Stuffed Pork Loin

So after I had volunteered to make family dinner, I had to figure out something to make for it! I wouldn't call my family picky eaters (except maybe my dad), we all are pretty adventurous, it just seems that we all happen to have really different tastes, so I was struggling to figure out something that I thought would appeal to all of them. My other issue that I was trying to work around was that I didn't want to actually have to be physically cooking something and be distracted from watching the game....because if you know me....I don't like to miss a minute...I even record and re-watch games! I was going through some recipes that I had saved and came across this one, I thought it would be perfect, it included at least one ingredient that everyone liked; Dad (bacon), Laura (pesto), Mom (spinach) and myself (cream cheese). But the big seller for me was that after I prepared it, I could stick it in the oven for an hour or so and just concentrate on watching the big game!

This really didn't have a lot of ingredients, and the presentation was quite fancy, the most difficult part was just figuring out the best way to cut the pork to get it to lay flat, but once I figured that out, I just pounded away with my meat mallet to flatten it some more! I really should have taken some before pictures of the process, but I was making three other recipes at the same time, so I just didn't have time. The original recipe used a pork tenderloin, but the one at my store were so small and narrow, that there was no way that I was going to be able to get all the stuffing ingredients in the middle, so I substituted the pork loin and it worked out just fine. The whole family really loved this; the pork was tender and the flavors worked really well together, and it just looked so darn fancy on the plate! I served it with Parmesan couscous (which my mom so graciously prepared since it wasn't quite half-time and I couldn't be torn away) and some creamed spinach (recipe coming soon!) It was a wonderful meal, and would work really well for a dinner party since all the prep can be done beforehand.

If you are looking to show off in the kitchen, you must try this!

Stuffed Pork Loin

adapted from Favorite Family Recipes

1 (2-3 lb) pork loin or tenderloin (I used loin because the tenderloins were too small to stuff)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

6 - 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (I just left them whole)

1 pkg. dried pesto seasoning (Like Knorr brand, usually found near the pasta)

Fresh spinach leaves to taste

olive oil

salt

pepper

Cut the pork almost in half, then starting at the middle, cut each side almost in half again so that it lays flat. Pound with a meat mallet to get the pork an even thickness. Spread the cream cheese over the pork evenly, leaving about 1 inch around the edges. Lay the roasted red peppers over the cream cheese then top with the bacon. Evenly sprinkle the pesto seasoning over the red pepper layer, then top with the desired amount of spinach. Starting at one of the short ends, roll the pork up jelly roll style. Using kitchen twine, tie the roast closed with about 3 or 4 pieces of the twine. (At this point, I wrapped in plastic and chilled until ready to cook.)

To cook the pork, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place pork in a baking dish; drizzle with the olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 60 - 90 minutes until pork is cooked through. Let it stand about 10 minutes, then slice it and serve it!

Pineapple and Green Chile Pork Tacos

I love throwing things into the crock pot, walking away for 8 hours and coming home to a hot meal. I threw this dish in my crock pot on Sunday morning and went about my day, when I got home at 6, it was ready to go. I was starving, so I quickly, heated up some corn tortillas to make taco shells, then piled on the meat, shredded cabbage and some cheese. I took a bite, and my first reaction was, "Hmmm....interesting." When used in this context, the word interesting, is not always a good thing. While this didn't taste bad, it just wasn't quite what I was expecting. As a Mexican food lover, I like some heat to my food, and this was just too sweet for me. I guess that it shouldn't have been too much of a surprise, considering the pineapple and brown sugar, but I thought that those would just temper the heat, not take over. I did eat my tacos, but I sadly decided that if I transferred it into my fridge, it would just sit there, so I sadly put the leftovers down the drain. This recipe got many good reviews, but they must have come from tamer eaters, so if you don't like it hot...give this a try!

Pineapple and Green Chile Pork Tacos

adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

3 lb. boneless pork roast

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple with juices
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa verde

2 (4 oz.) cans green chiles, undrained
2/3 c. brown sugar

Serving Ideas:

Warm flour tortillas, corn tortillas or taco shells

Cheese; cheddar, queso fresco, etc.

chopped cilantro

lime wedges

shredded lettuce or cabbage

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for four hours or on low for six to eight hours. Shred pork, season to taste with salt and pepper. In a colander, drain juices from crock pot. Mix shredded pork with pineapple/salsa mixture that remains in colander and serve in tortillas with desired accompaniments.

Thai-Style Pork

This past weekend, I was really lazy. I had great aspirations to try out some new recipes, but instead just ended up watching movies, running errands and eating out of my freezer! Nothing says a wild Saturday night like a Tostinos frozen pizza! Although, I have to admit, I really enjoyed just dithering around and getting stuff done around the house and finally getting around to watching Slumdog Millionaire (it was sooo good)! Since I didn't try anything new, I felt the need to dig up something that I made a few months back and never got around to posting.

During the early weeks of Idol, my sister and our friend Whitney were getting together fairly regularly to watch the episodes. It was still somewhat cool here (well as cool as late February in Phoenix can be) so I wanted to try another crock pot recipe. I have a major crock pot addiction! I love them; the convenience and ease and the way they make the house smell after a long day of cooking, it is all just perfect! I had been on a Thai food kick and when I came across this recipe I knew that I wanted to try it. I served it with brown rice and sunshine carrots in an orange sauce. The overall flavor was very good, but the recipe did not make enough sauce to coat all of the meat properly, it was a bit on the dry side. I would make this again, but I would definitely double the sauce ingredients to make it nice and saucy! Also, compared to most Thai dishes, this would be on the very mild side, so if you like more heat, I would bump up the amount of red pepper flakes.

We all really liked this and cleaned our plates, but that didn't stop us from making a run to Ice Tango for some frozen yogurt before we started watching Idol!

Thai-Style Pork
from Taste of Home Casseroles, Slow Cookers & Soups
(I would recommend doubling everything except the pork)

2 lbs. boneless pork loin chops
1/4 c. teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. cold water
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Garnish:
Chopped green onions
Dry roasted peanuts

Place pork chops in a 3-qt. slow cooker (I always use the Reynolds Slow Cooker liners for easier clean up!). Combine the teriyaki sauce, vinegar, pepper flakes and garlic, pour over the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove pork and cut into bite-size pieces (mine just shredded); keep warm. Strain cooking juices into a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir peanut butter; add meat.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with green onions and peanuts.