Italian Meatball Sliders

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, finely diced
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), toasted
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 ounces lean ground pork
2 (4-ounce) links turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce
12 slider buns, toasted
12 basil leaves

Directions:
1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add garlic and shallots to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until shallots are softened, stirring frequently. Combine shallot mixture, ricotta, and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 12 (1-inch) meatballs; flatten each meatball slightly.

2. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add meatballs to pan; cook 6 minutes, turning once. Add marinara sauce; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until meatballs are done. Top bottom half of each bun with 1 1/2 tablespoons sauce, 1 meatball, 1 basil leaf, and top half of bun.

Comments:
These were pretty good. I used a pork sausage instead of combining ground pork and turkey and it turned out well. Easy recipe, and finally a burger that fit the bun!

Mexican Manicotti

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti, cooked and drained
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, optional
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, chili powder and cumin. Stuff into manicotti shells.

Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine tomato sauce and chilies if desired; pour over manicotti. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Comments:
I left out the optional chiles, but otherwise pretty much stuck to the plan. I chose this recipe to use up some refried beans and it worked like a charm. Pretty tasty and relatively easy to assemble. Although I notice every time I make manicotti I think to myself "man, I really hate making manicotti." Such a pain in the butt, stuffing all those shells. *sigh*

Oven-Fried Pork Chops and Parmesan Potato Wedges

From Cooking Light (pork) and Crockpot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes (potatoes)



For the pork

Ingredients:
2 cups panko or other coarse bread crumbs
1 1-oz. packet onion soup mix
1 teaspoon paprika
Pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons flour
6 6-oz. boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Arrange a rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix bread crumbs with soup mix, paprika and pepper in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine mustard and 2 Tbsp. water. Spread flour on a plate. Dredge pork chops in flour. Coat both sides of each pork chop with mustard mixture, and then dredge in bread crumbs to coat well. Place chops on prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. melted butter over each chop. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning chops over halfway through cooking time for even browning. Let chops rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Layer potatoes, onion, oregano, salt, pepper, and butter in slow cooker. Cover; cook on HIGH 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Comments:
The pork was good. Even with sub-par meat the breading was pretty good. I even ate all of mine, which is impressive since I don't really like pork all that much. On the other hand, the potatoes were iffy. Potatoes in the crockpot generally end up all mushy and despite the high cooking temp and the deceivingly delicious picture in the cookbook, they ended up, well, kind of mushy. Still ok tasting, but not something I'd make again.

Asian-Style Pork Chop Bake

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
ground black pepper to taste
1 dash ground allspice
6 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops

Directions:
To Make Marinade: In a medium, non-reactive bowl, mix the teriyaki sauce, orange juice, sherry, ginger root, garlic, pepper and allspice. Add pork chops to bowl, cover, and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours, turning as needed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove chops and marinade from refrigerator. Remove cover and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until internal temperature of meat has reached 160 degrees F.

Comments:
I followed some of the comments from this recipe and marinated the meat all day long. I also moved it to a baking dish and used the left over marinade as a basting liquid. I don't know if I liked this. Adam says the pork was overcooked - I let it go for 30 minutes and let it sit on the stovetop about 5 minutes more to get to 160. I'm not such a fan of pork in the first place so perhaps I'm not the best judge for this one.

Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Cook cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Place in a clean coffee grinder or blender; process until ground. Combine ground cumin, sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper; rub evenly over pork.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done

Comments:
Kind of copped out on this one. Skipped most of the first step and just mixed the spices together and dumped them on the pork. What can I say? It was an off week. I'm just happy I cooked anything at all. And I got to use my new grill pan again, so that was fun.

Soy-Marinated Pork Chops

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
4 boneless center-cut pork chops (about 6 oz. each), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped

Directions:
1. Place pork chops, soy sauce, vinegar and oil in a large ziplock bag; seal. Turn bag several times to coat chops with marinade; refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. Remove pork chops from bag; discard excess marinade. Warm a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill pork chops until cooked through, turning once, about 3 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro and scallions, and serve.

Comments:
So easy. And I got to use the new grill pan I got for Christmas! Adam would have preferred a longer marination period, but I thought it was fine. I even ate my whole pork chop. Well, minus all the gross stuff from the edges.

