Sep 5, 2016
For our Aloha Team Dinner, I decided to keep the prep easy for BBQ Pulled Pork tacos by using a slow cooker, and this recipe turned out to be a keeper!
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
- 1 (3-4 lb.) boneless Boston butt pork roast
- 1 jar Kelle B Santa Fe Apple BBQ Sauce (we also sell this at Barque)
- 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 white onion, coursely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped into 1/2 inch slices
- 1 32 oz. container of low sodium chicken broth
- 2-3 cups of water
- chili powder
- cumin
- salt and pepper
Directions:
Remove the netting from the pork roast and generously rub it down with chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper on all sides. Place it in the slow cooker and add chopped onion, jalapeno, bell peppers and garlic.
Pour BBQ sauce over the top, add chicken broth and water (enough to barely cover the top of the pork).
Cook on the high temperature setting for 2 hours, then reduce to low for 4-5 hours. If you’re not able to change the temperature, just cook it on low for 8-9 hours.
Warning: This pork will make your house smell AMAZING! 🙂
Once you’re ready to serve, remove the meat from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Cut away the obvious fat, and shred the meat. If you want even more flavorful meat, retrieve some of the veggies from the pot, chop them up and add mix them into the meat before serving.
This pork is great for tacos, sandwiches, burritos… it’s very versatile. And for how easy it is, that’s a beautiful thing.
Aug 18, 2016
This past weekend the Barque team said “aloha” (goodbye) to summer AND “aloha” (hello) to a great fall ahead! It was the second annual End of Summer Party for us, and it really was a lot of fun. For me, it’s a wonderful way to connect with my team on a social level, and it’s also the perfect opportunity to incorporate products that we sell in a “real life” setting so my gals can see how people use our stuff outside of the store.
A colorful chalkboard sign on the front door was a great way to welcome the girls – and check out the FAB lettering skills of our very own @kelseylainee (go find her out on Instagram now)!
Once they walked through the door, the girls were greeted by our store mannequin, Manny, dressed in a sarong and coconut bra with plastic leis. Quite festive.
This casual soiree incorporated a lot of color, from the DIY Tassel Garland to the painted pineapples… and everything in between…
Including a little island flair on the bar cart… (key limes, a painted pineapple, tropical postcards, tiny drink umbrellas and more plastic leis)
Of course I had custom beverage napkins made, and I decided to spruce up some gold striped paper straws with cupcake liners to make them look more floral – aren’t they fun? The used this tutorial.
The idea of adding edible flowers to the drink bucket was an inspiration from Pinterest – it added great color and made it more festive!
Now isn’t that the prettiest drink you’ve ever seen?
As a centerpiece for the table, I used a combination of painted pineapples, fresh palm leaves from my local florist, coconut bowls with greenery, plastic leis and drink umbrellas.
We were lucky enough to have Kelsey also hand paint our place cards too – aren’t they perfect? LOVING the hombre effect, and it was fun that everyone’s name was different!
For the meal – which might be my favorite part of the entire evening – I created a menu using recipes out of cookbooks that we carry in the store. It gives all of us the chance to try something new, and it gives my team the opportunity to experience some of the selections we offer our customers – even if they don’t cook much themselves! This year’s selections came from four books – Lighten Up Ya’ll, Southern Cooking Family Style, Up South, and Boozy Shakes…
Menu cards were made using the same pineapple icon as the beverage napkins, because making coordinating party elements is what we DO!
TO START
watermelon bites + lime salt*
grilled shrimp skewers
SOUPS + SALAD
peach + tomato gazpacho ( for the record, this was my favorite dish, but it wasn’t a crowd favorite)
kale + dandelion + orange salad
MAIN
bbq pulled pork tacos + cilantro cabbage slaw* (using Kelle B BBQ Sauce, recipe coming soon)
DESSERT
key lime pie boozy milkshakes*
*these were the crowd faves!
For party favors, I had custom koozies and gift tags made. Paired with some personalized folded notes and fruity candy, they made a pretty nice and colorful take away.
All in all, it was a great time, and it only makes me excited about the year we have ahead with this team. ALOHA to a great year ahead, ladies!
#teambarque
{if you want to check out my inspiration for the party, take a look at this Pinterest Board for more ideas}
Aug 16, 2016
For our Barque Team Dinner this summer, I had decided on a tropical theme, so I knew that PINEAPPLES would be the way to go for decorations.
Ultimately I decided that painting only the tops would be easiest – and since I had less than a week to plan the entire party and menu – that sounded like a good plan.
If you’re going to paint your own pineapples like I did, you’ll need:
- pineapples with pretty crowns (that’s the green part on top) – not too bent or torn up
- cans of colorful spray paint
- a few plastic tablecloths ( I got mine from the Dollar store)
First, spread out the tablecloth on a table or flat surface, leaving enough room to cover for overspray at the top but plenty of extra tablecloth on the bottom.
Place the pineapple on the tablecloth.
Bring up the loose tablecloth from the bottom to cover the base of the pineapple. Just tuck it in and carefully wrap it around the sides so it’s nice and snug and protected from the paint.
