Brown Sugar/ Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Jud says, put this on the regular rotation.  It was amazing, and so easy.  I forgot to put parchment paper under the pork when I cooked it, so it will soak overnight. But so worth it.  I found this recipe on Pinterest. You can find it Here





Ingredients:
1 1/2 pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper, to season
Brown Sugar Dijon Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1-2 teaspoons brown sugar
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pork tenderloin and brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
3. Place pork tenderloin in an oven proof pan lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Brush the entire pork tenderloin the Dijon Mustard. Then sprinkle the pork tenderloin with brown sugar all over and press gently with your fingers to make it stick.
4. Bake, uncovered for 30 - 40 minutes, or until pork is cooked through. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
5. Slice and serve with a Brown Sugar/Dijon dipping sauce if desired. ( And you do desire, trust me). I did not measure, but the recipe says mix together 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard and 2 teaspoons brown sugar.

Mushroom Gravy Smothered Pork Chops

 Found this recipe Here  I cut this recipe in 1/2 using only 3 pork chops. I forgot to take the picture until we were almost finished. I only used one can of mushroom soup, but think I would use both next time because we had mashed potatoes and would have enjoyed more.
Printable Version
Ingredients

• 6-8 large pork chops, bone in
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp of ground sage (I usually don't measure this out - I just go by taste)
• Vegetable oil
• 2 (10oz) cans reduced sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
2. Season the pork chops with sage and ground pepper.
3. Coat the chops with the bread crumbs making sure that all sides are covered.
4. Heat some vegetable oil in a large pan.
5. Once the oil is hot enough (Med. Heat) fry up the chops so that they are browned on each side.
6. Once browned lay the pork chops on a baking sheet lined with a couple layers of paper towel to help remove any excess fat.
7. Once they have all been browned and set on the paper towel lay them in a large rectangular baking dish or casserole dish. It's fine if the pork chops overlap some.
8. In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl combine the condensed soup with the milk. Make sure it's well combined.
9. Pour the sauce evenly over the chops.
10. Bake the chops in the oven covered with aluminum foil for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Crockpot Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

You can find the recipe Here. Jud usually grills our pork tenderloin out on the grill but it was hot and the mosquitos were swarming outside so I found this recipe and it will be added to our go-to meals. The original recipe called for pork loin, but we used a pork tenderloin.  We both loved it.  The sauce would be good on cardboard. It was that good.



Printable Version

Ingredients  

1 (2 lb) Pork loin

1 teaspoon Ground sage

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Pepper

1 clove Garlic; crushed

1/2 cup Water

1/2 cup Brown sugar

1 tablespoon Cornstarch

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup Water

2 tablespoons Soy sauce

Preparation

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic.

Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan (brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water, soy sauce)

Heat and stir until mixture thickens.

Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking.

Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Grilled Pork Medalions

What a great way to cook pork tenderloins.  4 minutes per side and your meat is ready.  Zucchini - 5-6 minutes per side and you have a nice side.  The feta/butter is a must. Loved this meal.  We had a few home grown tomatoes, but I didn't take a picture of them. Didn't want to make you too jealous.  I found this recipe in the food section of the Austin American Statesman.



Ingredients for Pork:
1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for flavored butter:
1/4 cup feta - plain or flavored
4 tablespoons soft butter
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon lemon or orange zest
Directions:
Slice tenderloin on a diagonal 1/2 - 3/4 ".- about 10 slices. Pound round to 1/4 " thickness. Pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. The recipe says to grill the pork 2 minutes on each side, but my grill master says 4 minutes per side. Ours was perfect for our taste.  He says to just play it by ear, whatever that means.  Who can argue with a grill master?

To make the butter - Combine butter, feta, oregano, zest, salt and pepper. Set aside for when meat and zucchini are done.

To make the zucchini - Cut it in half lengthwise. Season with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the grill, cut side down.  Again the recipe says 3 minutes per side, but Jud grilled it about 4-5 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other.

