March Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin

Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin 
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Rub Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pork tenderloin (approx 2 1/2 to 3 pounds) cut into quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze ingredients:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon hot  sauce ( I used franks)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat the pork with the spice rub. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Brown the pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. If you have a skillet that can go straight into the oven you can leave the pork in the skillet; however, if you are like me and  don’t have an ovenproof skillet, transfer it to a foil-lined baking pan (like a 9X13-inch). 

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic, and hot sauce and pat on top of each tenderloin. Roast in the middle of the oven until a thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140, about 25 minutes. Let pork stand in the skillet at room temperature for 10 minutes. The temperature will rise to about 155 while standing. Slice on the diagonal and serve, spooning the sauce from the skillet on top of the pork.

Here is a potato recipe I'm going to try with it.

 Best EVER Red Potatoes

small bag of red potatoes
2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
sea salt
pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 uh I actually meant 350 (it was late the first time I posted this). Pour melted butter in bottom of 9X13 pan. After washing potatoes, place them in pan and coat evenly with melted butter. Drizzle evenly with olive oil. Salt and pepper to your taste. Don't be shy about using the salt...remembers to potatoes they are like oxygen.

Bake for 2 hours, uncovered. Yes, I said 2 hours. Just trust m

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

• 16 Boston Bib or green leaf, or butter lettuce leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger  
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3. Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!

Shredded Chicken Sandwich

3-4 chicken breasts
1 cans chicken broth
2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 Loaf of French Bread
Ranch Dressing
4 slices of bacon
1 Avocado sliced
1 Tomato sliced
1 cup shredded cheese

Cook in crock pot on high for four hours with chicken broth and Montreal Steak Seasoning
(feel free to add more chicken, chicken broth and Steak Seasoning for future dinners)
It is easier for me to shred the chicken in the crock pot so that it soaks up all the marinade. Chicken freezes well for future meals!

Cut French bread loaf long ways in half.
Spread Ranch dressing on both sides of the loaf.
then add layers...chicken, bacon, cheese, tomato and avocado.
Bake at 375 for 10 minutes, and then I like to broil it for another 2 minutes. Slice and serve.

Creamy Ham Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 10 cups uncooked tricolor spiral pasta
• 4 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 3 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
• 1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, saute the celery, pepper and onion in butter until tender. Stir in the soup, milk and salt. In a very large bowl, combine the soup mixture, ham and mushrooms. Drain pasta; add to soup mixture and toss to coat.
• Transfer to two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dishes. Top with cracker crumbs. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the remaining casserole, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 2 casseroles (9 servings each).
• I omitted a few ingredients for the kids.  Thanks and enjoy!!

German Apple Oven Pancake

Thaw overnight, assemble, and bake German Apple Pancakes for a warm, healthy breakfast. 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the 1/4 cup of butter in a large cake pan in the oven for a few minutes to melt.  Pour in the egg/flour mixture over the melted butter.  Spread the apple slices around and then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar evenly everywhere.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.  Serve.  This makes your house smell great! (It is as if you made cinnamon rolls, but much easier.) 

4 eggs
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
2 med. apples, thinly sliced
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

(This is so inexpensive that I will add another breakfast item to go with it.  It is one of our family favorites, and makes for a happy morning!)

Sloppy Joes

I'm doing sloppy joes this month. I'm out if town till Sunday so ill post the recipe then!

Moist Garlic Chicken

Moist Garlic Chicken

¼ cup butter, melted

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. salt

Dash pepper

½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

¼ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

2 TBL grated Parmesan Cheese

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in 1 inch strips

In shallow bowl, combine butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In another bowl combine bread crumbs and cheeses. Dip chicken in butter mixture then into bread crumbs. Place in greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Cover. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until juices run clear.  

Side dishes:

Rice

Potatoes (My kids love when I make homemade french fries with this because they think they are getting chicken nuggets and french fries)

Green Salad

Veges

Side dish recipe:

Mediterranean Roasted Potatoes

3 lbs of small red or white-skinned potatoes (or mixture)

¼ cup of good olive oil

1 ½ tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of freshly ground pepper

2 TBL of minced garlic (5-6 cloves)

4 TBL of fresh rosemary leaves (I just use dried rosemary and it works fine)

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated. Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out in 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to prevent burning.

Special Potato Soup

I found this yummy soup recipe on my mission in Newton, Connecticut. Hope you enjoy!

2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 TBL butter
6 medium potatoes
2 carrots ,sliced
3 cups water
5 chicken-flavored bouillon cubes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried whole thyme
dash of garlic powder
dash of pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Saute celery and onion in butter in a large pot until tender. Add next 9 ingredients. Cover and simmer about 20 min or until veges are tender. Remove from heat and mash veges with a potato masher. Add milk and cheese. Cook, stirring constantly until cheese is melted. Serves 10.

Freezer meal instruction:  Warm and enjoy

March - Sesame Honey Chicken

skinnytaste.comhttp://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/02/crock-pot-sesame-honey-chicken.html

Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: over 2/3 cup • Old Pts: 4 • Weight Watchers Points+: 4
Calories: 185.5 • Fat: 2 g • Protein: 27 g • Carbs: 13.5 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Sugar: 10 g
Sodium: 504 mg

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 medium scallions, chopped for garnish

Directions:
Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriracha hot chili sauce. Pour over chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours.
Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.
In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover andcook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.
Enjoy!

February Meal Slow Cooked Chunky Chili

Slow Cooked Chunky Chili

 

12 ServingsPrep: 15 min. Cook: 4 hours

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
  
• 1 pound bulk pork sausage
• 4 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cans (10 ounces each) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, chopped
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until meat
• is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Stir in
• the remaining ingredients.
• 
  
• Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until vegetables are tender.
• Serve desired amount. Cool the remaining chili; transfer to freezer
• bags or containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• 
  
• To use frozen chili: Thaw in the refrigerator; place in saucepan and
• heat through. Add water if desired. Yield: 3 quarts.
• 
  

Jumbo Cheese Stuffed Shells

Freezer Directions:  Remove the plastic wrap.  Place in baking dish.  Leave the pan liner attached, so you won't have a pan to wash.  Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 2 hours or until hot and bubbly.

Thawed from the Refrigerator Directions: Before thawing, place in baking dish.  Remove plastic wrap. Cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Jumbo Cheese Stuffed Shells (doubling this recipe feeds 3 families of 8 persons)
Jennifer Barzee 201-5975 barzee7@gmail.com

1 12 ounce box Jumbo Shells, cooked for 10 minutes in 5 quarts water + 1 tbsp. salt
1 32 ounce container Ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese + a bit to sprinkle on top
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 tbsp parsley (recipe calls for fresh, but I put this amount of dried parsley in)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 26 ounce jar spaghetti sauce (about 3 cups)

Cook pasta.  Combine cheese ingredients.  Put cheese ingredients into large ziplock bag.  Cut the corner of the bag.  Put sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Fill the shells with cheese mixture and place in pan.  Pour more sauce on shells.  Sprinkle a bit of mozzarella on top.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly. 
If you are going to freeze cover with plastic wrap and foil.  Freezer baking directions are above.