Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor

Slow Cooker Al Pastor Tacos

Delicious and flavorful, these Tacos Al Pastor are made in the slow cooker which makes them incredibly easy.CourseMain DishCuisineMexicanPrep Time10 minutesCook Time6 hoursTotal Time6 hours 10 minutesServings6 servingsCalories316kcalAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 4-5 lbs pork carnitas or pork shoulder roast
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 12 oz. can chicken broth
• 2 8 oz. cans pineapple tidbits with juice
• 1 7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• corn tortillas sliced radishes, cotjia cheese, pineapple, cilantro for garnish.

Instructions

• Sprinkle meat with 2 tsp salt and place into a slow cooker.
• Pour chicken broth and 1 can pineapple tidbits over roast.
• In a blender, blend chipotle peppers and remaining can of pineapple in blender or food processer until smooth.
• Pour over roast.
• Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
• Remove pork and shred.
• Add pork back into juice in slow cooker. Stir.
• Serve and garnish as desired.

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Red, White & Blue Ice Cubes

I love going a little red, white and blue crazy on the 4th of July.   When my kids were little I always bought them coordinating red, white & blue outfits (usually at Old Navy).  You have to wear red, white & blue on the 4th of July.  It is just unpatriotic not to.  This year we will be spending the 4th down at our house on the Oregon Coast.  I love being at the beach for the holiday.  It is a small town who does the 4th right.  There is an awesome 4th of July parade complete with the dancing librarians and of course major fireworks on the beach that night.  We stake our spot, build a fire and enjoy the show.

In addition to wearing red, white and blue, as much of our food as possible must also be red, white & blue.  If you need any ideas or suggestions be sure and check out my 25 Patriotic No Bake Sweets & Treats post from yesterday.

This year even our ice cubes are going to be red, white & blue! They are easy to make.  You will need some ice cube trays, pick some up at Goodwill if you don’t own any.  I used Cranberry-Cherry juice for the red,  white for the white and Blue Powerade for the blue.  You can use any red juice but you want to use Powerade for the blue, it works much better than blue Gatorade.  It is bluer.  Figure out how much liquid each of your ice cubes sections holds.  Mine held about 5 tsp.  Then divide that amount into thirds.  I used 1 1/2 tsp of each of my liquids.

Start with your red and let it freeze, add your water, freeze and then end with your blue Powerade and freeze again.   All you have to do then is fill your glass with ice cubes and add a clear soda.

How fun is this!  Red, white and blue just makes me happy.  Of course the addition of red, white and blue straws  is just the finishing touch.

Not only does it look pretty but it tastes good too.

Ingredients

• Red juice – I used Cranberry-Cherry
• Water
• Blue Powerade
• Clear soda – I used Sprite.

Instructions

• Start with your red liquid and fill the ice cube tray 1/3 full.
• Freeze
• Add in water (1/3 of ice cube tray)
• Freeze
• Finish with the blue Powerade.
• Place frozen ice cubes in glass and add soda.

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Mango Pineapple Quinoa Salad

Quinoa Salad with Mango, Pineapple and Mint

Fresh mango and pineapple served with quinoa and mint.CourseSide DishCuisineAmericanPrep Time15 minutesCook Time0 minutes0 minutesTotal Time15 minutesServings4 servingsCalories199kcalAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 2 C cooked quinoa
• 1 mango peeled and cubed
• 1 C fresh pineapple diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped mint
• 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• salt

Instructions

• Mix together vinegar and oil.
• Combine quinoa, fruit and mint.
• Toss with vinegar and oil mixture
• Salt to taste

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Places to See and Eat in New York City }Part Two

Part Two of my favorite places to eat in New York City and favorite places to see and do.  Find Part One here.

Today is a continuation of all the fun places I visited and ate at while on my recent trip to New York City.  If you missed Part One you can find it here.

Favorite Places to Eat In New York CIty

I am an early riser and like to get up and going but Tessa assured me that New Yorkers don’t do much before 11:00 am.  It is probably because they are up half the night!!  We started our day with breakfast (although it was really lunch time) at Sarabeth’s on Central Park.

We enjoyed a delicious brunch sitting outside and got some great people watching in too.  I took a friend’s suggestion and ordered the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and the Velvety Tomato Soup.  They were both spot on!

From there we walked across to Central Park to rent bikes.  There will be all kinds of bike vendors outside the park trying to get you to rent from them.  I would recommend using the only bike rental place that is actually licensed to rent in the park, Bike and Roll.  You will find them at Columbus Circle.  With Bike and Roll you get your bike right in the park.