Chipotle Pork Tacos

I got this recipe from the April 2011 Cooking Light. I could not find it online to give you the link. Cooks in about 10 minutes. I used a whole pork tenderloin so we have enough for lunch later this week.






Printable Version Ingredients
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chopped chipotle chile in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
___________________
Cooking spray to cook shallots
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 corn tortillas
reduced-fat sour cream
chopped cilantro
1. Place pork tenderloin between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet. Remove plastic wrap. Cut pork into thin strips. Combine pork tenderloin and next 7 ingredients.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots to pan; saute' for 4 minutes or until tender. Place shallots in a large bowl. Add oil to pan. Add pork saute' for 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Add pork to shallots.
3. Warm tortillas according to the package directions. Spoon 1/3 cup pork mixture onto each tortilla, and top each tortilla with 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream and cilantro. Fold in half.

Smothered Meatballs and Marinara

I found this recipe for the meatballs and marinara Here
The recipe for the spaghetti was found Here  Jud declared that this was a once a week meal.  I added capers to the spaghetti recipe because I had them.


Ingredients for the Meatballs
1 pound lean ground pork
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded Havarti cheese (or cheese of choice)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt
Remaining ingredients
1 cup marinara
1 cup shredded Havarti cheese (or cheese of choice)
1/4 cup sliced basil
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
To make meatballs, combine all ingredients for the meatballs. Roll into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and place on a paper towel to drain the grease. Add the marinara to the cast iron skillet, place the meatballs on top of the marinara sauce and top with the shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Top with basil.

I only used about 1/2 of the package of spaghetti, but you could certainly use the whole package of spaghetti. It was delicious. 

Ingredients for the Pasta

• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 tablespoons butter (NOT margarine)
• 1 lemon
• lemon zest
• 1 Tablespoon capers, drained

Directions

1. Put a skillet over medium heat. Drop in the butter, zest, lemon juice and garlic.
2. Melt, blend and stir all the ingredients together.
3. Toss with pasta and serve

Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms

We planted fennel in our garden. When it was ready to pick, I found this recipe Here  It makes enough for 6 so we are having left-overs later this week. Even if you don't have fresh fennel, it would be worth buying it in the grocery store.  





Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped for garnish
1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
1- 8 oz. package sliced fresh crimini mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (or more) low- salt chicken broth
1- 16 oz. package dried tortellini with pesto filling or fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling (this is what I used
15 oz. package fresh baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional ( for serving)
Method:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; saute" until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12-15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced slightly thickened. (2-3 minutes.  Cook tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm. Dran and return to pot. Add sausage mixture to tortellini. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach and stir until wilted. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fennel fronds and serve with additional cheese.

Alton Brown's Baby Back Ribs

These are some of the best ribs I have ever had.  I have already put these on my blog, but I didn't have a picture and wanted to add that.   The first time I had these was at Stacy's house. She made them for Father's Day. She knows her daddy's love for anything B.B.Q.  I used Tim and Mary Son's Margarita Mix.

