Pulled Pork And Strawberry Shortcake

Summer's definitely here! It's been very hot here lately so I've been taking the kiddies out to the pool. Yesterday was family day so I've planned what we were going to do and that's to go out to the pool and swim. Do you ever find yourself quite hungry after swimming? We do.

This time I was prepared I decided to make Honey BBQ Flavour Pulled Pork. I went to the supermarket and purchased all of my ingredients and got everything in the oven before we went swimming. This roast was cooked in the oven for 6 hours and oh my gosh! The meat just fell apart after it was cooked and it melted in your mouth like butter.

This is an 8 lbs. roast that was cooked in a Dutch oven with Honey Barbeque Sauce. We took it out the dutch oven, placed it in a shallow bowl and pulled it apart with forks. It wasn't much work since it fell apart so easily.

After I've skimmed the fat off its juice and BBQ sauce we placed the roast back in its sauce to absorb more of the flavour.

For our sides we baked a Southwestern Potato Au Gratin from a carton and some Garlic and Herb mash. I couldn't be bothered to make it from scratch instead it was semi homemade and it was really good!

Supper!!! Yummmmmmmm..........

A meal is not complete without dessert. The kiddies and I assembled our own Strawberry Shortcake and the dark chocolate drizzle was a must!!

Today, were doing and eating the exact same thing again....: )

Ingredients for our version of Strawberry Shortcake..

Ingredients

8 lb. Roast Pork
2 onions
Honey BBQ sauce
2 cloves garlic (I forgot to add)

Method

Preheat oven to 300F.
Place quartered onions on the bottom of  Dutch oven.
Place the meat on top of the onions and drizzle with BBQ sauce all over.
Cover with lid and put it in the oven and cook for 6 hours.

Mustard Pork Chops With Gnocchi

In the past, one of my post was asking for advice on potato ricer. I was asking if it was necessary for one to have the gadget to use to make gnocchi. After reading my cookery books and having watched chefs use their potato ricer for gnocchi and mashed potatoes, I picked one up for myself. I didn't have to purchase it. I've exchanged a gift which I'll never use for the ricer. Fortunately, it was of equal value so I didn't have to pay more.

This past weekend my son and I were in the kitchen testing it out.  We put the potatoes in and as I squeezed  the gadget, strands of potatoes came out of the other end. I then added all the ingredients we needed to make the dough. My son's favourite part was to roll it down the back of the fork to get the gnocchi shape. He did an amazing job and was having fun doing so.

While he was shaping them I was throwing them in boiling water and on another burner we had the pork chops frying at the same time. After everything was finished, kiddies and I were excited for dinner. Hubs came home and dinner was ready for him. This recipe was inspired by Nigella's Mustard Pork Chops. I made some minor change in one of the ingredients. The family enjoyed it so much! They told me how much they loved it and it really made me feel great inside.

This potato ricer looks like something from a Star Trek episode.

My dear sweet boy shaping the gnocchi : ) Sissy was busy playing her video game.

Ingredients

4 pork chops
3 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white grape juice (Nigella suggests hard cider, I didn't have any)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

Method

Wrap the chops in cling wrap and with a meat tenderizer or with a rolling pin bash them until they are thin. This is when I usually get my stress out. Heat the oil in the pan set to a moderately high heat. Fry each side of the chops for 5 minutes. Set aside on a warm plate.

For the sauce pour the grape juice or cider in the pan to deglaze it. Let it bubble away for a minute, then add the mustard and stir in the cream.

Let the sauce continue cooking before pouring over the pork chops. After pouring the sauce, cook the gnocchi in the same pan and let it absorb the remaining juices before adding to the plate.

Here's the link where I got my gnocchi recipe from. The sauce the chef made for it looks delicious. I'm going to try it sometime.

Italian Recipes - Preparing the Potatoes for the Gnocchi