Smothered Pork Chops with Smashed Potatoes

Just a link so I don't forget...these were great! Norris said I should make this every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. (he says that about all the dinners he loves, I think) The only part I didn't do was mix coleslaw in with the potatoes and just served salad on the side instead.

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/smothered-pork-chops-with-smashed-potatoes/

Maple Bacon

I have a hard time deciding on menus for showers because I want to please every type of person/diet, have something available most people can eat, and have a nice variety while still balancing cost and prep time (especially since the last two showers I have helped host have been out of town and out of my own kitchen!). When we decided on a brunch for this shower, I needed to do some sort of meat, so bacon was pretty much the automatic choice. To jazz it up, we brushed the bacon with syrup in the last few minutes of baking and it was like candied bacon. Made me think I might like to try that bacon ice cream after all!!

Maple Bacon

16 slices thick cut bacon
16 skewers, soaked for five minutes in water
~4 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 F. Skewer bacon (you can skip this step if you want to; it was just for presentation!). Place on rack fitted to baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until it's close to how you like it done. Brush on maple syrup, then return to the oven for about three minutes. Be careful when removing it from the oven so you don't get burnt by the grease!

Bistro Dinner Salad

This hearty main dish salad is kind of a twist on one of my favorites, breakfast for dinner. With bacon, fried egg, walnuts, feta, and pear, it feels rich and indulgent, but is light on the calories. All of those ingredients pack big flavor in small amounts, so you don't have to add much of any of them. If you're going for a "meat light" dinner that's big on flavor and satisfying, this is it!
For someone who said she didn't like eggs or bacon about two years ago, this is a big turn around. Bacon is quickly moving up my list and eggs with a runny yolk are the only way to eat them! (I mean it, the only way I'll eat them:)

Bistro Dinner Salad

serves 2

2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 ripe pear, chopped
mixed greens
2 sliced center cut low sodium bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 eggs

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tarragon vinegar
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Heat small skillet to medium heat and add nuts. Stir frequently until toasted. (They'll give an aroma so you know they're done--don't burn them!)
Cook eggs how you like, but a runny yolk is the best! I like to heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat and crack the egg directly into the skillet. Allow to cook for a minute or so, then I baste the pan with water. I pour in just enough to go under the egg and cover the surface of the skillet, then cover the pan with a lid for about a minute, and get a perfectly runny egg!
To make dressing, combine vinegar, honey, and mustard. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste.
Toss greens with dressing, then pear and cheese. Plate greens, top with egg, then top with walnuts and crumbled bacon.

slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Barbecue Pork Quesdillas

Norris has been making some awesome fall off the bone smoked pork lately. He comes up with his own idea for rubs and the last two have been really great. The most recent had some chipotle buffalo sauce on the outside instead of his normal olive oil and then a spice mixture and I loved loved loved it. The only problem was that we planned on feeding 10-12 people with it (we were at the lake where it's normally community dinner every night!) and there were only 5 of us eating it (where was everybody???)! This meant we had some leftovers, which I was not disappointed about, and have been eating for lunch a few days already. I put quesadillas on the menu and while I was looking through the freezer for meat, it dawned on me that the pork would be good in them. I heated up the pulled pork, mixed with Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce, and put it in a quesadilla along with mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Oh my gosh, was it good! Of course, I wound up topping with a couple of jalapenos and serving with a little sour cream, and it was gobbled up by the boys on poker night. SO good!
I don't know what happened to my camera, so another even crappier phone photo goes with this.

Barbecue Pork Quesadillas

(not much of a recipe!)

two flour tortillas
barbecue pork mixed with a little extra barbecue sauce
sauteed sweet onions
mozzarella and cheddar cheeses (shredded) --amount is your preference

Make in quesadilla maker or on stovetop. Serve with jalapenos and sour cream.

Honey Mustard Pork Chop with Crispy Potatoes

I haven't been around for a while (and I clearly have not been working on my photography skills!). I got all caught up in the end of school, time at the lake, workin' on my tan, vacation, and summer curriculum work! When we sat down for this dinner, I told Norris I couldn't even remember the last time I made a hot dinner at home! I have made a few things here and there, but haven't taken pictures. I'll link to a few of the recipes because I've been relying on old favorites plus a couple of new ones.

