Recipe(tried): Dishes to serve with barbecued pork sandwiches - Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Pinto Beans, Quick and Easy Fudgy Brownies, Ice Cream Pie

Hi Margie :-) I always like to serve cole slaw, potato salad, and pinto beans with pulled pork or barbequed beef. (I think it's leftover from the time I spent in Texas as a graduate student.) I like to serve cole slaw with this type of sandwich so people can pile it on top of the pulled pork or beef before they put the top bun on their sandwich if they like their "barbeque" that way, or they can just have it as a side dish.

Don't forget to put out a bottle or two of Tabasco or Frank's Hot Sauce so each person can make theirs more spicy if they like. Some people prefer a vinegar based cole slaw dressing/sauce but mine is the creamy style because that's the way my mother made cole slaw and that is what I am used to.

For dessert, I like brownies with or without ice cream. Ice Crean Pies that you can make and freeze ahead of time are another idea.

I hope that this helps you plan your party. Have fun :-) It's such a special occasion :-)!!

Cole Slaw

1 pound shredded cabbage (or cole slaw mix)
1 or 2 shredded carrots (if there aren't any in the mix or if you want more or if you shred your own cabbage.)
small amount shredded red cabbage, if desired (adds pretty color but will "bleed" into the sauce making it pinkish.)

Dressing

1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. milk
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar

Combine dressing ingredients with a whisk. Pour over shredded cabbage and carrots. Mix well. Cover tightly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Potato Salad

6 fairly large red potatoes
1 1/2 stalks celery
3 green onions, white and green parts, fairly finely chopped
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 (4 oz) jar chopped pimientos
2 to 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1/2 to 1 tsp. wine vinegar, red or white
1 tsp. Bread and Butter pickle juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 to 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika
Red or Green leaf lettuce
1 ripe tomato

Make the potato salad the night before or early in the morning of your party so the flavors have a chance to "marry." Also, the flavors will marry better if you make your potato salad while the eggs and potatoes are a bit warm. (My MIL taught me to do this.)

Cook potatoes until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. I usually cook my eggs in the same pan as the potatoes, removing them after 11 minutes; plunging them in cold water, then peeling immediately under cold running water.

While the potatoes and eggs are cooking, chop the celery and green onions and put them in a large bowl.

Once the eggs have cooled succifiently, chop 3 of them fairly large and add to the celery and green onion in the bowl. Cover loosely.

When potatoes are cooked, cool them until you can handle them. Then peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces and add to the bowl with the eggs, celery and green onions.

Drain pimientos and chop a bit more if the pieces are too large. Add to bowl. Chop parsley and add to bowl. Sprinkle sugar over mixture in bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar and pickle juice on top of everything in bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently mix ingredients together well. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator.

To serve: Line a large, somewhat shallow serving dish with green or red lettuce leaves. Mix potato salad again, well. Check seasoning and correct, if necessary, mixing gently one more time. Then spoon into lettuce leaf lined serving bowl. Decorate with wedges of the fourth hard-boiled egg and tomato wedges. Sprinkle with paprika and additional parsley if desired. Keep refrigerated, tightly covered, until serving time.

Pinto Beans

1 (1 lb.) bag dried pinto beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 to 4 Tbsp. chili powder
1 or 2 smoked ham hocks
Salt and pepper to taste
6 or 7 cups water

These are better if made the night before. They can be reheated by adding a bit more water and microwaving until they are piping hot.

Rinse beans under cold running water, picking over for and discarding any dirt, stones, or beans that don't look good. Place in large pan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Let soak overnight. Alternatively, place on the stove and bring to a boil. Boil covered for 2 minutes. Set aside to soak for 1 hour.

Drain the beans then put back in pot. Add about 6 to 7 cups of water. Place ham hocks, onion, garlic and chili powder in pan with beans and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Keep an eye on the beans and add more water as necessary.

After 1 1/2 hours, remove ham hocks and let cool. Cut the ham off the bone and chop into small pieces. Add the ham bits back into the beans. Discard bones and fat. Check beans for seasoning. (You will probably need about 1 Tbsp. salt or more. We like a lot of pepper but add pepper to suit your taste.) Continue cooking until beans are tender.

Using the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot. This will thicken the "sauce" a bit. Check for seasoning. Serve hot.

Quick and Easy Fudgy Brownies

4 oz. unsweetened Hershey's chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 X 9 X 2-inch baking pan.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate and butter. Microwave at High power 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.

Add sugar; stir with spoon until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts, if desired; stir until well blended. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake 28 to 35 min or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out ALMOST clean. (Usually when brownies have started to pull away from the edges of the pan, they are done). Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares when completely cool. Makes about 24 brownies.

Ice Cream Pie Ideas

1 store bought chocolate or graham cracker pie crust (found in baking section of the grocery store)
2 pints good vanilla ice cream (Haagen Daz or Ben and Jerry's)
Crushed Heath Bars
1 jar caramel ice cream topping or make your own homemade carmel sauce

Soften 1 pint vanilla ice cream and put in pie crust. Spread and smooth ice cream. Just invert the cover that came with the pie crust to cover. Put pie in freezer.

When the first layer is frozen, remove the pie from the freezer and drizzle that layer with caramel sauce and sprinkle with Heath Bar pieces. Return pie to freezer until carmel is frozen.

Soften second pint of vanilla ice cream and smooth on other ice cream and carmel layer. Return pie to the freezer.

When pie is frozen, cover with cool whip or whipped cream and return to freezer. Remove from freezer 10 to 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Drizzle with more carmel sauce and sprinkle with more crushed Heath Bars. You could also do this with chocolate ice cream and/or chopped toasted pecans. Your imagination is all that will limit you with ice cream pies. My favorite is to use a chocolate crust and a layer of coffee ice cream and a layer of Haagen Daz chocolate, chocolate chip ice cream (1 pint of each flavor).

Serve drizzled with hot fudge sauce:-) Yum!!