Last Day of Leftovers

Spent the day today getting ready to leave for our trip tomorrow and working the food pantry.  When I got home, I was glad that I had planned on making quesadillas with the leftover pulled pork because it is fast, easy and we were hungry.

I decided to use another can of Red Gold tomatoes that I won.  This time I used the tomatoes and green chiles.  They worked perfectly for this dish.

I took about a cup of the left over bbq pulled pork, warmed it in the microwave and put it in a bowl.

I added about a half cup of leftover corn and summer squash saute from last night's dinner.

And a can of Red Gold tomatoes with green chiles, drained.

I had 4 whole wheat tortillas left in my fridge.

And 2 flour tortillas sitting around in there.

I had enough filling left for another quesadilla but I was out of tortillas.

That made the dogs happy!!

BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadillas

1 c. pulled pork with bbq sauce, store bought or you can use my recipe

1/2 c. sweet corn, cooked and drained (I used leftover corn and summer squash saute)

1 (14.5 oz) can Red Gold tomatoes with green chiles, drained

8 (8") tortillas

2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese

If pulled pork is cold, warm it up in the microwave for a minute or two, add the corn and tomatoes and mix together.  Place a tortilla on a hot skillet and top with 1/4 c. cheese.  Place 1/4 of the pork mixture on top of the cheese and then add another 1/4 c. of cheese on top of the pork.  Top with another tortilla.  Cook until cheese melts and tortilla is crisp.  Flip and cook the other side.  Place in a warm oven or under heat lamps to keep warm and repeat process with remaining ingredients.

Cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces and serve with desired accompaniments.  I like sour cream, guacamole and salsa.  Print Page

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True Compassion

Today is One Word Wednesday, hosted by my friend Lisa Moles.  Lisa chooses one word each Wednesday and we blog about what that word means to us. Most of us, that choose to participate, are care givers in one form or another. I usually talk about my Mom and my care giving journey with her.  Today I am not going to talk about Mom...today I am going to talk about how we are all called to be care givers.

Today's word is COMPASSION.  I read Lisa's blog in which she revealed the word and talked about compassion and what it means to her.  It is truly a great read and I was very impressed and touched by it. Click on the link to One Word Wednesday above even if you don't want to participate just so that you can be blown away by her post this week.

I must admit that I continued on with my morning and thoughts of compassion were flitting around in my head but not landing anywhere.  It is not that I don't have compassion for Mom but not really as much as I used to because she no longer is as upset and confused as she used to be.  She is too far gone in her disease to remember that she is confused and upset.  She is happy and content, for right now anyways.

So, I wasn't really sure what to write about compassion.  I thought about writing of the compassion I feel for other care givers.  Or some of the other residents in Mom's memory care center who have not adjusted as well as Mom.  Or of  two of my friends who recently lost their husbands and are suddenly thrust out of the role of care giver.  Or of my friend whose wife just had a stroke and is not doing well and who will probably be thrust into the role of care giver.

Then, I went onto facebook and a friend from my church had posted this video.  God so often speaks to me through my friends....

We are all called to be care givers.

  We are all called to be compassionate.

 We are all called. 

Linking up with Thrive at Home Thursday this week.  Stop by and learn how others Thrive at Home.

Let's start with Leftovers

Today has been a weird, unfinished kind of day.  Originally I was supposed to go with Kim to run some errands, then she called this morning and told me she had forgotten it was potluck at the skating place that she goes to with her mom so we would get together tomorrow.

So I got the donations from yoga class together and went to the food pantry to stock them and take messages but when I got there they were waxing the floors of the school and we couldn't go in until tomorrow.  While I was on the way to the food pantry, Kim called and said that when they got to the skating rink their group had been displaced by a school outing so we decided to meet up for lunch.  Lunch, at least, was a success and we got in a nice visit and a minute to relax.

When lunch was over I went to see Mom but when I got there she was involved in a sing along. They had a guest guitarist and they were doing the hula....it was a hoot....I did not have my camera:(  Mom did not see me and I slipped away before she did because then she would feel like she needed to visit with me instead of hang out with "the gang".