I love thinly sliced potatoes baked until they're crunchy, so this was right up my alley. I even garnished with tarragon from my driveway! (that sounds weird...the pot with the herbs sits in front of the garage so the dogs don't eat them, so it's on my driveway, not herbs growing in the cracks or anything:) The last point I have to include is that this is seriously easy and it smelled awesome while cooking. Less than 30 minutes start to finish!

Happy Summer! Hope you're soaking it up!

Honey Mustard Pork Chops with Crispy Potatoes

5 small Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
4 small pork chops
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp paprika
fresh tarragon, chopped

Preheat oven to 450. Toss potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper. Arrange in single layer on lined baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through. (I sometimes bake them a little longer if they're not quite crispy)
In the meantime, season pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
Combine honey, mustard, and paprika in a small dish.
Place chops in heated pan and top with part of the honey mustard glaze. Cook on this side for about four minutes, then flip and cook on other side for about four more minutes, topping with the rest of the glaze. Cook pork chops to your preference.
Garnish with fresh tarragon.


Smoky Ham and Corn Salad

Again with the salads--can you tell we are going on a tropical beach vacation soon? :) I am getting so excited! Pool time, good food, and friends, here we come!
I saw this recipe idea on Eating Well and changed it around to fit us (and the ingredients I had in my fridge to use up). Norris kept saying how good the dressing was the whole time we were eating it. He thinks we should use it in wraps, on tacos, and as a spread on sandwiches instead of mayo. Since we only used about 3/4 of the dressing for the salad, we'll have plenty of other places to put it. My guess is that we will have this dressing many more times!

Smoky Ham and Corn Salad

adapted from Eating Well

1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream fat free plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp paprika, preferably smoked chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
8 cups trimmed frisee or mixed salad greens chopped romaine
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup fresh corn kernels, from one large ear I roasted the ear of corn before cutting the corn off. 425 F oven for about 20 minutes
1 cup croutons, preferably whole grain I tossed some old cubed bread with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a 400 F oven for about 7 minutes
3/4 cup diced ham (about 8 oz) I heated/charred the ham in a skillet before putting over salad
1/2 cucumber, chopped

Whisk together Greek yogurt, chili powder, cumin, salt, vinegar, and pepper in a small bowl.

Toss dressing with lettuce. Toss with all the other ingredients except the croutons. Top with croutons and serve.

Cheddar Apple Bacon Sandwich

I know I've said this before, but I often find myself eating the same breakfast and lunch every weekday. I make five servings of something on Sundays and just reheat all week and it works for me. Already know the calorie count and it's a no-brainer because I don't have to bring lunch with me every day (just bring it all on Monday and store it in my fridge at work).

Three times this week I wound up eating the same thing for dinner too, so I ate the exact same breakfast, lunch, and snack three times this week. Sounds boring, but everything was so good that I just wanted to have it again! This sandwich is not much of a recipe, and I didn't take a photo/think I would share it the first two times because it's just a sandwich, but decided if I've had it three times in a week I better have some record of it for me to refer to later when I'm looking for ideas. This combination is delicious!!



Cheddar Apple Bacon Sandwich

1.5 pieces center cut bacon, cut in half

1 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut in thin slices

1/2 fuji or gala apple (my favorite varieties for things like this), cut in thin slices

2 pieces whole wheat bread

honey dijon mustard to taste

Cook bacon. Drain off drippings (leave enough just to grease bottom of pan if cooking in pan). Arrange bacon, cheese and apple slices on bread pieces. Cook in pan and press down to flatten sandwich. Cook on both sides for about four minutes. Spread with honey dijon mustard.

OR--if you have a sweet panini press like I do (thanks Jason and Amber!) make it on that!

