It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned the fun blog Rainstorms and Love Notes written by Ashley. I mean, really, doesn’t her blog title just make you want to snuggle in with a cup of hot cocoa and have a good look around? I think Ashley and I could be good friends if our paths were to ever cross. All of her recipes are proclaimed to be easy, she enjoys a good DIY project on occasion, and isn’t afraid to admit she loves TV and football! I have nothing against the Pittsburgh Steelers though my NFL love extends to the Chicago Bears and my man Cam Newton’s Panthers. I can’t wait for this post to go live so I can officially follow her on social media and sign up for her blog’s newsletter, no more stalking from the shadows.

I knew I’d have fun picking a recipe from her blog when the first one I stumbled upon was a recipe I’d attemped making myself the previous weekend, Cinnamon Kettle Corn. For New Years Eve we went to our friends’ house for game night and they made the aforementioned popcorn. I took the recipe from them and tried making it for a movie night. Key word, tried. While my husband was putting Firecracker to bed I got started on the popcorn. This recipe is quite different from normal popcorn in that you put the cinnamon and sugar in the oil with the corn kernels! All of a sudden Treat awakens screaming and my attention is torn from the pot on the stove. To say I burnt the batch would be an intense understatement! I resorted to Plan B after a second set of hands was back in the kitchen. Regularly popped popcorn and cinnamon sugar in the melted butter. Fast forward a few weeks and it’s my husband’s turn to try the popcorn. He had much better success and we made sure he wouldn’t be distracted.

Wow, that’s a long tangent. Sorry folks!

I tried to focus my efforts towards Super Bowl recipes and these Pretzel Bites with Jalapeno Cheese Sauce or Cheese-Stuffed Salsa Burgers were quite tempting, but when I saw Carolina Barbecue I knew I had a winner. What better way to cheer on Cam than by eating Carolina Barbecue!? We were supposed to have another family join us for the game but their daughter caught a cold and had to cancel. I’d made a big batch of the pork and the sauce the day before in preparation, so when we were down to the two of us (plus the two boys) for the game watching I decided to only toss as much pork as we needed that night in the sauce. Firecracker ate his pork mixed with salsa instead.

The leftover shredded pork has been used in enchiladas, pasta, and pizza. You’ll see those recipes floating around the blog in the next couple of months. I also have plans to experiment with muffins. And maybe a pot of chili!

Carolina BBQ Pulled Pork

Ingredients for the pork:

• 2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 5 lb pork roast (I use loin)
• hamburger buns

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 2 C apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 C ketchup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp ground mustard
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Steps:

1. Make the sauce: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 5-10 minutes.
2. Combine salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Rub all over the pork. Place pork in a slow cooker and top with 2/3 of the barbecue sauce.
3. Cook on HIGH 4-5 hours until the pork is tender and shreds easily. Remove pork from the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Using two forks shred the pork.
4. Toss the shredded pork in the remaining barbecue sauce. Serve on hamburger buns.

*This recipe is adapted from Ashley at http://rainstormsandlovenotes.com/2013/09/north-carolina-style-pulled-pork-sandwiches.html*

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here: