Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce

Since we've moved, one of the things I've been really trying to stay on-task with is fixing a big dinner on Sundays.  Especially now that it's Fall, there's nothing more comforting to me than having a warm, home cooked meal on Sunday and sitting down to a game of football!  Comfort is defined by food in so many ways with things like soup, chili, pot roast, turkey dinner, and pork loin (to name a few).

Roasting a pork loin is actually one of the easiest things to do in the kitchen; however I know that it can be frightening and very intimidating for some.  But it really is a fool-proof dish and one that can help you to overcome any fears you may have about cooking pork if done the right way.  I'm telling you that by following this method of searing and roasting to temperature, you can be guaranteed to have a delicious, juicy and tender pork loin cooked all the way through!  It really is fool-proof!

This recipe actually comes from the Pioneer Woman and while I know there are mixed reviews of her recipes out there, I will say that so far, I have yet to be disappointed.  I love a good pork loin but I am obsessed with dressing it up with some sort of sauce!  The sweet and savory combination is one that tickles my taste buds and the cranberry sauce that accompanies this dish is by far, my favorite yet!  I cannot get enough of it!  Seriously, y'all, this sauce is a must...in that you.must.try.it!  It's sweet from the onions, but it has a slight hint of the tart cranberries and the warmth of the rosemary and chicken stock help to bring it back around.  It is purely delightful and the nice thing about it is that it would pair well with poultry (especially at Thanksgiving or Christmas)!

Pork Loin with Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

2lb. Pork Loin, trimmed of fat

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Olive Oil

1 Sm. Onion, chopped

1 cup Chicken Broth

1 Tsp. Dried Rosemary

1/2 cup Cranberry Sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large pan over high heat.  Generously season all sides of the pork with salt and pepper and transfer to the hot pan, searing it for 1 minute on each side to form a nice brown crust.  Transfer the pork to a roasting dish or pan and roast in the oven until the inside temperature of the pork reaches 160 degrees (approximately 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil over med-high heat.  Add the onions and saute until they become tender and translucent (approximately 3-5 minutes).  Add in the chicken broth and rosemary; stir to combine.  Mix in the cranberry sauce and cook until heated through, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and let thicken. 

Remove the pork from the oven and set on a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.  Slice the pork and serve with the cranberry sauce on top or alongside for garnishing.

Yield: 4 Servings

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!  I don't know about you, but I love a good reason to celebrate any holiday (especially those that involve Mexican food)!  The last couple of years, I haven't gone out to celebrate and this year we're not either, but there's no reason we can't celebrate at home, right?!  Right.

Chris LOVES my Creamy Chicken Enchiladas!  LOVE might be exaggerating a bit, but he really, really likes them!   He's been hinting around the last month or so for me to make them again and I thought what better time than today in celebration of the 5th of May! 

Now there are a variety of ways to make enchiladas and typically they come with either a red sauce or a green tomatillo sauce.  I like both but I tend to prefer the red sauce with the creamy chicken and green chile filling I use; it's a nice combination of flavors, not too rich and not too spicy.  Actually, I tend to use more heat in my dishes but this one, while it uses jalapenos and chiles, is very mild.

I made my own red sauce but if you don't want to go to the trouble, it's just as easy to pick up a jar of enchilada sauce at the market.  As I've said before, I prefer to make my own sauces when I can - I find them to have better flavors, fresher ingredients and no preservatives.  Sometimes making things from scratch takes a little longer than usual but it's because you're making it with love!

Happy Cinco de Mayo y'all!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients - Enchiladas
2 Lg. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup Sour Cream
8 oz. Green Chiles, diced
1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
8 - 10-inch Tortillas
Mexican Blend Cheese, shredded

Ingredients - Sauce
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Sm. Onion
2 Jalapenos
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tsp. Sugar
10 oz. Tomato Sauce
1 cup Water
1 Lg. Tomato, diced

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, green chiles, cream cheese and sour cream; mix well until blended.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by heating the olive oil in a medium skillet over med-high heat.  Add in the onions and peppers; saute until they become tender (about 5 minutes).  Add in the garlic and toss to combine.

Transfer the onion and pepper mixture into a medium saucepan.  Mix in the chili powder, cumin and sugar and heat for 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomato sauce, water and tomato.  Heat through until it begins to lightly boil; lower the heat and simmer until thickened (about 5 minutes).

Pour the sauce into a strainer set on top of a medium bowl, so just the sauce is strained from the mixture.  Use a wooden spoon to help push the sauce through; discard what's left of the mixture in the strainer.