Bacon Pierogie Bake

With the start of spring comes the end of the "comfort food" season (in my mind anyway!). My menu planning seems to still be stuck in winter mode this week for some reason. Can't wait for more of the fresh tastes of summer, though!
This meal came together quickly and we both really liked it. I had never looked for pierogies in my grocery store and was actually surprised to find them. I got plain potato pierogies instead of potato and onion since the Mr. doesn't eat onions. My chives have just started growing again so I was excited to be able to just go outside and snip them to use on top of the dish. Anxious to see what other herbs are hiding under that dirt!!

Bacon Pierogie Bake

from Cooking Light and Cooking This and That

16 oz package frozen potato pierogies
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 mushrooms, sliced (I added this..you can omit)
1/3 cup Neufchatel cheese (low fat cream cheese)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (used about 1/3 cup)
1 small plum tomato, seeded and diced (omitted)

1/4 cup thin sliced green onions (used chives)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place frozen pierogies in dish.

Cook bacon in a saute pan until crisp. Remove from pan. (I removed half of the drippings at this point also).

Saute garlic in drippings for 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add broth and whisk until combined. Pour sauce over pierogies and top with mushrooms and cheese. Be sure to cover the pierogies with sauce (turn them over if you have to) so they don't dry out on the edges. Bake for 15 minutes, then top with tomatoes and bacon and bake an additional five minutes.

Sprinkle with green onions and black pepper and serve.

Spinach Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette

Yummmm...I think even people who think they don't like spinach will like this salad. This is the start of the recipes my students will be using in their ProStart state competition next Wednesday. A little preview for those of you who will be coming to watch! This salad is excellent. This is a class recipe, but actually was inspired by a salad I had at a restaurant. I love the basil mixed in with the spinach for a little extra flavor and the sundried tomatoes are like candy. The dijon vinaigrette gives it just enough tang and bacon a little smokey flavor. Such a great combination of flavors!

Spinach salad with Dijon vinaigrette

Serves 2

2 cups Spinach leaves

2 tbsp Sundried tomatoes
2 tbsp Feta cheese
2 slices bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
6 leaves basil, chiffonade
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp White wine vinegar
1/4 Red pepper,  brunoise (tiny dice)

Cook bacon in sauté pan over medium heat. Remove from heat, place on paper towels to drain. Crumble bacon.
Wash, trim, and drain spinach leaves. Chill until service.
Chop sundried tomatoes. Crumble feta cheese.
For dressing, combine white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and sugar in small bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To assemble salad, toss spinach with dressing to taste in bowl. Toss in cheese and sundried tomatoes. Plate salad and top with bacon and red pepper.

Corn and Bacon Chowder

Another Cooking Light recipe! I wouldn't call it corn and bacon chowder considering the bacon is just a garnish, but it's good stuff! The corn is nice and sweet--it smelled like cornbread while it was cooking. Perfect for a cold day!

Corn and Bacon Chowda

from Cooking Light

2 turkey bacon slices

1/2 cup chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper mix

32 oz frozen baby gold and white corn, thawed and divided

2 cups milk, divided (used skim)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 cup reduced fat shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Cook bacon until crisp, remove from pan, crumble, and set aside. Saute veggies and 16 oz corn in bacon drippings for five minutes or until tender.

Blend 16 oz corn and 1 cup milk in blender until smooth. Add pureed corn to vegetables in pan. Stir in remaining milk, salt, pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat without boiling, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Serve with bacon crumbles on top.

Soy Glazed Sauteed Green Beans

When searching for a new recipe to use for our dry heat cooking labs, I came across this recipe for green beans. Teenagers are notorious for not eating their vegetables, so I try to present them in every way I can find to get them to enjoy them! After trying these, at least three said they were the best green beans they've ever had. I'd say that was a success! I also really love these and plan to bring them for Thanksgiving this year at my in-laws! Special thanks to my lovely mom for making them for our family feast:)

Soy Glazed Sauteed Green Beans

from localgoodness.com

nonstick cooking spray
2 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb frozen green beans (no need to thaw)
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
fresh ground black pepper

Spray a saute pan with cooking spray. Cook bacon over medium high heat until it begins to brown.
Add green beans and onions to pan and cook until beans are tender-crisp and onions have browned (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Combine honey and soy sauce and pour over beans. Stir mixture together, season with pepper, and cook for about 3 more minutes, or until sauce has thickened.

