Glazed Pork Stir-fry {Recipe}

Google is becoming my friend when trying new recipes on a whim. Simply type what main ingredient you have and add "recipe" and see what shows up. Haha!

This goes against all of my normal ways, comfort foods and family recipes. I use the recipes I have on hand because they are familiar. And I like that. 

But familiar makes a rut if left in that path too long. So this is what we ended up with. The pork: soooo tender and beautiful. The sauce it created was basted over the veggies as they cooked in a skillet, leaving a beautiful flavor all around. 

Oh and did I mention I subbed Rosemary essential oil for the herbs? It paired perfectly with the pork. A little dab will do ya. I used 1 drop. Doterra oils are top notch in potency so no need to pour a bunch. :)

Let's cook!

Glazed Pork Stirfry

• pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 pounds total weight
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, enough to coat the skillet
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (I subbed white wine vinegar because it was all I had on hand. Good decision.)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, packed
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed
• 1 drop of DoTerra's Rosemary essential oil (or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary or about 1 scant teaspoon dried)

Trim the pork tenderloins, discarding excess fat. Eww. 

Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. I used a homemade seasoned salt blend and rubbed in on good.  

Get out your crockpot and turn to high. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork and sear, turning to brown all sides. Transfer to the crockpot. 

Combine the remaining ingredients; pour into the hot skillet and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned pork bits, for just 2 to 3 minutes, or until reduced by about half. Don't let it burn. Pour over the pork tenderloin in the crockpot. Cook on high for 2 hrs or so, basting every so often. That's right. Mmmm. 

Cook the pork to about 150° to 155°* on an instant read thermometer or oven probe inserted in the thickest part of a tenderloin. This will make or break it. I've never had a tender pork... Like, ever. The time will vary depending on size, but use the meat thermometer. Baste again. Turn the crockpot off and let the meat rest for a while. You'll want to taste it, but leave it alone to soak up more juices. 

In the meantime I cooked up some Stirfry veggies. We don't use soy sauce so I wasn't sure to season them. Then I realized I had a sauce already in the crockpot that I had been using already. So I got out my basting squeeze tube thing (yeah, I'm pretty official in the kitchen) and transferred juice fro my he crockpot to the skillet with veggies. 

Oh. My. Word. 

Best decision of the meal. Not to strong but definitely brought out the flavors of the veggies and was beautiful. Then I sliced some of the pork into strips and threw them in with the veggies and sauce. 

Delicious!

Original recipe found here: http://southernfood.about.com/od/porktenderloin/r/Balsamic-Glazed-Pork-Tenderloin.htm

Bon appétit! 

~Meghan 

Forgotten Jambalaya {Recipe}

I was going through my recipe box  this week and decided to bring back some favorites. This recipe gets pretty rave reviews at our house. It is a recipe cut out of the Taste of Home magazine from Feb./March 2008. 

And it seems like a long list but it's a lot of seasonings - don't fret. It makes amazing flavor!

Forgotten Jambalaya 

Prep: 35 min. 

Cook: 4.5 hours

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, unstrained

1 can beef broth or chicken broth

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste 

2 medium green peppers, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery ribs, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

3 tsp. dried parsley flakes

2 tsp. dried basil

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1 1/4 tsp. salt (I use half the amount and add more if needed; pink sea salt is my fave)

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 pound smoked sausage, halved and cut into 1/4 in slices 

1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Hot cooked rice

Directions: 

Any 5 quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, brass and tomato paste. Stir in the green peppers, onion, celery, garlic and seasonings. Stir in chicken and sausage.

Cover and cook on low for four hours or until chicken is tender. Stir in shrimp. Cover and cook 15 to 30 minutes longer or until shrimp turns pink. Serve with rice. Yield 11 servings.

Can I just say how much I love crockpot recipes?  They make me a happier mommy. :) 

~Meg

Crispy Chicken {Recipe}

I made a yummy recipe from my hubby's cousin. I don't know WHY I had never tried it before. Thanks, Jodi!!! Don't y'all just love family recipes? 

Crispy Chicken

3/4 c. rice crispy cereal

One TSP. Season salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1 Tbsp. Coconut flour (my edit; can use all-purpose flour)

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 stick of butter, melted

Take rice crispy cereal and crash. Add all ingredients and mix well. Dip chicken in better, then roll into dry ingredients. Place in greased baking pan or dish. 

