I know lots of people head to picnics, potlucks and cookouts to celebrate Independence Day, so I’m rounding up some of my favorite recipes that you can easily whip up for your get together. When it comes to any holiday, I favor food I can make the night before the event or throw in the crockpot the morning of. Holidays should be about relaxing and savoring time with family and friends — not slaving away all day in the kitchen. Here are some simple but delicious dishes to take along to your July 4th gathering:

Snacks

Prosciutto + Melon Crostini

Pimento Cheese Spread

Two-Ingredient Creamy Salsa Dip

Parmesan Truffle Popcorn

Homemade Salsa

Ranch House Cheese Spread

Curried Cashews

Entrees

Campside Crockpot Carnitas

Slow-Cooker Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Lightened-Up Beer Chicken Enchiladas

Desserts

Lemon White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

The Best Banana Cookies

Drinks

Layered Cream and Crimson Margaritas

Summertime Sangria

The post July 4th Recipe Roundup appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

Happy Friday, everyone! Are you ready for the weekend? We are hitting the road for the fourth weekend in a row and the nonstop traveling is definitely taking its toll. I’ve started the past few weeks feeling drained from the constant go-ing and it’s hard to stay motivated as a result. I’ve been slacking when it comes to working out, cooking — actually, it’s been hard to be productive at all! I’m excited to see family this weekend, but also looking forward to sleeping in.

The best way to stay on track during hectic weeks for me is to plan ahead. Even that’s been hard lately, but I’ve tried to spend some time in the car on our way back home making a short grocery list and planning out some meals. I knew this week was going to be rough, so I decided to make a couple of dinners that would last us the entire week. I made a batch of these enchiladas (with ground turkey instead of chicken) and also decided to make some slow-cooker pulled pork that we could serve several different ways.

Guys, this recipe is so ridiculously easy and insanely good. I love pulled pork, but not when it’s drenched in barbecue sauce. I’m more of a dry rub kind of girl. And the rub on this pork gives it so much flavor. You can easily ditch the sauce (but I won’t judge you if you don’t).

We’ve been eating this all week on sandwiches and salads. But I think our favorite meal so far has been pulled pork nachos, modeled after our favorite appetizer at Quaff On. I threw some pulled pork, red pepper, green pepper, red onion, light cheddar cheese and a little barbecue sauce on top of a bed of blue corn chips, then served the nachos with lime wedges and avocado. James took a couple of bites, looked at me and said, “You knocked this one out of the park.” I have a feeling he’ll be requesting these again soon.

I hope you all have a fun and delicious weekend!

Slow-Cooker Dry Rub Pulled Pork

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 4 to 5 lb. pork tenderloin roast
• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all spices until combined. Rub over all sides of pork tenderloin.
2. Place seasoned tenderloin in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours, until pork is cooked through and starts to fall apart when prodded with a fork.
3. Remove pork from crockpot and place on a large cutting board. Pour liquid from crockpot into a liquid measuring cup and set aside.
4. Using two forks, finely shred pork. Return it to the crockpot and keep on lowest setting.
5. Use a spoon to skim fat off the top of the cooking liquid and discard fat. Pour remaining liquid back into the crockpot and stir until pork appears moist. Allow pulled pork to sit in crockpot for five to ten minutes before serving, or until it’s warmed through.

[/directions]

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