Pulled Pork

K....maybe I'll get back in action or maybe this post will receive no follow up for months or years. Either way, I made some yummy pulled pork BBQ in my crock pot last night and everyone should know how to make this meal. It was super yummy, really easy, and made extra for the freezer. I used Carolina Treet Cooking Barbecue Sauce; my sister introduced me to this years ago with a one pot BBQ Chicken and Potatoes concoction.





Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1 Boston butt
1 bottle of Carolina Treet Cooking BBQ Sauce or the sauce of your choice

Directions:

Put Boston butt in crock pot on low for 8 hours. Drain off liquid. Smash pork and remove bone. Pour sauce over and mix. I put extra sauce and let it sit on warm until we were ready for dinner. Serve on buns.

Burgers 88 Ways

Last night I took a chance and headed out to meet up with a dear ol' friend in Lee County. I simply recieved a text that read, "Thurs. Harry and Harry 2. Lee County. 630." Clearly, I was curious.

Conveniently, I needed to be in Lee County anyway to "help a sister out" and pick up the Girl Scout cookies for my nieces. Check out the pic of my SUV. That was an adventure as well, but I digress.

I headed into town (in Lee County, there's only 1 real town) and stopped at the Subway to be sure my directions were correct. A lovely teenage girl gave me the best directions! She said, "head just in the direction you were already going. When there's a cemetery on your right, immediately turn left." I did as the young lady said. And then I found it! In front was a classy roadway sign that reads, "Burgers 88 Ways"!

Nestled in the edge of the woods, Harry and Harry Two looks more like a hunting cabin than fine dining, but as soon as I walked in, I knew that this was somewhere that Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives needed to visit. On the porch there's an aluminium patio table topped off with a red and white Coke A Cola umbrella and the special of the night was the best spaghetti you can find outside of an Italian restaurant. It definitely was like "diner spaghetti" and was covered 100% in melted cheddar cheese. I was hoping to be able to order a plain grilled chicken breast and some veggies, but that wasn't exactly on the menu. I tried to stick with the healthiest option I could come up with and asked the waitress for a grilled chicken wrap with sauteed onions, mushrooms, & peppers. I had her add lettuce, onion, green pepper, and tomatoes to help fill me up. Instead of fries, I just had a side of pickles---ya can't go wrong with pickles and they basically are 0 calories.

This meal did not conform 100% with the 17 Day Diet, but I couldn't stand the thought of eating another grilled chicken salad this week and there was no balsamic vinegar anyway. This was the best I could do. Oh, did I mention that they had fried dill pickle spears?!? I ate one of those too. The spear is definitely superior to the chip. You get more pickle than breading and that's key.

There's even a bar that serves up beer and wine. The beer's only available in cans and if you order another glass of wine, they refill you right at your own table; I'm guessing there is only a limited supply of wine glasses, but that's okay.

Clearly this is a local dive and even if the food's not your style, the atmosphere will leave you content. This is clearly a place where locals gather. Everyone greets you as you come through the door and your glass never gets empty. Did I mention that it's cheap? Another plus.

Next time you're heading through Lee County, SC you definitely need to make Harry and Harry Two part of your agenda. You won't regret it.

My big SKINNNY Greek dinner...

Q: How in the heck do you start a blog anyway?
A: Just kick it off with the most recent event in your life?

So last night our friends Jenna and Glenn came over for dinner and since Jenna and I have been looking for ways to cut the fat from our diets, I found some great Greek inspired recipes from the Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet cookbook and the latest edition of Rachael Ray's magazine. I made the Lazy Baked Greek Chicken and Parmesan Tomatoes w/ asparagus and a Greek salad. So easy! I've given you the links for the recipes, but I changed each one slightly and the cooking times didn't work for me, so I'm giving them to you my way. Here's the info:

Lazy Baked Greek Chicken

• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• 1 box chopped spinach (10 ounces), thawed
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Saute the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter. When translucent (but not caramelized) add to a mixing bowl with spinach, salt, pepper, and feta. Cut chicken breasts to create a "pocket". Stuff each chicken breast with about 3 tablespoons of the spinach mixture. Place stuffed chicken breasts into a greased baking dish. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the microwave (I did this in my Pyrex measuring cup). Add the breadcrumbs to the butter and stir to coat. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over chicken. Bake covered until juices run clear; for me this was for about 45 minutes, then remove cover and allow breadcrumbs to toast.

Parmesan Tomatoes

• 4 tomatoes sliced in half width wise
• 3 chicken bullion cubes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon softened butter

Place the tomato halves skin side down in a greased baking dish. Spread a small thin layer of butter over the open face (doesn't need to cover everything). Use a mini chopper and combine cheese and breaking up bullion cubes. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.

I served both of these recipes with some asparagus roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic & a Greek salad served w/ Good Seasons Italian dressing. Overall, dinner was basically around 500 calories...not counting the chocolate chip cookies that appeared on the kitchen counter...