Bake @ 350° for 30-45 min. or until internal temp reaches 165°. I turned the oven to broil for a minute or two to really crisp it up at the end. 

Adjust time if making chicken nuggets. 

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Brownies {Recipe}

Our family is half-gluten free, half not.  (And dairy-free when we can be.). What I mean is that 3 of us do our best to avoid wheat (most of the time, we do have our weak moments)... And mommy has yet to take the plunge and do it permanently with the middle children.  There are too many convenient foods (I'm horrible, I know) that I seem to fall back on lately. Our eating jouney as a family has changed in many ways from when we first began as husband and wife almost 10 years ago. :)

And we don't have all the answers; we are constantly learning about food history, health and how food affects our bodies individually. 

So if you are a "gluten-free" eater then try out this recipe for a yummy treat. 

In our eating journey the hubs and I learned about coconut oil and it's benefits... As well as it's family member, coconut flour.   Since we've tried it we have enjoyed several recipes with it in leiu of all-purpose wheat flour. 

Check these babies out. 

Oh yeah... Momma. 

Try them out and see for yourself how easy it is to have a gluten-free treat. 

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Brownies

1/3 c butter

1/2 c cocoa powder

6 eggs

1 c sugar 

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c organic coconut flour, sifted 

1 c chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan over low heat, blend butter and cocoa powder. Remove from heat and let cool. In a separate bowl mix the eggs sugar and vanilla. Blend this into the Cocoa mixture. Stir in the coconut flour until the batter is no longer lumpy. Add the chocolate chips. Bake in pre-greased 8 x 8 baking pan for about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares. 

Enjoy!!

Eggs and sugar and vanilla. 

Cocoa powder and melted butter. 

Eggs, sugar and vanilla added in. 

Mix the flour in. I used a wooden spoon and switched to a woks to break up flour clumps because I forgot to sift it. Coconut flour is more dense than all-purpose flour. 

Having a helper in the kitchen is always a blessing! 

We put half chocolate chips in the batter and sprinkled half on too. 

Eat a few chocolate chips with your helper. This is a must or the recipe will not turn out right. :)

We have tried this coconut oil spray and like it! Found it at Trader Joe's. 

Yummy!

*warning: these are very filling so don't think you can go on a chocolate binge and eat a whole pan!  The do have 6 eggs in the recipe, for crying out loud!

~Meghan 

Recipe: Beirocks

I've been holding out on you.  Not that I wanted to.  Life has needed to slow down since December so my blog had to wait.

But now we are back and ready for some new recipes!  I will be sharing several over the coming days but the first is a favorite of mine.  It is so yummy AND it freezes well!  Bonus!!

Beirocks    *Freezer-friendly*

Start by browning 2 lbs. ground beef with 1 onion, diced. Season with salt and pepper and garlic.

Note: *in these pics I tried cooking the cabbage first, then adding beef second... I didn't think it was as good of a flavor ~ cabbage = over cooked). So take my word for it. Brown meat first.

Add shredded cabbage to the beef approx. 1/2 head

Add a little water to the pan - about 1 cup. 

Put a lid on it!  Literally. This helps steam the cabbage and keep the meat from becoming little rocks crusted to the bottom of the pan. 

Strain the beef and cabbage mixture and set aside and allow to cool for a bit.  You're going to be putting this inside soft dough - you don't want to melt the dough. 

At this point you are going to press out dough into circles with your fingertips. Whether you use frozen, fresh or biscuit dough, it really is a personal preference.  I don't know if biscuit dough freezes well after being cooked. You'll have to be the judge and let me know if you try it. 

Pinch up and seal the dough around a couple if spoonfuls of filling. Sorry I didn't get a picture of this; hopefully you get the idea. 

Flip them I over and put seam side down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray. 

Bake 10-12 min at 350*. 

**Freezer Tip** ~ let cool completely. Then label and package up in a zipper Baggie. Toss in freezer.  It's that simple.

**To reheat: microwave each for one minute - wrap in napkin or paper towel to keep bread from getting tough. 

I am in love (swoon) with this bread dough recipe. And I use it to make these beirocks every time. It's soft and tender on the inside and the outside gets a nice soft crust. Not crunchy. Which I love for these.  And it freezes so well.   

