Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches with Sweet Coleslaw

Have you been thinking about what to make for your Super Bowl party? In case you have, I have an idea for you. And if you could care less about the Super Bowl, then just enjoy today's recipes, cuz they're GOOD!!!

I saw this idea once on one of my BHG emails I get, for pulled-pork sandwiches with coleslaw on top. I thought it looked interesting. I thought to myself, I have a good pulled-pork recipe, but I don't like coleslaw. And then I remembered eating coleslaw once at my mother-in-law's house and it was so good! But all I could remember about it was that it was sweet. So I did a search online for a sweet coleslaw recipe and I found one that my whole family (myself included) fell in LOVE with!!

Now I made one sandwich slathered in BBQ sauce and no slaw; it was good. The next sandwich I made was with the sweet slaw on top and it was AMAZING!!!!!! The tangy, chewy pork combined with the sweet, crunchy slaw - it is a PERFECT combination! That was all I ate for the next couple of days until it was gone. Trust me when I say, "It was AMAZING!!!"

Here's what you'll need:

Southern Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

3 lbs. pork roast, cut into equal pieces
1/4 C. brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 C. cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 C. water
8 soft sandwich rolls, split (I used my soft and tender rolls)
BBQ sauce for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cover pork pieces with the sugar mixture. Place into a roasting pan.
Now, let me just say this, this is how my butcher cut my pork roast. But I prefer to have bigger chunks rather than slices of meat so that when you shred it, you'll have longer shreds. I ended up with little tidbits of pork rather than shreds.

In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, garlic, and 1/2 C. water. Pour into roasting pan. Let me also say this, I should have used my biggest roasting pan and covered it with foil, since it doesn't have a lid. Cover your pan and place in the oven. Bake until pork is very tender and separates easily. For me, it took between 1 to 1 1/2 hours to cook. The recipe says to let it cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I would suggest checking it after an hour or so and go from there.

Transfer pork to a work surface, reserving pan juices. Shred the meat. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with some of the pan juices to moisten.

And now for the next recipe:

Sweet Coleslaw

1 bag of coleslaw mix (just the shredded cabbage, carrots, and radishes - don't use the sauce mix if it comes with one)
2/3 C. Miracle Whip
3 T. oil
1/2 C. sugar
1 T. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

Put the cabbage into a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, oil, sugar, white vinegar, and salt. Mix well until creamy and mostly smooth. Pour over the cabbage; mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 2-5 hours. Now that is VERY important to get the best flavor without making the slaw go soggy. After it sits for a couple/few hours, it'll be nice and moist and ready for sandwiches.

To assemble:

Take your sliced sandwich roll and on the bottom half, slather a little BBQ sauce. Place however much pulled-pork on the sauce, then top with however much coleslaw you want. Put the top half of the roll on and CHOW DOWN!!


If you would rather fore go the slaw on top, then just eat it with your favorite BBQ sauce.
But, for me, just try it with the coleslaw. I'm pretty sure you won't regret it!

Update

I felt really bad when I posted about the soft and tender rolls and had so few pictures. Making rolls can be kinda tricky and I wanted more pictures to make things a little easier for you. So I made lots of rolls last night and took lots of pictures to help you out. Below is my updated version of Soft & Tender Rolls.

Hope it helps!

Soft & Tender Rolls

I love bread. I really, really love bread. I would never be able to do one of those diets that cut out any bread intake. I would fail and fail miserably. If it weren't for my mom's voice in my head as I prepare every meal, saying, "Is this a healthy, well balanced meal?" I would be so happy just to eat bread and nothing else. As would my kids.

And today's recipe makes the thought all the more tempting. I love this recipe! It comes from my neighbor down the street, Nina. She's an amazing cook. I took a bread making class from her and got her bread recipe, which she is famous for around here. And this is it.

