Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

 

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I found this recipe on Pinterest & am so happy with how it turned out!  I made a side of mashed potatoes & the extra glaze was super tasty as a gravy!  My oldest was out to dinner with his grandparents, so I didn't get to see his reaction to the meal.  I'm guessing he would've enjoyed it...but I'll have to make it again sometime to know for sure!  :)  Do yourself a favor & make this soon!

Lemon Baked Cod

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb cod fish fillet
• 1/4 cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• paprika

Directions:

1. If fish fillets are large, cut into serving pieces.
2. Mix butter and lemon juice.
3. In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper.
4. Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture.
5. Place fish in ungreased square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches.
6. Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika.
7. Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.

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I tried something new!  I cooked fish.  And we all liked it.  The boys liked dipping it in ketchup, of course.  But my husband & I enjoyed it served over rice, with oven fries on the side.  I'd definitely make this again.

Oven Fries

Ingredients

• 3 large baking potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges. In a large bowl, combine the oil, salt, paprika and pepper; add potato wedges and toss to coat.
2. Place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes. Turn potatoes; bake 10 minutes longer or until golden brown.
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   These were a big hit with me & my husband.  The kids, not so much.  They prefer "french" fries to oven fries.  But in our grown-up opinions, they were perfect! 

Home Canned Applesauce

I consulted this website to learn the steps for preparing & canning homemade applesauce.  I have no idea how many pounds of apples I started with, but I ended up with 5 pints of applesauce.  I kept it simple, with just a quarter cup of brown sugar (the apples were a bit too tart for me) & a pinch of salt.  The resulting applesauce was very tasty & my oldest gobbled it up, asking for seconds & thirds.  :)  I used my immersion blender to puree the cooked apples & it worked great.  I know there were a few chunks throughout, but that didn't bother me.  Overall, a great first attempt at canning homemade applesauce!

Zucchini Spice Coffee Cake

Extra zucchini means creative desserts.  Plus I was in the mood for tea & sweets, so this hit the spot on a blustery day.

 

COFFEE CAKE:

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/4 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. zucchini, grated
1/2 c. soft butter
1/4 c. dairy sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla (I actually used maple extract, because I was out of vanilla & it tasted great!)
2 eggs

 

TOPPING:

3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. butter

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 inch pan. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off.In large bowl, combine all coffee cake ingredients at low speed until moistened; then, beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour into prepared pan.
In small bowl, combine all topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over batter. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm or cooled.

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Definitely a hit with the whole family, though my 4 year old did refer to it as crumbly.  That's to be expected, perhaps.  I thought it tasted great!

Canned Heirloom Tomatoes

I used this recipe to can some of my abundance of tomatoes! Can't wait to use these in the middle of winter to make soups, stews, salsas & sauces! :)

Superior heirloom tomatoes

Forget pickles and jams on your first go-around. Home-canned tomatoes can’t be beat, are wildly versatile and are economical to boot. I promise you won’t regret the effort.

Ingredients
• 5 pounds heirloom tomatoes
• Lemon juice (from the jar is best)

Method

Make two, criss-cross slits in the bottom of each tomato. Loosen the skins of whole tomatoes by boiling in water for 45 seconds.

Immediately plunge the tomatoes into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Slide the skins off and cut out the cores using a sharp paring knife. Set aside in a large bowl.

Fill sterilized pint-sized jars with the skinned tomatoes, leaving a ½ inch of headspace from the top. Crush the tomatoes by pushing them down into the jars with your fingers as you go.

Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to each jar. If you prefer, you may also add a single basil leaf at this point, although I prefer to keep mine plain so that the tomatoes can be used in virtually anything.

Wipe and cap the jars and heat-process in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes.

Makes about 8 pint jars.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies

I followed this recipe & was pleasantly surprised at how tasty these were! I think the chocolate chips really make the brownies rich & delicious. I peeled the zucchini before shredding it to hide the green stuff a little better & it definitely worked. I don't think anyone would've noticed without me telling them. :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 11 baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, combine sugar, canola oil, and flour, combine until mixture resembles wet sand. While mixing, on low, add cocoa, zucchini, vanilla extract, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the brownies are set.