When I got home, Ting showed up.  She was supposed to have a doctor appt. but when she got there the doctor had left to go deliver a baby.  She decided to take a nap and the minute she drowsed off the doctor's office called and told her the doctor had returned and she should come in.

Since today was such an "unfinished" kind of day I thought I would finish up some of the leftovers from the shower on Saturday.  And since it is Try it Tuesday I found a recipe on parade.com for using up some of the Italian Sausage.  But in the nature of the day....I barely followed the recipe at all, in the end the only thing that was the same was the potatoes and onions.  My creation turned out pretty well though so I will share it with you.

This came together quickly and did not take many ingredients.

I had my leftover Italian Sausage, already cooked, an onion, red potatoes, a can of Red Gold Tomatoes flavored with Basil, Garlic and Oregano and some fresh Basil for garnish.

I wanted to use one of the can's of tomatoes that I had won from Red Gold.

This dish was the perfect place to use these as the original recipe called for tomatoes, garlic, basil and rosemary.  I personally think oregano is a better choice for this dish than rosemary but to each their own.

First I sauteed the onion and potatoes in a little olive oil after seasoning them with salt and pepper.

While the potatoes and onions were cooking, I cut the Sausage into smaller pieces.

There was some onion and peppers still clinging to the Sausage so I just threw them in.

When the potatoes were tender and brown, I added the sausage.

And threw in the can of tomatoes.

I turned the heat down, covered the pan and let the flavors meld while I started on my vegetables.

I had a couple of ears of corn in the fridge.

I always end up with a few extra ears whenever I get corn.  A half dozen isn't enough and a dozen is too much LOL.  I had a piece of onion and a summer squash that was languishing in there so I grabbed those too.

I tossed all of this in a saute pan with some butter and kind of stir fried it.

Normally I include some jalapeno but I didn't have any today.

I plated the Skillet Sausage and Potatoes and garnished it with fresh basil. 

And served it up with the Corn and Summer Squash Saute.

Sausage and Potato Skillet

4 Italian Sausages, cooked and cut into 1-2" pieces

1 T. olive oil

4-6 red potatoes, diced

1/2 sweet onion, diced

salt and pepper 

1 (14.5 oz) can Red Gold tomatoes with basil, garlic and onion.

Basil for garnish

Heat olive oil in skillet over med high heat.  Add potatoes and onions. Season with salt and pepper and saute, stirring often for 10-15 minutes until onions are translucent and potatoes are browned. Add sausage pieces and tomatoes.  Stir to combine.  Cover and continue to cook until sausage is warmed through and the potatoes are tender, about another 10 minutes.  Print Recipe

Corn and Summer Squash Saute

Kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn
1/4 c. onion, finely diced
1 summer squash or zucchini
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
2 T. butter

Place all ingredients into a saute pan and cook over med high heat, stirring often until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.  Print Recipe

Delivery, Dinner and a Darling Baseball Player

I was very lazy yesterday so today was a busy day.  I got the house back together and loaded up all of the baby shower gifts into the truck to take over to Ting and Tony's.  It took up the entire bed of the truck as well as the back seat.  That baby could be sextuplets and still have stuff to spare!!

On the way to Ting's we stopped and saw Mom.  I never got off my chair yesterday and Saturday was the shower so other family members had been to see her but it had been 2 days since I had been there.  Mom was hanging with her "gang" and content and happy.  I asked her if she wanted to go with us over to Ting's for dinner and she thought that "would be nice", so we brought her along.

Ting lives about 25 minutes from the Memory Care Center.  That was about 20 minutes longer than what suited Mom and she let us know it the entire way!!!

Tingting in her kitchen, slaving over a hot stove to make us dinner.

She made white cut chicken and it was delicious!!

While the chicken cooked, Ting visited with us while Mom and I had a glass of wine.

Ting went back into the kitchen to finish dinner and Mom thought we "should finish up our wine and head on out".  When told we were staying for dinner she was very surprised because she "had no idea".

