Merry Christmas!

It's been awhile, I know. I am transitioning from using a laptop to my IPad and I am still trying to get the feel of things. It is Christmas Day in Texas and where others are facing single digit weather and rain/snow, we in San Antonio are enjoying 68 degrees and clear skies. Living in South Texas does have its benefits. Sometimes, I do find myself missing the snow and it is usually around the holidays. But I don't miss the bone aching cold, the ice encrusted cars and the energy it took to get out the warm bed and go to work in freezing temperatures. There is a reason many Northerners snow bird down to where I live in the winter. Lol This is the first Christmas we don't have family around us as one son is in California and the other is in England. It doesn't feel complete without having kids and grand kids around. Although, it can be said that my husband is a big kid at heart as he is currently playing video games on the tv with his present. With today's technology we will be using FaceTime to talk to our family. It is almost as good as being there in person. Downside is you can't hug loved ones through the computer. Sigh.... Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Barbecue Dreamer

Two weekends ago, my best friend Ellen and I checked out a barbecue competition being held at Sea World. I love any type of barbecue so I was jazzed even though the temps threatened to be nippy cold. I was amazed how many teams were out there competing--hundreds. The smells were amazing and I'm a woman who loves BBQ smoke so I was really enjoying myself.

The rigs we saw ran the gamut of webber grills to tricked out smokers/grills combos--one even in the shape of a gun. Lol These were some serious chefs, who also were enjoying some liquid libations.

I wish there were more handouts of what the bbqers were grilling. We did get a few samples, but far from as many as I'd like. I don't know if I could cook at their level. I don't underestimate how hard it is to grill for a competition. It's different than grilling in the back yard with no one to judge you, but the spouse. It's a lot of pressure.

Saying that, I did find myself trying a rig's rib offering and thinking that my ribs tasted better. I also dislike that all competitions feature brisket instead of Tri Tip. I just think Tri Tip is better tasting than brisket.

We had a great time at the event and it inspired me to grill myself. The very next day I was out there grilling. I used a mixture of apple chips and mesquite chunks. The ribs and Tri Tip turned out perfectly.

This last weekend, after watching a marathon of Pitmaster on Netflix, I played around with injections. I wasn't 100 percent happy with the final product, but I have months to play around with it and a willing spouse to eat whatever I produce.

I'm thinking BBQ is in my blood.