friday fixations

{sun hats} I found some that fit my head! I think it was totally random and magical, so I bought three in three different colours (they also happened to be 25% off which helped). That's uncharacteristic of me, but I know how difficult it is to find one that fits on this watermelon head of mine and I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to have hats for life (they probably will last for life). The funny thing is that the hats in the brand that fit had to be a specific style to fit. It wasn't the brand itself (Jules and James from Zellers), it was the style and there were only so many of those available! They were the best find I've made all week. It's been so nice not to have to squint during my whole time outside and my sun-headaches are gone.

{papercraft calendars} I love how these look. The design, the movement, the colour. They're really fantastic. I'd love to have all of them in a grid on the wall.

{gym-going for the awkward woman} I mean, if this isn't completely me, I don't know what is. I'm going to build some confidence this summer. Winter workouts, here I come!

{app.itize.us} I finally received my new iPod! (I say "finally" like I didn't forget it was coming and feel completely surprised when I opened the door.) I found this link via Not Martha (she's great for good links) and I think it could come in pretty handy when looking for well-designed apps since that's all I ever seem to do now. Scanning through the app store -- Where's a good game? What's something good that's free? What's fun? What's useful? Also if you're instagramming, I am too and we should totally be friends! Oh and I'm kind of addicted to this game called Shape Shift. It was free! You should check it out, too.

{dear photograph} I love this photography concept (found here). It's really interesting and unique and I love seeing how things have changed or not changed (this is 100% my favourite photo). If I had actually lived in the same place my whole life and/or could go back to those places, I'd like to do this with some of my childhood pictures.

{bbq pulled pork} I just made this recipe and we really loved it. I made it as part of a trial for good recipes I can make while the in-laws are here that require no thought or work from me. I think my problem with previous pulled pork recipes was from choosing the wrong cut of pork. So make sure to get the right stuff. Also, I thought using a whole bottle of BBQ sauce was a little extravagant and much too saucy. So I used a little less than three-quarters of a bottle and some very generous squirts of sriracha, tasting as I added. Having that little bit of heat from the sriracha really took the flavour over the top. Sweet and spicy! I also didn't realize how delicious it would be without the bun (cuz I kinda forgot to buy or make some). Idle Husband had his on pita bread, and I had mine alone with a side salad which I then converted into a pulled pork salad. It was so delicious, I'm going to roll the meat in iceberg lettuce leaves next time.

{flank steak} I seem to have a thing for meat this week. My go-to dinner is now beef with broccoli. Idle Husband pulls out the meat and has exactly one broccoli floret to appease me, but that's ok. I kind of understand because the steak. OMG. The steak is delicious and almost buttery and like heaven to eat. Finally, for the first time ever, I doubled the meat just so we could each have our fill, and I was graced with some leftovers for lunch. I wish there were more! Want some, too? Here's how: As soon as the flank steak is unthawed enough to cut, slice it as thinly as possible against the grain. It's easier to get super thin slices if it's still a little frozen (hint for all meat, actually). I use a combo of two recipes that go really well together. I marinate it in this marinade and generally follow the whole instructions. The recipe is delicious, of course, and tastes exactly like restaurant-style beef with broccoli, but do not make the whole thing unless you have low-sodium soy sauce. I cheaped out one time and bought regular soy sauce and the dish was way too salty. Due to my bulk soy purchase, I only use the marinade now but it's almost the best part. Maybe it's the baking soda that makes the meat extra tender -- the cornstarch definitely helps, too. Whatever it is, I can't quit it. Then I use this mongolian sauce. I've both omitted and substituted the sugar with splenda -- both good. I've also used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine which was also good. Chop whatever vegetables you want and stir fry as usual. I could eat this daily.