I will share that recipe soon! (Update: Bread recipe for YOU!)

Beautiful!!

*I should also mention that I've never been taught how to make these.  So if they are not exactly how you've made them... YOU are probably the one who knows what she's doing! :)  But they are yummy, none-the-less.*

Recipe: Burger Buns

This is the most impressive bread dough I've come across.  And since I just posted my Beirock recipe I wanted to share with you what dough I use.  For the Beirocks, just pinch off a handful and pat it out into a circle with your fingertips instead of shaping into buns.

Burger Buns

4 1/2 c flour

2 pkgs yeast

1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c butter or margarine

1 egg

1 c milk

1/2 c water

Mix 1 1/2 c flour, yeast, and sugar in mixer. Heat milk, water, and margarine in microwave for 1 minute or warm to wrist (not hot). Add to first mixture and let mix for about 5 minutes. Add egg and salt and mix well. Add enough extra flour to make firm dough. Beat for about 5 minutes or until smooth. Let rise for 30 minutes. Form into hamburger buns or hot pockets. Let rise again for another 30 minutes on greased cookie sheets. Bake in 400 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

If you want to freeze these, let cool then place in zipper baggies.  
To reheat:  Microwave (Frozen) for 1 minute wrapped in a napkin or paper towel.
 

I cannot stress how much I love this bread!  I hope you do, too!

~Meghan 

**Gratitude to my distant friend and fellow pastor's wife, Shara, for sharing this recipe with me!

White Christmas Pie {Recipe}

This beloved recipe belongs to my husband's family.  Christmas meals would not be considered complete without Grandma Peggy's White Christmas Pie. 

Well, I was curious as to how they came upon this recipe and learned that not only is this a popular pie, there is a book who's title includes this dessert!

You could Google "White Christmas pie" but you may not find this exact version. Every recipe had used ingredients a little differently, but with the same goal in mind. A pie, white in color, creamy texture, coconutty flavor... And a resemblance of a frosty snow covered scene on Christmas morning. 

White Christmas Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 c. Sugar

1/4 c. Flour

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1/2 tsp. salt

1 3/4 c. Milk

3/4 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. almond extract

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tarter

1/2 c. Sugar

1/2 c. Whipping cream, whipped or whipped, cold evaporated milk (Milnot)

1 c. Moist shredded coconut

2 baked and cooled pie crusts 

Directions:

For the filling:  Blend thoroughly in saucepan: sugar, flour, unflavored gelatin, salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils, stirring constantly. Boil one minute. Place pan in cold water. Cool until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon.  Blend in vanilla and almond flavoring. 

Beat egg whites, cream of tarter and sugar until egg whites are stiff. 

Carefully fold filling into the meringue. Gently fold in whipped cream. Fold in moist coconut. 

Pile into cooled baked pie shells. Sprinkle with shredded coconut. Chill several hours until set. 

Serve cold.  

Yield: 2 pies

This was my first time making this beloved family recipe. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Enjoy!

~Meghan

Pretzle Jello Salad {Recipe}

I have a yummy recipe for you today!  And since I have lots to do today, so let's get down to business.  :)
 
Pretzel Jello Salad
(it may be called a "salad" but we eat it for dessert!)




You will need:

2 2/3 c. crushed pretzels
3 T. sugar
3/4 c. butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip

6 oz. box strawberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
16 oz. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed

Crush pretzels in a zipper bag.  I wrap a towel around it so I don't have a mess or damage the counter tops when I crush them with a meat tenderizer mallet. :)

CRUST:  Combine crushed pretzels, softened butter and 3 T. sugar.  Pat into a 9x13 pan.  Bake at 350* for 10 minutes.  Cool completely.

MIDDLE LAYER:  Using mixer, blend cream cheese and 1 c. sugar.  Fold in your  Cool Whip.  Spread over cooled crust being careful to get all the way to the edges, leaving no gaps.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour to firm up.

TOP LAYER:  Mix Jello into boiling water until dissolved.  Put in refrigerator to partially set.  Do not let it get firm!  Stir in strawberries.  Pour Jello with strawberries over the white layer.  Refrigerate until Jello is firm.


Here are some play-by-play pictures, in case you are a visual learner like me.  :)

Crust after baking.  
I could have crushed the pretzels a little more.

Whipped cream cheese and sugar.

Add Cool Whip.