Since I wouldn't take her home, Mom decided to take a nap!!

After a delicious dinner...Did I say that already???....I was very impressed!!...we headed out and took Mom back.  She was very happy to get home.  I helped her into her nightie, tucked her into bed and she was content as could be....Life is Good!!

Then we headed over to see my great-nephew Gavin's ballgame.  We got there late but in time to see him make a couple of great plays!  He is a neat kid and I always enjoy the time we get to spend with him.  He ran over to us in between innings to let me know that he thought Ting should name her baby Chloe.  I told him I would let her know...do you think I should mention that Chloe is his dog's name too??

Go #11!  My grand-nephew, athlete extraordinaire!

It's a Red Gold kinda day

Last week I announced that I was the lucky winner of a Red Gold Summer Grilling Package in a raffle hosted by Heather at It's Yummy for my Tummy.

Just a few minutes ago the UPS guy showed up and delivered my package.  YAY!!!  I love winning things.

I held myself back from tearing it open immediately so that I could take a photo.

Inside was this handy dandy apron and a six pack of tomatoes.

The tomatoes come in 4 different flavors and I am anxious to start experimenting.

They also included some recipes that I may use as guides.

There are 3 different styles of tomatoes...Green Chile, Garlic and Onion and Lime and Cilantro.

My brain is already going non stop with different ideas.

Make sure you tune in for photos and recipes of the dishes I decide upon.

In the meanwhile you can visit Red Gold Tomatoes for great recipe ideas!!

Thanks again Heather and Red Gold, what a great start to my week!

Secret Recipe Club-Tropical Pork Pineapple Kabobs

Today is reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club.  Way back on June 24, I was assigned a blog.  My challenge was to go through the blog, get to know a little bit about the blogster and find a recipe of hers that I would like to try.  In the meanwhile, somebody else has been assigned my blog and is getting to know a little about me and picking a recipe of mine that they would like to try.  Who is assigned to who is a secret, hence the name of our club.  It is a lot of fun and you can learn how to join us by going here.

The blog I was assigned belongs to Bean of Without Adornment.  Bean is an engineer by trade.  She is also a housewife, photographer, baker and cook.  She loves her husband and she loves God.  She, like me, suffers from depression and works through it each day.

I especially loved going through her "Cakes" section.  Bean has taken several Wilton courses and this is something that I have been wanting to do so I was very interested and awestruck by her creations.  It was neat watching the progression of her cakes through the courses.

Then I moved onto her recipe page and spent several days perusing some great recipes.  I am definitely going back to try some of her rhubarb recipes because I have a lot of rhubarb that needs using but I really was looking for a main dish meal instead of a breakfast or dessert.  Then I was very intrigued by her Swedish Meatball Stew and it went right on to my "to try" list but stew is more of a fall/winter type meal in my mind.  Then I found it....The Tropical Pork Pineapple Kabobs.  This is a perfect recipe for anytime of the year.  Bean  made it in February and served it with an Apple Squash Boat which also went right onto my "to try" list for this fall.

It is July in Michigan and we don't have any apples or winter squash yet so I wanted to make my Kabobs more of a summer feast.  I decided to serve it with my Rice Mingle Salad on the side.  I stuck pretty much true to Bean's recipe except I cooked my Kabobs  on the grill instead of in the oven.  I also added a little bit of cumin to the marinade and included onion along with the peppers, pineapple and mushrooms on the Kabobs.

Bean's recipe did not include any amounts because she, like most cooks, just throws things together....a little of this, a handful of that.... That is how I cook also but my kids have forced me to be a little more cognizant because they get frustrated when they call me for a recipe and ask how much of something and I say "I don't know, just throw in a handful" so as they went off onto their own and started cooking I try to keep in mind that my handful is about half a cup, my pinch is about a teaspoon and my pour of oil or vinegar is usually around a tablespoon.  I included amounts in my adaptation for any newbies that may want to try this fantastic recipe.