We rented them for an hour and that was just the perfect amount of time to ride all the way around the park, stopping a couple of times.  One of my favorite stops was the Conservatory Water where you could rent remote control boats.

We also had to visit Strawberry Fields where there were some musicians singing Beatles songs.

The bike ride is fairly easy except for that one hill…..

Since we had burned so many calories on our bike ride we headed back to Chelsea Market for lunch and some carne asada tacos from Los Tacos.  Good Mexican food is hard to find in NYC but these were delicious.

After lunch we took a walk along the Highline which gives you a fun view of the area.  The Highline is an elevated section of  some old railroad tracks.  Chelsea is the old meatpacking district of NYC and it is fun to see the old buildings.  We picked up a Strawberry Vanilla People’s Pop to cool us off.  There are quite a few food vendors right there at the beginning of the Highline.

We also had to try an ice cream sandwich from Melt.  We went for the red velvet with cream cheese ice cream.  So yummy!!!

From there we headed back to the hotel to change for our show that night. We then went over to Greenwich Village for dinner and a little pizza taste testing.  But first we had to have dessert.

Big Gay Ice Cream

Big Gay Ice Cream was our first stop.  I love soft serve so knew I had to try this place after Tessa had posted a picture on her Instagram several weeks before my visit.

I went for the Salty Pimp.  It is vanilla ice cream infused with dulce de leche, sprinkled with sea salt and dipped in chocolate.  Basically heaven on a cone!

Favorite Places to Eat Pizza in NYC

We then had dinner.  We Yelped to see what the best pizza by the slice places were in the area and decided to try the top two.  Bleecker Street Pizza had been voted the best Pizza by the Slice in NYC by the Food Network for the last 3 years.

To make sure our taste testing was fair we had cheese pizza at each place.  I can definitely see why it had been the winner the last three years

I think nothing beats a good piece of cheese pizza and this was good cheese pizza. Up next was Joe’s Pizza which was just a few blocks away.

Both of these places are little, tiny hole in the walls which we love.  The cheese pizza here was amazing too.  We really couldn’t pick a favorite!

That night we saw the show On the Town which was fabulous.  It is an amazing dance show with tons of ballet which is unusual for that style of musical.  Totally recommend it.

Magnolia Bakery

That night we decided we needed a late night snack after the show so we walked over to Rockefeller Center and got some Banana Pudding from Magnolia Bakery.  They have cupcakes too but the banana pudding is where it is at!  This is coming from someone who doesn’t usually eat bananas.  They stay open late!  We took it back to our hotel to enjoy.

Jacob’s Pickles Restaurant

Tessa had been raving about the restaurant Jacob’s Pickles.  She had had dinner there but heard their brunch was great too so we had to check it out.

They are of course famous for their pickles and biscuits.  We skipped the pickles but not the biscuits!  We were able to meet up with a family friend who lives in NYC with her baby and husband and had a wonderful visit.  The restaurant also makes three different kinds of housemade root beers so we had to try them all.  We loved them all.

For food Tessa ordered the biscuit french toast which was amazing!!!!  I loved my biscuits and gravy and our friend had the banana pancakes which were divine too.  I don’t think you could go wrong with anything on the menu!

Favorite Places to Eat in NYC – Levain Bakery

After breakfast, because we hadn’t had enough to eat (ha, ha)  we walked over to Levain Bakery.  If  you don’t know what you are looking for you could totally miss it.  It is tiny and down a short flight of stairs into the basement of the building.

The bakery may be tiny but the cookies aren’t!  They are big and thick and so yummy!  We tried a chocolate chip walnut, an oatmeal raisin and our favorite – the chocolate peanut butter.  They totally live up to their reputation!!!

Tessa and I then walked over to attend church right near Rockefeller Center.  The building where the chapel is also houses the New York City Mormon Temple.  It was nice to sit in a quiet, reverent chapel and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a few hours.

Broadway Show

We had tickets to see a matinee of  Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nigh-time  and it blew us away.  It is an amazing production and an incredible insight into the autistic mind.  The story is told from Christopher, the autistic boy’s,  thought process.

It just recently won 5 Tony Awards and we were able to see Alex Sharp in the lead roll, he just won best actor in his Broadway debut!  He was amazing.

One World Trade Center

After the show we went down to the new One World Trade Center building.  It just opened this year.  You can pay to go up to the top to see an incredible view of the city.