Though, as I made her bread into loaves, it was so tender and wonderful, but didn't stand up to what I'm looking for in a loaf bread recipe. When I tried it as rolls, however, they were AMAZING!!! Just perfect for rolls!

Here's what you'll need:

3 C. milk
1 C. water
3/4 C. butter
4 T. yeast
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 C. sugar
4 tsp. salt
10 C. flour

Put the milk and water in a large microwaveable bowl and add the butter. Microwave until the butter is mostly melted, about 3-4 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes.



Put the yeast, eggs, sugar, 6 cups of flour, and salt into a large bowl or stand mixer, preferably a Bosch (stand mixers are NOT created equal - Bosch's are the best for breads). Pour in the milk, water, butter mixture and mix well. Add enough of the remaining flour to make the dough pull away from the sides of the bowl, but still leaving some on the sides.

Now, here's where the difference in stand mixers come in. If you are using a Bosch (not a Kitchenaid or any other stand mixer - I mean BOSCH), you just have to let it mix on high for about 10 minutes. That will do the kneading for you. So easy. So wonderful. I love my Bosch.
The dough will be sticky, that's what makes it really tender. You don't want stiff dough!

Okay! Moving on...if you are using a Kitchenaid or other stand mixer, mix as well as you can, for about 5-10 minutes. If you are making these by hand, use those muscles and knead, knead, knead for at least 5 minutes, longer is better.

If you do not use a Bosch, let the dough rise for about an hour or until doubled in size. If you are using a Bosch, you can skip this step. You don't have to let it rise the first time. (Have I told you how much I love that machine?)

If you let the dough rise, punch it down and start forming your rolls.

Now, there are several ways that you can make rolls. There's the classic dinner roll, 1/2 cup or 4-inch sized ball (or whatever size you want to make them) that you line in a greased baking dish.

This is what they look like after they have risen

Or you can make cloverleaf rolls, where you make three little balls (approximately 2 inches in diameter), dunk 'em in melted butter and place them in a muffin tin - three balls to one muffin cup.

Also after they have risen.

Then there's Parker House rolls. To make this style, roll out dough approximately 1/2-inch thick. Cut circles with a biscuit cutter or a cup. Put a little dab of butter in the centers of your dough circles, fold in half, and pinch to make it stay. Then place on a greased baking sheet. (Sorry, no pictures of these. You'll have to use your imagination!)

Or you could make Butterhorn rolls by rolling the dough, onto a very well flourerd surface, into a couple of 12 inch circles, brush with melted butter, and slice into wedges (like a pizza).

Roll each wedge, starting from the wide end, rolling to the point, like a crescent roll.

(I made mine a little big. Next time I'll cut them into 12 rolls rather than 8!)

Place on a greased baking sheet.

And the last method that I'm going to talk about (there are sooooooo many ways to form rolls) is the Lion House method. Roll out your dough into a long rectangle, approximately 18 inches long; brush with melted butter, then slice with a pizza cutter, making several small rectangles measuring approximately 3 inches by 5 inches. That sounds a little confusing. Take a look at the picture below...
Roll up each rectangle, starting at the short end, keeping the butter on the inside. Place into a greased baking sheet.

And with any way that you mixed your dough or formed your rolls, cover your rolls lightly with plastic wrap and let them rise until until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, and the time will fluctuate depending on how your rolls are formed. So use the 20 minutes as a guide, but keep an eye on your rolls. (More exact times are listed below.) They are done when they are golden brown on top. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. Best when served warm.

The dinner rolls baked for 25-30 minutes.

Brushed with butter

So light and tender!

The cloverleaf rolls baked for 15-18 minutes.

The butterhorn baked for about 25-30 minutes.

And the Lion House rolls baked for about 20-25 minutes.

I hope I didn't confuse you too much. Give them a try because they are really worth it! And don't give up if your rolls don't turn out perfectly. It takes practice!! Heck, I'm still practicing. But again, they are so worth it!!!!

