EDITED to add picture of completed pork (above). My photoshop is not working so I couldn't get rid of the brightness.

During the storm that whipped through the area last week causing massive power outages, I went to free cooking demos at a Garden center with one of my friends to pass the time. They had local chefs come in and do demos with a vegetable or herb theme. I guess they expected us to then purchase the plants. At the end of the demo, we all got to sample the food that was made. On the first day of demos, the featured chef was Leisa Dent of LL DENT. http://www.lldent.com/
Leisa was a very charismatic person. She has us laughing the entire time. She made
Fried Green Tomatos and Pork Shoulder with Garlic and Rosemary. BOTH were delicious! I'm going to be cooking it tomorrow so I made the marinade today and injected it so that it will have time to really develope the flavors. It should sit in the refrigerator overnight for the best flavor.

LL DENT'S PORK SHOULDER with GARLIC and ROSEMARY

1 pork shoulder approx 7 lbs.
Marinade:
In a blender add:
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 big sprig of Rosemary, leaves taken off and minced
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of water, added slowly

Blend together and fill an injector with the marinade. Inject all over the pork, as much as you can. Using what's leftover, slather all over the pork. Wrap it up and refrigerate it over night.
Dry the outside of the marinade. If it's wet, you won't get a crispy crust on the pork. Cover and bake approx 2 hours (remove cover during last 1/2 hour), paying attention to the temperature of the pork. It should reach 155 before taking out of the oven.
Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before you start slicing off pieces. **You can cook this in a smoker for approx 10 ours. I have one for outside but bought a smoker bag to use in the oven to give it that smokey flavor.

This is how much Rosemary I used

Finely chopped Rosemary and Garlic


I used a Magic Bullet instead of a blender

I have 2 injectors. This one works good because the openings are large and the pieces of garlic and rosemary can pass through without getting clogged

inject the marinade all over the pork

Tomorrow I will put pics of the finished product. I can't wait!

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

This 'salad' is delicious! It's light and very tasty! I read the reviews and most of them said to double the dressing so that's what i did. The recipe is the original one though. I used Israeli Couscous because I like the texture better.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked couscous 1 1/4 cups chicken broth 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 green onions, chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2.	In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3.	Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.