Pulled Pork With Coleslaw For Two

I have tried a lot of bbq pulled pork recipes but none of them come close to being as good as this recipe. It is a must try! 

Here is what you need to make this perfect Sunday dinner. :)

I also made homemade hamburger buns for this meal. It made the meal even better. Here is the link to the recipe for homemade hamburger buns. 

Ingredients:

Pulled Pork

2 Pounds Pork Chops; Cut Into Long, 1-Inch Thick Strips

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar; Divided

2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

1 Teaspoon Ground Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 Slices Raw Bacon; Chopped Fine

1 Small Onion; Chopped

1/2 Cup Ketchup 

2 Tablespoons White Distilled Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

Coleslaw

2 Cups Shredded Cabbage 

1 Small Carrot; Peeled And Shredded

1 Tablespoon Chopped Onion

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Milk

1 Teaspoon White Distilled Vinegar

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

Directions:

Pulled Pork

Preheat oven to 300F degrees.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Pat pork pieces dry with a paper towel then rub with spice mixture.

In a large ovenproof Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid, cook the bacon until crisp, 4-6 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Add half of the pork to the pot and brown on both sides, roughly 3-4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork.

If there isn't a lot of grease left in the pot, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, roughly 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, honey, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil.

Return the bacon and pork to the pot and cover with a lid. Bake in the oven for 1 hours or until the pork is fork-tender. Cool for 10 minutes then shred into bite-size pieces using two forks. 

Serve on hamburger buns with coleslaw.

Coleslaw

While the pork is baking, make the coleslaw. 

In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, and onion. Whisk together the mayonnaise, milk, vinegar, and sugar then add to the cabbage mixture. 

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! 

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Here is the only recipe you will ever need for hamburger buns. They turn out light and fluffy. And super delicious! 

Ingredients

2¼ Tsp Active Yeast

3½ Cups All-Purpose Flour, Divided

1 Cup Warm Water

1 Large Egg

3 Tbsp Butter, Melted

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

Butter, For Brushing Bowl And Dough

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, or other bun topping as needed

Directions

Stir together yeast, sugar and water in a large bowl. Let sit until mixture becomes foamy, 10-15 minutes.

Stir the melted butter, egg and salt into the yeast mixture. Add the  flour and knead by hand until smooth and elastic.

Form dough into a ball and brush lightly with oil. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise for about 2 hours.

Form dough into a thick rope and cut into 8-14 pieces. Form each piece into a ball, tucking the ends underneath. Slightly flatten the ball with the palm of your hand. 

Place dough patties on a baking sheet that is well greased. Allow to rise about 1 hour, until doubled.

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush the butter on top of each bun, being careful not to collapse the dough. Immediately sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake buns for 15-17 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Enjoy!!

Finishing Up Go Set a Watchman & Starting All the Bright Places

It was very sad that this week as I finished up Go Set A Watchman I heard that Harper Lee had passed away. She was a fantastic writer and I have to say Go Set A Watchman was an amazing book. I thought To Kill A Mockingbird was great but Go Set A Watchman took her writing to a whole new level. 

I am glad I got the chance to enjoy this amazing book. I have a couple questions below about Go Set A Watchman. What did you think of the book? 

Questions About Go Set A Watchman 
1. Why publish Go Set a Watchman now?

2.What issues addressed in Go Set a Watchman are still relevant today?

3.How have the characters of Atticus and Jean Louise changed sinceTo Kill a Mockingbird?

4.Go Set a Watchman is set in a different time period than To Kill a Mockingbird. How has the South changed in those twenty years? How have Civil Rights changed? How does Harper Lee's depiction of her black characters differ, if at all, between those two books?

The next book on our list is All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. We are going to start today Sunday February 21st and end Sunday March 6th. 

Synopsis From Goodreads:Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

Lets Get Reading! 

Sweet Cacao Nibs Protein Cookies

Have you ever tried PB2. If not go check it out. It has 85% less fat calories than traditional peanut butter.

I love using PB2 in my smoothies so why not try it in some protein cookies? 

If you are craving an afternoon snack try these cookies that are packed with healthy fats and protein. This recipe makes six cookies.

Ingredients:

-1/4 Cup Of Ground Flax Seeds

-2 Tsp Ground Chia Seeds

-1 Banana

-2 Tbsp Sweet Cacao Nibs 

-1 Scoop of PB2

-2 Scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl add 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder and 1 scoop of PB2. You can also use natural peanut butter if you do not have PB2.

Mash the banana, PB2 and protein powder until creamy.

Add the flax seed, chia seeds and dark chocolate chips

Grease a baking sheet and drop about 1 1/2 tbsp sized drops onto the baking sheet. The cookies will not rise so spread them out in a circular shape.

Bake for 7-10 minutes or until cookies are firm and edges are golden brown.

Nutrition: (Per Cookie) 90 Calories, 3.5g Fat, 123g Potassium, 10g Carbs, 3g Fiber, 5.5g Sugar, 8g Protein

Enjoy! 

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I love to make homemade bread. It tastes so much better and I love that I can make it organic. 

A couple weeks ago I decided to make my own tortillas for Taco Tuesday. They turned out great. I have been making them whenever we have tortillas now. 

They are tasty and not hard to make. Give them a try! 

Ingredients

2 Cups all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour

1/2 Teaspoon salt

3/4 Cup water

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10-12 times, adding a little flour or water if needed to achieve a smooth dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide dough into eight portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. circle.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Keep warm. 

Makes 8 tortillas.

Enjoy! 

Molly Mutt Dog Bed Duvet

I have to tell you about the new bed duvet I just got Sancho. I love it because it you get to fill it with whatever you want. You just buy the Stuff Sack along with the Dog Bed Duvet and you are good to go! No more stinky dog bed!! I found Molly Mutt on Amazon. 

If you are in need of a new dog bed I recommend checking out Molly Mutt bed duvets. They have a ton of different sizes, shapes and patterns. They are also very reasonable. Molly Mutt even has pillows you can attack to the ends of the duvet. :) 

Sancho loves his new bed too! I filled it with some of our old clothes and he likes that it smells like us. Don't mind his face. I woke him up to take this picture and he was not to happy with me. 

Enjoy! 

Matcha Latte

I ordered Matcha last week from Amazon and finally got it today!! I was so excited to give it a try. I was looking online at recipes for Matcha and there are so many different ways.

Has anyone ever tried Matcha and if so do you have a go to recipe?

I might actually try and swap out my morning coffee with matcha for the antioxidant boost. Here is the recipe I tried today.

Ingredients

2/3 Cup unsweetened flax milk
1/2 Teaspoon matcha powder
1/3 Cup Water
Stevia

Directions
Bring 2/3 cup unsweetened flax milk to a bare simmer in a small pot over medium-high heat.

Place 1/2 teaspoon matcha powder in a heatproof cup. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup boiling water, then flax milk, tipping cup slightly to help create more foam. 

Sweeten with stevia. 


Another option is to pour it in a mini blender for 10 seconds and it blends it perfectly. 

Benefits of Matcha

-Boosts metabolism and burns calories.

-Does not raise insulin levels. 

-Fights against viruses and bacteria.

-Enhances mood.

-7X more antioxidants than dark chocolate 

-Provides potent cancer fighting properties.

-Helps to safely cleanse and detoxify the body.

-Helps curb those annoying afternoon snack cravings.

-Does not raise blood pressure or heart rate.

-Natural boost of energy and focus.

-Rejuvenates skin 

Enjoy!