You have a 360 degree view of the city!

Parm Restaurant in NYC

We were once again hungry, believe it or not so we headed to Little Italy for dinner at Parm.   It is a restaurant a blogger I know had recommended.  Another quaint little restaurant.  For such a big city, so many of the restaurants and the theaters are little.

The Chicken Parmigiana came highly recommended so that is what we had – we loved it.  But the thing we really loved was the garlic bread with fresh mozzarella that arrived at the table before the meal.  I think I could have just eaten that!

We headed back to the hotel and we greeted by this fun view of the Empire State Buildling – it was Flag Day!

Macy’s Department Store

Macy’s got into the spirit too.  Yes, this is the Macy’s of the famous Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It is fun to visit the store and ride the old wooden escalator!

New York Public Library

It was my final day in the city and Tessa had to work.  My sister in law lives just outside of Philadelphia which is an hour train ride away so she came into the city to spend the day with me.  While I waited for her train to arrive I went over to the New York Public Library.  It is magnificent.

I definitely recommend taking the free audio tour.  Unfortunately the famous and beautiful Reading Room was closed for renovations but there were plenty of other beautiful rooms to see.

Eataly in NYC

Once I met up with my sister in law we walked over to meet Tessa for lunch at Eataly which is right by the Flat Iron Building.  Such a fun place.  Eataly is a food hall full of all kinds of yummy Italian food.  Everything from seafood to pasta to pizza.    We tried two different types of focaccia bread.  Both were delicious.  We had the margherita and then one with prosciutto and fresh mozzarella.

My sister in law had a Caprese Panini which was delicious but the best thing we had was this amazing Prime Rib Sandwich, man of man!!!

Dominique Ansel Bakery

Tessa had to go back to work but Jayna and I headed out for a little bakery tour.  I had to make a second trip to Dominique Ansel to check out their Frozen S’mores on a Stick.  Tessa had raved about this so I had to check it out.

They toasted the marshmallow right when you order.  They were amazing.  I told my sister in law I would share with her but after I took my first bite I was sorry I had offered!

So yummy!

More Favorite Places to Eat in New York City

Our next stop was Momofuku Milk Bar in the East Village.  I first heard of Momofuku several years ago and even shared a copycat version of their famous Crack Pie here on the blog.  I was excited to get to taste the real thing and see if it lived up to it’s hype.  It did!

Compost Cookie

I have also shared a version of their famous Compost cookie here on the blog before.  The real compost cookie has coffee grounds in it and  I’m not a fan of coffee flavored anything.  I went for the Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip cookie instead and a piece of Crack Pie.  My sister in law tried the wheat free Coco Cookie.  We loved everything.

I couldn’t pass up the Cereal Milk Soft Serve which tastes just like it’s name.  It tastes like the milk that is leftover when you eat all the cereal.  They also add some toasted crushed cereal in the bottom and on the top of the ice cream.  I loved it, my sister in law not so much.  She is not a big fan of the leftover milk in the cereal bowl either.

From there we headed over to Rockefeller Center to try and find the famous burger place inside the Le Parker Meridian Hotel.  Hidden away in the corner of the hotel lobby behind a big velvet curtain is what is suppose to be one of the best burger places in New York City.  There is no sign, you  have to know what you are looking for.  We found the Burger Joint but were both so full we opted for a soda and a milkshake.  The burgers did look wonderful.  It is a tiny little place.

My sister in law wanted to introduce me to her favorite chocolate shop at Rockefeller Center – Teuscher Swiss Chocolates.  We got their signature Champagne Chocolate a few others.  At $120.00 a pound I didn’t get too many!

On the way to the chocolate shop we walked past Bouchon Bakery so of course I had to stop to pick up a few macarons.

By this time we had had enough to eat and had walked our feet off.  It was time to head to the airport.

It was sad to see my time come to an end but my feet were ready and I was looking forward to my own bed.  We saw lots of fun things and ate lots of delicious food but of course the best part of the trip was seeing this cute girl!  My NYC girl!

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Things to Do in NYC {Part One}

We are sharing a list of some of our favorite things to do in NYC along with a list of some of our favorite places to eat.

My youngest daughter moved to NYC after college and we had so much fun exploring this new city together on my frequent visits! I am sharing many of our favorite things to do in NYC along with our favorite places to eat.

