Perfect for Sunday Dinner

 

Pork makes for such a great Sunday dinner for extended family. It is usually less expensive than beef and can be prepared for larger groups easier than chicken.

Here's a great recipe for roast pork that we recently found.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Jelly Sauce

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
Mustard powder, to taste
Dried thyme, to taste
1/2 cup dry sherry (apple cider, apple juice, chicken broth, grape juice, white grape juice, etc. can be used as substitutes)
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, minced
3/4 cup apple jelly
2 tablespoons dry sherry (or substitute listed above)
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions:

Rub meat with the mustard powder and thyme, to taste. Place in a nonreactive dish and add 1/2 cup sherry (or substitute), 1/2 cup soy sauce, the garlic, and the ginger. Coat the pork loin well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Baste the pork occasionally while cooking.

Meanwhile, heat the apple jelly in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons sherr (or substitute) and 1 tablespoon soy sauce; stir well. Reduce heat to low and let simmer. Pour over the tenderloin when it's done.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Cookinkim. You can find it here.

Notes: This is really good. The pork was so tender and juicy and the sauce added so much. Good stuff!

 

Above: Without the sauce.

Theme Park Reminiscing

 

Well, one thing floating around the internet (and Pinterest in particular) is a copycat recipe for Disneyland inspired Dole Whips. Here's one that we tried. The taste comes pretty darn close.

Disneyland Inspired Dole Whip Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) bag of frozen Dole Pineapple Chunks
4 cups vanilla ice cream
Splash of lime juice
Splash of lemon juice
12 ounces pineapple juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients to suit your tastes (add more pineapple, ice cream, or pineapple juice, if desired). Serve and enjoy.

Source: This was inspired by Six Sisters' Stuff. It contains all the same ingredients as their recipe, but the method is slightly different. You can find that recipe here.

Notes: I was having trouble blending my pineapple, so I figured I would go the smoothie route and add all the pineapple juice instead of pouring some over the Dole Whip at the end. It tasted great (all the flavors you get at Disneyland), was a lot easier, and didn't require the freezer ripening wait time of the original recipe. The texture is different than what you get at Disneyland since it is a smoothie version, but that didn't bother me and it fulfilled my craving.

Disneyland Inspired Dole Whip "Soft Serve"

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz) bag of frozen Dole Pineapple Chunks
4 cups vanilla ice cream
Splash of lime juice
Splash of lemon juice
8-12 ounces pineapple juice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender, starting out with 8 ounces of pineapple juice and adding more, if necessary, to reach desired consistency.

Put mixture in freezer safe container and ripen in freezer 2-4 hours or until set up and scoop-able, but still soft.

Source: Again, inspired by Six Sixter's Stuff. You can find the link above.

Notes: You can let this freeze completely and then let it soften on the counter for 15 minutes or so before serving for an ice cream/sherbet version.

Eat Your Greens

I love salads with a lot of stuff in them. This is a salad that you can still tailor to your tastes, however, by dressing it with your favorite vinaigrette.

Beautiful Salad

Ingredients:

8 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 medium red onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 1/2 cups sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup honey-roasted sliced almonds
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, or to taste (the recipe suggests balsamic vinaigrette, but any kind of vinaigrette works well with this salad)

Directions:

Place spinach in a large bowl. Top with remaining ingredients, except dressing. As you serve, drizzle dressing over each salad.

Source: Allrecipes.com submitted by WENDYINTEXAS. You can find it here.

Notes: If I remember correctly, when my mom originally made this, she forgot to get balsamic vinaigrette, so she just set out all of the salad dressings she had...and we discovered that this salad was fantastic with pretty much any kind of dressing. So, dress this salad to suit your tastes and enjoy!

Leftovers Revamped

 

I make a big batch of Cafe Rio pork at least once a year, usually on or around Cinco de Mayo. We originally posted it here. We use the leftovers to make Cafe Rio inspired salads, enchiladas, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, etc. You name it. This time though, I had a ton of extra pork. I then ran across this recipe and figured that it would be the perfect way to use up the remainder of my leftover pulled pork.

Pulled Pork Tortilla Pie

Ingredients:

1 can 911 oz) Green Giant SteamCrisp chipotle white corn or Green Giant Niblets whole kernel sweet corn, drained
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso chopped green chiles, drained
12 corn tortillas
1 package (12 oz) refrigerated hickory smoked seasoned pulled pork (or leftover Cafe Rio pork)
1 container (8 oz) sour cream
1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso mild green chile enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (6 oz)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In small bowl, mix corn and chiles; set aside. In baking dish, layer 4 tortillas, half each of the pork, corn mixture, sour cream, enchlada sauce, and 1/2 cup of the cheese; repeat layering once. Layer with remaining tortillas; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly.

Source: Pillsbury. You can find it here.

Notes: In the future, I might mix the sour cream with the corn and chile mixture rather than doing a separate layer. On the website, people complained about this recipe being a little dry. However, I had no problems with that at all. Perhaps this is because my meat was still quite juicy. We really liked this. I would suggest topping this with some chopped cilantro and serving it with your favorite kind of beans and Mexican rice.

Versatile Protein

My boys are such picky eaters, but my safest bet is always chicken. Here is another chicken recipe I found that was a hit at my house.

Apple Honey Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 cup apple jelly
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Mix apple jelly, honey, mustard, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Brush chicken breasts with glaze.

Place glazed chicken breasts on the preheated grill; cook, occasionally brushing chicken with more glaze, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by efisher. You can find it here.

Notes: I also seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper to my taste. I doubled all the sauce ingredients except the cinnamon. I used half of the sauce to brush the chicken and the other half as a dipping sauce for the finished product. I also broiled the chicken rather than grilling it. This was good. The chicken definitely needed extra sauce for dipping though. Heat the sauce for dipping until it is bubbling and then you're set and ready to go.

Favorite Flavors

 

I love lemons. I love lemon flavoring in basically anything. Lemons work in savory foods and they work in desserts too. Here is one of my favorite ways to enjoy lemons for dessert.

Bake-Sale Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Additional confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until blended. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups flour. Press onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and remaining flour until frothy; pour over hot crust.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until lemon mixture is set and lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 4 dozen.

Nutrition information:

1 bar equals 77 calories, 3 g fat, 21 mg cholesterol, 25 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: These were so easy and super tasty. However, if you get 4 dozen bars out of this, you are a better person than I am. They would be the size of a small piece of fudge if you cut them to get that many bars.

Easy and Delicious

 

 If you are looking for a side dish that is super tasty, beyond easy to make, and comfort food to boot, this recipe is for you.

Parmesan Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
8 medium unpeeled red potatoes (about 2 3/4 pounds), halved lengthwise

Directions:

Pour butter into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over butter. Place potatoes with cut side down over cheese. Bake uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until tender.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information: 1 serving (2 each) equals 165 calories, 9 g fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 128 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: These are just so good. Seriously tasty stuff.

 

Above: This is how they look right out of the oven.

 

Above: Flip the potatoes over and see how 45 minutes in the oven has worked its magic.

Variation on an Old Favorite

 

I recently made this with the balsamic vinegar/olive oil mixture that I usually did (so, so good). However, while on vacation, I tried a caprese sandwich that used pesto instead of the balsamic vinegar/olive oil combination. So, I thought I would give it a try at home. You can make it either way. Both versions are delicious! I originally posted it here along with a lot of other amazing pressed sandwich recipes.

Pressed Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich with Homemade Pesto

Ingredients:

Homemade pesto, recipe below (or you can use your favorite bottled pesto)
1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
6 roma tomatoes, sliced
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
12-18 large basil leaves

Directions:

Make pesto. Slice loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. Spread desired amount of pesto onto each half of the bread. Layer bottom half of the bread with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Place the top half of the ciabatta bread on top.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I basically created this myself based on the sandwich I had on vacation and the other caprese sandwich I have been making for years.

Basil Pesto "Pistou"

Ingredients:

3 c. fresh basil leaves
2 - 3 cloves garlic
About 1/4 c. quality Parmesan cheese, grated
Splash of fresh lemon juice
About 1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

In food processor blender, chop up the garlic until it is minced.

Add in the basil and cheese and start to blend.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the machine is running. Blend until smooth.

Squeeze in a little lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste.

Taste the sauce and adjust to your liking.

Put in freezer container and freeze, if you wish; or use it right away.

Source:  twopeasandtheirpodrecipes.com. You can find their recipe here. We originally shared this recipe on our blog here.

Pressed Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich with Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
6 roma tomatoes, sliced
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
12-18 large basil leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).

Slice loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. Brush the olive oil mixture onto each half of the bread. Layer bottom half of the bread with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Place the top half of the bread on top.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: When I originally made this, I meant to do a similar sandwich recipe that I found on the Martha Stewart website, but I forgot to buy some of the ingredients, so I created this instead. I figured that you can never go wrong with caprese salad. It works on so many levels! This sandwich was very flavorful.

Surprising Sundae Combination

 

This has been a family favorite for a long time. It was first posted here. Each time I make it, I am surprised by how well these crazy ingredients fit together. You wouldn't think these ingredients would pair well, but they really, really do. Be careful, this is addicting and you will want seconds.

Asphalt Sundae

Ingredients:

Mint chocolate chip ice cream
Oreo cookies, coarsely crushed
Caramel ice cream topping
Whipped cream

Directions:

Sprinkle a little crushed Oreos on the bottom of a sundae glass. Place one scoop of ice cream into the sundae glass on top of the Oreos. Top with additional crushed Oreos. Top with another scoop of ice cream. Top with whipped cream, caramel topping, and finally some more crushed Oreos.

Source: Wingers restaurant serves something similar in an ice cream pie form. I just used the same ingredients and simplified it.

Notes: This is such a quick dessert to throw together, but it is fantastic. You can also use a little caramel syrup in between the two ice cream scoops if you crave more caramel.

 

Make Ahead Breakfast

I've made these in the past. In fact, they have been a staple for a long time now. You can the post where I originally shared them here.

Breakfast Egg Sandwiches

Ingredients:

English muffins
Eggs
Canadian bacon slices
Shredded cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Halve and toast English muffin. Top with one slice of Canadian bacon. Set aside.

Crack one egg into a small, microwave-safe bowl. Whisk the egg with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and top with about 1 tbsp. shredded cheese. Microwave for another 30 seconds.

Using a fork or a spoon, remove egg intact and place on the half of the English muffin without Canadian bacon. Top with the the Canadian bacon and other half of English muffin.

Serve immediately or let cool and wrap with plastic wrap, place in a freezer zip top bag and freeze. Thaw breakfast sandwiches as needed and reheat in the microwave, or reheat in the microwave from frozen.

Source: I saw the idea for this online years ago and changed up the cooking method to fit my needs.

Notes: You can make this with English muffins, croissants, bagels, or simply toast. You can also use two eggs instead of one if you want something more filling, or to fit it to a larger croissant or bagel.

I like to buy a 12 pack of English muffins and make a big batch for freezing all at once.

Here are some step-by-step pictures:

 

Above: Crack egg into a small microwave-safe bowl.

Above: Season with salt and pepper.

 

Above: Scramble eggs with a fork.

 

Above: Microwave for 30 seconds.

 

Above: Add shredded cheese and microwave for another 30 seconds.

 

Above: Remove from bowl with a fork or spoon being careful to keep egg intact.

  

  

Above: Top with Canadian bacon and other half of English muffin.

 

Above: Your breakfast sandwich is now ready to eat, or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for later.

  

  

Above: Store in the freezer in a freezer bag until ready.