4. Cool on a wire rack. Cut brownies into squares and serve.

Pickled Pepperoncinis

I followed this recipe last night to make Pickled Pepperoncinis! So excited to taste the final product! I quartered the recipe to make just two pints, since I didn't have 4 quarts of pepperoncinis yet. I also opted for omitting the olive oil. Wouldn't mind trying it next time...just kind of forgot this time.

Pickled Pepperoncini
Yield: 8 pints
4 quarts peppers
4 cups vinegar
4 cups water
4 teaspoons salt olive oil (optional)

Wash peppers thoroughly. Remove core, seeds,
and stems of large peppers. Cut as desired, or leave
whole after coring. The small, hot peppers may
be left whole with stems intact. Make 2 small slits
in whole peppers. Mix vinegar and water, heat to 150-
160F/66-71C about to the simmering point. Since it is
rather volatile, vinegar should not boil a longtime.
Pack peppers rather tightly into jars. Pour hot
vinegar and water over the peppers to 1/2 inch
of jar rim. Add salt to taste, seal, and process 15
minutes in hot-water bath. If oil is desired, add
vinegar to only 3/4 in of jar top. Add olive oil to
come 1/2 in from top. The peppers will be coated
with oil when they pass through the oil layer as
you use them.

Raspberry Crisp

I've prepared this Raspberry Crisp twice this summer using raspberries from our backyard! Each year we get more & more berries. It's great to have a delicious go-to recipe that's quick & easy!

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups Raspberries
• 1 Tablespoon (Heaping) Corn Starch
• 2/3 cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/3 cup Oats
• 1/4 cup Pecans, Chopped
• Dash Of Salt
• 3/4 sticks Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
• Whipped Cream Or Vanilla Ice Cream, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine (rinsed) raspberries, corn starch, 2/3 cups sugar, and vanilla. Stir and set aside.

In a separate bowl (or food processor) combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, oats, pecans, dash of salt, and butter pieces. Cut together with a pastry cutter (or pulse in food processor) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. *(I've use both a pastry cutter & a food processor - both were delicious. The food processor ended up making a much finer dough/crumble.)*

Add berry mixture to a small baking dish or pie pan. Sprinkle topping mixture all over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

Allow to sit for ten minutes before serving. Scoop out with a spoon and top with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Candied Sweet Potatoes (Yams)

I am always on the lookout for recipes that don't require bowling or browning ingredients before baking or slow cooking. I don't want to do the extra step, dirty more dishes, or spend any more time prepping food than I have to. But I still want a delicious final product & these Candied Sweet Potatoes met all the criteria (with flying colors, considering the kids loved them too!). :) I even used coconut oil instead of butter, since I realized we were out of butter halfway into prepping the yams, & they tasted great. After refrigeration, they were pretty rock hard the next day, but the coconut just needs to be heated to soften up. :)

Candied Sweet Potatoes (Yams)

6-8 medium-sized sweet potatoes
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 to 3 tsp. ground cinnamon, or to taste
1 cup melted butter, plus 2 tbsp. melted butter (I used 1 cup coconut oil)
1-1/2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup pecan chips (I used glazed walnuts that I had on hand)

Slice sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch round slices. Arrange potatoes in a lightly greased baking dish (approx. 13”x9”x2”).

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans in a bowl. Sprinkle each layer of potatoes with the mixture. Pour 3/4 cup melted butter over potatoes evenly. Cover and back at 375°F for 30 minutes.

Remove, and baste with remaining 1/4 cup butter. Cover and continue baking for 30 minutes. (If transporting dish, stop here and continue last step at remote location – warm 5-10 minutes in oven before adding marshmallows).

Remove, sprinkle marshmallows evenly on top and continue baking without cover for 5 minutes.

Blackberry Crumb Bars

These were so yummy! And so pretty, in front of my Spring Centerpiece. :P

Blackberry Crumb Bars

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blackberries (I used frozen & it turned out great)
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Everyone who tried these bars thoroughly enjoyed them...except Cedar. He preferred to lick the crumb topping, wanting very little to do with the berries. What a goof! ;)

Salted Chocolate Caramel Cookies

I borrowed this recipe from my friend, Angela, & it didn't disappoint! I got lots of compliments on them, when I served them at a baby shower, as well as requests for the recipe. Definitely a winner, thanks Ang!

