Tasty Thursday - BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

We like pulled pork, but aren't impressed with the recipes we have.  They are just meh.  

I didn't try Pinterest this time!  Aren't you surprised?  Instead, foodnetwork.com to the rescue!

Of course, there were so many to choose from.  And they all look fabulous.  

I decided to try a recipe from Melissa D'Arabian.  A main reason I chose this one is that you make a rub and also make a bbq.  Quite a few recipes just had bottled bbq sauce.  My feeling were that if the rub and bbq sauce were both made, the flavors would go together and not clash.  

Boy, I was right!  The flavors were fabulous.  The pork rub just a little bit of a kick, but I never add the entire amount of cayanne pepper that is called for. 

The BBQ sauce was really good.  At first it was a little bit sweet, but after the flavors blended, we all really like it.  

Tangy Carrots?  Never heard of them, but wow!  I bought a bag of the pre-shredded carrots and made the recipe.  They really tasted great and gave a nice crunch to the sandwich.  I would totallly make these again for any other reason, not just these sandwiches.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich​

BBQ Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spice Rub:

2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

One 2 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed

Tangy Carrots:

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped

2 carrots, shredded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

  1. 4 hamburger buns, warmed
  2. For the BBQ sauce: Combine the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, cayenne, red pepper flakes and salt and black pepper in a small bowl.
  3. For the spice rub: Combine the paprika, oregano, black pepper, brown sugar, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl and toss with your fingers to mix. Rub the spice mixture onto the pork on all sides.
  4. Place the pork in a slow cooker insert. Add 1/2 cup BBQ sauce and cover the slow cooker. Cook on high until the pork is fork-tender, 4 to 5 hours, or on low, 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the pork to a carving board. Let the pork stand, about 5 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile add 2 tablespoons of the simmering pork liquids to the remaining BBQ sauce. Bring the BBQ sauce to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat, about 10 minutes.
  6. For the tangy carrots: Pour the vinegar into a medium bowl and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. Whisk until well combined. Add the parsley and carrots and toss. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
  7. Using two forks, shred the pork and discard any excess fat. Heap the pork onto the buns and top with extra BBQ sauce and the tangy carrots. Serve immediately.

I would totally make this recipe again!  The rest of the family would agree and that doesn't always happen.  I was tempted to make the BBQ sauce again, but since it takes the juices of the cooked pork, it won't happen!  So disappointed. 

You can check out the recipe and video here...BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

 

 

More Lovely You Bundle

I wanted to show more samples of the Lovely You Bundle Stampin' Up! has shared with us.  

Can these cards get any different from each other?   This shows how versatile the stamp set is.  That's another reason I love it.  

The purple card is fabulous!  Take away the flowers and it would be a great masculine card.  And for me, those are more difficult to make.

I won't kid you.  The first time I saw the middle card, I mistook it as a mummy!  Well, at a brief glance, it does look like one.  Am I wrong?

The last one is very elegant with the gold foil leaves.  

Want the recipes?  Stampin' Up! even did that for us. It doesn't give step by step directions, but at least you get the supplies and you can go from there.

Which is your favorite?  Mine is the Purple Posey/Just Jade/Misty Moonlight.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

 

Whitewashing with Tasteful Touches

What are the odds?  It was getting dark outside this afternoon so I checked the weather.  It felt like it could rain, but the weather app said only 15% change.  Glad I didn't go by them.  We had two downpours.  I'm not complaining because we could use the rain. But, on the other hand, there are times when it says 80% change and we get none!  What are the chances?  For me, I don't have to water my plants tonight!

I've done the whitewashing technique before, but always on Crumb Cake.  After seeing a card on Pinterest, I had to try it on Misty Moonlight.  

This is one of my favorite techniques to do!

I stamped the images in Night of Navy, not Misty Moonlight.  The flower images showed up much better using the Night of Navy.  I wanted the definitation of the flowers.

The flowers are then colored with the Craft Whisper White ink pad and blender pens.  Just color the flowers until you get the right shade of whitewashing you want.  I tried to do more white on the middle and lesser on the outside petals.  Some petals were better than others, but that's what make it unique and special.

After the petals were whitewashed, color them with the Wink of Stella.  A little shimmer is always good.

When it comes to using the Lovely Label Pick a Punch, don't do what I did wrong.  Do you see it?

Oops, I used both punch ends and didn't notice it right away!  Glad I corrected it before it was adhered to the card.   

I'm not always perfect!  

Click on the above picture for dimensions and instructions.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

tams# 48395

Product List

 

 

 

Samples of Lovely You Bundle

It's the weekend!!  Do you have any plans?  Tomorrow, I have to work, but other than that, no plans.  Except for doing stuff around the house.  It's supposed to be a hot one so that's always fun.  Not!

Lovely You has been a favorite of mine since this catalog has come out.  Here are some samples Stampin' Up has come out with.  

Look at the paper on the left card.  The patterned paper is made from using the Lovely You stamp set.  I've done this myself several times. You never have to worry about having the colors not match your cardstock!  

Want to know how to make these cards?  Stampin' Up! has even done a recipe for us!  Love it.  You definately can't get any easier than this. 

Enjoy these cards and I'll see you Sunday!

Until next time...Stampin' always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

 

 

Beautiful Journey

So, did you check out the new ordering website?  I was on it a little bit earlier today. The search functions are fabulous!  So many different ways to search for one stamp set.  Love the fact the pictures are larger too.  I went looking for a bundle and loved the description.  It included descriptions of the stamp set along with the dies.  It'll take some getting used to, but so far, I'm liking it.