They were delicious.  The pork is tender as can be.

Be forewarned, if you only make one kabob per person, as I did, you are going to have a lot of people wishing for seconds....they were that delectable!!

Tropical Pork Pineapple Kabobs
adapted from Without Adornment

1 Pork Tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silverback, cut into 1" chunks
3/4 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1"chunks
8 oz. Whole Mushrooms
1 sweet  onion, cut into 1" chunks

Place juice, oil, sugar and spices into a resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake to combine and dissolve sugar. Place pork pieces into the marinade, seal the bag and refrigerate for 1-4 hrs.

If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.  I used metal skewers for this dish.

Preheat grill to med high heat.  Place pork onto skewers alternating with the vegetables and pineapple.  I allowed 5 pieces of pork per skewer.  Place skewers onto preheated grill and cook approx. 10 minutes, mopping with the marinade that is left in the bag occasionally. Flip skewers over. mop with more of the marinade and cook an additional 5 minutes or until desired temperature.  I know many people still prefer their pork well done.  I prefer mine med well so as to not dry it out.  Print Recipe

An InLinkz Link-up

Success!!

The shower was a huge success....

Mom and Dad

Relaxing before the guests arrive

Cute as a button

Fresh as a daisy

Drinks and appetizers.

Gifts, gifts and more gifts!!

Diaper Raffle

Uncle Josh, Dad, Mom, Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa John

The Guests

The Dinner Buffet

Let's spend an hour opening presents!

Desserts!

More Sweets.

It was a long day!!

Photos courtesy of Aunt Jennifer.....

I am sharing this post at Inspiration Monday....come and get inspired!!

And then jump over to Wednesday Whatsits and see what's going on.

I was very pleased at how elegant this shower turned out.  All the plates, napkins, plasticware, tablecoverings and decorations were from the dollar store.  The daisies grow in my yard and the mason jars were in my cupboard awaiting canning season.  The meal was made with inexpensive cuts of meat but tasted as if I had slaved over the food.  The cakes were provided by the paternal grandparents who also provided the door prizes. The cookies were made by my friends and the candies were made by me and my great nephew.  The most expensive part of this shower was the basket for the diaper raffle and we more than made up for that expense in the tons of diapers received.  I am sharing this link with Thrifty Thursday.

I am exhausted but here is my Weekly Menu

Wow, the shower was awesome.  We had about 70 people attend.  There was fun and laughter.  There were tons of gifts to open.  Everyone ate plenty, drank enough, played hard and enjoyed the day.  I don't know why I didn't get an opportunity to post my weekly menu on schedule LOL.

This morning my TC Family headed back north as we headed to Mass and then to our friend, Eleanor's 90th Birthday Celebration.  We were supposed to pack up all of the baby gifts and head over to Ting and Tony's to drop them off and have dinner but I begged off because I am exhausted and just want to sit here with my feet up.

Tomorrow we will take the stuff down to them and grab dinner out somewhere

For Try it Tuesday I am making a dish I found using my leftover Italian Sausage.  The original recipe can be found at parade.com.

On Wednesday I am making BBQ Pork Quesadillas to use up some more of my leftovers.

Thursday we are leaving for the air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and will be gone until Sunday.

Please stop by each day for recipes and photos.  I am also linking up with MPM so head on over there and see what other great menu ideas you can find.

We had more than enough pasta for the shower!!

Weekly Menu

Saturday
Baby Shower-See Menu here.

Sunday
Leftovers

Monday
Out for Dinner

Try it Tuesday
Hearty Italian Sausage and Potato Skillet

Wednesday
BBQ Pork Quesadillas

Thursday
We are outta here.....see you Sunday.

Wow!! I am Honored....

My friend Lisa, over at My Sweet Peanut, nominated me for A Very Inspiring Blogger Award.  I was flabbergasted and surprised and pleased.  Thank you, Lisa...not only for this nomination but for your constant support of my blog, your comments, your praise, your likes and your shares mean the world to me.

Here are the Rules for the Award.

