Sugar, spice & everything nice

Summer smells like fresh cut grass, neglecting your responsibilities and barbeque.

Even if you’re too lazy to get out your lawn mower or you’re still stuck in classes, there’s nothing that says you can’t lounge in your small, enclosed backyard with your fired-up grill and your ice-cold drink. And with these hot summer recipes, you’re going to want to invite your friends over and heap on the extra portions.

BROWN SUGAR PULLED PORK

5 pounds of pork shoulder

1 pound brown sugar

2 tablespoons of all-purpose seasoning blend

2 tablespoons of black pepper

2 tablespoons of oregano

2 tablespoons of salt

1 bottle of “Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce”

Add two cups of water to a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the brown sugar to the pot and stir. Wait until it starts to thicken into a syrup. Add more water or brown sugar if necessary. Turn off heat and place it to the side.

Turn on slow cooker to high. Place pork shoulder in a bowl and season with black pepper, oregano, salt and all-purpose seasoning. Rub in well. Place pork inside the slow cooker and add in the brown sugar syrup. Let the pork cook overnight for 14 hours. Turn pork while cooking.

After the pork is done cooking, stir it so that it will pull apart. Then drain the pork and place it back in the slow cooker.

Add the whole bottle of “Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbeque Sauce” and stir. Turn slow cooker on low to serve.

JALAPEÑO LEMONADE

1 large jalapeño pepper

7 lemons

2 limes

2 cups of sugar

Add 2 cups of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Add 1 cup of sugar to the pot and stir. Turn down the heat to low.

Chop the jalapeño into 5 or 6 pieces and add it to the pot. Bring the pot back to a boil for 1 hour and then turn off the heat.

Hand squeeze the lemons and limes into a bowl and add 1 cup of sugar. Mix well and add6 cups of water to the bowl. Stir until the syrup has dissolved. Add the jalapeño syrup to the bowl and stir again.

STRAWBERRY POUND CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE

2 cups of chopped strawberries

3 cups of flour

4 eggs

½  cup of shortening

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 ½  cups of milk

2 cups of sugar

2 sticks of butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 8-ounce container of cream cheese

½ teaspoon of salt

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare pan by coating it with butter and sprinkling it with flour.

Take the 2 sticks of butter and melt them. Add the melted butter, baking soda, shortening and sugar into a bowl and begin to stir until mixed together. Add 1 egg at a time and beat after each addition. Once the eggs have been beaten, pour the milk into the bowl and stir. Next add the flour, salt and vanilla while continuing to stir until there are no more lumps. Add in 1 cup of chopped strawberries and mix well.

Pour cake batter into the bread pan, place the pan into the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours. Test the cake’s doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center — if it comes out clean the cake is done. If it’s not clean, put the cake back in the oven and continue baking it. Once the cake is done, take it out of the oven and let it cool.

After cooling, cover the cake with cream cheese and decorate with the rest of the strawberries.