Myrtle Beach and another great recipe...

We left the outer cape because the mosquitoes were just too thick, even with the ocean breeze. We drove inland, stooping at a fresh seafood outlet where we were talked into trying some soft shelled crab, which was neither here nor there. On the other hand, the two large prawns wrapped in crab cake and then bacon were excellent.

We set up at Green Acres Campsite near Williamston, NC, Janice cooked the prawns on the BBQ until the bacon was done, which we were told indicates that the prawn ends up cooked through. It was true. Mmmm, good. Janice has already filed that one away to try on dinner guests at home.

Pictured is the road into the Green Acres Campsite along with the over filled pond there. They had received sixteen inches of rain in the couple week prior - the most since Hurricane Floyd back in 1999.




It had clouded over in the morning and was slightly cooler, which made for a comfortable drive to Shallotte, NC where we set up at Holden Beach Campsite. By then the temperature had climbed into the 80’s again so we hit Holden Beach and threw our little football around for awhile before getting wet.

Pictured is Janice playing in the waves at Holden Beach. She was getting a little sore about all the sand getting in her suit though so, in that imitable way of hers, she takes control.





When we returned to camp Janice finished off the Pozole, which she’s been a little coy about sharing the recipe for. I talked her into it on the condition that our friend Jose Lorenzo Zaldo gets credit for the original. When Jose makes it though it‘s a day-long affair where he makes his own chili paste and all. This is an abbreviated version, that’s more practical for RV’ing or, just a really good dinner that tastes like it took all day.

It’s a truly authentic Mexican meal that village women sometimes take around to work sites to sell to the local workers.

POZOLE:
2 large pork shoulder steaks, or, the cheap or hurried man’s version, ground pork.
Rub the pork steaks down with chili powder, cumin, and a little chipotle. Brown both sides in oil.
(For ground pork add spices after you have browned and drained the pork).
Throw in one onion quartered, 1 crushed garlic clove and about a liter of chicken or vegetable stock.
If you have any dried Pasilla or Guajillo peppers add them now. Simmer for an hour or so.
Remove pork and onion, (and dried peppers) shred the pork and discard the onion and dried peppers.
Add the shredded pork back into the stock.
Add one drained can of Pozole (Hominy) that you can only get at Wal-Mart in Kamloops. It’s puffed white corn and some supermarkets carry it in the canned vegetable section. It’s not Pozole without this ingredient.
Adjust with chili powder or chipotle to taste.

Ladle into bowls and serve with the following garnishes.
Top in any order you like…we have our own styles…
Finely chopped red onions, finely chopped radish, shredded iceberg lettuce, cubed avocado,
Tortilla chips for crumbling, and lime wedges for squeezing.

You’re going to love it!

Traditional Pozole does not use cumin…lo siento Jose.

The next day we drove to Myrtle Beach State Park and set up camp before going for another swim in the ocean. What a beautiful beach. The water was still 79 degrees and the beach stretches for miles. Unlike the previous day at Holden Beach, the sand doesn’t get churned up so much that it ends up, well you know…

Just when we’d decided we’d had enough of our amateurish attempts at body surfing the sky darkened and a huge downpour ensued. It’s tropical here though, (palm trees and all) so it passed in an hour, and the sun was back out in time to set.

If anyone’s looking to take a getaway, almost all of the hotels here, (and there are many) are offering Recession Specials of $25 per room, ($40 for oceanfront) and weekly rates of $125 to $175.

Pictured are: Myrtle Beach; a thunderhead appearing and the sky darkening before the storm rolling in.