Carnitas

When I read The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez I loved that Josh would always show up with some kind of food for Kristen. He knew the way to her heart was through food and that she can get quite cranky if she did not eat. I think that is something most people can relate to especially me. It's why I love cooking so much. I like that I can recreate anything I crave and make it my own.

Carnitas Tacos

While reading The Friend Zone I couldn't help thinking about all the struggles Josh and Kristen had to go through. The food truck scene that they went to after the dinner party for Sloan and Brendan was a turning point for the two of them. Both Josh and Kristen gave each other signals that said they were interested in more. They were prevented from moving any further because of Kristen's relationship with her boyfriend at the time, Tyler.

There were many other struggles the two faced throughout the book. A lot of it could have been resolved with open conversations earlier on in their relationship. Although if they did discuss things earlier on then there would be no story or lessons to learn.

While Josh and Kristen were at the food truck, she ordered the tacos and he paid. They never detailed what kind of tacos were ordered. After fully reading the book and learning more about the characters I feel that Carnitas was an option the two of them would have gone with. I don't believe they would have gone with a fish taco since Kristen mentioned ordering fish at a fancy restaurant when she went out with her ex-boyfriend Tyler. Josh knew that the dish she said she had was something she does not often eat or even really like.

I also really enjoy Carnitas. Sometimes you are in the mood for tacos but want something other than the traditional taco. Don't get me wrong, a traditional ground meat taco hits the spot too. But I like to change things up every so often. Carnitas are surprisingly easy to make. Carnitas means little meats in Spanish. So the pulled pork is the little meats in this dish. Then you can choose to make a taco out of it. I like tacos so obviously making them into a taco was a logical choice. Carnitas is slow cooked so if you have a slow cooker it will work great for this recipe. If you don't then you can always cook it in a dutch oven or some kind of large pot for an hour or so after you have seared the pork.

Tacos are an easy dish to customize and make it your own. You can add whatever toppings you would like. For my family, I can put all different toppings out and everyone can enjoy the tacos the way they like them. I do not have to worry that I made tacos a way someone doesn't like because they are in charge of building their own taco.

I hope that you enjoy making Carnitas. If you have not read The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez then I suggest you give it a try. Make these Carnitas to go with them and let me know what you thought.

Carnitas

Carnitas

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of pork (you can use whole picnic, pork shoulder or pork butt)

• 4 TBSP Lard

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon each Paprika and garlic powder and Oregano

• 1 Orange

• 1 can of coke

• 1 cup of water

• 5 cloves of garlic

Directions:

Step 1: Cut the pork into 2 inch cubes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and oregano. In a dutch oven, or a slow cooker with a sear/saute setting, melt the lard. Once the lard has melted, add the pork to sear on all sides. This should take about 10-15 minutes.

Step 2: Cut an orange in half and squeeze the juice into the pan with the pork. Add the can of coke. If the meat is not fully coated with the liquid then add the water until the meat is covered. Add the garlic. If using a slow cooker then let cook for 4 hours on low. If you are using a dutch oven then cover and let cook for 1-2 hours.

Step 3: When the pork is done cooking, take it out the meat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Shred the meat using two forks. Discard the liquid, orange and garlic. Serve the Carnitas with soft tortilla tacos. Use toppings such as pico de gallo, salsa verde, cheese, cilantro lime dressing and Queso Blanco cheese.

Carnitas tacos and The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez