It was a fun week this past week, with a couple of days to sew, plus Virtual retreat on Friday. I got out the scraps from the mis-cut pajama pants, and I think I may have enough fabric to get a top, if I find the right pattern.

Going through my pattern boxes, I did find a top with princess seams. This might work since I do not have enough width to put a piece on a fold. I needed to move on to another secret project, so I’ll come back to this in a bit.

This week we finally made it to the top of the list for the guys to take care of some of the debris from Hurricane Helene. We have waited three months for our turn. This was the main tree we wanted removed, as it is right next to the driveway and we see it every day.

The guys came with some heavy equipment and several chain saws. They began collecting debris piles at the top near the house.

They worked their way down, cutting and loading for almost 8 hours. It looks better, but it only made a dent in the total amount we have on the property.

Quilts are still arriving weekly for the Hurricane Quilt project. Thank you to Twila S in Quinlan Texas for your generous donation to our Hurricane Quilt charity work. I don’t have an email for you to let you know it arrived, so I hope you see this note. Please, if you send quilts or other donations, please include an email address so I can properly acknowledge your gift. This box had 10 quilts from Debbie S in Vernon, NY. Most are lap size, with a couple of larger ones, and a couple smaller.

These lovelies arrived from Kathleen M. We are making a delivery on Monday to families in Lake Lure. All of these quilts will go out then along with the others collected over the past couple of weeks.

During Virtual Retreat on Friday, I worked on a lap size quilt for hurricane project. I’ll show you more on that this week.

This week I did a slow roasted pork shoulder also known as a Boston butt roast. For a dry rub, I used the Flavor Jolt from Milk Street. Flavor Jolt is a blend of vegetables and seasonings to give dishes more ‘umami’ flavor. It has dehydrated tomato, carrot, shiitake mushroom, onion, garlic, corn and miso along with seasonings of turmeric, paprika, black pepper, sea salt and coriander. The great thing is that it works with many different dishes, so this pork roast will work in several international dishes with the leftovers.

I rubbed it all over the surface of the meat, then put the roast in the oven at 250º for about 7 hours. This is a five pound roast.

It comes out beautifully cooked, with moist, fall-apart tender meat and wonderful ‘bark’ on the outside.

For this meal, it was served in slices with rice and broccoli. I love that crusty part.

After the meal, when the roast had cooled, I sliced the rest of it and discarded the bone.

We ate it the same way the next meal. Then, for variety, I chopped up about 2 cups for a meal of enchiladas. This is easy, just put the meat in a saucepan with some onions, a tablespoon of my Taco Seasoning Blend, a can of tomatoes with green chilis and a can of cheddar cheese soup. Heat and mix well. Layer in a casserole with corn tortillas, then top with a generous amount of Colby jack cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

For lunch on retreat day, I chopped up about a half cup of meat, added more of my Taco Seasoning Blend and heated it in the microwave. I put it in a flour tortilla with lots of cheese and a generous amount of lettuce for a soft taco lunch.

For dinner, more chopped pork is added to ramen noodles and lots of vegetables for an Asian Noodle Bowl dinner. This time I used my favorite veggies for this meal of broccoli, onions and baby bella mushrooms. You can add whatever is in your refrigerator.

With the little bit left, I’ll shred it and heat it up with barbecue sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. One roast fed us for a week, and the leftovers taste as fresh as the original meal.

You could also use the pork with pasta and bottled Alfredo sauce for an Italian meal. Are you a fan of Thai or Indian curry? You could do that too. I’ve also made Leftover Pork Roast Pot Stickers with leftover pork. Such a wide variety of dishes can be made if the seasoning on the original roast is good.

Today only, a Warehouse Sale at Milk Street for up to 75% OFF at the Milk Street Store! Look for some new ideas in seasonings, and sales on cookbooks and knives.

With the warming weather, we have more car club events coming up. This week it will turn cold and rainy for a couple of days, but that won’t deter us from our planned trip over to Foust and I am looking forward to spending the day with friends. What are your plans for the week? Do you have a favorite recipe for leftovers?