Getting Around in NYC

One of the best things I did was download the app HopStop.  It is great for finding your way around the city.  You plug in where you want to go and it tells you exactly what subway to take to get there or how to walk or how long it would take by taxi.  We used it constantly.  We took a cab a few times too and also used the Uber App. Tessa taught me that if the cab has it’s light on, it is available for a ride.   We rode the subway the majority of the time though.  I highly recommend the 7  day unlimited pass, even if you are only going to be there for 3 days or so and plan on riding the subway a lot.  It’s worth it!

I did pretty well maneuvering the subway by myself once I figured the uptown and downtown thing out.  I only got on the wrong train once and realized it after a few stops so just jumped off and headed the other direction!

Things to Do in NYC Day One

911 Memorial & Museum

My first stop was the 911 Memorial & Museum.  The last time I had been in NYC it was just a big hole in the ground so it was amazing to see what they had turned it into.  The fountains where the buildings once stood are beautiful and definitely feel like sacred ground.

The Museum they have created is a must see.  The minute I walked in the doors the tears began to flow and I think I pretty much cried through the entire museum.

The stairs that many of the survivors used to escape the tower.

It is a beautiful museum and fitting tribute to all who perished that day.  It truly is a day we will never and should never forget.

Shake Shack

I was a bit hungry by the time I left the museum so I headed over to the Shake Shack which was just a few blocks away. I have been hearing about the Shake Shack for ever so was anxious to try it.  I ordered a burger with the yummy Shake Sauce and a Black & White Shake.  It lived up to it’s reputation.

They have several locations throughout the city and there is also one at the JFK airport!

Battery Park and Ellis Island

My next stop was Battery Park for a boat ride over to Ellis Island.  I purchased my tickets online but had to pick them up at the ticket office.  There is a separate window for pre purchased tickets.

The boat takes you to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  Since I had been to the Statue of Liberty a few times before I opted to stay on the boat when they stopped there and go onto Ellis Island.

I had never been to Ellis Island and although I didn’t have any ancestors come through there I found the whole experience fascinating.  You could feel the spirit of those who entered the doors as they came to America seeking a better life.

I loved seeing the faces through photos and reading the stories of many of the people who arrived at Ellis Island.  I definitely recommend the free audio tour you can get when you visit.

Eataly NYC

 It was a hot day so I stopped at Eataly for some amazing mint chip gelato after my trip to Ellis Island.  Eataly is such a fun place and I’ll share more details about it in my Day Two post.  And yes, this was my second ice cream of the day if you are counting.

NYC Restaurants

I met Tessa after she was done working and we headed to the Chelsea area for dinner and a little exploring.  We had dinner at a delicious, quaint, pretty little cafe called Westville.  They have four different locations throughout the city and we were lucky enough to get a table outside.  It was a perfect evening for outdoor dining.

The food was amazing and so fresh.  We shared a Westville Cobb with chicken and then had three sides – amazing roasted brussels sprouts,  sweet potato fries and a quinoa salad with mango and pineapple that was our absolute favorite.  Look for a copycat version of this salad coming to the blog soon!!  We also had a delightful conversation with the two cute girls sitting next to us.  Ended up one of them had recently arrived in NYC and was a PR major from BYU just like Tessa!  We met them again at church on Sunday and I think Tessa has a new friend.  It is a small and beautiful world.

Chelsea Market

After dinner we walked over to Chelsea Market which is a fun shopping/food hall located in the meatpacking district of NYC . Lots of great places to eat so we knew we needed to make another visit later on in the weekend to try out some of the food places so look for more info on Chelsea Market in Post Two.   You can eat your way through there.  There was a live band playing and lots of people enjoying the evening.  We needed a little dessert so we ended up at the Doughnuttery for yummy mini doughnuts.

We opted for the vanilla glaze with sprinkles but they  had all kinds of flavors because we are sprinkle girls.

Be sure and find the fun Oreo wall in Chelsea Market for a photo!

By this time I was pretty tired and Tessa had a date so I headed back to my hotel and left her at Chelsea Market to meet up with her friend.  I managed to find my way back on the subway all by myself and was greeted by this pretty view when I emerged out of the subway station by my hotel.  Hello Empire State Building!

Things to Do in NYC Day Two

NYC Bakery Hop

Friday morning we headed down to the Soho area of NYC which is located in lower Manhattan.   Soho stands for South of Houston Street.  It is a fun shopping area with lots and lots of shops!

Our first bakery stop of the morning was Balthazer Bakery in Soho.

It reminded me of the little patisseries we visited in Paris.