FOLD in the Cool Whip.  If you stir it you will loose the airy lightness of the whipped topping.

Spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.

Don't leave gaps!  When you pour the Jello on later it will 
sink through and make the pretzels soggy!
A beginners' lesson learned the first time I made this.

See the fun layers!!

YUMMY! 
  (You can see my family couldn't wait to eat it until after I had taken a picture)

Enjoy!!

*Meghan 

Not Your Grandma's Meatloaf {Recipe}

So who of you out there likes meatloaf?  Do you really?  As a kid I loathed the stuff.  Experimental meat was all I pictured.  I just knew I was going to find yesterdays' leftovers in the shape of a loaf (ok, so my interpretation was a bit skewed).  You always knew it would have eggs, bread crumbs ... a bunch of other things... and ketchup for the top (in my case, to camouflage the taste!).  All I know is that I know I was never a friend of the stuff until about 6 months ago.  I'm so thankful my taste buds changed... matured.  :)

One of our church-family friends has a passion for delicious and nutritious (not to mention gluten-free*) cooking.  She passed on this recipe to me as my husband and I tried our swing at a gluten-free lifestyle... and I'm so thankful for her help!  Plus, I dare say she is one of those who can throw a little-of-this and a little-of-that and it will turn out delicious.   Anyway, on to the recipe.

Meatloaf Meatballs *GF Style

a.k.a. Mini Meatloafs

2 lbs. of lean ground beef

1 cup shredded carrots  (If using pre-packaged shredded carrots, cut them into smaller pieces)

1 cup diced onion

1-2 eggs (I used two eggs if using lean meat - 90/10 or better)

Tomato Sauce OR a can of diced tomatoes (We just tried the tomato sauce and loved it! It's our new favorite topping)

~that's right ~ no ketchup!  You don't have to add the same thing your great-grandmother did!  :)

In a hot skillet, cook onions and carrots in a couple of Tbsp olive oil until veggies are tender.  Set aside to cool down (so your eggs don't cook when you mix everything together).

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients together and add some salt and pepper.  Mix it really well so eggs are evenly incorporated.  At this point you can dump the mixture into a loaf pan, pour tomato sauce over it and bake at 350* for approx. 1 hour

OR

Form into meatballs with your *ahem* ice-cream scoop!  Drop into a greased cupcake pan.  Top each meatball with sauce.  Bake at 350* for ... 30 minutes?  Not sure on the time - I forgot to set a timer or watch the clock.  

The sweetness of the cooked onions and carrots are where most of the flavor comes from.  So Delicious!!
 

I have kids ~ so we have to change up our meals.  You know.  So we don't do the same-old-things with the same-old-things.  Now doesn't that feel like an accomplishment!

FYI:  

I used some fattier beef this time (80/20) and while I was hoping for the shape of a muffin to my mini meat loafs they ended up like meatballs - round.  I think the leaner meat would keep the shape - if that matters to you. :)  Oh, and it is sort of messy - I was afraid I would scare you away from this recipe if I showed you a picture - the grease splattered quite a bit.

*Meghan

Taco Soup

Here's a soup recipe that's super-easy, plus it's perfect for a cold-weather day like today is supposed to be.

Taco Soup:


2 lbs. hamburger
onion- chopped
3 cans Mexican flavored tomatoes
1 can pinto beans - not drained
1 can kidney beans - not drained
1 can chopped green chilies - 7 oz.
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing
1 can Homini (or corn)

Brown meat with onion.  Put everything in a Crock-pot and heat until ready to serve.  Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream.

Yummy!  Enjoy and look for more recipes soon!

*Meghan

Grandma Bonnie's Chocolate Sheet Cake

In memory of my sweet Grandma...

Chocolate Sheet Cake 

2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. oil
2 eggs
1 stick butter/margerine
1 c. water
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda


*Mix flour and sugar in a bowl.
*Bring oil, butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Add it to flour mix.
*Add in eggs, vanilla and milk.
*Mix well and pour into jelly roll pan.
*Bake @ 375* for 20 minutes or more until toothpick comes out clean


Icing:


1 stick butter
4 Tbsp. cocoa
6 Tbsp. milk
1 box powder sugar (4 cups)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. nuts - chopped *optional*


*Bring butter, cocoa and milk to boil.  Add powdered sugar, vanilla and nuts.
*Pour over cake while cake is still warm.  (This was always the tricky part to getting the icing to come out smooth and pretty.  Inevitably it's the part that I have failed at on more than one occasion.)


