Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

I present to you my very favorite dinner!  Seriously, there are a great many meals that I love, but this my friends, is the best.  I even chose this for my Mother's Day meal!  My husband, Jason, is a beef kind of guy.  He will pick beef any day, over the best ever pork meal.  But even he loved this!  Every last piece of roast was devoured.  And to add to its appeal, the pork is cooked in the slow cooker!  Easy and delicious!  I encourage you to make this..and soon!  

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Pork:

2 pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup water

Glaze:

1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and minced garlic.  Rub the spices all over the roast and place it in the slow cooker.  Pour 1/2 cup water into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Near the end of the cooking time for the roast, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred.  Place on a platter or plate and drizzle the glaze over the pork.  Serve.

Recipe Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

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Marsala Pork Chops

This recipe is a good one!  I love these pork chops!  However, I probably should have changed the name to something else.  The original recipe called for Marsala wine, but I don't keep wine on hand, so I improvised and adapted the recipe slightly to what I had.  Yep, I pushed the marsala right on out of there.  But I couldn't think of a better name...so Marsala it is, but isn't...get it?!  Good.  Name aside, this is a truly delicious meal.  It has only been the last few years that I have discovered a deep love of onions and this meal definitely caters to that taste.  If you love onions and garlic, you will adore this meal.  If you don't...well skip over this one and I'll have something for you non-onion lovers in the next few days!  

Marsala Pork Chops

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

4 pork loin chops (the original recipe says bone-in, I use boneless)

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 medium onions, thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon peper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold butter cubed

Hot cooked egg noodles

Place bread crumbs in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add pork chops, one at a time and shake to coat.  In a large skillet, cook pork chops in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, sauté onions in remaining oil until tender.  Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Add the chicken broth, pepper and salt, stirring to loosen browned bits from the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is nearly evaporated.  Stir in butter until melted.  Serve over pork chops and noodles.

Recipe Source:  Adapted slightly from Taste of Home

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Sausage & Pepper Chip Dip

Not so long ago, I was sure that I hated sausage and peppers.  I mean, I have spent my whole life thinking that I despised both, right along with mustard, ketchup and mushrooms.  So as a general rule I pretty much steered clear of any food items, that included either of those ingredients.  For about a year my husband begged me to make him some incredible chip dip that my mom had made "about a million times" (he said).  I honestly and truly had zero idea what he was talking about.  Even as he described it, I thought for sure he was making things up because I had never so much as laid eyes on what he was talking about.  I finally called my mom on the off chance that she would have any idea what this was and sure enough, she did.  And she apparently had made it on several occasions in which I was in attendance.  But because of my pepper and sausage hating ways, I just skipped right over it without paying it any ounce of attention at all.  Finally having the recipe in hand, I made this for Jason and some friends several times before I finally relented and gave it a try myself.  One bite and I was hooked.  For a moment, all was right in the world and I wondered how I had willingly skipped over this dip for years and years.  No matter, I have definitely made up for the lost time by now.  We make this for every football party, family get together and holiday.  We love it!  I love it!  I, the sausage-loathing, pepper-hating, spicy-fearing woman, could eat this every day!  It really is that good.  Not convinced yet that a dip can change your life...make this.  I dare you.

Sausage & Pepper Chip Dip

5-6 medium size peppers, using a combination of red, yellow and orange

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles

1-16 ounce container of sour cream (I always use light with excellent results)

1-8 ounce package cream cheese (I always use light with excellent results)

1 pound spicy pork sausage

1 pound mild pork sausage

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat.  When completely browned, drain fat and place sausage in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.  Wash peppers and roughly chop them.  Place them in slow cooker with the browned sausage.  Add the tomatoes, sour cream and cream cheese to slow cooker.  Stir until combined.  Cover and let cook on high for about 45 minutes to an hour or until peppers are soft and dip is warmed through.  We have also cooked this on the stove top when we needed it in a hurry and it worked great as well.  Serve with tortilla chips.  