We tried a cinnamon roll, raspberry danish and a pain au chocolate which was divine.

From there we headed over to Dominique Ansel Bakery.  We knew we had to get there early so we could check out their amazing Cronuts, they are the originator of the cronut.  A cronut is a combination of a doughnut and a croissant and is basically to die for.  They sell out of them every day!  They have a different flavor of cronut each month and lucky for me this month was key lime!  I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I bit into this baby.  I guess people start lining up at 7 am when the bakery opens to partake of these beauties, so go early!!
We also enjoyed an amazing Kouign Amann which is a tender, flaky, croissant-like dough with a caramelized crunchy crust piece of heaven!

We needed to do a little shopping after our two bakery stops to burn off a few calories.  Shopping burns calories, right?

One of Tessa’s best friends and her mother and sister were in town so we headed over to Brooklyn to meet them for lunch.  We enjoyed some amazing pizza at the famous Julianas which is at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.

My favorite was the Margherita pizza!

Brooklyn Bridge

Again, in the effort to burn some more calories we walked back to Manhattan across the Brooklyn Bridge.  It is a beautiful bridge and so fun to walk across.

We got our share of walking in this day with over 30,000 steps!!

Metropolitan Museum Of Art

We then rode the subway up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the Chinese Through the Looking Glass fashion exhibit.  It was beautiful and I highly recommend it if it is still there when you visit.  I am sure any exhibit at the Met would be wonderful.  Admission is passed on donation.

The steps in front of the museum are famous as is the museum and it is an iconic structure in the city. The museum borders Central Park.  We headed back to our hotel after our visit to change for the evening.  It had been a hot and humid day!

We went to dinner at Jack’s Wife Freda in Soho.  Tessa’s friend had highly recommended it and it didn’t disappoint.

We were told we HAD to get the roasted cauliflower.  Now neither Tessa nor I like cauliflower but we trusted their suggestion and man, are we glad we did.  It was delicious!!  Amazing.  The watermelon, cucumber, feta salad was delightful too, but oh that cauliflower.

Tessa had the Madame Freda sandwich which she loved – it is duck prosciutto, cheddar bechamel, Gruyere and a fried egg.  We loved it.  I had the Peri Peri Chicken which was good too.

Broadway Show/Time Square

From there we headed to the Lyric Theater where we were seeing the Tony winning Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder.  A delightfully funny show.

Of course a walk through Time Square is a must for any trip to NYC.  I don’t like to spend too much time there though – too many people for me!

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Slow Cooker Cuban Tortas

One of my favorite bedtime reading genres is cookbooks!  I love crawling into bed with a new cookbook and some post it notes and paging through the book and marking all the recipes I want to try.   For me a cookbook not only must have good recipes but good photos and stories to go along with the recipes.  When I was given the opportunity to review a brand new cookbook, The Dairy Good Cookbook: Everyday Comfort Food from America’s Dairy Farm Families, I jumped at the chance.  It has all three things I love – great recipes, photos and stories.  The cookbook includes stories of American Dairy farmers throughout the country.  Having grown up in Wisconsin, The Dairy State, I am a total supporter of local dairy farmers and the importance they play in the community and our dinner table.

It was fun to read about John & Kim Koepke, dairy farmers from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.  I know right where that is.  It’s just a bit NW from where I grew up. I am grateful for dairy farmers who work hard every day to bring us some of my favorite food like milk, cheese, and yogurt. And you can’t forget ice cream: you need milk to make ice cream! There are over 100 recipes in the cookbook, all of which feature dairy products.  Let’s just say by the time I was done looking through the cookbook there were a lot of sticky notes attached.

Because I am such a fan of my slow cooker the first recipe I decided to try was for Cuban Tortas cooked in a slow cooker.   A Torta is a Mexican sandwich usually with a nice crusty white bread.  This recipe uses a marinade of fresh lime and orange juice along with some great seasonings to give the pork a wonderful flavor.  I cooked the pork on high for 6 hours and then shredded it for the sandwiches.

I think my favorite part of the recipe though was the yummy cilantro cream sauce.  Yum!!  I may or may not have just eaten it directly out of the bowl with a spoon. Be sure and slather lots of this on your sandwich.

I used a ciabatta roll, which is nice and crusty and added a layer of Monterey Jack cheese and then put it in the oven to melt the cheese and toast the bread.