*Meghan

Twix Bars

When we get together with my husband's side of the family you always know there will be yummy things to snack on.  My mother-in-law is a fabulous hostess, and not just to family but all who enter her home.   And it's not just delightful food you will be served; you are sure to leave encouraged by her words as well.  She makes her home a haven for all to enter and it wouldn't be right to not share some of her recipes with you as well.

This recipe is a fun one we enjoy around the holidays.

Twix Bars

1 sleeve saltine crackers
1 stick butter
1 c. brown sugar
milk chocolate chips

Spread saltines on baking sheet.  
Melt on low heat: butter, brown sugar until gooey.
Pour evenly over crackers.
Bake 5 minutes @ 350* until bubbly.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over top.
Pop into fridge or freezer until hardened; then break apart and store in a covered container in the fridge.

Sentimental Recipes - Great-Grandma's Banana Bread

What does a snowy day mean to you?  Cozied up by a fire?  Wrestling a house full of stir-crazy kids?  Maybe you get more house-cleaning done because you are cooped up.  Or perhaps you are in-tune with your surroundings and give in to the urge to get out a make some snow balls.  Well, for me I love to sit and watch the snow fall from inside a warm house.  And then I want to bake.  

And today is one of those snowed-in (not really, but I'll keep telling myself that) days.  If the snow is coming down, I must turn on the oven and get baking.  It is inevitable that these winter months will bring on the pounds with it.  But I just can't help myself.

So, what I thought I'd share with you are some family recipes.  It's kind of funny as I was thinking about what recipes I wanted to share I wondered if there was any reason I should just keep them "in the family" and could not think of one reason that I should not share these with you.  So here goes.  Enjoy!

My Great-Grandmother's Banana Bread

(Her name was Grandma Baker - growing up I thought that was just what people called her because she liked to bake! Hehe!)

Yields: 1 loaf

1/2 c. margerine/butter, softened

1 c. sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 c. mashed bananas

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 Tbsp. milk

Mix butter, sugar and egg in large bowl until fluffy - on high speed.  In a separate small bowl mix bananas and milk.

Mix flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Stir into sugar mixture alternately with banana/milk mixture.

Turn into greased 9x5x3 loaf pan.  Bake in moderate oven (I love the language used here! ~ means 350*) 1 hour or until center springs back.

Cool in pan 5 minutes; then remove to cool completely. 

Recipe {Easy Beirocks}

Life around here has not slowed down much in the past week.  Until yesterday.  It rained all day.  Which was so wonderful because we needed it and maybe that was God's grace to help me to slow down.  My children and I stayed inside all day and it was lovely.  

My husband was at a meeting until late and then out to visit with a family who just lost a beloved grandmother.  To keep myself busy until he returned I found myself praying as I worked ahead on meals to make things easier in the days to come.  

Here's the recipe I've made up after watching someone else make them.  I have no idea if it's technically correct in what you are supposed to put in them, but it's yummy and easy.

Beirocks:

2lbs. lean ground beef (90/10 is what I like to work with)
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
frozen bread dough, rolls
salt
garlic powder
pepper  


Brown ground beef with onion and add salt/pepper/garlic (to taste) to the meat before it browns.  Drain off grease (especially if using meat with higher fat content).  Add the shredded cabbage to meat/onions.  At this point I usually add water to help steam the cabbage and keep the meat from over-cooking.  Cover.  Continue to cook over medium heat until cabbage is tender.  Set aside to cool slightly.


Thaw frozen dough rolls in microwave.  (Did you know you could do that?  In my microwave I can do 6 at a time 25 seconds on each side - I looked up how to do this on the Rhodes website.)  I do recommend using fresh bread dough... but remember, I said this was an easy recipe!


Flatten dough out into circles and scoop meat mixture into the center of each circle.  Fold up the edges and pinch the dough together to seal.  Place beirocks sealed-side down onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake the bread according to manufacturers' instructions.  For my oven:  25 minutes at *350 or until golden on top.


Serve.  Our boys like them with ketchup and mustard.


*These freeze very well.  Just let cool after baking and package in freezer bags.  Reheat in microwave 30 seconds at a time)*


Enjoy!


*Meghan