Recipe Source:  My really great mom Kris

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Rosemary & Garlic Pork Tenderloin

I have only recently discovered my love of the pork tenderloin.  For the longest time, I thought I was being locked out of some super secret club that knew something about pork tenderloin that I didn't.  I read recipe after recipe, blog post after blog post, about this favorite cut of meat that was not only lean, but also so tender and so delicious.  My experience in cooking a pork tenderloin had yielded a very different opinion than the aforementioned ones.  The only time I had ever cooked a tenderloin was many years ago, when I found a pre-marinaded one in the less than stellar meat section of a Walmart.  Not only was the marinade horrible and salty, I had overcooked it so the meat was dry and tough.  I had diligently avoided them since.   But after so many rave reviews on some of my favorite sites like Mel's Kitchen Cafe and Our Best Bites, blogs run by ladies whom I trust greatly when it comes to food, I decided to give it another go.  And I was smitten!  If cooked correctly, a tenderloin can give you the most moist, tender and flavorful, lean meat experience.  I have tried no less than 5 pork tenderloin recipes in the last 2 months and I have loved each and every one.  The pork tenderloin is so versatile and adaptable.  This recipe is the latest great one we have enjoyed in our home.  It is full of flavor, has only a few simple ingredients and comes together in a matter of minutes.  I served this with roasted asparagus and boiled and buttered red potatoes, and it was a perfect Sunday evening meal.  However, its so fast and easy that it would make a fabulous week night meal as well.

Rosemary & Garlic Pork Tenderloin

*Pork tenderloins generally come packaged by two's.  This recipe is for one 1-pound tenderloin but can be easily doubled to make both tenderloins.  

2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Combine rosemary and garlic.  Make several 1/2 inch deep slits in pork tenderloin.  Place about half of the rosemary and garlic mixture in the slits.  Rub the remaining mixture over the pork.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Coat a jelly roll pan or roasting dish with cooking spray.  Place pork on the pan and insert a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the pork.  Bake for 20 minutes or until thermometer registers 160 degrees (meat will still be slightly pink) or to a desired degree of doneness.  Let stand 5 minutes, and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Recipe Source:  Cooking Light

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Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole

 A great many years ago, I attended a slumber party at a friend's home.  For breakfast the next morning, her mom served us this foreign (to me) dish called a breakfast pizza.  I don't remember anything about it except the eggs...lots and lots of eggs.  It was saturated with them.  I thought it was horrible.  I left her house that morning feeling absolutely sick to my stomach and, in my young girl naivety, sure that I was allergic to eggs.  I wouldn't eat eggs for years and even as a young adult, got nauseous even thinking about that breakfast pizza.  Then I met my husband who was an egg lover, and though for awhile I still maintained that I was an egg hater, I found myself sneaking bites of his scrambled eggs topped with cheese every now and again.  It took me awhile, but I found that I actually do really enjoy scrambled eggs with melted cheese and I can also do a sunny-side-up egg on a breakfast sandwich.  However, I still can't do anything that I find to be too egg-y...even french toast is hard for me.  So when I went to a brunch at a friend's house and she was serving a breakfast casserole, as the main dish, I started feeling a bit squeamish thinking about eating it.  After one bite though, I was in love!  Strange thing, considering my supposed dislike of not only eggs, but sausage as well.  But it really was delicious and I even went back for seconds.  I had to have the recipe and this is it!  Thanks to the addition of the hash browns, there is enough substance and heartiness that it isn't egg-y at all...if you know what I mean.  I am totally sold on this recipe.  I even made it for dinner the other night and served it along side this orange juice fruit salad.  It was a perfect dinner (if you love breakfast for dinner..which I think is pretty much the best thing ever!)!

Sausage & Egg Breakfast Casserole

1 26 ounce bag shredded hash browns

1/2 cup butter

12 ounces grated cheese (I used a mix of cheddar and monterey jack)

1 small can diced green chiles

2 cups cooked sausage (I have used pork and turkey sausage before, both with good results)

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch pan.  In a large bowl, combine hash browns, grated cheese, diced chiles and cooked sausage.  Spread into greased pan.  Cut butter into small slices and place all over the top of the casserole.  In a medium size bowl, combine eggs, milk and salt.  Whisk until eggs are beaten.  Pour into the pan over the hash brown mixture.  Place in oven and bake for 1 hour.  Serve warm.

Recipe Source:  Adapted from a recipe contained in an old church recipe book sent to me by a friend

This recipe can be found linked up to these great link parties!

Texas Pork Burritos

Allow me, for a minute, to take a break from the beautiful desserts of Valentine's day, to tell you about this mighty flavorful, tender, savory, delicious meal that I stumbled upon this week.  Seriously, it is tasty.  I found this recipe in an old magazine that I have been keeping around, and decided to give it a go earlier this week.  It was a hit!  Which was a good thing for my ego after 2 major dinner flops the previous days.  I don't know about you, but when I think about a pork burrito, I only ever thing of the sweet version served at restaurants such as Cafe Rio or Costa Vida.  Now, as totally delectable as that is (in my opinion, not my husband's...he hates Cafe Rio!!!  Is he a weirdo or what?!), this was delightfully different.  It has a few surprise ingredients like carrots, onions and olives (well, we left those out because I DESPISE the little black creatures), that somehow work perfectly in this dish!  I definitely recommend you try this very soon!  I served it as an easy weeknight dinner as it utilizes the slow cooker (yay!), but it could definitely pass as a fancier Sunday night dinner or for your dinner guests.  

Texas Pork Burritos

*Just a couple notes about this recipe.  The original recipe called for a pork shoulder roast.  I could not find anything but a gigantic one, and I definitely didn't need that.  So I bought a small 2 pound boneless pork rib roast and it worked perfectly.  I did cut all of the ingredients in half since it was much smaller.  Also, it was pre-salted which I didn't notice until after.  I would have cut the salt out in the recipe had I known, so check your roast for that or it may be a little too salty.  Also, the original recipe calls for olives and cilantro, so I included them here.  I hate olives so I left them out.  As much as I would have loved to have a heaping pile of fresh cilantro stirred into this, thanks to 2 glorious years lived in Venezuela, my husband will not touch the stuff (or smell it!) so I had to leave that out.  So add those 2 ingredients at your own risk...insert evil laugh here...just kidding.  I'm sure it will be fantastic with those as well, but I put optional in there next to them.  One last thing, the whole time we were eating this, I kept thinking how incredible it would be on homemade tortillas...so if you have the time (they are actually pretty easy), you might think about going that route.  If not, store bought will work great too! 

1 boneless pork shoulder or boneless pork rib roast (3 to 4 pounds)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil (I used Olive)

2 cans (10 ounce each) green enchilada sauce

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced in half moons

2 cans (2-1/4 ounce each), sliced ripe olives, drained (Optional)

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tablespoons ground cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (Optional)

10 flour tortillas, warmed

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches (if necessary; mine was small enough that I didn't need to do it in batches).  Transfer to a slow cooker.  Combine the enchilada sauce, onion, carrots, olives, broth, cumin, garlic and oregano; pour over meat.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.  

Remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred with 2 forks.  Combine the flour and sour cream in a small bowl.  Stir into meat mixture.  Return the shredded pork back to the slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened.  If using, stir in cilantro.

Spoon 2/3 cup pork mixture onto each tortilla, top with about 3 Tablespoons of cheese.  Roll up tightly and serve. 

Recipe Source:  Taste of Home

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Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops

You know those evenings when its suddenly 5 o'clock and time to get ready for dinner, and you realize that you forgot to marinate your chicken breasts, or start the soup in the crock pot, or maybe the chicken wings you were going to make are suddenly rotten and smelly?  What...No?  You don't have those nights?  Well, kudos to you then.  However, if you are like me and have those types of night, much more often than you would like to admit, then this recipe is for you.  I have had this recipe on file to try for quite some time now, but haven't gotten to it.  But earlier this week one of those aforementioned situations happened to me, and I was stuck with no idea of what to make for my hungry brood (can you call a family of 4 a brood?!).  I flipped to this recipe, saw that I had every item needed for it, and cooked it up in less than 15 minutes.  The herb-rub was so easy to throw together and was full of flavor.  The pork chops cooked up juicy and tender, and I couldn't have been more pleased with this easy and delicious week night dinner!  So if you are ever in one of those pickles that leave you wondering what in the world you are going to feed to your sweet little faces, give this a try.  Or you could plan it into your weekly menu and make it on purpose...I will do that next time, because it was definitely good enough for that too!

Herb-Rubbed Pork Chops

Makes 2 servings, but can easily be doubled or tripled for more servings

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 pork chops (3/4 inch thick and 6 ounces each)  The original recipe said to use bone in chops.  Mine were not bone in and they worked wonderfully.  So I say use whatever you have or desire!

1-1/2 teaspoon olive oil, divided

6 Tablespoons chicken broth

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, marjoram, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Brush both sides of pork chops with 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Rub with herb mixture.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chops in remaining oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.  Remove and keep warm.  Add broth to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits.  Bring to a boil.

Return chops to the pan.  Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Serve chops with pan juices.

Recipe Source:  Slightly adapted from Taste of Home

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