Orange Pork

I always find great recipes in my AllRecipes cookbook, and this was definitely one of them. The only thing I would change for next time is to add in a bunch of veggies--julienned carrots for sure! I would also garnish with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions. I changed the recipe according to some suggestions I read--rather than whole chops, I cut them into cubes. I served over whole wheat noodles with steamed broccoli and we both really enjoyed it!

Orange Pork

adapted from All Recipes

Yield: 4 servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless pork chops, cut into cubes
1 cup julienned carrots
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp water
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp flour
Garnish: toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions

Place flour in ziploc bag and toss pork in it until evenly (very lightly) coated.
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir fry pork and carrots until evenly browned on both sides, but pork is not done all the way through. Remove pork and carrots from skillet.
Add orange juice, soy sauce, and sugar to skillet and cook for 2 minutes, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan.
In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Stir slurry into sauce. Return pork and carrots to skillet and simmer until pork is cooked all the way through, carrots are crisp-tender, and sauce is thickened.

Creamy Potato Soup with Ham

This is another dish we made at school that I had to share. I don't take pictures of school food typically--because they are too anxious to eat it, and because I think it would be strange to get my camera out every time we make stuff (unless I was taking pictures of the kids, but then I still wouldn't share them with you since the kids were in it!!)

Anyway, this is worth sharing even sans picture. You could change out the cream and half and half for milk. We made it with cream and 1/2 and 1/2 just because I had some. I don't know where I got the recipe--I just had it in my folder. The kids loved it and everybody was taking the recipe home to try to convince their parents to let them make this weekend :)

Creamy Potato Soup with Ham

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cups diced ham

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable broth (we used chicken)

1 cup water

4 to 5 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp flour

1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 or whole milk; more if needed to thin

salt and pepper, to taste (don't forget about how salty the ham is before you have your way with the salt shaker!!)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, optional

sliced green onions for garnish, optional

shredded cheese for garnish, optional

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, and ham. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute longer. Add vegetable broth and water and potatoes; cover and cook for about 25 minutes over medium heat, until potatoes are tender. Whisk flour into the heavy cream until smooth; stir into the hot mixture. Stir in the 1/2 and 1/2 or milk. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Mash slightly to thicken and add more milk if necessary.

Serve garnished with parsley, green onions, and shredded cheese.

Serves 6

Panko Crusted Pork Chops

This is another recipe from my cousin Carianne--I've almost tried every recipe she's given me and I've enjoyed them all! The only thing I changed was to bake them instead of pan fry them. I have had them stovetop before though and they are excellent that way, too!

Like she said, less smoke in the house this way, too! I served these with apricot balsamic vinaigrette (also from Carianne) and my favorite apple spinach salad.

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

1 c whole wheat panko bread crumbs

2 T olive oil (if you are cooking stovetop)

4, 4 oz pork chops

Mix egg whites and egg on a large flat plate. Place bread crumbs on another large plate.
(If cooking stovetop, heat pan and olive oil. If baking, preheat oven to 400 F). Coat pork chops with egg mixture then bread crumbs and cook in pan for eight minutes on each side or in the oven for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. I used my pizza crisper pan to make sure to get crispy on both sides. The underside always crisps first, so don't be fooled because your top isn't crisp--go ahead and flip halfway through! Check with meat thermometer that you're eating fully cooked pork!

Serve with apricot balsamic vinaigrette.

I calculated these to be 282 calories per chop. (if you bake them)

Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Bites

Look at these little dandies (you should look at their pictures, not mine--I forgot to take one until we were already in the car and they were in the crockpot!)--easy to make and perfect party finger food. I just got finished making these (as in, my hands still smell like bacon. Hope that doesn't stick around on my keyboard...) and they're pretty great! As of a week ago, I did not like bacon or mayonnaise. This week, I ate both. I don't know what's wrong with me, or if it's around to stay. I still really can't stand the thought of a potato salad type thing with thick mayonnaise in it though. Who knows? I also had bacon at my parents' house and liked it, weird! So, I decided to try it this way for a New Years party we went to.