Shredded BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Yay!! Recipes, finally!!! This recipe is one that we love and for three reasons: 1-it's really yummy; 2-it's super easy; and 3-it can feed a lot of people. About six months ago, when my baby was only a few weeks old, I hosted a luncheon at my house after church for lots of family members. As I pondered what I would serve for it, this is what I chose for the three reasons I love it. It was perfect!


Try it out; and even if you don't need to feed a houseful, size it down to what you need. Or you can make a lot of this and freeze it for future use. You can't beat a really good dinner, ready-made and homemade, that you just pull from the freezer and warm up!


Here's what you'll need:


Beef roast, whatever size you want - I went with a 4 lb. and a 2 lb. (6 lbs total) since I was feeding LOTS


Your favorite dry rub or seasoning - I like McCormick's GrillMates Montreal Steak Seasoning, but my favorite is the Kirkland Sweet Mesquite Seasoning that you can find at Costco


Your favorite BBQ sauce - I like KC Masterpiece


Cover your roast with your favorite dry rub or seasoning. Cook it in the crockpot until it's done (the length of time will vary with the size of roast you use - you could cook it overnight on low).


When it's done, remove the meat from the crockpot and discard the juices. Shred the roast and place back in the crockpot. Smother with BBQ sauce until you've reached your desired moistness. For the six pounds of meat that I used, we used an entire 45 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce. Let warm in the crockpot. Serve in buns or rolls or between two pieces of sliced bread. Like I said, super easy, really yummy, and can feed a lot of people.

You can easily freeze any that's left over to save extras for another day.  Just place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze.  To serve:  Thaw and heat through.

I've Got Some Catching Up To Do!!

I was going through my pictures on my computer today and took an inventory on how many different recipes I have pictures for that I haven't posted yet. Want to know how many I have waiting? 25!! There are 25 recipes that I have pictures of that are just waiting to be posted. Holy moly!!! I have some serious catching up to do! I'll be getting started on them shortly.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This chocolate chip recipe is our absolutely favorite, so far (I'm always up for trying new recipes), and trust me, I've tried many recipes. It comes from one of the Lion House cookbooks. I've tried adjusting it to make it better and nothing I've done surpasses the original recipe other than adding more chocolate than it calls for.

This recipe makes a BIG batch, about 6 dozen regular-sized cookies. But I like to use my big cookie scoop and with that I usually get about 4 dozen.

We made these today for Santa to enjoy tonight. And I KNOW he will!

Here's what you'll need:

1 3/4 C. softened butter (not melted at all)
1 3/4 C. brown sugar
1 1/4 C. granulated sugar
4 eggs
5 1/2 T. water (strange, I know, but don't leave it out or substitute it with anything else)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
6 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 C. chocolate chips (2-12 oz. bags)

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs, water, and vanilla; mix until creamy. Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix well. Gently fold in chocolate chips, mixing only until chips are evenly distributed.

In these pictures I used a combiniation of semi-sweet, milk, and white chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If using the large cookie scoop you'll need to cook them for about 12 or 13 minutes. If using a convection oven, take two minutes off of the cooking time.

So, so very good!

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!!

Cookie Exchange

Today I hosted my fifth annual cookie exchange. It was so much fun and the goodies were amazing!! I'm sharing some of them with you. Enjoy!

Read on...

Oreo Truffles

This is what I made for the cookie exchange. It's from Kraft Foods, but altered by my brother, Kevin. From what I hear, these are way better than what Kraft has published.

Here's what you'll need:

1 (1 lb. 2 oz.) pkg. Oreo cookies, crushed and divided
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/4 C. chocolate syrup
16 oz milk or semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Add chocolate syrup and mix well. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls. Freeze for at least 30 minutes to firm.  Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in a tightly covered container in the fridge.

One of my friends said that these truffles are the kind of things that you would roll over and die for. They're pretty darn good!! Try them and you'll see!