I did have trouble the first time I tried to heat the sugar & over did it. A second time with a candy thermometer did the trick! I'm sure I'll do even better a third time around. :)

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FOR THE CRUST
4 1/2 ounces (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for parchment
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt

FOR THE CHOCOLATE CARAMEL
10 1/2 ounces milk chocolate, chopped (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the crust: Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter parchment, excluding overhang. Beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and table salt, and beat until just combined.

Press dough evenly into pan, and bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Make the chocolate caramel: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, washing sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, until amber, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter, cream, and table salt. Bring to a boil, stirring until smooth. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to combine, and let stand until cool, about 10 minutes.

Pour mixture over crust. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. Run a knife around edges; lift parchment to remove whole bar from pan. Sprinkle with sea salt. Trim edges, and cut into 16 bars. Bars can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Easy No Knead, No Rise Soft Pretzels

Easy No Knead, No Rise Soft Pretzels (Printable Version)

• 1 Tb. instant yeast
• 1-1/2 c. warm water
• 1 Tb. honey
• 1 Tb. salt (yep, a tablespoon- they're pretzels, after all!)
• 4 c. flour (I use whole wheat pastry or 1/2 white and 1/2 regular whole wheat)
• 1 egg (for wash)
• salt for sprinkling (kosher is best for the familiar "pretzel salt," but sea salt will do fine)
  

1. Combine yeast, water, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Stir in flour and mix until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl (a couple minutes). The dough should be smooth to the touch, and will stick only when pulling off pieces- as soon as you start rolling for the pretzel shape, it should not stick to your hands or surface (add just a touch more flour if you have sticking problems- I never have to, though).
   
3. Start preheating the oven to 425 degrees.
4. Pull off pieces of dough (alternately, pat dough out and cut to get more even pieces), shape into letters, hearts, pretzels, animals, etc. and place on lined or greased cookie sheets.*
5. Mix the egg with a bit of water and brush all over the dough shapes, then sprinkle with some salt.
6. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
7. Cool for a few minutes before taking the first fabulous bite! The leftovers (if you have any...) can be stored in an airtight container (or frozen) and reheated in an oven for few minutes before eating.
   

*I always do one sheet at a time, as the first sheet will be done before you've finished shaping all the pretzels for the second sheet.

Makes approximately 20, depending on the size each pretzel.

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We tried this homemade pretzel recipe - I think the grown-ups liked it better than the kids. That always seems to happen when I intentionally make a meal geared towards the kids...I'm specifically remembering a mac n' cheese night. Anyways, we will definitely try it again sometime!

No-Rise Yeast Rolls

I found this recipe while looking for a last minute side to go with our meatloaf dinner. These were so easy & turned out great. I used whole wheat flour & they were not too dry or gritty. A little butter & they were quite nice. :) I even had to look up a substitute for the buttermilk that called for regular milk & lemon juice...then had to seek out a soy version when I realized we had NO cow's milk in the house. Ugh. But no one could tell I had make my own vanilla soy-buttermilk. ;)

No-Rise Yeast Rolls

• 2 tsp. yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 TBS baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground (or freshly bought at Walmart, or even white - gasp! )
• 1/4 c. butter, melted
  
• 1/4 c. honey
• 3/4 c. buttermilk
• 2 extra TBS butter, for brushing on cooked rolls
  

Mix first three ingredients and let sit a minute or two, till yeast is a bit bubbly. Add the other ingredients (except for extra 2 TBS butter), starting with just two cups of flour, and mix, adding more flour till you have a soft, not too sticky, dough. If you've made homemade biscuits, or at least touched the dough your grandmama made, that's what it should feel like. Turn dough onto the flour-dusted counter top and press out to about 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into twelve squares. Bake @ 375 for about 15 minutes, then brush with butter. Good stuff. *These are pretty sweet, so cut down on the honey if that's not your thing.

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Ingredients:

Servings: 36

36 36

Servings Size

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons cold butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 20 mins

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a food processor, combine sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, process for a few seconds.
3. Add butter and vanilla, process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Add chocolate chips and eggs and pulse until dough is evenly moistened.
5. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, press onto pans as logs.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven and cut into diagonal 1" slices.
7. Turn slices on sides and return to oven for 5-10 minutes.
8. Let cool.

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These turned out great! I love them with tea; Kenton loves them with milk. :) I'm sure the boys would love them with soy milk. Super easy, tasty recipe!