Greetings from Puerto Rico! I had hoped to post this before we left, but alas I am always running late.
Being with our family in Puerto Rico has made me reflect on the fact that, like Justin and I, so many Seattleites are living far from their families. So our friends become our family and strongest support. Building those relationships doesn’t always come easy – the “Seattle Freeze” is real – but sometimes you get lucky, things just click, and you end up with the most wonderful friends you could ever imagine. That’s how we feel about Amanda and Lindsey, our dear friends who are doing us the BIGGEST favor by watching our pups while we’re in Puerto Rico. They already have 2 dogs and 1 cat (all males), so welcoming our 2 boys to the menagerie for 5 whole days is no small task. Did I mention they are doing this in their cozy 2 bedroom condo?? Saints, I tell you.
We just know our pups are in such good hands – it’ll be like doggie summer camp! As a small gesture of our deep appreciation, we decided to cook dinner for Amanda and Lindsey to bring over to their place before leaving on our trip. This also served as an early 4th of July celebration.
The decision on what to make was easy as all four of us share a passion for the pretzel slider buns sold in the bakery section at Costco. We have had long conversations about their doughy virtues. The first time Justin and I bought the buns, we made pulled pork sliders and the combination was so drool-worthy that we’ve recreated the meal several times. To complement the pork, I created this spicy cabbage slaw recipe, which adds just the right amount of crisp bite when sandwiched between the pretzel buns and pulled pork. To top it all off, we serve the sliders with sweet potato or yam fries. Homemade would be best, but we frequently just use the Trader Joe’s frozen sweet potato fries.
The pulled pork recipe comes from 100 Days of Real Food and is made in the crock pot (perfect for us apartment dwellers!). Preparation is easy and the meat turns out so juicy and succulent. Justin likes to eat the pork with a bit of barbecue sauce (Stubb’s Spicy is our fav), and I like it with just a bit of the flavorful juices from the bottom of the crockpot.
{This image is blurry, but I love how it shows just a taste of the doggie chaos that Amanda and Lindsey are surely experiencing!}
Feliz Dia de Independencia! Hope you enjoy a wonderful and safe 4th of July with family, friends, and friends who are family! 🙂
- 1 bag pre-shredded cabbage (I buy the one at Trader Joe’s) or 1 head cabbage, shredded or finely sliced
- 1-2 carrots, shredded
- half a small red onion, thinly sliced
- half or full jalapeño, de-seeded and thinly sliced
- ¼- ½ cup mayo (I use Vegenaise)
- 2-3 tablespoons spicy mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 pinches sugar
- salt, pepper & paprika to taste
- Place cabbage, carrot, red onion, and jalapeño in a large bowl. Add mayo, mustard, vinegar, and sugar to the vegetables in the bowl and toss well to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika to taste and toss all ingredients well.
- Can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance or served immediately.
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