The cheese adds another layer of yummy flavor to these sandwiches.  Between the flavorful pork, creamy cilantro sauce and the melted cheese you’ve got a big Yum!

Then layer on  the onions that cooked with the pork in the slow cooker, some cabbage, and if you can take the heat, some jalapenos.  You’re going to love it!

All you have left to do is take a nice big bite!

This recipe is used with permission from The Dairy Good Cookbook, Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.   Through The Dairy Good Cookbook, dairy farmers share their secret (and not so secret) stories, traditions, and family recipes that have been passed down through generations.

Slow Cooker Cuban Torta Recipe

Slow cooked cuban pork served on a ciabatta roll with cilantro cream sauce.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Cuban

Prep Time 15minutes minutes

Cook Time 8hours hours

Total Time 8hours 15 minutes

Servings10 servings

Calories479kcal

AuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

Pork Marinade

• 1/2 C fresh lime juice
• 1/4 C orange juice
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano crushed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 3 lb. bonesless pork shoulder roast
• 1 medium onion thinly sliced

Cilantro Cream Sauce

• 1 C sour cream
• 1 C mayonnaise
• 1/2 C finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tsp lime peel
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Sandwiches

• 10 bolillo or ciabatta rolls
• 4 C shredded Chihuahua or Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 1/2 C shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 C sliced jalapeno Peppers

Instructions

Pork Marinade

• Combine lime juice, 1/4 C water, orange juice, garlic, oregano, salt, cumin, black pepper and bay leaves in a small bowl.
• Trim the fat form the meat if necessary.
• Pierce the meat with a large fork in several places.
• Place in a large resealable plastic bag set in a deep bowl.
• Pour the marinade over the meat.
• Close the bag and chill in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours, turning occasionally.
• Arrange the onion slices in the 3 1/2 to 5 qt. slow cooker.
• Place the meat on top of the onions. Pour marinade over top
• Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Cilantro Sauce

• Stir together sour cream, mayo, cilantro, lime peel and lime juice in small bowl.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate until serving time.
• Transfer the cooked meat to a large bowl or dish and allow to cool slightly.
• Skim any fat from the juices in the cooker. Remove and discard bay leaves.
• Use two forks to shred the meat. Remove onion from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and add it to the meat in the bowl.
• Pour some of the warm juices over the meat and onion; cover and keep warm.

Sandwiches.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice each roll in half and place the cut side up on two large baking sheets.
• Divide the cheese among the roll halves. Bake until the cheese h as melted and the bread is lightly toasted, 3-5 minutes.
• Top the roll bottoms with the pork and onion, cabbage, jalapenos and cilantro cream sauce. Top with the roll top.
• Serve warm.

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Caramel Corn Milkshake

Are you a caramel corn fan like I am? You are going to love this Caramel Corn Milkshake! You may have never thought of adding caramel corn to your milkshake but you should have!!

You may have noticed that I am on a bit of a “frosty treat” kick lately.  If the repins on those posts are any indication, you like them!  First was that yummy Chick fil a Frosted Lemonade.  So good. And then that 3 ingredient Creamsicle Ice Cream Pie and last but not least that Frozen Freckled Lemonade!

This past week I was looking through my most recent copy of the Food Network Magazine and I stumbled across this amazing concoction!  A Caramel Corn Milkshake.  Now, you may question this combination at first and ask yourself if the combination of ice cream and caramel corn really works.  Well, trust me it does.  Several years ago I shared a fun Caramel Corn Ice Cream Sundae, that is totally delicious.  And caramel corn goes great it cookies too – Caramel Corn Cookies.

Believe it or not it totally works in a milkshake too!  Just grind up a cup of caramel corn in your blender.

Then just add in 2 cups of vanilla ice cream and  some milk.  Just blend it up and you have a yummy milkshake that tastes just like caramel corn.

Of course a topping of caramel corn and a drizzle of caramel sauce adds that extra crunch and flavor and just looks amazing!

All you have to do is add a straw or dig in with a spoon instead.

CourseDessertPrep Time5 minutesCook Time5 minutesTotal Time10 minutesServings1 milkshakeAuthorLeigh Anne Wilkes

Ingredients

• 1 Cup caramel corn
• 2 Cups vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 – 1 C milk depending on thickness desired
• Additional caramel corn and caramel sauce for garnish

Instructions

• Blend caramel corn in blender until powdery
• Add in ice cream and milk.
• Blend until smooth or desired consistency
• Put into glass and top with additional caramel corn and drizzle with caramel sauce

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