crockpot pulled pork sandwiches

while many people out there still find being a stay at home mom as something glorious, there's days i can agree with them. not having to wear a bra to work is basically all i've got. because i mean my boss screams this horrible high pitched squeal that would make a deaf person's ears bleed. & here recently we've decided that getting up wayyyyyy before anything cool is happening in the world. unless you consider starbucks or walmart a happening place at 6am.

and while i had planned to make taco salads for dinner yesterday, life took over when i opened the fridge and realized, holy crap, i have two pork roasts just sitting in there, waiting to be eaten. well cooked then eaten.  so at that exact moment (well after realizing i needed to cook it before my hamburger buns molded), dinner had been redecided to pulled pork sandwiches. and if i get off on any wild tangents please forgive me....its been a cup of coffee & sweet tea & dr pepper kind of day.

i stumbled across the idea while walking through winco looking for silk almondmilk coffee creamer a few months ago & while the lady heard me talking to myself looking for the creamer we got onto the conversation of pork roasts after she heard me previously talking to my mom on the phone about all the things i could do with a pork roast. still with me? or did i lose anyone back at silk almondmilk coffee creamer? which by the way, they do not carry at this moment. sad day, it really is, because then thats another stop which yeahhhhhhh....the generous winco employee (should have gotten her name!) introduced me to winco's pulled pork seasoning over in the bulk department, which i'm pretty sure is my favorite department of that place.  so some seasoning, a pork roast, buns and few other items & dinner was a go!

pulled pork sandwichs - crockpot style 

1 - 3 pound (or so) pork roast
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 ounces pulled pork seasoning - (bulk department with all the other seasonings)
Hawaiian hambuger buns (any bun is fine, but they were mighty tasty on these)
BBQ sauce, optional
Sliced Pickles, optional

Place pork roast in crockpot.

Mix together brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar & seasoning in a small bowl.  Pour oven pork roast.

Cook on low for 7 hours.  Shred roast with forks one hour prior to eating. Continue cooking in sauce for another hour.

Serve on bun with BBQ sauce & pickles if desired.

& want to keep it crazy budget friendly, serve that on sandwich bread & save yourself the cost of buns..  i got TWO pork roasts from winco for $5 and some change.. #winning one roast fixed enough for 6 sandwiches for dinner last night (we were hungry, what can i say?!), 2 sandwiches for hubs lunch today & then another small container for my lunch probably tomorrow. like it doesn't get better than that.

here's to more winco winning y'all. you can also find their recipe here.

why i live for gilmore girls - part 1

at this point, not many people are surprised by my extreme (& almost obsessive), alright, alright, obsessive love for the little town of stars hollow & all of their fascinating, diverse residents. but its no secret.

now that i can access them on netflix (getting my monies worth there!) i've watched it continuously more times that i can count, but there's no shame in my gg game. & with the reboot only a few months away (november 25! get your couches ready), i feel like i can breathe a sigh of relief & maybe, just maybe, gg will reboot on a good note... one that ASP would be proud of & not that crappy season 7 that i have lived through many, many times, only wishing for a different ending.. also with this reboot, i feel like its a good time to share some of the reasons why gg has such a special place in my heart.. & why i keep going back for more.

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1. stars hollow always has a way of making me love & wish for year round fall & winter seasons. everytime i watch gg, i find myself yearning for autumn & leaves & leggings & warm cups of coffee & scarves & well you get the idea. does anyone else ever watch something & it illicit a feeling of a season? or is it just me? maybe its just Connecticut. and the snow. oh the snow.  "i smell snow." can texas for once just get a really good real snow? i'm just saying. then i'll get all gilmore-y & talk about smelling snow & snuggling up & watch movies, because we know a horse drawn sleigh isnt going to happen.

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2. small town life. that is all. i've always lived in a big city, where you're lucky if you know, let alone talk to your neighbors. but stars hollow is different. from miss patty to kirk to babette, everyone knows each other. & watches out for one another. while many think privacy would be non existent in a city like that, its okay with me. i would happily manage. the ability to walk to the store or the diner always appeals to me.  theres also something about the thanksgiving episode where the girls are buying flowers from the market off the sidewalk. like seriously, i need that i my life.

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3. luke's diner. i think this may be a top reason for many people that desire small time life. a tried & true diner.  somewhere where you know the guy or gal who runs the place & they know you. they know what you like, dont like & things are simple. nothing on the menu thats over the top. & i mean hello, they have a counter. that you can eat at. or a table that looks out onto the sqaure so you dont miss any of the small town encounters. & while we're on food, i'd be totally ok with the soda shoppe too. i mean girl needs her candy. plus a diner who has a danish day is the place for me.

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4. those festivals. at some point the series they talk about how many festivals that stars hollows has. was it one per month? something like that anyway.  festivals always bring a sense of community and fellowship plus who doesnt love an excuse for a giant turkey leg? one of my favorite episodes "hay bale maze" and particularly because of the festival.  and the way that taylor ends up with a huge case of allergies because he was determined to overtake the square with hay. karma, am i right? plus its the turning point for loralei & luke.
                               
like i said above, these are a few reasons why i keep gilmore girls in my "need to watch" queue on netflix. i'll share more reasons why the closer we get to that revival date. whats your reasoning for being "insert favorite tv show here" addict...

fellow gg fans: make sure you're following this instagram account.. their teasers are the best.

peanut butter balls

here lately i've made it my mission to make something sweet to keep in the house so we aren't tempted to go out for a quick treat - frugal mom at it again.  and luckily i haven't heard any complaints on this.

whether its cookies or brownies, i've put a few minutes aside to keep something around to stifle off those sweet tooth's.  this weeke i'm hooping to make some mini vanilla bundt cakes, but with our little family weekend trip coming up, it may or may not happen. who knows, maybe they'll end up being a road trip treat.

my brother's wife and kids introduced me to the heavenly treat in the photos a few times before, but my little sweet tooth recently had a hankering again for these.. i mean its only been a couple of weeks since i have had one.  and before you convince yourself that they are too complicated to make, just keep reading, because they're the total opposite of that..

peanut butter balls:

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened (i liteally just scooped margarine straight from the container for this & they turned out perfect... impatient much???!
• chocolate chips, for dipping

Stir together powdered sugar, peanut butter & butter/margarine together until thoroughly combined.

Shape peanut butter mixture into balls, placing them onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  This gets messy, so prepare your hands for it.   I made my balls varying sizes, so Ben could have a little one & still think hes getting a lot.

Place cookie sheet in freezer or refrigerator for about 30 minutes so they are good & hard - makes the dipping process much easier.

Once balls are chilled, put chocolate chip into a microwave safe bowl for melting.  Microwave for 30 seconds and stir, repeating until chocolate is melted.

Drop one ball at a time into the chocolate & using a fork coat the ball.  Remove the ball with the fork (letting excess chocolate drip off) & place back on cookie sheet.  While the chocolate is still wet, you can decorate with sprinkles, crushed peanuts, etc if you'd like.  Repeat dipping process for all the balls.

Store in refrigerator until serving.. Enjoy.