BBQ pork stuffed sweet potato

This recipe is super easy - only 3 ingredients and it cooks in the crock pot while you are at work.  What could be easier than that.... Delicious!

Source: Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

Ingredients:
2 lb pork loin
1 jar Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
4 large sweet potatoes

Instructions:
Put the pork loin and the BBQ sauce in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

While pork is cooking, bake your sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub potatoes under water and wrap in foil. Bake in oven for about 1 hour.  Remove pork from crock pot and shred the meat.

When ready to serve, cut a a slit in the sweet potato, lengthwise. Grab the potato from both ends and press together to open the sweet potato up. Fill each sweet potato with a generous helping of pulled pork and top with an extra drizzle of BBQ Sauce. Serve immediately!

Red Velvet Cookies & Ice Cream Sandwiches

My co-worker LOVES red velvet, so I decided to make some red velvet cookies for her birthday.  After I made the cookies I decided they would make perfect ice cream sandwiches too.  I used cookies and cream ice cream and they were delicious!  I think these would be perfect for Valentines day, or just a normal weekday!

Source: Duncan Hines
Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine one (1) box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix, two (2) eggs and one-third (1/3) cup vegetable oil using a hand blender or wire whisk.
3. Form teaspoon size balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking pan about one inch (1") apart. Slightly pat down the top of each ball.
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes (the top of the cookie will crack).
5. While hot, lightly sprinkle the top of the cookie with powdered sugar (optional). 

Here is the ice cream sandwich version:

Mostaccioli Salad

I made this for a wrestling team family cookout recently and I was so excited when one of the mom's asked for the recipe!  This is an old family recipe and I have an original with my mom's handwriting on my grandma's stationary.  I treasure those recipes!  This recipe is easy and I served it chilled.  The ingredients lend itself perfectly to sit out at a picnic.  This can also be made with penne or other pasta.  A random fact....mostaccioli means "little mustache" in Italian.  I thought that was fun!  Enjoy! 

Source: My Mom/Grandma

Ingredients & Instructions:

16 oz mostaccioli cooked al dente

1 cucumber

1 green bell pepper

1 sweet onion

(thinly slice cucumber, pepper and onion - I used a food processor)

Next combine the following for the dressing:

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 Tablespoon Parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 Tablespoon prepared mustard

(I put them in a Tupperware and shake, until combined)

Then toss all ingredients together and enjoy.