Printable Version

1 full rack/slab baby back ribs kosher salt Alton's spice Rub number 9 - Liquid 1.  1/2 cup orange juice 2.  1/2 cup prepared Margarita mix You will add #3-6 later. 3.  1/3 cup honey 4.  1/3 cup ketchup 5.  1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 6.  1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Rub Number 9  5 parts brown sugar 3 parts chili powder 1 part garlic powder 1/2 part ground thyme 1/4 part cayenne 1/4 part allspice Alton recommends tablespoons for the first time you make this rub. Then, you realize you can use it on other foods and you make it by the cups. Seriously, that man knows what he's doing 1 day ahead Rinse the ribs and pat dry with a paper towel. Cover a broiler pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Roll out a pice of heavy-duty aluminum foil roughly 4 inces longer than the ribs on both end. Season the ribs liberally with the salt and Rub number 9.Turn the ribs meat-side down and tightly seal, folding in the sides of the foil first, and then the end. Put the packet in the broiling pan and refrigerate for 6-12 hours, flopping over once. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the rib-packet out of the refrigerator and unroll one end. Shaping the foil upward like a funnel. Pour in the orange juice and margarita mixture. Reseal the foil packet, and as Alton says, "see-saw it back and forth" so that the ribs are evenly covered with fruit juices. Put the pan in the middle of the oven and cook at 350 degrees. After 1 hour, reduce temperature to 250 degrees and cook for approximately 2 more hours. Remove the pan from the oven and unroll one end of the meat packet. Carefully drain all juice into a small saucepan. Add the honey, ketchup, worcestershire and cayenne pepper. Whisk and stir as you put the mixture on high and bring to a boil. When it's of a spoon-coating consistency, take it off the heat and find a brush that you can use for painting. Remove the ribs from oven, move the oven rack to the next to top position and turn the boiler on high. While broiler is heating, cut the slab into four even pieces. Place ribs on broiling pan, meat side up. Brush with glaze and broil for 2-3 minutes. Reglaze and repeat until the ribs are a dark mahogany color. Flip the ribs bone side up, glaze and broil for 1 minute longer Remove and allow to cool before serving.

Pulled Pork with Roasted Broccoli

This was an A+ meal. I love these kind of meals because tomorrow night we will pour barbeque sauce over the pulled pork and make sandwiches. You can find the Pioneer Woman's recipe for the pulled pork Here.  You can find the recipe for the Parmesan Roasted Broccoli by Barefoot Contessa Here  I strongly recommend both of them.




Ingredients for the pulled pork

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chile powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pork shoulder roast (also called pork butt)
• 4 onions, cut into halves
• 1 bottle good barbecue sauce
• Good-quality hamburger rolls, for serving

Directions

Stir together the brown sugar, chile powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and cayenne in a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the pork shoulder. Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. I used the crock pot.
Place the pork in a large pot on a bed of the onion halves.I poured a bottle of barbeque sauce over the meat. (I guess I didn't read the directions very closely.) Roast until fork-tender and falling apart, about 7 hours. Remove the pork from the pot and set it on a cutting board. I put mine in the crock pot and cooked it on low for 5 hours and then turned it to high and cooked it an additional 2 hours. It probably would have been done cooking it on low the whole time, but I was getting a little nervous about it being ready when we wanted to eat.
Place the pot on the stove over medium-high heat and add 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water. Scrape the pan to loosen up the bits and cook for 5 minutes to reduce. Pour in the barbecue sauce and stir to heat.
Shred the meat with two forks, then toss in the barbecue sauce until it's coated to your liking! Serve on hamburger rolls.

Recipe courtesy of Ree Drummond

I did not use the barbeque sauce that was in the crock pot because I thought it had too much grease. I served it tonight with mashed potatoes and broccoli w/o the sauce.  Tomorrow, I will pour fresh barbecue sauce over the shredded pulled pork and make sandwiches.

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds broccoli
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• Good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.
Note: Recipe was halved for TV

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved

Roast Pork Loin with Rood Vegetables

This is a recipe from ina-garten and you can find it Here
I forgot to take a picture with the root vegetables. This was what was left and I took a picture the next day so you could see it.
 As usual I cut everything down for two people.





Printable Version
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 (3pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied
3 small fennel bulbs, tops removed
8 carrots, peeled, and thickly sliced 
10 small potatoes (red or white-skinned), cut in quarters
2 yellow onions, thickly sliced
4 tablespoons good olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
With a mortar and pestle, or in a food proce3ssor, fitted with a steel blade, grind together garlic, 1 tablespoon slat, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard. Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the fennel bulbs in thick wedges, cutting through the core. Toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, salt and pepper to taste. Place the vegetables in a large roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes. Add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. The meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork should read exactly 138 degrees. ( I think I like mine a little more done) Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat and slice it thickly. Arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter. Sprinkle with walt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Serve warm.