Hershey Bar Candy

Jacque brought these little balls of HEAVEN! And I just noticed that they aren't on the picture of the plate of goodies. We ate them all. Hee hee. Oops!

Here's what you'll need:

3 large (4.4 oz.) Hershey bars
2 (8 oz) cartons of cool whip, room temp.
1 box vanilla wafers

Melt the Hershey bars in a double boiler. Let completely cool. Add the cool whip. Let sit in fridge for a while. Make into walnut-sized balls. Roll in crushed vanilla wafers.

You can try using Hershey bars with almonds or Symphony bars. You can also substitute crushed almonds for the vanilla wafers.

Super easy and super yummy - LOVE IT!!!

Pistachio Cookies

My friend, Shanna, brought these amazing cookies. I'd never tried them, nor heard of them before, but absolutely LOVED them! These are the little green cookies with white frosting and chocolate drizzled on top.

Here's what you'll need:

1/3 C. powdered sugar
1 C. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
3 pkgs. pistachio pudding
1 egg
2 C. flour
1 C. milk chocolate

Beat ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Frosting:
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 T. butter
1 tsp. almond extract
1 pkg. cream cheese
1-3 T. milk

Caramel & Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

A couple of weeks ago, a bunch of my friends came over to learn how to make these SUPER yummy pretzels. My friend, Robyn, is the pro at it and she taught us all how to do it. Here's what I learned...

Make the caramel.

Caramel:
1 C. butter
2 C. packed brown sugar
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 C. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy 3-quart saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, milk and corn syrup; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 248 degrees (firm ball stage) on candy thermometer, about 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Use a spoon to cover long pretzel rods with caramel.

Place on a well greased cookie sheet.

When you are done covering your pretzels, let the caramel mostly cool. Then mold the caramel to make the flat side rounded.

Chop nuts and crush Oreos.

Melt milk chocolate chips in a tall microwavable glass. In another glass, melt white chocolate. Cover caramel with chocolate.

Then roll in nuts or Oreos (or anything you want).

Lay on wax paper or parchment paper to let the chocolate set up.

You can drizzle pretzels with a contrasting chocolate.

Put the finished pretzel rods into clear, tall goodie bags. Tie with ribbon and raffia for WONDERFUL neighbor gifts for Christmas!

We had some extra caramel that we poured into a shallow plastic container, let cool, then cut into pieces.

Try this recipe. It takes some time, but these are soooooooooooooo worth it!!!! Thank you, Robyn, for teaching me!!

Biscuits

Several months ago I put together a community cookbook and this recipe comes from it. It's actually my friend, Shanna's recipe. We made them Saturday morning for breakfast with scrambled eggs and smoked sausage and everyone loved them!

Here's what you'll need:

3 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 1/2 T. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. shortening (we like butter-flavored shortening)
1 egg, beaten
1 C. milk

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening. In a seperate bowl, mix beaten egg and milk. Add to dry mixture. Roll out to about 3/4 inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cutter. Place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Sooooooo good breakfast!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm finally posting! Yay!! My kids are all napping, except for the one that's in school, and instead of me laying down too, I'm posting. I am so proud of myself!!!!

The reason why I have to post rather than sleep (and I do value sleep) is because I just made these super yummy cookies and I HAVE to share them with you!!

These are super easy to make and super yummy to eat and so perfect for the season! Try them, you might like them too.

Here's what you'll need:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
2 eggs
3/4 C. oil
2 C. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger
4 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 (12 oz) pkg. semi sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the pumpkin, eggs, oil, sugar, and spices until well blended. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Combine with the wet; fold in chocolate chips. Drop onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 minutes with a regular oven or 9 minutes with a convection oven. Remove immediately from pan and cool on a wire cooling rack.

You see - super easy! You can even add several drops of red food coloring to give them a brighter pumpkin color (that's what the bakeries do). Mmmmmmmmmm!!