) boneless pork butt, fat cap trimmed to 1/2 inch think, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 small onion, peeled and halved

2 bay leaves

1 t. dried oregano

1 t. ground cumin

table salt and ground black pepper

2 cups water

2 T. juice from 1 lime

1 medium orange, halved

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. Combine the pork, onion, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, water and lime juice in a large Dutch oven (the liquid should just barely cover the meat). Juice the orange into a med. bowl and remove any seeds (about 1/3 cup juice). Add the juice and spent orange halves to the pot. Bring to simmer over med-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven; cook until the meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours, flipping the pieces of meat once during the cookbook.

2. Remove the pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Transfer pork to a bowl; remove orange halves, onion and bay leaves from the cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place the pot over high heat and simmer the liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy, 8-12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.

3. Using two forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in the reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread the pork in an even layer on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet or on a broiler pan. Place the baking sheet on the lower-middle rack and broil until the top of the meat is well-browned but not charred. and the edges are slightly crisp, about 5-8 mins. Flip meet and continue to broil until the top is well browned and the edges are slightly crisp, 5-8 minutes longer. Server with warm tortillas, tomatilla sauce (optional but we did), lime wedges, minced red or white onion, fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced radishes and sour cream.

Tomatilla Green Chili Salsa - recipe from Allrecipes.com

• · 1 pound tomatillos, husked

  · 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

  · 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  · 1 serrano chile peppers, minced

  · 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

  · 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

  · 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  · 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

  · 2 cups water

  Directions

  1. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic, and chile pepper into a saucepan. Season with cilantro, oregano, cumin, and salt; pour in water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatillos are soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

  2. Using a blender, carefully puree the tomatillos and water in batches until smooth.

Erae's (that's me) Homemade Skinny Bitch Margaritas

2 parts Tequila (preferably gold; Repasado if you want to get real technical)

3/4 - 1 part fresh squeezed lime (depends on how tangy you like it)

1/2 - 1 part Agave Nectar (depending on how sweet you like it)

3/4 part cold water (just do it)

shake the crap out of this in a shaker and serve, chilled either up or over ice.

Add more tequila as needed (ahem).

Drakey's Homemade Tortillas (this isn't necessary but well worth it)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Beat flour, shortening & salt until crumbly (3-5 minutes)
2. Gradually add warm water and mix until dough is smooth (3 minutes)
3. Divide into 3 pieces and roll into ball
4. Place on baking tray and let rest, covered, at room temperature for 15 minutes to 1 hour
5. On lightly floured board, roll into 10 inch circles
6. Cook on dry skillet 30-45 seconds per side