Pork Tenderloin with Currant Sauce

First, let me add I know I have not posted to this blog in almost a year. I have about a gazillion recipes I could post, but certainly not enough pictures because I stopped taking them. But this one seemed to warrant a post. 

AND I certainly hope my Aunt Dawn does not mind me sharing this recipe, but it seems to be a popular request already! And if I wasnt allowed to share I could never share anything...she literally is the one who inspires me to cook and bake and try new things. 

Let me tell you... this is a great pork recipe that produced the most tender pork loin ever. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

1 pork tenderloin

Olive oil

½ c. Butter

8 oz. Blk Currant Jelly or red

Sm. Carton Heavy cream

Dried mustard

Rosemary

Salt and pepper

Flour

Rub tenderloin with salt/pepper/dried mustard

Brown in a little olive oil (about 2 or 3 minutes each side)

In the meantime melt butter and jelly

After meat is browned place it in baking dish or 13x9 glass pan. Pour jelly/butter liquid over tenderloin, sprinkle w/ 3 tsp. rosemary. Cover and bake for 45 minutes. DO NOT uncover. 

After 45 minutes mix 1 TBSP flour w/ a bit of heavy cream (I would say a 1/4 c). Pour into tenderloin pan, stir and add remaining heavy cream. (You may need to move tenderloin around to ensure it mixes properly. Make sure to completely mix the cream with the jelly/butter liquid.) Before placing back in the oven baste the pork with liquid.  

                                                                                    

Cook another 15 or 20 minutes. I cooked covered for about 10 minutes and uncovered another 10 after basting again. Truthfully cook to your desired temperature. 

Side note: You can use red currant, but if you can find black it looks better. I had a hard time finding black jelly, but World Market had the preserves (so it has some of the fruit but we thought the fruit added a nice touch and flavor). 

Truthfully, this was my first attempt at a pork tenderloin AND it was super easy...

Oreo Truffles

Yes you heard that correctly...Oreo Truffles. These were just as popular as the Double Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies AND they only require 3 ingredients.

What you will need: 
1 package of double stuffed Oreos
4/6 oz of soften cream cheese (the amount is up to you)
White dipping chocolate



1. Crush the Oreos. You can use a food processor or in my case the Magic Bullet. It does not look like a lot when you are done, but all you will need is one package.

2. Mash up cream cheese and mix thoroughly with the crushed Oreos.





3. Roll these into tablespoon (or large depending on how many you need) balls

4. Place these on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

5. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until solid.

6. While the Oreo balls are in the freezer prepare the white chocolate for dipping. I normally use Baker's chocolate because it does not require the whole "double boiler." Just make sure to stir every 30 seconds.

7. Dip half of the balls into the white chocolate. Once all the balls have been dipped you will take the remaining white chocolate and drizzle along the tops.

8. Place the truffles back into the freezer. Once the chocolate has hardened make sure to leave them in the refrigerator when you are not enjoying them!

Scalloped Potatoes and Ground Beef

So I had been looking for another use with ground beef and I came across this little gem. But beware this is cheesy.

What you will need: 
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
5-6 russet potatoes (peeled and thinly sliced)
2 cups of shredded cheese

For the Sauce: 
2 cans condensed cream of chicken
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup light cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt


fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

In a skillet cook the ground beef with onion, bell pepper and chili flakes (if using) until no longer pink; drain fat over a colander.

Return to pan and add in garlic, season salt and black pepper; cook stirring with a wooden spoon until the meat is lightly browned (I usually add in about 1-2 tablespoons bacon fat that I keep frozen in my freezer to the meat while browning for added flavor and it also helps to brown the meat) set aside.

For the sauce; in a medium bowl mix together the undiluted soup with onion, milk, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, seasoned salt and black pepper to taste; mix well to combine.

In a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish or a large oval casserole dish, alternately layer the sliced potatoes on bottom of the baking dish, then soup mixture (I like to sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top of the soup mixture) then the ground beef mixture on top.

Since this is a large casserole I strongly suggest to place the baking dish on a jelly-roll sheet in case of any spills.

Bake covered with foil for about 1 hour at 350 degrees F.

Uncover and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender (baking time will vary depending on the thickness of your sliced potatoes).

Remove from oven then sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese; return to oven for 4-5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Spring Beef & Vegetable Stew

One of the only reasons I subscribe to Woman's Day is because I always find great recipes. This was a pretty good one AND took no effort. It was a crock-pot recipe.