Lightly spray the crown of the pineapple with your desired paint color. If you’re going for an hombre effect, use the lighter color first. Be sure to move quickly and make several passes at different angles. You’ll also want to make sure you get it from the “top” angle…
You can let it dry and then do the other side, or gently roll the pineapple over inside it’s little tablecloth to get to the opposite side to pain – totally depends on how much time or patience you have to sit and wait for paint to dry. ( I had none.)
After you have your base coat, use a darker color in the same color scheme (or a coordinating color) to lightly spray just the edges of the crown. You don’t want too much paint or it will cover up your first coat – you just want enough to give the color a little depth.
Untuck the pineapple from the tablecloth and allow it to dry completely. Then marvel at your handiwork.
(colors shown in this photo from left to right: yellow + orange, hot pink + red, aqua + royal blue, orange + pink)
These colorful and festive pineapples make a great centerpiece together or a fun addition to a bar cart or entry table. They’re perfect for a tropical soiree – and they’re so darn easy, they’ll probably become your go-to summer party decoration.
Jul 12, 2016
Although I’ve been a dog owner my whole life, it’s never occurred to me that my dogs needed protection from the sun. If it’s never occurred to you either – dogs get skin cancer too. I recently learned this first-hand, and now I want other dog owners to be aware.
My Vizsla Lucy loves to sunbathe, and a few weeks ago I noticed some odd spots on her abdomen. At first they looked like tiny bruises, but over time transformed to look more like moles (but bloody in color). My vet recommended that we remove them, so we scheduled surgery and had the spots sent off for testing. When they called with the lab results, I was told that Lucy’s tumors tested positive for skin hemangiosarcoma. I was glad to know that removing the spots was action enough to remove the cancerous cells, but now I have to protect her from the sun to prevent more spots… and now my little redhead is wearing doggy sunscreen (welcome to the club, Lucy). Yes, you read that correctly, Dog Sunscreen is a thing.
If your dog “sunbathes” belly-up like my Lucy, you might consider getting some, as the tummy is particularly sensitive to excessive UV light. The skin that’s most important to protect is anything light-colored – like a nose, ears, or the soft underbelly/inner thigh area.
Please note: If you’re going to protect your dog with sunscreen, it’s important to know that you CANNOT use sunscreen made for humans. Most of them contain zinc oxide, which is toxic to dogs.
Barque is proud to now stock the only FDA compliant dog sunscreen formula. It’s easy to apply, non-greasy and dries quickly, so even if your pet licks the applied area, it won’t harm them. This sunscreen is also water and sweat resistant, which makes it great for beach or lake dogs. Maufacturer’s instructions recommend that you apply the sunscreen every 2-4 hours if the pet is outside or is in the water for more than 80 minutes. This sunblock is ideal for Boxers, Bull Dogs, Pit Bull Terriers, Bichons, Poodles, Schnauzers, Dobermans, Retrievers and any pups who like to sun belly-up. Get yours today in-store or on our website.
{You can see this product featured on the TODAY show here.}
May 15, 2016
For Shannon’s garden-themed bridal shower, the floral arrangements were one of my favorite details, so I thought I would share a few tips for creating your own.
To start, you’ll want plenty of fresh flowers in the color scheme of your choice. I got these beauties from Box of Rain – a fun mix of roses, lilies, hydrangeas and greenery.
You’ll also need some gorgeous root vegetables for color like these – carrots, turnips, radishes, artichokes, asparagus, brussels sprouts, etc. – whatever looks beautiful at your grocery will be stunning in this arrangement. You can also throw in a few different types of greens like kale, Swiss chard or collard greens – a variety of textures will really look nice.
You’ll also need wooden kabab sticks and a good pair of heavy duty scissors to cut them to your desired length.
First, wash and dry all of the veggies.
You’ll also need a pre-made Oasis “caged foam base” from your local florist or craft store. I cut a hole in the bottom of the plastic on mine so I could insert the carrots from below and leave room for the flowers on top. Before you get started arranging, be sure to soak the Oasis foam until it’s nice and absorbed.
Start by gathering the carrots by their stems and tying them about 1-2 inches above the tops with either twine or wire. You want it to be tight so you can strip off the ends of the stems and they will still stay bundled together. Place the carrot bundle in your desired glass vase and fill with water. From the top, insert a wooden skewer into the carrot bundle. You want it to stick up a little so that you can secure it in the foam.
After cutting a hole in the oasis cage, you should be able to set it on top of the carrot bundle/skewer.
I secured mine in place with a little duct tape (only because I was out of floral tape), but don’t worry – you won’t be able to see it once the arrangement is complete.
Start with the larger flowers cutting their stems on the diagonal as you insert them into the Oasis foam, then slowly go back and fill in the vegetables, using the sharp end of the skewer to pierce the “base” of the vegetable and cutting the length of the skewer to fit as needed. Keep adding flowers, vegetables and greenery – regularly turning the arrangement so you can make sure it’s even all the way around. (Don’t forget to add a little more water once you’re done – you don’t want those flowers to wilt!)
When you’re finished, you’ll have this fun and unique floral arrangement that’s perfect for showers, garden parties, an elegant summer dinner or Easter lunch!
For more photos of arrangements like this, see the full post about Shannon’s Shower here.
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