This recipe is from Pioneer Woman, who I am constantly trying to win a KitchenAid mixer from. Hopefully my day will come. She actually was sharing it from someone else--here are both links.

Pioneer Woman

wendydarling's Bacon wrapped pineapple bites

Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Bites

1 lb bacon

1 can chunk pineapple, drained (can sub fresh pineapple here)

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used closer to 3/4-1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375. Cut bacon in half.

Place brown sugar in shallow dish. Dredge bacon through brown sugar, place a pineapple chunk on the bacon, and roll the half slice around the chunk. Secure with toothpick.

Bake on roaster or just in jelly roll pan (foil lined or Silpat for easy cleanup!) for 25 minutes. Place under broiler for last few minutes for the crispy bite. Enjoy!

(I kept them warm in a crockpot for the party-they lost their crisp but they were still good!)

Smoky Grilled Red Potato Salad

I had to greet you with this precious face:)

This is my favorite recipe I have posted in a while!!! I have had my eye on this since before Colleen actually even made it--when she was talking about this idea she had for grilled potato salad! Potato salad isn't something I typically make just to have around, but we were going to a barbecue, so it seemed like the perfect time to give it a try. I like how she describes it as a delicious variation of a loaded baked potato, because I'm pretty sure everybody likes those! I don't even like regular potato salad, mayonnaise, OR bacon, but I thought this was pretty good! The people who ate it at the barbecue said they loved it, too!

The only thing I did differently was use my broiler instead of the actual grill. It's WAY too hot outside to go start the grill. I'll try it again this fall for football season and see what it's like on the grill.

As I said before, this recipe is from Colleen, who dreamed it up herself. Thanks for sharing!

Smoky Grilled Red Potato Salad

from Colleen's Kitchen
Makes about 8 side dish servings
about 2 pounds red potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
1 cup low fat mayo
1 tablespoon barbeque sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
2 ounces REAL Bacon Bits (1/2 of a 4-ounce bag)
1 cup coarsely shredded cheddar cheese
Thickly slice scrubbed potatoes and quarter each slice. Toss in a bowl and lightly coat with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and gently mix to combine.
Combine mayo, barbecue sauce, and salt and pepper in a large bowl; set aside.
Heat the grill to medium-high. Lay potatoes on a piece of non-stick foil and place directly on the grill. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning potatoes so that they cook evenly on both sides. You will know they are finished when they look golden-brown and crispy.
Transfer potatoes to the large bowl with mayo mixture. Gently toss until combined. Once the potatoes have cooled a little bit (so that cheese doesn't melt), add green onions, bacon bits, and cheese; mix again.
Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Lentil Soup

Another "new" food in our house--lentils! A great way to get a lot of bulk for cheap. Norris wanted to know what they were, and I was trying to explain them as kind of like beans or seeds...they're just lentils! Look them up if you want!

This recipe is just kind of based on what I had in my cabinets. I made chicken tostadas last night, so I made sure to keep some chicken for tonight, and will make a sausage and egg dish for dinner tomorrow night, so just cooked the sausage early and used some tonight. Use all chicken or all sausage, or neither one, if you want.

I used the greenish brown ones. It is difficult to take a picture of a steaming bowl of soup. When dinner was ready, Norris looked at it and called it "interesting", but I won him over on lentils--he liked it! I served it with sweet cornbread and a few kale chips for myself.

Lentil Soup

Makes 6 servings

Nonstick cooking spray
1 c chopped onion (optional)
1 c coarsely chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 t dried basil
4 c coarsely chopped kale
¼ t salt
1/8 t black pepper
½ c cooked cubed chicken
½ c cooked sausage
2/3 c lentils
1 t crushed red pepper (optional, for topping)

Coat an unheated large nonstick saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium-heat. Add onion, carrots, and garlic to hot saucepan. Cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until vegetables are nearly tender, stirring occasionally.
Add chicken broth and dried basil to vegetable mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in kale, salt, and pepper. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in chicken, sausage, and lentils. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes more or until kale and lentils are tender.