Sausage & Pepper Sub

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
3 bell peppers (yellow, orange and green), sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
One 1 1/3-pound piece boneless pork loin, well chilled
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Four 6-inch whole wheat hoagie rolls, split and toasted

Directions:
1.Preheat a grill to medium. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the bell peppers, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

2.Cut the pork into 1/3-inch-thick slices, then into quarters, trimming any excess fat. Transfer the meat to a food processor and pulse 5 times to grind the meat. Add the fennel seeds, crushed red pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt and pulse 2 more times. Divide the mixture into quarters; form each mound into a 5-inch sausage link, then flatten into an oval patty about 1/3 inch thick.

3.Place a cooling rack on one side of the grill grate and lightly oil. Scatter the vegetables on the rack (saving any oil in the bowl); cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the vegetables with a spatula and tongs. Rub the sausage patties with the oil left in the bowl and add to the other side of the grill. Cover and cook, turning the patties about halfway through, until grill marks appear, the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.

4.Transfer the patties to a plate. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the vinegar; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Arrange half of the vegetables in the rolls and top each with a sausage patty and the remaining vegetables.

Comments:
I cheated and bought pre-made sausage so I could skip over some of the directions. I also made it indoors in a skillet rather than on the grill. That worked just fine. They're good, but really messy to eat. We ended up eating most of the pepper and onion with a fork.

Greek Meatballs (Keftedes)

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
5 oz lean ground pork
5 oz lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small eggplant, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 egg
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, lightly combine all the ingredients except the tomatoes. Shape the mixture into 16 meatballs, about 2 inches each.

2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray; set over medium heat. Cook the meatballs, turning as needed, until well browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 3 (meatballs/sauce only - doesn't include pasta/rice)

Comments:
These were very good. I used all beef instead of a mix with pork and served them over gnocchi instead of pasta or rice. There's so much going on in these meatballs that I was afraid they'd fall apart during the browning process. They held up pretty well. I also used a 14.5 oz can of tomatoes since Adam never really likes the sauce part anyway. Threw in a little additional water and it worked out fine.

Carolina Country Style Ribs

From The National Pork Board



Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water, cold
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons molasses, OR 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Directions:
Place ribs in a large bowl or resealable plastic bag, set aside. In 4-cup glass measure, stir together vinegar, water, oil, molasses, salt, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper until salt is dissolved. Remove 1/2 cup marinade; set aside. Add remaining marinade to ribs; seal bag and marinate for 4 - 6 hours in the refrigerator. Remove ribs from marinade; discard marinade.

Prepare medium-hot fire; grill ribs over indirect heat for 50 to 60 minutes or until pork is tender and the internal temperature reaches 160º F. Baste ribs twice with reserved sauce mixture during last 15 minutes of grilling.
Serves 6.

Comments:
I made these ribs in the slow cooker rather than marinating and grilling them. They are SPICY!!! And I only used a teensy bit of crushed red pepper. So be careful with these ones. Adam liked them a lot. Figures. :-)

Grilled Pork Meatballs with Pineapple-Chiptole Chutney

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds bulk pork Italian sausage
2 scallions, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 slices canned pineapple in juice, finely chopped, plus 1/2 cup juice
One-quarter of a chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the sausage and half of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Shape into 16 meatballs.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Stir in the rice, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Using a fork, stir in the sesame seeds.

3. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning, until cooked through and browned, about 15 minutes.

4. In a small saucepan, combine the pineapple, pineapple juice, chipotle and cumin; cook over medium heat until reduced by half, 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the meatballs; stir in the cilantro and remaining scallions. Serve on top of the rice.

Comments:
I didn't want to buy a whole can of chipotle in adobo for one quarter of one pepper. So I got a serrano instead and chopped that up. Added some nice heat. Which I managed to get in my eye even though I wore gloves while chopping. Argh. Stupid pepper.

Anyway.

This was good. I'm not sure why it's called "grilled" meatballs when you don't grill them, but whatever. Adam liked the meatballs best, but didn't mind the other components. Of course, I preferred the rice and pineapple.

Maple Country Style Ribs

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds country style pork ribs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine ribs, maple syrup, soy sauce, minced onion, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, garlic powder and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours.

