Roast Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze

This is another recipe that I received from my friend Julie, who is a fantastic cook (She also shared the Pesto Turkey Burger recipe with me).  My husband raves about it and you'll see why once you make it.  Delicious!

Ingredients:

Cooking spray 
1/4 cup apricot preserves or fruit spread
2 Tbsp country-style Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, chopped (I like to use fresh)
2 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spritz a baking sheet with cooking spray (I line the pan with foil first).  Combine preserves, mustard and rosemary in a small bowl.  Place tenderloins on a baking sheet (leave about 2 inches of space between them); brush each with the apricot mixture.  Roast for 30 minutes, or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 150 degrees.  Remove tenderloins from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing diagonally.

I've found that the meat is even more flavorful if I marinate it.  Simply brush the tenderloins with the apricot mixture, wrap in plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Mom's Pork Chops

I'm going to apologize upfront for the quality of this photo. I dropped my camera and it is now in the capable hands of the Geek Squad (thank goodness for the Accidental Protection Plan). So for now, I'm using my cell phone to take pictures. :)

My mom has made this since I was a kid and I've always loved it. Looking at some of my previous recipes, I've realized that I must really love gravy - it seems to be in a lot of my recipes! But, the gravy is my favorite part of this recipe. It tastes so good over white rice. Mmmm....

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1-2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 boneless pork chops
2 cans cream of mushroom soup or 1 can cream of mushroom and 1 can cream of chicken
milk


Directions

In a medium Ziploc bag, combine all dry ingredients and shake. Adding one pork chop at a time, shake again until coated. Place in preheated pan with about 1 Tbsp canola or olive oil. Brown pork chop on both sides, then remove and place in crock pot.

Pour both cans of cream of mushroom soup into a large, glass measuring cup (or small bowl) and add small amounts of milk. Stir with a whisk and keep adding milk until desired consistency is reached. I don't think I use more than 1/4 cup of milk. I like the gravy to be a little more thick. If you want it really thick, skip the milk all together.

Cook in crock pot for 4-6 hours on low heat.

Marinated Ham Steak

This is a really quick recipe to put together. I tend to double it so that we have leftovers, but if the fridge is already full, then this is the perfect amount. I recommend putting it together early in the morning or the night before you plan to cook it. The longer you marinate it, the better the flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 to 2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 fully cooked boneless ham steak (3/4 pound)

Directions:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first six ingredients. Add ham; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain and reserve marinade. Grill ham, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Cut in half to serve.

2 servings


*I found this in Taste of Home's Cooking for 2 magazine.

Sweet Pork

Something I really miss about Utah is take out from Costa Vida. Their Sweet Pork is to die for! I'll take it any way I can get it - nachos, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, it doesn't matter. They're all good! I once tried the Sweet Pork recipe with Coke and brown sugar, but I have to be honest - it wasn't good at all. Then, I found this recipe in my Mom's ward cookbook. Soooo yummy! I'm not claiming it's the same as Costa Vida, but it'll do. My favorite is to make nachos with it. I crave it - a lot. So I have to restrain myself from making it too often, because otherwise I'd pack on the pounds faster than you can say, "I love Sweet Pork!"

I wish I had a better picture for you, but this picture is from the first time I made the recipe and when I came up with the idea to make nachos I realized that I couldn't just put a plate in the toaster oven - it would have exploded. Not that I know from personal experience...

So, I rifled through the cupboards and found this leftover tin from Christmas. It was used for making a Rice Krispie gingerbread house and it was just what I needed :) I threw in some tortilla chips, black beans, cilantro lime rice, sweet pork then topped it off with an an insane amount of cheese. And I enjoyed every bite!

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (I think I generally use a 2 lb tenderloin)

1 packet taco seasoning

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 can red enchilada sauce

2 c. brown sugar

2 cloves garlic

4 limes

Directions

Place pork in the crock pot (I always use a liner - it keeps clean-up to a minimum and I swear my meals cook better). Microwave limes for 10 seconds, cut into wedges, and squeeze on top of meat. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Cook on high for 3 hours.

Crush garlic cloves and spread on meat. Pour in both cans of enchilada sauce and sprinkle in brown sugar. Cook on high an additional 4 hours or until meat starts to fall apart.

Remove meat and shred on a cutting board using two forks. Place shredded meat back in the crock pot and simmer 15 minutes, or until ready to serve.

Slow Cooked Pork Tacos

We tried this recipe tonight and I thought it was great! It was really easy to throw it all in the Crockpot and even easier to serve once it was finished. I found it in an issue of Taste of Home. Ok, I know - most of the recipes on here have come from TOH, but it's pretty much the only recipe magazine that I read. My mother-in-law gave me a gift subscription when I first got married and I've been hooked ever since. :) For the life of me, I could never find a pork sirloin roast, so I used a pork tenderloin. However, if I'm really being honest, I have to admit that I don't know much about cuts of meat, so maybe I really did find one and didn't realize it. I bought the meat without paying attention to how much I actually needed, so I had a 4 lb tenderloin - but I think it was perfect. Any less and there wouldn't have been any leftovers!!

Ingredients

1 boneless pork sirloin roast (2 lbs), cut into 1 inch-pieces

1 1/2 cups salsa verde (I used a whole 16 oz bottle)

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped dried apricots

2 Tbsp lime juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

Dash hot pepper sauce

10 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed

Sour cream, sliced green onions, cubed avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce and chopped tomato, optional.

Directions

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until meat is very tender.

Shred pork with two forks. Place about 1/2 cup mixture down the center of each tortilla. Serve with toppings if desired.

Yield: 10 tacos