It was 10 weeks ago, today, that we returned home from our glorious trip to Hawaii. I can’t help thinking about just how beautiful … and delicious it was.

So much so, that the memory inspired this sandwich.

I used a purchased bag of coleslaw and zipped it up with the addition of red cabbage and cilantro. Then I made a quick dressing with mayo, sugar, pimento, and spices. Use your own favorite slaw recipe, or just purchase it ready-made from the deli.

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“Stone Week” continues with this main course recipe using both fresh and dried cherries.

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This pulled pork may take over 10 hours from start to finish in a slow cooker, but it takes a minimal about of hands-on time.

Start it before you go to bed.

In the morning, shred the meat and enjoy soon after for a picnic lunch, a late afternoon snack, or for a big family dinner.

Heck, it’s so tasty, maybe all three!

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The meat from these baby back ribs is fall-off-the-bone tender and oh so flavorful!

Dave requested vinegar-based ribs as his Father’s Day main course. Done! Although the ribs were delish, they weren’t the best part of Father’s Day.

On the Thursday night before, I received a text from my sister-in-law, Teresa, saying that she was on her way to town for an unexpected visit.

Teresa and my older brother divorced over 20 years ago, but she and I have always been close… since high school actually. She and my four nephews moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho some 19 years ago. Sadly, we rarely see each other.

My dad gets up to Idaho to see his grandsons and Teresa every couple of years, but we haven’t been there since 2003.

Teresa wanted to know if she should call Dad or if I thought she should surprise him on Father’s Day instead.

Surprise, of course!

So Teresa, her sister Jennifer, and their mom, Judy, walked in about a half-hour before dinner and surprised Dad. He was overjoyed and has been talking about it every day since. There is nothing better than seeing and catching up with family!

Jen, Judy, and Teresa are pictured above. Love them! xoxo

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Connor requested two things for his birthday dinner – Grilled Pizza and Baby Back Ribs.

I can easily do that and was more than happy to fulfill his modest request!

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For our sit-down birthday dinner we had stuffed pork loin, green onion and Parmesan mashed potatoes, and a cold succotash side dish. The potatoes and the succotash have been posted here before, there are links to those recipes near the bottom of this post.

Peggy is not a big fan of beef. Occasionally, she’ll indulge in a hamburger, but put a plate with beef tenderloin in front of her and she turns her nose up at it. (I know, sometimes I think there is something wrong with that girl!)

It was a blessing when you were feeding 25 people, though! Beef tenderloin would have been on the expensive side, to say the least. But a pork loin – now that is doable!

I was initially planning to use pork tenderloin, but when I compared the price of the loin to the tenderloin – well that made the decision for me. I purchased two huge pork loins at Costco, they were about $18.00 each.

This recipe would work just as well using beef tenderloin, so choose whichever you prefer. If you can’t find Manchego cheese, use Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack instead.

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On the second day after Christmas, we had no food left in the house.  OK, we had food, but nothing much to make for dinner. All I could scrounge up was the ham bone from HoneyBaked left from Christmas Eve. It had less than a cup of meat left on it.

What to do?

I dug around and found a package of diced pancetta with an expiration date of 12/29/12. Score!

I had a few potatoes, a bell pepper, a chunk of cheddar cheese, and some leftover mushrooms that would soon be going south. Hey, this might constitute a meal, after all!

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These individual lasagna servings are a fun and less-mess way to serve lasagna at a casual party.  They are delicious straight from the oven or even at room temperature.

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For the next several days I will be giving you quick and easy party food ideas. Finger food or individual serving-size portions of what would normally be a larger dish.

These six-ingredient spirals are an example of that. You may think of chicken cordon bleu as an elegant dinner entrée, but with this preparation, it becomes a fun bite-size treat.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Spirals

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic powder for seasoning
4 thin slices of deli ham
4 thin slices of provolone cheese
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

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“Bánh mì” is considered one of the world’s best street foods, and for good reason, it is one delicious sandwich!

Bánh mì is the Vietnamese word for bread, or more specifically the baguette, which was introduced in Vietnam by the French during their colonial period.

Although the term “bánh mì” itself only means bread, without fillings, the term is used to refer to a type of meat-filled sandwich found in Vietnamese bakeries abroad, especially in the United States, Canada, Australia, and France where there are large Vietnamese populations.

There are countless Vietnamese flavored Bánh mì fillings- such as pork prepared in numerous ways; juicy pork meatballs (xiu mai), bar-b-que pork (thit nuong), shredded pork (bi), and pork roll (cha lua). Also popular are grilled chicken (ga nuong), sardine (ca moi), scrambled egg (trung chien), and vegetarian (chay). The one seemingly surprising but very popular and common ingredient is liver pate.

For today’s recipe, I’m going with my personal favorite – the Xiu Mai or the pork meatball.  I hope my friend, Tram Mai, would approve of my rendition.

I used this cool little kitchen gadget that I’d purchased about a year ago at Sur La Table to julienne the vegetables. What’s so cool about it, is that it spins to reveal three different peeling/slicing edges.

I don’t recall how much I paid for it then (probably too much) but I saw it for sale at Cost Plus World Market, just yesterday. So if you want one – get yours there!

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