Finish with more sea salt and/or crushed red pepper, if desired.

Maple Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I found a long lost (well, not THAT long, still good to eat!) half of a large pork tenderloin in the freezer and needed to find something to make with it. A quick search gave me this recipe from Joelen. The only change I made was to bake it in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes at a time, flipped sides and recovering with sauce from the pan each time, until done. Served with thinly sliced roasted potatoes with Herbs de Provence and sea salt on them and some salad, it was a warm and filling meal...perfect for a snowy evening!
I am just going to link to the recipe since I used her exact recipe and I don't have a picture..oops! Hers is droolworthy though, so just look there if you're a visual person:)

Fall Feast!

To kick off the real fall weather (and because I got a big bag of free apples!), we made a fall feast yesterday and today in my classes. We made roasted pork loin, apple stuffing, and pumpkin bread. The pork loin was great because it was marinating overnight and we made some random cuts in it to get the flavor all the way through. The apple stuffing was defnitely different, but I liked it. A little less liquid next time, in my opinion. We also cut the onion in half. The pumpkin bread was SO great. It was so full flavored, and a little spicy with the nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. It was incredible--definitely my favorite! Good thing, because we are going to use that recipe for our fall food sale!
Fall food sale choices were finally made; we will be making that pumpkin bread, the apple spice bars, pumpkin pie, lemon poppyseed bread, cinnamon sugar biscotti, and cloverleaf yeast rolls. We will put the order forms out tomorrow and start baking up a storm in a couple of weeks! Hopefully we have a lot of orders from the teachers in the building--we wrote on the order form that people who order can "fool your family members into thinking you made it yourself!" If that's not a selling point, I don't know what would be !! :)

Today's menu and recipes:

Roasted Pork Loin (from allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (4 pound) boneless pork loin roast

DIRECTIONS
Combine spices and rub over pork loin.
Randomly cut 20 deep slits, 1 in. wide, on inside surface of roast. Fill slits with some of spice mixture. Wrap in foil. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 hours (overnight is fine).
After marinating, remove foil and place pork in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450 for ten minutes. Then lower oven temperature to 275 to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours longer. Check internal temperature to determine doneness.

Apple Stuffing

(I looked at a whole bunch of different recipes, from allrecipes to Joy of Cooking, to decide on the following recipe. It's mostly from Joy of Cooking. I would change it for next time by using about 3/4 of the liquid we used this time.)

8 slices white bread, torn into small pieces
3 apples, peeled and cut fine
½ t rubbed sage
¾ t salt
1 dash pepper
½ c margarine
1/2 medium onion, chopped fine
½ c milk
1 egg, beaten

1. Mix bread, apples, sage, salt, and pepper in a bowl and set aside.
2. Melt margarine over stovetop and add chopped onion. Simmer a few minutes.
3. Remove from stove and add milk and egg.
4. Pour this mixture over dry ingredients and mix well.Bake in greased casserole pan at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Pumpkin Bread

from Good Things Catered; originally from Joy of Cooking; funny because I found it in Joy of Cooking and figured I'd browse the internet quickly to see if there were any better ones, and saw it again, and knew it must be good! It is the best pumpkin bread I've ever eaten and I am a pumpkin lover!
We took the allspice out of one batch and left it in the other; they tasted pretty similar; if you don't have it you don't have to go out and buy it for this. It is tasty both ways!


Ingredients:
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/3 c. milk
½ tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp butter, at room temp
1 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 c. pumpkin puree

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Have all ingredients at room temp and prepare 9x5 loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, soda, powder, salt and spices thoroughly.
In another bowl combine milk and vanilla.
In large bowl of mixer beat butter until creamy (about 30 sec).
Gradually add sugars and beat on high speed until lightened in texture (3-4 min).
Beat in eggs one at a time.
Add pumpkin puree on low speed until just blended.
Add flour mixture in 3 parts alternating with the milk mixture in 2 parts beating on low or stirring with spatula until just combined.
Scrape batter into pan and spread evenly.
Bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.