Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Sandwiches

Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Sandwiches 

4 to 5 pounds beef chuck roast or pork roast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce, divided

In large skillet, add oil.  Add roast to skillet, brown all sides over medium high heat.

Spray the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray for easy clean up.  Place the roast in the slow cooker.  Arrange onion and pineapple over roast.

Pour 1 cup of barbecue sauce over top.  Cover with a lid.  Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Remove roast to a cutting board or plate.  Using 2 forks, shredded the roast.

Place shredded meat in a large bowl.  Using a slotted spoon, remove onions and pineapple from slow cooker, place it in the bowl with the meat.  Add 1 cup of liquid from the slow cooker.  Add 1/2 cup barbecue sauce.  Mix well.

Serve on buns.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I love to use my slow cooker all year long.  There is nothing like coming home to the delicious aroma of a homemade meal, ready and waiting for you.

Barbecue sandwiches are one of my favorite meals.  But finding a good one can be difficult.  They either have too much barbecue sauce mixed in with the meat, or it has a dollop of sauce spread on top of dried out meat.  With this recipe, the meat is tender and juicy, and each bite has the perfect amount of barbecue sauce.

On Tuesday, we had a fundraiser at Passion Radio. I made the Hawaiian BBQ sandwiches, and they were a big hit!

Our good friend Bill Scott came in to help with the fundraiser.  Bill is not only an incredible fundraiser, he is also an author.  His new book "The Day Satan Called" is due out in October.  This book is generating a lot of buzz in publishing circles.  Nightline is interested in interviewing Bill, and there may soon be a movie deal.  You can download a free chapter of the book at his Facebook page.

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Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

How Much Juice?

After my Mango Salad post, I received several emails asking how many limes were needed to make 2 tablespoons of lime juice.  Below is a guide I use when I need fresh juice for a recipe.

1 medium lime yields approximately 2 tablespoons juice.

1 lemon yields approximately 3 tablespoons juice.

1 medium orange yields approximately 1/4 cup juice.

1 medium grapefruit yields approximately 2/3 cup juice.

On Friday, I will post my 

Slow Cooker Hawaiian BBQ Beef Sandwich recipe.

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Mango Salad

Mango Salad

1 1/2 cups diced fresh mango
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained
1 1/4 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup chopped parsley or cilantro

Dressing

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (0.07 ounce) packet Italian dressing mix

In large bowl,combine diced mango, black beans, corn, red pepper, red onion and parsley or cilantro.

In small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, water, lime juice, cumin, and Italian dressing mix. Mix well

 Add dressing mixture to bowl with chopped mango and other ingredients.  Mix well.

 Chill at least one hour before serving.

This is one of my husband Stan's favorite salads.  He loves the combination of sweet mangoes with the tang of the balsamic vinegar, and the texture of the black beans.  He always goes back for seconds.

We like have the Mango Salad alone, as a side salad with a sandwich, or even spooned over chicken. 

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Tip: Blanching Fresh Vegetables for a Veggie Tray

In a recent survey, people preferred fresh vegetables that had been blanched over vegetables that had not.  Now when I make my vegetable trays, I blanch most of the vegetables.  Broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, carrots, and asparagus get a quick dip in the hot tub.  I don't blanch red peppers, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers.

Below are the steps I take when I blanch vegetables that I plan to eat raw.

1. I wash and prepare the vegetables.

2. I fill a large sauce pan with water.  Salt the water.  Bring it to a boil.

3. I fill a large bowl with water and ice.

4. I place the vegetables in boiling water for 30 seconds only.

5. I transfer the vegetables into the ice bath to stop the cooking process.

6. After vegetables have cooled, I drain them on paper towel.

Give it a try.  I think you will find, the improved taste and texture is worth the time and effort.

On Friday, I will be posting my

Mango Salad recipe!

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Grandma's Fried Chicken

Grandma's Fried Chicken

1 chicken, cut up
1 1/2 cups flour
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper the chicken.  Dredge in flour, coating well.

After the chicken is coated with flour, set it aside for 10 minutes.  This will make your chicken crispier by helping the coating stay on the chicken when fried.

In a large skillet, add butter and oil.  Heat over low heat, until oil is hot.

Add chicken. Cover with lid.  Cook on low 30 minutes, turning chicken after 15 minutes.  Don't fuss with the chicken.  Turning it frequently, and picking up the edge to check it, will make the coating fall off.

Remove lid, turn heat up to medium high, brown on all sides.

I usually bake my chicken, but every once in a while I crave my Grandma's fried chicken.  As it cooks, the aromas filling my kitchen make me feel almost like my Grandma is with me.  I miss her so much!

 My Grandma

When I was a child, we would have big family gatherings once a month.  My grandma would smile and laugh, as she prepared food for the people she loved the most.  Of course, fried chicken was on the menu.  It is amazing how certain food and smells bring back so many happy memories.

What food, brings back happy memories for you?

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Picnic Tips

It's summer, so it is time to take the food outside for a nice picnic.  Below are a few tips I use when  planning a picnic.

Picnic Tips

1. If I am planning on using a picnic table, I purchase an inexpensive plastic tablecloth and matching plates, cups, paper napkins, and plastic ware.   Lounging around on a picnic blanket is wonderful if the ground is dry.  I take a tarp to lay under our blanket to ensure a dry comfy place to sit.

2. I try to plan my food so I will not have a lot of leftovers.  Leftover food can spoil easily on a hot day.

3. I don't pack ice cream or hard to eat desserts.  Instead I pack cupcakes, cookies, or bars.

4. I try to make food interesting.  I like to serve salad in half of a pita instead of just placing it on the plate.

5. Do not partially grill or cook your food to make cooking quicker when you get to your picnic area.  You must completely cook meat to destroy bacteria.

6. To keep from digging around in the cooler looking for items, I pack the cooler in reverse order.  Last thing I will be eating goes in first.  The first item I plan to eat, is the last thing I pack.

7. I make food the night before and refrigerator it, so it will be chilled before it goes in the cooler.

8. Instead of adding ice to our cool drinks, I add sliced frozen fruit.

9. I also pack sun block, wet-ones, and bug spray.

Strange but true! 
I am a regular guest on my friend, George's, "Foodie Friday" radio segment on KICD AM 1240, which broadcasts in Iowa.  We were talking about picnic tips when he asked me if I had ever used Listerine to keep the bugs away when on a picnic.  I told him that was a new one to me!  But according to, George, his wife sprays Listerine around the picnic blanket and the bugs stay away. 

What are your picnic tips?

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

On Friday I will be posting my 

Grandmother's Fried Chicken recipe!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Banana Chimichangas

Banana Chimichangas


3 bananas, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 (6 inch) flour tortillas
vegetable oil for frying

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute bananas and brown sugar in butter until sugar is dissolved.  Reduce heat; stir in vanilla and cook for 1 minute.

 Divide banana mixture between the tortillas. 

 Fold ends over mixture and roll closed.  

In a large skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil over high heat.  

Place chimichangas seam down in skillet.

 Fry tortillas until golden brown. 

 Drain on paper towel.  

Serve warm.  Makes 3 whole servings or 6 half servings.

 This recipe is from the first cookbook I wrote called, MILD TO WILD MEXICAN COOKBOOK.

It is also the first recipe I cooked in front of a live audience.  It was at a woman's conference in Oklahoma.  I was really nervous before it was my time to go on stage.  They had lots of experienced people doing cooking demos, and I was the only new one.

The stage was beautiful, with top of the line appliances.  The crowd filled all available seats and people were standing at the back.  I walked out onto the stage, trying to act like I did this all the time.  It started off really well; they seemed to like the stories I was telling and they were intrigued by the recipe.

The bananas, brown sugar, and butter were cooking away and it was time for me to add the vanilla.  I gave the banana mixture a good stir, then left the spoon in the pan and reached for the vanilla.  The spoon had a heavy handle and as I lifted my hand from it, it flipped out of the pan and landed on the floor.  The audience let out a loud gasp.  I looked at them and wondered how I was going to recover from this mistake.  I laughed and told them a story about my mom putting me in dance class hoping it would make me less klutzy.

A lady and her daughter laughed really hard when I told that story.  It was a funny story, but not that funny.  After the demo was over, the mom came up to me and explained that her daughter was in dance class and wanted to quit.  She wouldn't let her because she was hoping it would make her graceful.  The mom said she would now let her daughter quit, because it obviously didn't work for me.  Her daughter thanked me several times.

Enter my Double Giveaway! 

Follow my blog and or Facebook for your chance to win!

Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully 
follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!