1. Thank and link to the amazing person who nominated you.  – Check!
2. List the rules and display the award. – Check!
3. Share seven facts about yourself. – Check!
4. Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated. – this is going to take some time but I will do it.

5. Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you. – I have been following LIsa since the first day I found her blog.

Seven Facts About Little Ol' Me...

1. This is my second marriage.  We just celebrated 22 years and we are still going strong.

2. I belong to the Catholic Church and I am very proud of it.  I spent many years searching for the right place for me to worship my Lord before finally returning home to my catholic faith.

3. Being a Mom is the most important job I ever had and even though I blew it more often than not my kids are wonderful people of whom I am very proud.

4. I love reading, cooking, entertaining, hiking, travelling and scuba diving...in no particular order.

5. I was a care giver for my Mom until last month when I finally admitted that I could no longer handle it and placed her in a memory care center.  She has adjusted fabulously which makes me happy and eliminates my guilt.

6. I am blessed with the best family in the world.  Family to me does not necessarily mean blood relations but those people who are constantly there for you and with you through all the seasons of your life.  

7. I thought I would have a hard time coming up with 7 facts about me but looky here....I am all done!!

Fifteen Bloggers Who Inspire Me

1.  Lisa, of course, from My Sweet Peanut.  Lisa also cares for her mom who suffers from Alzheimer's.  She shares her story with humor, love and compassion.  She is also a fantastic Mom and shares her life with her kids with us.  She inspires me to always see my glass as half full.

2.  Paula, from Smidgens, Snippets and Bits.  Paula found me when I was doing a 31 day writing challenge and decided to write about Dealing with Alzheimers and Dementia.  Paula, was caring for her husband and reached out to me with love and support.  Paula's caregiving journey just ended.  I mourn with her and for her.  I look forward to sharing her journey as she puts her life back together and finds herself amongst the rubble.  She inspires me each day to not take those I love for granted.

3.  Amy, from Amy's Cooking Adventures.  Amy's was the first blog I followed and it was she that inspired me to start my own blog.  She also helped me set it up and get it going.  Amy also introduced me to the Secret Recipe Club of which I am now a proud member.

4.  Evelyne, from Cheap Ethnic Eatz.  Wow if you want some inspiration in your cooking, you want to stop by Evelyne's blog.  Evelyne also invited me to join Food n Flix which I just love.

5.  Lisa Jo, from Surprised by Motherhood.  Lisa Jo is the most loving, compassionate and caring person in the blog world I think.  She is constantly reminding you to treat yourself with all of these same traits.  She inspires me to be less judgmental and more supportive.

6.  Kendra, from Catholic All Year.  I have just recently started following Kendra but she has a lot of great information about raising a large family in the catholic faith.  It is fun to follow her adventures and it inspires me to live my faith more completely.

7.  Debra, from Elliot's Eats.  I met Debra through Food n Flix, she invited me to join Cook the Books which is another wonderful cooking club.  Debra has some amazing recipes that inspire me to no end!!

8.  Zippiknits.  I don't even know her real name, but zippi inspires me with her photography and her constant support of my blog.

9.  Laura, from I'm an Organizing Junkie.  Not only does Laura inspire me to clean out closets and storage areas but she keeps me on task with my menu planning by hosting Menu Plan Monday each week.

10. Amy, from Gospel Homemaking.  Amy inspires me each Thursday when she encourages us to Thrive at Home.

11. Sarah, from Little Bus on the Prairie.  How can you not be inspired my a young Mom of three with one on the way moving out of her house and into a bus to raise her children while their new house is being built. Can you say brave???

12.  Julie, from Redhead Can Decorate.  Julie inspires me to not be afraid to try creative things...what is the worst that can happen???  She also lives here in Michigan so I kinda feel a bond.

13.  Cindy, from Hun What's for Dinner. Tons and tons of recipes for when you need inspiration at dinner time.

14.  Julie, from White Lights on Wednesday.  Another great place for recipe inspiration.

15.  Damyanti, from Daily(w)rite.  Very different from the other blogs I read. Damyanti is a true author and inspires and encourages others to write as well.  My goal is to one day write as well as she.