Comments:
These were kind of disappointing. There was not a lot of flavor at all. I'm not sure where it all went since I'm positive I added all the ingredients. Not the best ribs we've had, but not terrible. Probably a one-timer though.

Rosemary-Dijon Roast Pork with Autumn Fruit Compote

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
For the pork
1 (2 1/2-lb.) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

For the fruit
4 (3") fresh rosemary sprigs
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Bartlett pears, peeled and sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Directions:
Roast Pork
Pat pork roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle or rub roast with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork roast on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Place roast on a rack in a lightly greased roasting pan.

Combine mustard and 2 Tbsp. rosemary; spread onto browned pork.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center of roast registers 155°. Cover with aluminum foil, and let stand 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° before slicing.

Fruit Compote
Place rosemary and crushed peppercorns in a small square of cheesecloth; tie to secure. Place cheesecloth bag, orange juice, and next 6 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until apple and pear are almost tender. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Remove and discard cheesecloth.

Comments:
Obviously I went with thick-cut pork chops rather than a roast. I couldn't find any small roasts and didn't want a ton of leftovers. Not being a pork enthusiast, I only ate half of one chop. It was ok, but nothing to yell from the rooftops about. The fruit compote was wonderful. I couldn't find fresh cranberries so I used Craisins instead. I'm thinking this probably made it a bit sweeter than it should have been, but it was still good. And I even ate the raisins.

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Comments:
Hey, that picture looks different! Did we get new dishes (and a new countertop?) Well, no. This was Monday's dinner and since I was working late and going straight from work to bell choir practice Adam took the crockpot over to his parents' house and had dinner with them. He brought the camera along and snapped a photo for me. I didn't eat this at all, but I'm told it was wonderful.

Grilled Pork Sliders with Honey BBQ Sauce

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (such as Sticky Fingers Memphis Original)
2 tablespoons dark rum (such as Myers's)
2 tablespoons honey
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
4 (1.8-ounce) white wheat hamburger buns

Directions:
1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine barbecue sauce, rum, and honey in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup. Reserve 1/4 cup sauce for serving. Use remaining 1/4 cup sauce for basting.

3. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes. Turn and baste pork with sauce; cook 8 minutes. Turn and baste with sauce. Cook 4 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Let stand 5 minutes; cut into thin slices.

4. Place buns, cut sides down, on grill rack; toast 1 minute. Place 3 ounces pork on bottom half of each bun. Spoon 1 tablespoon sauce over each serving; top with remaining halves of buns.

Comments:
These were good. I don't like barbecue too much but the honey and rum really seemed to offset the smoky flavor nicely.

Sausage Breakfast Scramble

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/4 pound ground pork
1/2 tbsp minced red onion
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground sage
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
pinch salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (about half of a medium-sized one)
1/2 tsp seeded, chopped jalapeno pepper (about one small)
8 large egg whites
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the pork, red onion, garlic, thyme, sage, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Mix well.

Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the pork mixture, onion, red and jalapeno peppers. Cook, stirring to break up the pork, until meat is no longer pink.

Add the egg whites. Let cook for a few minutes, until the whites begin to set. Scramble and continue cooking until eggs are done. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Comments:
I modified this recipe quite a bit. First off, this is another recipe that uses a different one as an element - this time it was the sausage that was separate. Also, the original has you microwaving the egg whites. I know I already mentioned my dislike of microwave cooking on chicken. The same goes for eggs. I don't use the microwave to cook things very often aside from frozen veggies or things that are meant to be cooked there - like Lean Cuisines. So I changed the recipe to what I actually did. It looked kind of gross for a little bit since egg whites have a tendency to look like, well, snot. But once they cook up they look and taste just fine.

Polenta-Topped Pork Patties

From Everyday With Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup instant polenta
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; reserve the skillet.

2. In a small saucepan, bring 2 1/3 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, lower the heat to medium-low and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, remove from the heat, then stir in the cheese; season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. Preheat the broiler. Add the pork and parsley to the onion; shape into four 4-inch-wide patties. In the reserved skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Spoon the polenta on top and broil until golden, about 5 minutes.

Comments:
Not too complicated, although the polenta was a lot runnier than I expected so it didn't quite turn out as pretty as it should have. The bland, kind of creamy flavor of the polenta was nicely offset by the pork burger. I'm not a fan of pork, but this was ok. Not sure it will stay on the rotation, but not a total disaster either.

