Turkey Avocado Sandwiches

These made for an easy (and cool) dinner after a long day at Pirate's Cove water park. You could easily switch out the hoagie rolls for a wrap or bread or whatever you like. This isn't the best picture but I had to get it fast before all the sandwiches were eaten...

Turkey Avocado Sandwiches

8 oz cream cheese (regular or low-fat); softened

2 Tbsp taco sauce

12 drops Tabasco sauce

6 hoagie rolls, sliced in half lengthwise

6 lettuce leaves

3/4 lb thinly sliced deli turkey

1 to 1 1/2 avocado - peeled, pitted, sliced

Sliced tomato

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; beat in taco sauce and Tabasco. Spread on the cut sides of the top and bottom of each roll. Layer lettuce, turkey, avocado and tomato; sprinkle with parsley or cilantro. Replace top of roll.

Serves 6.

Altered slightly from a recipe found on allrecipes.com.

Memphis Pulled Pork Sandwiches

We intended to make this for the 4th of July but we had a bone-in roast so it took much longer to cook than we expected... So, we threw some hamburgers on the grill while this finished and had our pulled pork sandwiches the next night. It was worth the wait! They're really yummy - even I ate one. This is barbecue from the Memphis Blues Barbeque House cookbook (they have a restaurant where it all originated) so there are several parts and it takes a long time to cook but it's worth it. We used an 8 lb roast (double the recipe) so Becky took some home and we also froze enough for two more meals.

Oven Roasted Pulled Pork

Pick a pork shoulder that’s not too lean, because you will render the fat through the lean meat during the long roasting time. You’ll lose up to 30% of the raw weight when it’s done. Even in the oven, expect about 4-4 1/2 hours of cooking time. It’s slow food - don’t rush it!

4 lb boneless pork shoulder or picnic shoulder

1/4 C All-Purpose Dry Rub

Heat oven to 225˚. Rub the pork shoulder liberally with the All-Purpose Dry Rub. Place the shoulder in a roasting pan, fat cap up, and cook in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Remove from the oven, wrap in tinfoil, and cook for another hour. To know when it’s done, test it by pushing down on the pork shoulder. It should feel tender and ready to fall apart. If it’s still too firm, cook for another 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and unwrap the pork**. Use two forks to separate the pork while it rests in the roasting pan. There will be natural juices and drippings that you can incorporate back into the pulled pork. Just massage them in with your hands (clean, of course!). This will add extra flavor and keep it nice and moist.

Serve on a bun, with a salad, or as a meal. It’s versatile!

**At this point I removed the shoulder from the pan and cut off the fat cap because A) it’s rather large and B) you don’t want all that in your meat anyway. Then put the meat back in the pan to pull apart. While pulling it apart remove fat.

All-Purpose Dry Rub

1/2 C dried parsley

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C Lawry’s Seasoned salt

1 1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder

1 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano

1 1/2 Tbsp sweet paprika

1/2 Tbsp mild mustard powder

1/2 Tbsp celery salt

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl with a whisk. Make sure there are no clumps. Store any leftover rub in an airtight container in the cupboard for up to 6 months.

Memphis Blues Classic Barbecue Sauce

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 Tbsp dark brown or demerara sugar

1 Tbsp molasses

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned salt

a dash of Louisiana-style hot sauce (Tabasco)

1/2 C water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Whisk thoroughly or combine with a handheld blender to ensure that there are no lumps. Simmer over low heat while stirring frequently for 1 hour (this pasteurizes the sauce). Cool for at least 1 hour before transferring to an airtight container for storage. Store up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

And finally, to pull it all together -

Memphis Pulled Pork Sandwich

1 1/2 lb pulled pork

1 C Memphis Blues Classic Barbecue Sauce

1 C cream coleslaw

4 large white hamburger buns

Reheat the pulled pork in the oven, microwave, or on the stovetop. In a small saucepan, heat the barbecue sauce. Pile the coleslaw on the bottom half of the buns. Divide the warm meat into 4 portions and heap onto the slaw, then smother with as much sauce as you like. Now dig in! Try to just have one...

We did not use the coleslaw on the sandwiches but next time we're going to try it. :) We served them with corn on the cob and Fumi salad. Delish!

From the Memphis Blues Barbeque House: Bringin' Southern BBQ Home cookbook.

Chicken Avocado Melt

This has a good flavor, better than a lot of breaded chickens because you dredge it in the flavor first rather than mixing a few spices in with the bread crumbs. Read on and you'll see what I mean. It's was easy to make and makes for a nice presentation... Except in this picture which didn't turn out so great but you get the idea...

Chicken Avocado Melt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 Tbsp water

1/3 C yellow cornmeal or plain breadcrumbs*

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 firm ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 C (6oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 C sour cream

Sliced green onion

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken between two pieces of waxed paper (or in a ziploc bag) to 1/4-in thickness. Combine cornstarch, cumin and garlic salt in a shallow dish. Combine egg and water in another small dish. Place cornmeal or breadcrumbs in another shallow dish. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture to coat. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then roll in cornmeal to coat. Cook chicken in skillet 2 minutes on each side. Remove chicken to shallow baking pan (9x13 works well). Arrange avocado slices over chicken; sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and cheese melts. Transfer chicken to serving platter. Top with a dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.

*I used breadcrumbs which worked beautifully.

Altered ever so slightly from an original recipe by Marjorie Fortier, found in "Favorite Recipes: Award-Winning Chicken."

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

This was easy and made a lot so I froze what was left for a couple meals later.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

1 1/2 lb boneless beef roast

1 medium onion, sliced

1 C water

1 pkg taco seasoning mix (or 1/4 cup)

1 (8oz) jar taco sauce

1 (7oz) can diced green chilies

Taco shells (hard or soft)

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheese

Chopped tomato

Sour Cream

Place beef and onion in slow cooker. Combine water and seasoning mix in small bowl; pour over beef and onion. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until tender.

Remove beef and shred with two forks. Return to crock pot (after you've removed any unwanted fattyness from the top of the juices). Stir in taco sauce and green chilies. Allow to warm through while you warm the taco shells.

Fill taco shells with meat and top as desired.

To use frozen meat: Thaw. Warm on stovetop over medium-low heat until heated through.

Tweaked a little from a recipe found on www.recipezaar.com.

Blackberry Lemonade

We also made this for the Fourth of July dinner and it was super yumalicious. Hence the picture of the empty glass. :)

Blackberry Lemonade

4 C. water, divided
1 C. sugar
1 C. lemon juice
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
1 C. fresh or frozen blackberries

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups water and sugar to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice, lemon peel and remaining water; cool slightly.
In a blender, combine 1 cup of lemon mixture and the blackberries; cover and process until blended. Strain and discard seeds. Pour blackberry mixture and remaining lemon mixture into a pitcher; stir well. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice.
Yield: about 1-1/2 quarts


From: TasteOfHome.com

Summer Vegetable Salad

We made this for the Fourth of July dinner and it was yummy. I used more veggies than the recipes called for and the dressing was nice and light, yet still tasty, and you don't have to "serve w/ a slotted spoon". We also left out the onion and just cut up a Roma tomato b/c we couldn't find the grape tomatoes. It's nice and light and refreshing.

Summer Vegetable Salad

1 C. fresh cauliflower or broccoli flowerets

1 C. fresh baby carrots

1 C. sliced red onion

1 C. halved grape tomatoes

1 C. chopped zucchini

3 Tbsp. cider vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dill weed

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 to 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, carrots, onion, tomatoes and zucchini. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the remaining ingredients; shake well. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 6 servings.

From: TasteOfHome.com