I made this card for a swap last month and forgot to post it!  The swap was for bundles, so I chose the Beautiful World bundle.

Time to get out an old school trick.  Rip the paper.  The Cinnamon Cider piece is embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder. Being paper, it was meant to be ripped.  Just the top and right side were torn.

The trick was getting everything lined up, including the sentiment.  Here's the steps I took:

  • Place Tear & Tape horizontally on the DSP and Cinnamon Cider.  DO NOT take off the paper layer.
  • Lay the three pieces on the front of the card to ensure placement. 
  • Adhere the DSP and Cinnamon Cider to the card front, but NOT THE BOTTOM!  
  • Slide the Shimmery White under the papers and stamp the sentiment.
  • Use Liquid Glue and slide the Shimmery White into place.
  • Adhere the bottom of the DSP and Cinnamon Cider.

It was tedious  doing the placement, but so worth it.  Everything was lined up perfectly.  Plus, if you stamp the sentment while it's glued down, you know it won't go right.  That's why I took the extra step.  

Use dimensionals on the feather, compass and globe.  If you look closely, on the compass you can see the N, S, E, W.  Make sure you have the north facing the right way!  

Click on the above picture for dimensions and instructions.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

Product List

 

1" (2.5 Cm) Circle Punch
1" (2.5 Cm) Circle Punch

 

 

Big News Today!

There is some big news in the Stampin' Up! world today.  

First is...

The Holiday Catalog is now LIVE!  I'm so excited to dig into those products.  It's stuffed full of all crafty things for Fall, Halloween, Christmas, and winter fun.  Anyone who loves crafts will really love this catalog.  There are all kind of new bundles that are just waiting to be bought.  If you purchase a bundle, you save 10%!  That's always a good deal.

Second is...

Have you placed an order with Stampin' Up! before?  Well, you are in for a surprise.  They re-vamped the entire ordering website. 

  • It's a lot easier to see the products either on your computer, tablet or phone.  The site shows the products in larger pictures. 
  • There are all new ways to sort and filter the products you are looking for.  
  • You can see if the products are on low inventory or even on backorder.  Fabulous news. 
  • You can even create your own Wish List!  Isn't that the best thing ever?  Or, you can just mark them as a favorite for a later date.

Do you like what you see on the new website?  Do you have any recommendations for further change?  There is a Just Jade feedback button on the right side of the screen. Stampin' Up! wants our feedback.  Let's give it to them.  

I have a feeling it's going to be a good Holiday Catalog season.  

Contact me at ckcharland@charternet if you have any questions.  

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

50th Anniversary

It was a long, but fun weekend.  We celebrated my in-law's 50th Wedding Anniversary this weekend.  We went to Door County, Wi.  It's beautiful up there.  Friday, we went hiking at a state park along Lake Michigan. Beautiful scenery.  We thought about going kayaking on that side, but it was way to choppy for us novices. 

.         

 

Saturday, we did go kayaking.  Chris and I went for 1 hour and the girls went for two hours.  It was a great time.  Chris had never kayaked before so we were stunned he actually went!  And he surprised us again by saying he'd go again!  Who is this man?  

.    

Someone already asked where was the picture of me kayaking?  Unless one of the girls took it, you will have to take my word that I was out there.  I actually really like kayaking.  It's easier than canoeing.  With the girl's help, I might be able to get him to try this again.

So, we did go and celebrate the 50th Wedding Anniversay.  Here's a pic of the four of us with grandma and grandpa. There was a lot of family time along with Chris' brother and family. 

  

The weekend could have lasted a few more days, it went by way too fast.  With Covid, we haven't gone anywhere so it was a great change to get away.  It was just hard having to mask up everytime we went somewhere.  But we were careful everywhere we went with masks and hand sanitizer.  

So, for the 50th, I couldn't let it go without a special handmade card.

It's a mix of old (retired) and new products from SU!  I thought that it was appropriate to use both for an Anniversay card.  The numbers/words are from a retired stamp set that comes in handy, I won't get rid of it.  The flowers and leaves are from Lovely You stamp set that is very current.  The flowers on the wedding cake were lavender, so of course, I had to incorporate Highland Heather. Since 50th anniversary is golden, I had to use the gold foil and doillies.

The number part of the card was cased from Pinterest.  The rest is my design.  Sorry, no card recipe for this one since so many products are retired.  But, like me, pick your favorite part of this card and make it your own.  

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

Final 3 Days

Holy Cow...can you believe that July is almost over with?  For spending so much time at home, the month sure went by fast!  Yesterday, Megan and I brought a carload of furniture up to her apartment in LaCrosse.  She ordered a Bed in a Box and we set it up.  It was a hybrid, meaning it had springs in the base and memory foam on the top.  It actually wasn't half bad to lay on.  I was impressed.  We'll see how it is in a month when she goes back up for the semester.

The Bonus Days ends in short 3 days!  That's another thing that's hard to believe is almost over.  It started July 1, and will be done July 30.  But, then the fun begins.  You get to spend the money you earned!  

So, for every $50 spent in product, you can earn $5 coupon code to use in August.  There is no limit to the number of codes you can earn, so if you place a $200 order, you receive 4 codes worth $20.  Fabulous Deal!  

Don't forget to keep those codes that are emailed to you. Those will be redeemed in August to get your $5 or more off.  

If you need help in redeeming the codes, just let me know and I'll help.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper