Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin!

My husband rarely ever "suggests" recipes for the Test Kitchen... but last week he sent me the link to a Pork Tenderloin Recipe from "In The Kitchen With Ken". You can get the full recipe here: Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

I stocked up on B1G1 Pork Tenderloin at Harris Teeter last week so it was PERFECT timing on my hubby's part to request a meal that I only needed to head to the store to get ONE ingredient for (Apples!).

I was not too sure about the mix of spices I was dumping in my bowl: cumin, ginger, thyme, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, onion powder, paprika AND cocoa powder.... but since the hubs requested it, I followed the recipe to a "T" instead of "doctoring it up" like I typically like to do. It is rare I make a recipe that lacks balsamic vinegar and sugar but this was worth a try!

After I finished mixing up the spices for the "rub" I realized that at the bottom of the ingredient list it said 1 cup honey.... HMmmm Honey? What am I supposed to do with that? The recipe said that it was a "rub" for pork which typically would have been a dry rub with the spices... and the only other instructions were to cut up (5) apples into wedges to place around the pork in the 9 x 13 pan... So the only place the honey made sense to me was to add it to the spices and make it a goo-ey rub!

The "goo-ey" rub didn't want to go on the tenderloin very easy so I did the best I could coating the apples & pork with the spice/honey mixture.

I then popped it in the oven un-covered for 2.5 hours @ 275 degrees.

Result: This was a SUPER EASY & Quick Recipe to assemble and the end result was DELICIOUS! The Pork was so tender and although I was a bit skeptical about the spices in the rub, the taste was phenomenal! This recipe will definitely be a keeper!

I think next time I make this recipe I will adapt it to my "freezer cooking" since it made (2) whole tenderloins- it is enough for (3) meals for my husband and I! We are having it for dinner again tonight because there is a whole tenderloin left!

To do this I will: Split the recipe between (2) food-saver bags; One "rubbed" tenderloin in each and split the (5) sliced gala apples between the (2) bags. I will then vacuum pack them to seal them up and pop them in the freezer to eat later! When I am ready to make them, I will take out of the freezer about 36 hours in advance to allow plenty of thaw-time and then pour into a pan and bake as normal.

I served mine with Lima Beans (yuck! anyone have a recipe for these they are willing to share??) and Twice Baked Potatoes.

Thanks Ken for the amazing recipe!

Easy CrockPot Pork Chops

This is one of my new go-to freezer cooking recipes! SO EASY and SO GOOD!

Oh-So Easy Crock-pot Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 Pork Chops
• 2/3 Cup Apricot Preserves
• 1/2 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
• 1 tsp dried ginger
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Directions:

Load the pork chops in your slow cooker.  (If your slow cooker is LARGE, you can put a smaller ovensafe dish in your cooker to put the chops in for more even cooking)

Mix together the 4 ingredients and pour over chops. Cover and cook on low 6 hours.

To "Freezer Cook": I places the chops in a freezer bag along with the sauce. Freeze. Remove from freezer the night before you will be placing in crock-pot. Follow cooking directions.

Serve with Rice and use extra sauce over rice.

Enjoy!

New Years Eve Appetizers!

Mom & Dad came down from Raleigh to celebrate Christmas & New Year's with us!

I had a couple of new recipes I wanted to try out on them... and they all turned out very well!

Here they are!

Creamy Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed (I used white shoe peg)
• 1 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Tortilla chips

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the beans, corn, peppers, onion and parsley. Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and seasonings; pour over corn mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes about (4) Cups.

Italian Sausage Puffs

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a 17.3oz package puff pastry (1 sheet) thawed
• 1/2 Pound Italian Sausage (sweet, hot or mild)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12x9-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 3 (3-inch) strips.
3. Divide the sausage into thirds. Shape each into a cylinder the same length as the pastry. Place 1 piece sausage on the long edge of each pastry rectangle. Roll up the pastry around the sausage and press the seams and pinch the edges to seal.
4. Cut each roll into 12 (1-inch) slices, making 36 in all. Place the slices, cut-side down, onto a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown and the sausage is cooked through. Remove the pastries from the baking sheet and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.

**I made these ahead of time and after step (3) I placed the three rolls into the freezer for 1 hour. I took the rolls out and cut each into 12 slices, placing them back on the original tray I froze them another hour. I think took them out and packed them in freezer bags in sets of 12. When we were ready to eat them I baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mushroom Puffs

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened*
• 1 (8-oz.) can mushroom pieces and stems, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1 (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
• Parchment paper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. 1. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until smooth. Stir in mushrooms and next 4 ingredients. Cover and chill 1 to 24 hours.
2. 2. Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Roll 1 puff pastry sheet into a 16- x 10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut pastry in half lengthwise. Spread 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture down center of each rectangle; brush edges with egg mixture. Fold each pastry half lengthwise over filling, and pinch edges to seal. Cut pastries into 10 pieces each, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining puff pastry sheet, egg mixture, and cream cheese mixture.
3. 3. Brush remaining egg mixture over tops of pastry pieces; sprinkle with pepper.
4. 4. Bake at 400° for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned. Serve immediately.
5. *I also made these ahead, like the sausage puffs. I made the rolls, and then froze them (1) hour before slicing. After slicing, I put them back in the freezer an hour before putting in freezer bags. Straight from the freezer bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes.

Spinach Dip en Phyllo

*I made this recipe up because I had a "vision" for what I wanted but couldn't "find" anything similar, I didn't measure anything... sorry for all the approximates!

Ingredients

• Phyllo Pastry Sheets (thawed) approx 8
• 1 Box Frozen Chopped Spinach (about 10 oz) thawed & water squeezed out of it
• Approx 1/3 Cup Onion Chopped
• (1) Clove Garlic Minced
• Approx. 5 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
• Approx. 1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)
• approx 4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
• Red Pepper Flakes (approx 1 tsp)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Miniature Muffin Pan cups lightly with cooking spray.

Sauté Onion & Garlic in some olive oil until golden brown.

While Sautéing Onion & Garlic, combine spinach, cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan cheese, red pepper, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add Onion & Garlic when done. Mix all together well. ( I used a fork to shred the spinach more as I was mixing). Transfer cream cheese/spinach mixture to Ziploc bag and cut a medium sized hole in one corner (to pipe out of).

Un-roll thawed Phyllo Sheets (do not take out of fridge until you are ready to work with them.) (I put plastic wrap down on the counter to lay the sheets on as I worked). Lay one Phyllo Sheet on prep surface and spray with vegetable oil. Lay another sheet on top and spray with veg oil. Repeat (2) more times so you have (4) total layers. Next, I used a pizza cutter and cut the stacked sheets into 12 equal squares. Place square stack of (4) sheets in each muffin cup and press down. (I actually took the top two sheets from each stack and offset them before I put them in the tins so they would have more points when they cooked). Repeat above to make a second stack of phyllo sheets and 12 more stacks to finish the muffin tin.

Pipe the cream cheese/spinach mixture into each phyllo cup evenly.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown.

Marinated Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 dash salt ( to taste)
• 1 dash black pepper ( to taste)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 (2 ounce) jars diced pimentos, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced green onions
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed

Directions

1. Cut cheddar cheese and cream cheese into 1/4 inch slices, then again in half.
2. Using a small dish, place cheese slices on end alternating cheddar and cream cheese.
3. Make the marinade by combining sugar, basil, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, pimento, parsley, onion and garlic.
4. Pour marinade over cheese, cover and refrigerate overnight.
5. Serve with crackers.
   **I also added Vermont White Cheddar Cheese into the recipe- I used about 4 oz of the White Cheddar and 6oz regular Cheddar.
   
   
   
   
   

Molly's Slow Cooker Chicken

I have been trying hard to keep our freezer stocked with pre-assembled meals that are easy to make. I have decided I am not a huge fan of including vegetables in with my meat when I use the slow cooker because they end up all tasting the same... so I have been focusing on finding a sauce/marinade for the meat and then "day of" making rice or potatoes along with a vegetable to go with it. This is one of the many meals that is part of my freezer collection, and since Andrew has requested that I make it again... I figured I should share it!

Molly's Slow Cooker Chicken

• (2-3) Chicken Breasts
  
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
2. Cover, and cook on Low heat 8 hours or High Heat 4 hours. (I like to do high heat for 4 hours)

** To do the "freezer method" I put the chicken breasts & sauce in a foodsaver bag (or ziploc bag) and froze. The night before I was going to make this I took it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge. Place in slow cooker and follow instructions above #2.

Beef Stroganoff - My Fav

My mom used to make this all the time when I was growing up and it was an absolute favorite of mine! I always asked for her to make it on my birthday and to this day is still one of my favorite meals! Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

1 1/2Ibs Beef Sirloin Tips (I buy steak and cut it up )
1/4c. Flour
2 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 Medium Sweet Onion Chopped
1 1/2 c beef broth
8oz Fresh Mushrooms
1tsp Worcestershire
3 Tbs tomato paste
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 1/2 c sour cream
egg noodles

Melt Butter in large saucepan over med heat. In large bowl coat beef with flour, salt and pepper. Add coated beef & chopped onion to saucepan. Let cook stirring occasionally until beef is cooked. Add remaining ingredients except sour cream and egg noodles. Stir and let simmer on low heat 1 hour. Stir in sour cream about 5 minutes before serving. Serve over egg noodles.

Chicken Enchiladas- This One is FINALLY a "Keeper"!

I can't tell you how many different chicken enchilada recipes I have tried! I LOVE mexican food.. I could eat chips, salsa, cheese dip, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas etc every night of the week and be completely fine with it... so the fact I haven't been able to find a good chicken enchilada recipe has been a little frustrating! Andrew just says to make the Old El Paso kind out of the box but I just can't do that!

SO I FINALLY FOUND A KEEPER! When the hubs says "this is good!" that means it goes in the recipe box! Did I mention it was super easy also??

Drum Roll Please......

Shredded Chicken Enchiladas

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans enchilada sauce (I used Harris Teeter brand)
kosher salt
ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, divided
corn tortillas (whatever size you want)
cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Add the minced garlic to enchilada sauce in a deep skillet and heat to boiling. Generously sprinkle kosher salt and ground black pepper over the chicken breasts and then nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the sauce, set aside and let both the chicken and the sauce cool.

Using two forks, shred the chicken breasts. Transfer the shredded chicken to a large bowl. Add a quarter of the enchilada sauce from the pan, 1/2 cup each of the Monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses and the 1/2 cup of cilantro to the shredded chicken. Stir to combine.

Wrap the corn tortillas in a damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on high for 20-30 seconds until pliable and warm. Using cooking spray (if desired), oil a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture along the center of the tortilla. Gently, but firmly, roll the tortilla around the filling and place into the baking dish, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Lightly spray the tortillas with cooking spray (or brush lightly with olive oil). This will help the tortillas turn golden in the oven and will also help keep them from cracking. Place baking dish in the oven, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until the tortillas begin to turn golden.

Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. fresh cilantro. Lightly cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place into the oven for 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil after 20 minutes and bake, uncovered, for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Remove form the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes prior to serving.

I eat mine with a ton of light daisy sour cream... you should too!

Enjoy!

No Bake Peanut Butter Pie & Pumpkin Dump Cake!

For Thanksgiving this year I told my mom I would bring the dessert because I had a few recipes I wanted to "test" on them... I brought the fabulous Kahlua Cake that Amy shared at the recipe part and everyone loved it! Here are the two other recipes I brought that were delish! See comments after both recipes for suggestions for next time I make these.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Ingredients:

• (1) 29 oz can pumpkin
• (1) C Sugar
• (3) eggs
• (1) can evaporated milk
• (4) tsp pumpkin pie spices
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 1/2 cubes melted butter (3/4) cup

Directions
Combine pumpkin, sugar, evap milk, eggs, pumpkin pie spices & salt in mixing bowl. Beat well. Pour into greased & floured 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Pour melted butter over top of cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. (I had to keep checking mine... it took mine 70 minutes to be done)

*My Comments: This was SO GOOD, it was the perfect mixture of pumpkin and yellow cake! My dad doesn't even like pumpkin and he devoured this! It is especially tasty with a little whipped cream on top! When I make this again... I am thinking about using the yellow cake mix/butter as the "crust" and putting it on the bottom. If I do this, I will probably put the boxed mix on the bottom... I would mix the cake mix, butter and ADD one egg to the recipe and then spread over bottom of 9 x 13 pan, put the pumpkin mixture on top and then bake... if anyone does this before me let me know how it turns out!




No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie

Ingredients

• (3/4) Cup dark, semisweet chocolate morsels
• (2) Cups Heavy Cream, Divided
• (1 1/4) Cups Salted Pretzels, finely crushed
• (3/4) Cup firmly packed Dark Brown Sugar, divided
• (6) Tbsp. butter, melted
• (1/2) Cup Cream Cheese, softened
• (1/3) Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• Chocolate Shavings

Directions

1. Microwave chocolate morsels and 1 cup of heavy cream on high for 60 seconds or until chocolate melts; stir until smooth. Chill for 2 hours.
2. Combine pretzels, 1/4 cup brown sugar and butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
3. Beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup brown sugar and peanut butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended.
4. Meanwhile beat 1 cup heavy cream and gradually add in remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, until soft peaks form. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into prepared pie crust; cover & chill 1 hour.
5. Whip chocolate cream at medium speed with mixture or until soft peaks form. Spread over pie and garnish with chocolate shavings. Chill 3 hours.

My Comments: Perfect balance between sweet & salty! Who doesn't love pretzels, chocolate and peanut butter!! The only thing I would do differently is DOUBLE the "Chocolate Layer" of this recipe... being the chocolate lover that I am, it just wasn't enough! If you decide to do this to just use the entire bag of chocolate chips and make sure you get a large container of heavy cream (enough for 3 cups).