What you will need: 
1 16oz pkg of frozen pearl onions
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
2 medium carrots
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lb lean stew beef
salt and pepper
2 tbsp flour
Egg noodles
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp tarragon

In a 5 to 6 qt slow cooker combine the onions, tomatoes, carrots and wine.

Season the beef with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the flour; toss to coat. Add to slow cooker and cook, covered, until the beef is tender. This will be 6 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

With twenty-five minutes left until you are ready to serve, cook the egg noodles according to package instructions. With about 5 minutes before serving add peas over the beef and cook, until heated through. Fold in the tarragon and serve over noodles.

Just add a small green salad and biscuits and you have a perfect meal.

Double Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I dont even know what to say about these. My agents would know what to tell you...THEY ARE GREAT...these hockey puck size cookies were gone before lunch and my agents dont arrive until 9/10am.

I call these milk dunking cookies...

What you will need: 
1 cup of butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chips (and in this case less is more)
1 pack/24 double stuffed Oreos


Bake at 350 for 13 minutes

Cream sugars and butter until smooth, but do not over mix. Beat vanilla and eggs.

Mix flour, salt and baking soda. Add this to the sugar mixture slowly. This mixture will be a little thicker than most of my cookie recipes, but dont worry it is right.

Once all the ingredients are mixed add in the chocolate chips. Do not add more! I promise from my experience less is more in this situation. (I was instructed to use 2 cups but that was too much and made the next process difficult.)

Here is where the fun begins. You will take about 2 tbls of cookie and create cookie dough balls. Place one ball on the top of the Oreo and another on the bottom. You will cup the dough and Oreo to seal the cookie dough around the Oreo. Make sure it is fully enclosed.

Place these on a cookie sheet. I recommend putting approximately 8 per cookie sheet as they will need plenty of space to bake. Once the cookies begin to brown you will take them out and let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes (no more then 5 minutes).

Now here is the most important suggestion...do not eat these hot. For some reason the Oreo loses the "oreo-ness." Once they have cooled make sure to pour yourself a glass of cold milk because these are perfect milk dunking cookies.

Pineapple Upside Cupcakes

Wow...it has been a long time since I posted anything. I guess with my wedding less than free weeks away there has been a back-log of just about everything. So as I sit here with a few moments to well "do nothing" but watch some TV I thought I would work on a few of the meals/baked goods I have done over the last month.

So to start (again) is Pineapple Upside Cupcakes which were to honor a coworker who spent an afternoon hanging upside down in his car. He is okay, which is why we can have this laugh over a dessert in honor of his accident.

What you will need:
Duncan Hines Pineapple Upside Cake mix
butter
brown sugar
maraschino cherries
pineapple tidbits (save the juice)

This has to be the easiest recipe. These will make approximately 2 dozen.

Follow the instructions of the cake mix for oven temperature and time for baking. Spray your cupcake pan and dust with flour.

First, mix the cake batter but make sure to substitute the water with pineapple juice. This will add a more pineapple-y flavor.

Melt the butter and place 1 tsp. of butter in each cupcake cup. Place 1 tbsp. of brown sugar in each cup and a maraschino cherry in the center. Scatter pineapple tidbits around the cherry.

Scoop approx. 1/3 cup of pineapple cake mix into each cup.

Once the cupcakes have finished baking let them sit for approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Run a life along the edge of the cupcakes and invert the cupcake rake. Do not be surprised if a little brown sugar or pineapple remains. Just scoop it out and place it on top of the cupcake.

They are going to be super moist and a total hit!

Southwest Chicken & Rice

So in my new found enjoyment of blogging about food I have also noticed that I need to make sure my phone saves the pictures. In this case, after we had eaten our dinner and I did a good job of plating the meal did I realize the picture did not save. So please excuse the poor picture "setting" of the Southwest Chicken.

Now Anthony loves my standard chicken and rice AND one day I will post my mom's recipe. So I wanted to try something else that would be a little more time friendly. I love a 30 minute meal..

What you will need:
1 tbs oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (equally sized)
1 can Tomato Soup
1 1/3 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups uncooked minute rice (white or brown)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (who are we kidding I used more)

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add chicken and cook 10 minutes or until browned. Set aside and pour off (or clean off fat and oil).

Add soup, water, chili powder. Heat to a boil.

Stir in rice. I let cook about half the cook time for the rice as indicated on the box. Then add chicken to the top, sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until chicken and rice are done. You will have to stir rice mixture, which is why I find it easier to almost cook the rice before adding the chicken. Make sure you have plenty of melted cheese.

This goes great with a mixed green salad and tortilla chips crunched on the top!