I will be sharing this post at List it Tuesday so that everyone has an opportunity to learn about these great blogs!!

Nearly Finished

I know that my posts have been scarce lately but I have been busy getting ready to have a baby shower here tomorrow!!!

But I figured I had 5 minutes available so I would link up with Lisa Jo Baker at Five Minute Friday.  I was saddened to hear that Lisa Jo had decided to hand off the reins of Five Minute Friday to another host beginning next month but I appreciate all the hard work she put in to making FMF a comfortable, friendly place for us to write our hearts out for 5 minutes each week.  Good luck Lisa in all your future endeavors.

Today's prompt is FINISH.

Go

I spent today finishing up all the running around that needed to be done to be ready for the baby shower we are hosting this weekend.  For those of you who are new to my blog, our Chinese daughter, Tingting is having a baby girl in September.  We are very excited and have been working hard to throw her a nice shower that is actually more of a summer party in which we will be celebrating life.

My Traverse City family arrived last night so Jen and Spence went running around with me today as I did the last of the shopping.  We hit Menard's, Costco, Target, met Amy and Ting for lunch, Nino Salvaggio and then stopped to see Mom on the way home.  We left the house around 9 am and got home after 3 pm.  We were pretty worn out but excited because we were finished....with the running around at least.

Jen and I wasted a couple of hours lying around in the pool and catching up with our lives.

Stop

So now I am going to finish up my Friday post LOL.  Last week, I visited the Farmer's Market because it was Fish Day.  I got some lovely local walleye fillets so that is what we are having tonight for Fish Friday along with some Mac and Cheese and Glazed Carrots.  Frank put together the Mac and Cheese while we were lounging in the pool so it just needs to go in the oven.  He also made the batter for the fish and I have it soaking until it is time to fry it.  Frank is also making the glazed carrots.  That just leaves me to throw together the tartar sauce before frying up the fish.

Making your own Tartar Sauce is easy as can be.

Only 4 ingredients and 3 if you don't like onion.

Half a minute later you have Tartar Sauce that tastes better and is much less expensive than store bought.

It is going to be delicious on these Walleye Fillets.

Tartar Sauce

1/2 c. Miracle Whip

1/4 c. Sweet Relish

2 T. onion, finely diced

2 T. lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.  Print Recipe

Local Flavors

You know what I love about being a blogger??  Besides visiting with all of you each day, of course.  I love all the opportunities I have to join different clubs.  Now most of the clubs to which I belong are cooking clubs because cooking is one of my loves but it is not, by any means, my only love.

Those of you who visit me regularly know how much I love living in Michigan and supporting my local businesses.  Well I found a club that will not only allow me to visit and support my local businesses but to share this great State of Michigan with another lucky person.

     

Let me introduce you to The Local Flavor Swap.  This is a very neat club.  The members fill a package with 5 items that represent their state.  These should be items that the sender would be happy to receive themselves.  You are given a partner and they are doing the same for you.  At a designated time everyone ships their packages and blogs about what they were lucky enough to receive.  FUN, FUN, FUN!!!  And there are still a few days left for you to join up, just go to the site above and fill out an application.  They accepted me so they must not be too picky LOL.

Pulled Pork for a Crowd

You should know by now, if you are a regular reader of this blog, that I am having a baby shower here at my house in 2 days!!  Everything is pretty much on schedule so I thought I would take a minute and share an easy recipe with you.

I love making pulled pork for sandwiches when I am having a party.  There are many reasons for this:

• It is inexpensive
• It is easy
• It can be made ahead of time and rewarmed the day of the party
• It can be left in a slow cooker for hours and still taste as good as when you first put it out
• Leftovers freeze well
• There are tons of meals that can be made with the leftovers
• It is delicious
• It is easy to serve

When I have had big summer parties (200+) and have served pulled pork it really keeps the cost down. Especially since I have all the guests each bring a side dish to serve.  You can serve these sandwiches for less that a dollar per person.

