Rosemary Pork Tenderloin w/ Potatoes

This is one of the easiest recipes that I make.

The ingredients are simple, and it all cooks in the crock pot.

You will need:

• a frozen pork tenderloin
• 5 to 8 red or golden potatoes
• 1/2 a yellow onion
• garlic powder
• rosemary leaves
• salt/pepper

Put the frozen (yes, frozen) pork tenderloin in the crock pot.  add garlic powder, salt, and pepper to pork.  Add 1 cup of water.  You do not need to peel the potatoes.  Wash potatoes, cut in half and thinly slice the potatoes.   Put slices of potatoes on either side of the pork.  Salt and pepper the potatoes.  Sprinkle potatoes and pork with rosemary leaves.  (About a tablespoon)  Cut onion half into about 6 large chunks.  Set on top of pork.  Cook on high for about 3 hours.  Pork is done when juices run clear.


Before....

After...

The homemade gravy is easy and delish!
Melt about 4 tablespoons of butter, add about 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for a few minutes as you stir with a whisk.  Then add the juices from the pork tenderloin.  Continue stirring and cooking until the gravy thickens.  Remove from heat and it's ready to cover your meat and potatoes!!

Simple Lemon Almond Poppyseed Cake

I found a recipe for a Lemon Almond Poppyseed Cake on A Bountiful Kitchen blog yesterday and I made the cake.  It was delicious!!!!  A very springy, refreshing cake!  The recipe was super easy.  I tried the homemade icing recipe that was included, and it was a bit too lemony for me.  Next time I will not use as much lemon juice.  BUT, I am very happy with the cake.  It uses a box recipe, but with all the other ingredients that she uses, it didn't seem like a box cake at all.  I also served it with strawberries and blackberries in sugar/water.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.  I would very much recommend the recipe!

Lemon Almond Poppy seed Cake with Fresh lemon Icing

Cake ingredients:

4 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons almond extract

1 cup water

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 package lemon cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

1 small (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

Icing ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

Juice from 1-2 lemons (about 1/4 cup juice)

zest from lemons

dash salt

2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Cake:

Mix all wet cake ingredients together with mixer until blended . Add dry ingredients, including poppy seeds, mix until all ingredients are blended well, about 3 minutes.

Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, before inverting onto serving platter.

Prepare icing, and frost cake when completely cooled. Serve with fresh strawberries.

Icing:

Melt butter, add to powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt in bowl. Whisk or beat until smooth. Thin with a little milk, water or lemon juice if too thick.

Tips:

-I used half of a lemon depending on the amount of juice extracted and the size of the lemon. . If you want to thin the icing a bit, you may use a little milk.

banana bread

I made some banana bread last week...

Carson really liked it!

So, here is my recipe:

2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C butter

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

2 eggs

2 very ripe, mashed bananas

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C nuts (optional)

Mix flour, soda, and salt.  Cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl.  Add eggs, mashed bananas, vanilla and mik.  Mix with mixer on low speed.    Add dry ingredients 1/2 at a time.  Blend well each time.  Stir in nuts by hand.  Pour into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.  well greased on the bottom.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out on rack.  If using smaller pans or splitting the dough, cut baking time.  

italian sausage soup

This is my dad's recipe... but I make it quite often and it's always a hit!

The recipe...

1 lb of sausage -Italian or pork (I used hamburger tonight b/c I didn't have sausage and it worked great!

1/2  large onion or 1 small

2 medium carrots

1 celery stalk

8 cups chicken broth

8 oz can tomato sauce

14 1/2 oz can dices tomatoes

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dired rosemary

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup pasta -shells, orzo, macaroni, bow ties, etc. (Use your favorite kind of small shell- tonight I used a mixture of shells I had in the pantry)

Brown meat and put into soup pot.  Add diced onion, carrots, and celery.  Add rest of ingredients except pasta.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Let simmer until ready to add pasta.  Bring to a boil, add pasta to soup, serve when pasta is tender.  (DO NOT add more than a cup of pasta!  It looks like there's not much in the pot at first, but eventually the pasta absorbs the soup and takes over if you're not careful!)

I added feta cheese to my bowl in the picture.  It was REALLY good with the cheese.  Eric added freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.  You could also use mozzerella or other favorites!

Serve with your choice of bread or crackers and enjoy!!!!

Brownies!

My recipe for the best brownies!

1 box of Betty Crocker (Hershey's) Brownie Mix  - I prefer the one with chocolate chunks!

eggs

vegetable or canola oil

water

Add the ingredients listed above in the amounts written on the back of the box.  Cook at directed temperature at about 3-5 minutes short of the time listed and enjoy!

You just can't go wrong with brownies if you use Betty Crocker!

Pasta Con Broccoli

This recipe is soooo good.  It's my Aunt Carol's...

1 lb frozen broccoli florets

2 sticks butter

4 cloves garlic (Carol uses 6)

1 pt 1/2 & 1/2 (2 cups)

1 lb penne pasta (or any other pasta you prefer)

3 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 large can parmesan cheese (I use the parm/romano cheese mix can)

4-6 diced cooked chicken breasts

Boil shells.  Melt butter and garlic in skillet.  Add 1/2 & 1/2, soup, 1/4 of parm. cheese.  Simmer.  Drain shells by pouring over broccoli in a colander.  (If you like you're broccoli cooked a little more like me - boil the broccoli in a pot and drain.)  Stir together sauce, pasta, broccoli, and cooked diced chicken.  Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Top with remaining parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

I like to make the dish the day before my dinner and cook it in the oven the day of.  It makes the day of company so much easier.

Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from Fran, who got it from her daughter, Kelly, who got it from the back of the Old El Paso Green Chile Enchilada Sauce can.  They are easy to make and taste wonderful!

1 lb uncooked chicken

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso chopped green chiles

1 package flour tortillas (6 inch)

2 cans (10 oz each) Old El Paso green chile enchilada sauce ( I only use 1 can of this.)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I cover them completely with whatever it takes)

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  Cut chicken into chunks.  In skillet, cook chicken until no longer pink in center.  Stir in cream cheese and chiles.  reduce heat to medium.  Cook and stir until blended and cream cheese is melted.  

3.  Pour just a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of 13 x 9 dish.  (to cover bottom of dish)

3.  Spoon chicken filling onto tortillas; roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 15 t0 20 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted.

You really need to double the recipe if you're going to have more than 4 people eating.