Pulled Pork Sandwich

I have to say that I have had the best Pulled Pork Sandwiches in NYC.  I had a craving for it so I decided to give it a try.  Although it is not as tasty as the ones that I have had in NY, it was delicious!

 Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup(s) ketchup
• 1/3 cup(s) cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup(s) tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon(s) paprika
• 2 tablespoon(s) Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon(s) yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
• 4 pound(s) boneless pork shoulder blade roast (fresh pork butt), cut into 4 pieces
• Your favorite bread/roll of choice
• Hot sauce (optional)

Directions

1. In a Crock Pot stir onion, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, paprika, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, and pepper until combined. Add pork to sauce mixture and turn to coat well with sauce.
2. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook pork mixture on low setting as manufacturer directs, 8 to 10 hours or until pork is very tender.
3. With tongs, transfer pork to large bowl. Turn setting on slow cooker to high; cover and heat sauce to boiling to thicken and reduce slightly.
4. While sauce boils, with 2 forks, pull pork into shreds. Return shredded pork to slow cooker and toss with sauce to combine. Cover slow cooker and heat through on high setting if necessary.
5. Spoon pork mixture onto bottom of sandwich buns; replace tops of buns
6. Serve with your favorite side dish

ENJOY!!

~*Having Parents In Your Life*~

Being an only child, my parents were very important to me and a big part of my life.  I went through many ups and downs with both of my parents but we became the best of friends as I aged and realized my part in some of our struggles.  In doing so, I could see them for who they really were...wonderful, caring, loving parents.  I am grateful that we ended up with the relationship that I always dreamed of.  One of the gifts that I received was being able to care for each of them when they were dieing.  This is a gift that I would not have traded for the world.  After all they did for me throughout my life, this was my gift to them - to have them die with grace and dignity and be there for every moment that they needed me.  I miss both of my parents dearly.
My Mom had a boyfriend for 32 years (would be 34 this July if she was still alive) Both with the same story of their success is that they maintained their independence and lived 200 miles away from each other so they could come and go as they pleased (sounds like a great plan to me lol)  Manny has been such a big part of my life.  I have known him since I was 11 years old and I call him my Step Father even though my Mom and him never married.  He has been with me through my best and worst times of my life.  He is a truly wonderful, caring man with a great sense of humor.  Jerry loves him as much as I do.  Manny is now 86, and he is outliving his friends so has become very lonely.  I speak to him via the telephone every week and visit him as often as I can.  I feel it's my turn once again to give back and spend as much time with him as I can.  He used to drive here every weekend to see my Mom when she was ill and can't fathom coming back here because of the memories, so we go there.  It's only an hour and a half from our house.  We all have such a great time together! I am so happy to have a father figure in my life since my father is no longer with me.
We went to his house over the weekend.  He lives just outside of The Cape in a very cute house, 5 minutes from the ocean.  It is simply gorgeous there!!  He stocks up the house with all my favorite junk food from my childhood.  You lose a feeling of security when your parents die and I feel that sense of being safe when I am with him and it is comforting.  The beaches, shops tourist attractions and food are incredible!  And we pack as much action in as we can when we visit. We hit the outlets, beach shops, the beach, wonderful restaurants and Fort Phoenix this time around. We will be vacationing there in August and plan to hit Plymouth Rock and Plantation and my hubby and Manny want to check out Battleship Cove (beach day for me lol!)  I am really looking forward to going again.  This time, I will have to diet hard before I go and bring stretch pants (we ate our way through town lol)

Jerry hates his pic taken - Manny is saying, "Knock it off Jerry!" lol!

Being Silly at the beach :)

At Fort Phoenix




Lovin' Life

Pistachio Cream Pie

This is an awesome, tasty and easy recipe to make.  It's a great dessert for a hot summer day.

Ingredients

• Pistachio Jello
• Pie Crust

I used Jello Brand Pistachio Sugar Free/Fat Free Pudding Mix and pre-made Graham Cracker Crust.  Follow the directions on the box to make the pudding.  Add mixture to a pie filling, chill.  Add whip cream and serve!
Super easy!!
ENJOY!!

Adding Spice To Your Summer BBQ!

I love hot and spicy! One of my favorite condiments is horseradish.  I came up with an idea for a horseradish sauce that you can add to just about anything - meats, salads, veggies, etc.  
Tonight, we are BBQing ribs so I made this for a dipping sauce...it is delish!!






Horseradish Sauce


INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp horseradish 
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp chopped chives

Mix all ingredients together, chill and serve :)

An Easy Dish On A Summer Day

Jerry and I are already getting sick of the hot dog/hamburger gig of the summer so I wanted to make something different for dinner tonight and this is what I came up with....








Sausage & Tomato Pasta

• 6 Spicy Sausage Links
• 5 Cloves of Sliced Garlic
• Teaspoon of Fresh Basil
• Teaspoon of Fresh Oregano
• Olive Oil
• Pasta of Your Choice (Carb conscious peeps - use Dream Fields like I do - only 3g of carbs per serving 

Grille sausage until brown.  Cook pasta as directed.  In a large skillet line the pan with olive oil.  Add cooked sausage, sliced garlic, basil and oregano - simmer for a few minutes.  Add cooked pasta and stir.

WA LA that's it :)

ENJOY!

My Butterfly Bush

I bought my first butterfly bush this year in honor of my Mom.  Butterflies have appearing it seems like everywhere since my Mom passed away. A day after she died, I was sitting outside with my husband and a yellow butterfly (her favorite color) emerged and flew around us and ever since that moment butterflies have been appearing to me in many shapes and forms. In my spiritual belief system, I feel that it's her showing her presence in my life. Although beautiful, I had never been a butterfly lover until now.
The bush is blossoming beautifully and I saw my first two Monarchs on the bush today, thanks Mom xo

Some Of Our Favorite Summer Salads

It gets very hot and humid where we live and not to fond of the humidity.  I wish I was one of those people who didn't like to eat in the hot weather but nothing seems to stop me from eating lol!  This year, Jerry & I are having a quiet 4th of July and I spent the morning cleaning and cooking for tonight's dinner.  These are a few of our favorite summer salads, which are great to serve/eat on a hot summer day.  And what I like they are so ridiculously easy to make :)

Pasta Salad

• 1 Box of Dream Fields Low-Carb Pasta
• 3 Large Celery Stalks
• 1/2 Chopped Red Onion
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Basil
• 1 Teaspoon Fresh Oregano
• A Couple of Dashes of McCormick Salad Supreme (adds great flavor to salads!)
• You can serve tossed in mayonnaise or what we do your favorite italian dressing.

Boil pasta as directed, drain and cool.  Chop up celery and onions and add to pasta once cooled.  Add basil, oregano and McCormick Salad Supreme, mix.

Cucumber, Tomato Onion Salad

• 2 Large Cucumbers
• 3 Medium Sized Tomatoes
• 1/4 Red Onion Chopped
• 1/4 Cup White Vinegar

Slice cucumbers, tomatoes and chop onion. Add vinegar, basil and oregano.

Coleslaw

I make this so simple.  I don't add carrots because of the carb content. (Yes still struggling to maintain my diet)

• 1 Head Of Cabbage
• 1/2 Cup of Mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar

Chop cabbage up into small pieces, add mayo and vinegar - that's it!

ENJOY!