You can use pork shoulder (also known as pork butt, but it is the shoulder), picnic ham or country ribs.  Just buy whatever is on sale and stock it in your freezer.  All these cuts come from the same area of the pig and can be used interchangeably.  You can also cook several different cuts together.

Of course you don't have to make this for a crowd.  You can also make it for your family.  The recipe is the same except for amounts.  You can find my slow cooker pulled pork here and try it for your family before making it for guests.  

I used 25 lbs. of pork shoulder and slow cooked it in my electric roaster overnight while I slept.

It smelled delicious in my house when I awoke.

Season with a little salt and liquid smoke, turn the roaster to 250* and let it cook for up to 10 hrs.

This is how it looked when I opened the roaster this morning.

No, there was no added liquid when it started cooking.

Well, except for a few oz. of Liquid Smoke.

This is all rendered from the pork shoulders.

Remove the pork to a rimmed cutting board and start separating the meat from the bones and fat, and place the meat into a large bowl.  There will be a lot of juice coming from the pork so you either want a rimmed board or to be over a sink when you do this.

This is a very large bowl of pure shredded pork.

I will probably (I hope) have leftovers since I am also serving Italian Sausages at the shower.

My mouth is already watering thinking of bbq pork quesadillas!!

This bowl will now go into the refrigerator until Saturday morning when we will smother it in Frank's homemade BBQ sauce, put it back into the roaster and turn it on low so that it is ready to serve when it is time to eat.

I just wanted to show you how little waste there was from these 3 roasts.

Not much considering how much meat I got.

I am sharing this post at Thrifty Thursday, stop by for tons of great recipes and ideas.

Country Fairs and Quesadillas

This afternoon Dawn and Teaghyn came over and we all headed to the 4H fair for a few hours.  I love going to country fairs.  I love watching the kids get excited over being able to see and touch the animals.  I enjoy seeing the pride on the kids faces who raised the animals and won awards for their hard work.  I love seeing the community all come together in one location where it is peaceful and friendly and you are greeted with smiles.

There are lambs and goats to pet everywhere you look.

And calves that were only born a few days ago.

There are contests to join.

This one was an animal sound contest.

When asked what animal sound she was going to make, Teaghyn replied "Unicorn".

And ponies to ride.

Look at that smile.

She said "This is the best day ever"!!

When we got home I made Chicken Quesadillas for dinner.  I love making Quesadillas because they are fast, easy and delicious.  They are also a great foil for whatever you happen to have in your fridge and a great way to use up leftovers.  Each time I make them they are a little different depending on what is in season and what is in my fridge and pantry.  Here is today's version.......mmmmmmmm, tasty!!

Chicken Quesadillas

8 large flour tortillas

2 c. shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (or whatever cheese is in your fridge)

1 T. olive oil

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (or 1 c. leftover chicken, shredded)

1 t. fajita seasoning

1/2 small onion, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1 small yellow summer squash, seeded and sliced

1/2 an avocado, sliced

Sour Cream

Salsa

Jalapeno, if desired

Dice chicken breast and sprinkle with fajita seasoning.  Saute in oil over med heat for a few minutes, then add vegetables and continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat griddle or skillet to med high heat.  Place a tortilla onto the hot surface and sprinkle with 1/4 c. cheese, 1/4 of the chicken/vegetable mixture and another 1/4 c. cheese.  Top with another tortilla and cook until bottom tortilla is crispy.  Flip and continue to cook until cheese is melted and top tortilla is crispy.  Repeat making 4 Quesadilla's.  Cut each Quesadilla into 6 pieces, garnish with Avocado Slices and serve with Sour Cream, Salsa and Jalapenos.  Print Recipe

Quesadillas are so easy, fast and simple that I am sharing them at Simple Supper Tuesday.  Take a trip over there to see more simple meal ideas.

After dinner Spence and I made Mexican Fritters.  They turned out lovely.  You can see the photos and get the recipe here.  We are Thriving at Home!