Pulled Pork Sliders make such a fun dinner menu. Everybody loves a little mini something. So a miniature sandwich full of delicious savory and sweet pulled pork will have everybody's stomachs feeling happy. 

For this recipe I suggest using Peggy's amazing ranch rolls for the sliders. But if you are looking to go a little bit easier, you can also purchase dinner rolls from the bakery as well. I won't tell. But for anyone feeling ambitious, these rolls would make these sliders heavenly! FOUND HERE

Ingredients: 

5 pounds pork shoulder
2 large sweet onions, diced
1 tsp lavender lemon pepper (found here)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Directions, 
Heat your crock pot and add your onions until soft. Pat your pork dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle all sides with lemon pepper, oregano, red pepper, and salt. Add to your crock pot. Cover with garlic and chicken broth. Heat only low for 8 hours or until pork is fall apart tender. Then cover with your favorite barbecue sauce and place meat onto rolls. 

Enjoy!

I don't know what it is about it, but I always feel like such a winning wife when I serve my husband ribs for dinner. Sometimes he complains that these meals are easy on his waistline, but they sure are easy on his tastebuds. Here is a simple recipe for oven baked ribs done with an easy dry rub. 

6 pound rack of spare ribs

Dry Rub Ingredients: 
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons paprika 
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 
1 1/2 tablespoons lavender salt

1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 

Heat oven to 225 degrees. Pat your ribs dry with a paper towel on all sides. Mix together all of the dry rub ingredients listed above and then cover all the sides of your ribs generously in the rub. Wrap in foil, sealing it tightly on all the ends so no steam escapes. Bake on a wire rack for 4 hours. When your time is up, your meat should be fork tender. Use the juices that have accumulated in the foil to create your barbecue sauce. You will add them to a sauce pan with the apple cider vinegar and reduce it down until it is a thick sauce like consistency. Brush your sauce on your ribs and enjoy! 

To make the meal even easier you could skip reducing your own sauce and just use your favorite bottled sauce instead. We love Jack Stacks brand or Three Pigs Barbecue sauce. Both are Kansas City favorites and Kansas City sure knows its BBQ! 

Summer is the time for grilling. Everyone wants to be outdoors, that's where all the action is. Picnics, barbecues, get togethers with family and friends. Its the stuff long lasting memories are made of. I don't know about you, but the food you serve at your summer get togethers all play into those great memories. Weekend after weekend, traditional grilled burgers or chicken can get old hat pretty quickly, which is why we try to switch things up. Every week we like trying out a new tasty condiment with our grilled meats. Have you ever tried the Lavender Apple's Cranberry Apple Relish?  It is oh so good. 

Cranberry relish is typically thought of as an accompanying side to Thanksgiving or Christmas fare. But here at the Lavender Apple, we actually use it all year round. It goes smashingly with grilled chicken, lamb, and even sweet burgers. Your guests will be so impressed to get a flavor profile they aren't expecting and they will be singing your praises for something that is so simple to add, but that makes the meal feel a little bit different and a little bit special. 

Other condiments we love and highly recommend are a spicy rhubarb chutney, homemade relish, chimichurri herb sauce, and creamy dill mustard. Condiments can often be an after thought at a barbecue, so by putting a little extra thought into yours, it will be the easiest way to elevate your parties. 

Enjoy!

For those of you out there without access to an outdoor barbecue, summer in the kitchen can be brutal. There are all these wonderful recipes for grilled meats and vegetables, and you fall further and further into a deep pit of depression as you scroll through your Pinterest fee. Well have no fear, The Lavender Apple is here! This is a wonderful receipe for barbecued chicken breasts, no grill required! The flavors are certainly on point for summer, but you could also make this in winter when your grill is buried under 3 feet of snow. Gulp. This chicken is moist and so full of smokey garlicy barbecue flavor. You will love it. We paired this with some delicious almond smoked (also baked) green beans that you will go crazy over. 

Ingredients for BBQ Chicken: 

2 tablespoons butter

3 chicken breasts

lavender salt and pepper 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons peach preserves

16 ounces BBQ sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, diced

Directions: 

Melt your butter in an oven safe skillet. Add your onion, salt and pepper it, and saute on medium until softened. Add your Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 of your barbecue sauce, and your peach preserves. Stir on medium heat until everything is combined. Add your garlic to the sauce at the end. 

Salt and pepper your chicken, then place it in your skillet. Make sure it gets a nice coating of the sauce all over it. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 60-90 minutes depending on the size of your breasts, until heated to 165 degrees. Serve with the additional 1/2 of your barbecue sauce drizzled over the top of your chicken. 

Ingredients for the beans: 
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup smokey almonds, chopped

Directions: 
Wash and trim your beans. Chop your almonds into small pieces. Coat your beans in lavender salt, peppers, olive oil, and the smokey almonds. Scatter them across a baking sheet and place in your 400 degree oven for the last 15 minutes of so while your chicken cooks. 

These classic barbecue flavors marry so beautifully and come together without the help of a barbecue! Its such a delicious meal. Enjoy!