4th of July Food Ideas?

Need some food ideas for a fabulous 4th of July celebration? You’ll love this Perfect Pulled Pork with a side of Ultimate Baked Beans. They’re great for holidays, parties with friends, and summer days when you want to have fun with your family and not spend all day in kitchen! :) Like yesterday for example- we hung out by the pool all day and when we got home, the last thing I wanted to do was think about what to fix for dinner. We could’ve stopped for fast food on the way home- but we didn’t have to. :) We had delicious pulled pork sandwiches and hearty, meaty, ultimate baked beans waiting on us. The pulled pork cooked in the crock pot all day and took less than 5 mins to pull apart because it was so tender, juicy and falling off the bone. The baked beans were made ahead and all I had to do was get them out of the fridge and pop ‘em in oven.

You can check out the Ultimate Baked Beans recipe for specifics on how I did the pulled pork in the crock pot. Another reason to check out it out? See that bacon up there? I cooked it in the oven. :D

I’ve been doing it this way for awhile now and it turns out *perfectly* done. Check out the recipe- it tells you exactly how I do it! :)

BTW, have you tried whole wheat hamburger buns? Let me be the first to say, I *hate* whole wheat bread. Okay, hate is a strong word. I really, really dislike whole wheat bread. I love bread, but unfortunately for my bathing suit, I really, really dislike whole wheat bread. :p Maybe it’s the texture, or the color, or the aftertaste, or I don’t know what. But I actually really like whole wheat hamburger buns! I can’t tell the difference! lol. Especially with these pulled pork sandwiches. I got two different kinds the other day, just in case- regular buns and whole wheat buns. I had one of each last night and I couldn’t tell the difference. I’m sold! If you’re a whole wheat bread hater (er, disliker?) like me, give these a try sometime. They might surprise you! :D

We had plenty of leftovers, so I think I’m going to fix myself another sandwich right now. :D

But before I go, I want someone to have this $25 gift certificate to B Johnson Jewelry!

Isn’t it just delightful? So pretty and summery. :) Someone I know should *definitely* have those earrings.

To be entered to win the $25 gift certificate to B Johnson Jewelry, leave a comment on this post- you can…

1. Leave a link to what you’d get! I’d love to see!
2. Tell me about your 4th of July plans- got any great recipes you’re looking forward to making? :)
3. Or you can just say whatever comes to your mind! ;)

One entry per person please! :) The winner will be chosen by his or her comment number, which will be picked by Random.org’s number generator. But hurry! The contest ends MONDAY night, June 29, at 10:00 pm CST.

Thanks so much for looking and GOOD LUCK!!! :)

Congrats to #53 Rachel E.! You won the $25 gift certificate to BJohnsonJewelry! Contact me to claim your prize! :)

Filed Under: Favorite Recipes, Giveaways • 129 Comments

And the winner is . . .

Congratulations to #113, Kathy F! :) You won the $30 gift certificate to The Polkadot Alley! :) We’re all totally jealous! :D Don’t forget to come back here and tell us what ya got! :D

Everyone else, I don’t want you to go away empty handed! :D Come see these cute pics of Miley and Howie playing on the beach and swimming in the pool. :D

Actually, you’ll have to *go* see them. They’re on Miley and Howie’s blog. :P I just added a ton of pictures and a really fun video of Miley and Howie catching the frisbee on the beach and swimming in the ocean. If you need a vacation, go see their pics- it’ll make ya feel like you were there! :D

Oh, but before you go! I’m selling some of my camera equipment on eBay, and it would be really cool if someone from here got it, right?? :)

One of the items is my very first lens- the Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8. This was my first- and only- lens for a long time. It’s a *great* general purpose lens for a beginner or for someone who only wants one lens. The wide angle makes it great for indoor pics and the 2.8 aperture lets in lot of light so you can get that nice background blur and take low-light pictures without a flash. This lens is in excellent condition. Now that I have a few other lenses in my collection, I’m having to make some room in my bag- but this little lens will make someone very happy! :)

I’m also selling my *well loved* Canon Powershot (point and shoot). This little compact camera is great for carrying around in a small purse or pocket and takes *excellent* videos. Kevin and I bought a $200 or so video camera awhile back and ended up taking it back because this camera took videos that were so much better! :)

Anyway. Head over to my ebay page and check it all out if you want! :) Best of all, all of my auctions have FREE shipping if you use Buy It Now! :D

Thanks for looking!! :)

Filed Under: Giveaways, Miley and Howie • 11 Comments

New Recipe to Share . . .

It’s been awhile, but once you see this recipe, you’ll see it was worth the wait! :D

This fresh, colorful pasta dish is *perfect* for summer.

The sweet, crisp bell peppers add such a wonderful flavor to the chicken and the creamy alfredo sauce. The color and taste really bring this dish to life! :)

Pour over some funky farfalle pasta and top with a little fresh basil (from my garden! :)) – this dish is definitely pasta perfection! :)

Click Here for the full recipe for this Colorful Chicken Alfredo! :)

Speaking of summer- I was browsing The Polkadot Alley the other day and they have the *cutest* new beach and pool accessories! :) Have you seen them?? Run over there and check them out! :)

Aren’t they to die for? :) I thought you’d think so. That’s why I thought a $30 gift certificate to The Polkadot Alley would be the perfect giveaway to kick off the summer here at kevinandamanda.com! ;)

Look at that *cute* terrycloth lounge chair cover! Doesn’t it look so soft and comfy! My regular beach towel never covers the entire chair. This cover would be perfect! Or the beach bag and matching towel!! Wouldn’t I look so hip toting that to the pool? ;) Or that SUPER CUTE cooler!! I love it!!! Oh- and the cupcake tray?? Wait, is it too late to cancel this giveaway and keep the gift certificate all for myself?? :D

No no, rest assured, I want *you* to have it! :) As a way to say thank you for being such a loyal reader! :) And you can tell me what you got and I can live vicariously through you. :D

To be entered to win the $30 gift certificate to The Polkadot Alley, leave a comment on this post- you can tell me what you’d get if you want! (or how delicious my colorful summer pasta looks ;D) The winner will be chosen by his or her comment number, which will be picked by Random.org’s number generator. But hurry! The contest ends Wednesday, June 24, at 11:59 pm CST.

Thanks for looking and GOOD LUCK!!! :)

Filed Under: Favorite Recipes, Giveaways • 238 Comments