Teriyaki Pineapple & Pork Chops

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
4 bone-in pork loin chops (8 ounces each)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 fresh pineapple
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

Directions:
Place pineapple juice in a large resealable plastic bag; add pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Drain and discard marinade. Combine the rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper; sprinkle over chops.

Peel and core pineapple; cut into eight spears. Grill chops and pineapple, covered, over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and pineapple is tender, basting occasionally with teriyaki sauce.

Comments:
This is so simple - especially since Adam manned the grill. Ha ha! We skipped the spinach part of the original recipe and boiled up some edamame. Adam has recently become obsessed with it. So much so that we drove to Milwaukee today to Trader Joe's JUST FOR EDAMAME. So sad. Seriously people, if you know where we can get edamame in the shell closer to here (that'd be Neenah), let me know. At least the weather wasn't horrible.

Anyway. The flavor of the pineapple and teriyaki together is mighty good. I'm not a fan of pork, but I ate my whole chop.

Breaded Pork & Mozzarella Stacks with Broccoli

From Everyday With Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
8 pork cutlets (about 2 pounds), pounded thin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 baguette, finely ground (about 3 cups breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 head broccoli—broken into small florets, plus stems peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 250°. Divide the mozzarella among 4 pork cutlets; top with the remaining 4 cutlets. Season with salt and pepper. Place the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate shallow bowls. Coat the pork stacks in the flour, then in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 pork stacks and cook, turning once, until golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven; repeat with 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining 2 pork stacks.

3. Wipe out the skillet and return to the heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the garlic, broccoli and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt. Cook until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the pork stacks.

Comments:
Since I was only making two I skipped the whole oven part. One thing I'll never understand is why they tell you to use so much more flour/breadcrumb mixture than you'll ever need. 3 cups of breadcrumbs for four "stacks"? That's ridiculous and a total waste of bread. I had a little less than one cup in the bowl for two and used less than 1/4 of them. I don't get it.

Anyway, simple prep and execution, though I never seem to be able to get my oil at the right temp to cook the meat but not burn it a bit. Eh, still tasted fine, and just look at that cheese ooze out! I might not have been at my best since I had a creepy audience most of the time I was in the kitchen tonight:



That's Carly on the counter on the left, Connor is in the hall, and you can see part of Ted on the right side on the floor. JC was in the cat room eating, otherwise I'm almost certain I could have had all four of them staring at me at one time. Freaky!

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

From Slow Cooker Magic in Minutes (also seen here.)



Ingredients:
4 pounds boneless pork loin roast, fat trim
1 14.5oz can beef broth
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup cayenne pepper sauce

Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire suace
2 tbsp cayenne pepper sauce

Directions:
Place roast on bottom of slow cooker. Combine broth, Worcestershire and cayenne pepper sauces. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (low for 10 hours.) Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in large bowl; set aside.

Transfer roast to large cutting board. Discard liquid. Coarsely chop pork. Stir into reserved sauce. Spoon pork mixture onto large rolls.

Comments:
I love these kind of recipes. Throw a chunk of meat in the slow cooker, mix up some sauce, and there's dinner! This was pretty good. The cayenne pepper certainly gives it a kick. I didn't skimp on it either so it was the real deal. I could still handle it so I was impressed. I used brown sugar rather than molasses, but I think they're kind of similar so I don't think I messed too much with the flavor combo. I'd make this again.

Chipotle Pork Quesadillas

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 boneless pork chops (about 3/4 pound)
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
8 medium flour tortillas
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until browned, 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool; cut into thin strips.

In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, the garlic, chipotle and cumin and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes; stir in the pork and chopped cilantro.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Brush one side of each tortilla with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Working in batches, cook the tortillas oiled side down until grill marks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

Arrange 4 tortillas grilled side down on a baking sheet. Divide the pork mixture among the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas, grilled side up. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and top with the cilantro leaves.

Comments:
I left out the chipotle and cilantro and used some leftover 4-cheese Mexican blend instead of monterey jack. Even so, I think these turned out pretty well. Oh, I also ditched the grillpan thing and just browned the tortillas up on my griddle. Prep was pretty simple and they were mighty tasty. Adam didn't dig the tomato thing and thought the bottom of the tortilla got a little soggy. True. But still tasty.