Rating: * * * * *

Slightly modified version of recipe found in this post at Coconut & Lime.

3 lb boneless pork shoulder roast (trim off excess fat)
1 cup Sriracha chili sauce
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/8 cup spicy mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons barbecue dry rub
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

Rub barbecue spice rub on the pork. Marinate in the fridge for 2-12 hours. In a large skillet add the vegetable oil and brown the roast well on all sides. Place roast in slow cooker. In the same skillet and oil, saute onions until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Add all remaining ingredients to the skillet and bring to a boil. Pour over meat. Cook on low in the slow cooker 10-12 hours. When done, meat should shred easily with a fork. Remove roast from slow cooker. Shred with a fork. Return to slow cooker, stirring to coat with sauce. Serve on rolls.

Rating: * *

I checked out the book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World from my local library last week. I’m not a vegan (or even vegetarian) but the recipe for margarita cupcakes motivated me to give dairy-free baking a try. How could anything with tequila in it not be good?

The cupcakes came out of the oven all fluffy-looking and with domed tops. Some time during the cooling process they started to implode on themselves, domed tops falling until they were actually concave and the sides of the cupcakes pulling away from the pans. Ack!

I let the cupcakes cool completely (and shrink to almost half their fresh-out-of-the-oven size) before trying one. The flavor was excellent but the texture was off… very dense and wet. I mixed up the frosting, which was fabulous, and frosted the cakes. (Note: I did make the frosting using butter as I could not find non-hydrogenated margarine at the store. Next time I will use more powdered sugar to get a fluffier, less runny frosting.) The frosting disguised the concave-ness of the cupcakes, for which I am glad. The cupcakes did taste better the next day; it took a while for the full flavor to develop, which was alluded to in the recipe.

I put the cupcakes in a covered pyrex dish and left them out at room temperature. After 2 days some mysterious, sticky goo developed on the bottom of the dish. Where did it come from? What is it?!

Although tasty enough, the cupcakes fell short of my expectations. That could be very well be due to my own shortcomings as a baker… in the last 2 weeks I botched a coffee cake, peanut butter cupcakes and pancakes. However, I’m determined to bake a margarita cupcake that doesn’t implode or excrete sticky goo. Any recipe suggestions?