To complete the enchiladas, pour a little of the sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish.  Spoon the chicken mixture into a flour tortilla and roll it up carefully to secure the filling.  Place the filled tortilla in the baking dish seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture and tortillas.  Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas and bake for 15 minutes.  Pull the enchiladas out and top with a generous amount of cheese.  Bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with cilantro and serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Enchiladas from With a Cherry on Top, Sauce adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from America's Test Kitchen

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Taco Seasoning

If you've been reading this blog even for a short amount of time, you'll know that I'm not a big fan of packaged foods. It's not that I don't ever buy them, use them or eat them, but there are some things that are just better when made from scratch. They taste better, they're better for your health and they're better on your wallet!

I realize that sometimes it's more convenient to go that route and trust me - been there, done that. But sometimes it's not. Taco seasoning is one of those things that can easily be duplicated at home and offer a more authentic flavor than what you get out of a little packet!

It's so easy to throw together and once again, you control the amount of ingredients that go in. You can omit certain seasonings, double up on others and my favorite: lower the amount of salt. A lot of those pre-packaged items at the store are filled with high levels of sodium and preservatives and personally, I find the flavors to be a bit over-powering.

Chances are you have most, if not all, of these ingredients in your spice cupboard and the best part...it's okay if you don't! Don't worry about running out to pick one up...you can play with the other ingredients and it'll still taste great!

Taco Seasoning

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Paprika
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a resealable container. Place the lid on and shake vigorously until well blended.

May be used immediately for cooking or stored in container for future use.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Pork Loin with Peach Marmalade Sauce, Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas & Mexican Cornbread

Happy New Year!!!  2009 seemed to go by rather quickly for us and certainly had its ups and downs.  But it's a new year and we're anxiously anticipating what is to come in our lives within the next 12 months!
As many of you know, I'm a "Yankee" girl from West Michigan and recently moved to the South for Chris to pursue a great opportunity with a new company.  What you may not know is that Chris is a true southern boy - born and raised in sweet-home Alabama!  Living in the South has definitely provided me with new experiences (mostly good)!  With that, though, comes Southern cooking and Southern traditions.  Today is New Year's Day and it's certainly a day filled with traditions and superstitions; I feel it's necessary to abide by them 1). Because I'm with a Southern boy and it's "a must" and 2). I'm very superstitious!  Let me indulge you....Never wash clothes on New Year's Day because if you do, you'll wash someone out of your life...If your house isn't clean at the beginning of the year, it won't be clean all year long...Whatever you're doing on the first day of the year, you'll be doing all year long! 

The most popular of them all....One must eat collard greens and black eyed peas if they want a year full of wealth.  Collard greens represent the money you'll have and the black eyed peas represent the pennies or coins.  Today, our house is filled with the aroma of smoked pork, onions and garlic...yum!  I am learning how to make these items and also taste them for the first time with the hopes that I will be pleased with their Southern flavors and the wherewithall to make them in the future!  Our menu consisted of a Roasted Pork Loin with a Peach Marmalade Sauce, Collard Greens with garlic and spice, Black Eyed Peas, and Mexican Cornbread. 

After sitting down to a nice, warm meal, I found myself going for seconds on the Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas - they were delicious and to my delight, tasted much different than I had imagined!

Peach Marmalade Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup Peach Preserves or Marmalade
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tsp. Cumin
1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over med-high heat, stirring frequently.  Cook until heated through (approximately 3-4 minutes).  Adjust ingredients and their amounts according to taste.  Serve immediately over meat or poultry.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients
1 lb. Black Eyed Peas
1/2 lb. Smoked Ham, diced
1 Lg. Onion, diced
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Zatarain's Crab Boil Seasoning
1 16 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
3 cups Water
Salt
Pepper

Directions
Carefully sort through black eyed peas, tossing out the bad ones. 

In a large pot, combine all ingredients and cook for 1 1/2 hours on low heat.  Turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes more.  Remove from heat for 30 minutes to thicken and then simmer for an additional 45 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

Collard Greens

Ingredients
1 Lg. bunch of Collard Greens, rinsed and stems removed
1 1/2 lb. Ham Hock
5 qt. Water
2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
2 1/2 Tbsp. Zatarain's Crab Boil Seasoning
2 Tbsp. Sugar
Pepper

Directions
In a 8 qt. pan, combine all ingredients except the collard greens and bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Add collard greens and simmer for 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.  - Note: we like our food spicy, so if you don't, it is recommended that you cut back on (or omit) the crab boil seasoning.

Source: With a Cherry on Top

Mexican Cornbread

Ingredients
1 pkg. Mexican Cornbread mix
1 Egg
3/4 cup Milk
4 Tbsp. Jalapenos, sliced
1 lb. Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine cornbread mix, egg, milk, jalapenos and 1/2 lb. cheese.  Mix together and pour into 9x9 greased dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over top of mixture and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese browns.  Serve immediately.  - Note: we like our food spicy; if you do not, it is recommended that you decrease the amount of jalapenos used or omit them altogether.
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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