Oink, Oink! Pork Rub and Roasted Pork Loin

I was a little late and last minute in pulling together my Christmas gifts last year, as usual. (I remember one year having to knit while Yaya wrapped my gifts because I was so far behind on making my gifts.) I had the ideas in my head of what I wanted to give, but it's so difficult to get everything I need together. It took me forever to find the mason jars I wanted to use, and then when I did find them the store only had one box and I needed three. I looked everywhere for large scrapbooking letters, the sticky ones, but when I couldn't find them I had to go with iron-on letters for fabric which didn't work nearly as well and probably cost a lot more. I spent a week looking for plain white coffee mugs too. Three days before Christmas we found one but I needed two. I wound up with the one white mug and a black one that I prayed would work for my purposes.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana (copycat)

When Aaron and I first met we ate out often. We frequented Applebee's, Chili's, Ruby Tuesday's, and one of my favorites, Olive Garden. Aaron's order was predictable. Almost everywhere we went he ordered chicken tenders and fries, but at Olive Garden that was not an option. He doesn't like salad (or anything in it except for croutons) and he's not a fan of minestrone or pasta y fagioli, but one night he tried their other soup (I know they have chicken gnocchi soup now but at the time they did not), the Zuppa Toscana.

Skillet Pork Chops

This is a go-to meal for me when I need to make a quick substitution to my regular menu. On those days when I'm unexpectedly busy or just too tired to stand in the kitchen for an hour to cook dinner this is what I make.

Island Pork Tenderloin

Every few months my dad and I collaborate on dinner. Usually I'll take care of the meat and he will handle vegetables and sides. A couple of weeks ago we had decided on pork for dinner and I found this delightful recipe on Pinterest that I wanted to try.

Memorial Day Barbecue Pulled Pork

Okay, so I know this is not authentic barbecue since the meat is not smoked, but it is probably the closest thing I can do without a grill or smoker of some kind.

The reason I love this barbecue is because the meat is so succulent. It's cooked low and slow in the oven allowing the fat to render and the connective tissues to break down creating the perfect mouth feel. The meat falls apart when you go to pull it.

Honey Butter Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is one of my favorite meats to work with. It always comes out juicy and tender, it absorbs flavor remarkably well making it great for rubs and marinades, and it's leaner than pork loin. Since it's on sale at the grocery store about once a month I usually buy at least three of them and keep them in the freezer until I find a good recipe to try.

Crock Pot Ham and White Beans

So this was the scene outside outside my house yesterday afternoon. It may not look like much snow, but for East Tennessee it is.

See, the problem with snow in Tennessee is that it frequently comes on quickly and unexpectedly so we have little time to prepare for it. When it started snowing Tuesday morning Aaron was already at work. The weather report showed snow flurries and maybe a dusting in our area and our roads were not treated. I woke up very late (almost 11:00) and by that time the roads in my neighborhood were slick and completely covered with snow.

Crock Pot Potato, Barley, and Canadian Bacon Soup

Two recipes from Iowa Girl Eats in two week? Yes, I think that is a very good idea! Oh man, she just can't go wrong. Every recipe on her blog is amazing, and I've tried quite a few of them.

I actually came across this soup when looking for healthier new recipes for January. I kept looking through Pinterest, but all I had pinned were high fat recipes. Most of them were for fried foods or were smothered in cheese or cream sauces. Don't get me wrong, those sound like fabulous meals, just not exactly what I'm looking for right now.

Soy and Ginger Marinated Pork Tenderloin

For some reason I can't get in the mood to write lately.  I know I've been neglecting the blog the past few weeks so I'm trying to get motivated.  It's hard when Bailey has all of these new toys and wants me to play with her all the time.  I'm having trouble finding the motivation to even clean the house or cook dinner.  All I want to do all day is color.

Spiced Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Happy New Recipe Night!

When I put this recipe on the menu I had no idea how hard it would be to get my hands on a pork loin.  It just never went on sale at the grocery store so I had to improvise.  I used a pork tenderloin instead and I could not be happier with the results.

Maple Dijon Roast Pork

I don't get to enjoy it often, but pork is one of my favorite meats.  We cook a great deal of chicken here because Aaron prefers chicken and because I can get it pretty cheap, but I've noticed the past year or so that I can usually find pork loin on sale at a decent price too.  I like to buy a 5 lb pork loin and cut it into chops.  I can generally get 10-12 chops out of it which is three or four meals for us.  I've found a few flavorful pork chop recipes this spring and summer that even Aaron appreciated, but this is my first attempt at a pork roast in seven years.

Glazed Pork Chops

Have you ever pinned something on Pinterest and the description that the previous Pinner wrote was way wrong?  I have been looking at these glazed pork chops for awhile now and the description the previous Pinner wrote said "put them in the crockpot along with about 2-3 cups of apple juice and let them cook on low all day (about 8 hours). SO tender, no need for a knife" so I had been assuming for weeks that all I would need was apple juice.  (My fault for not checking the actual recipe.)  It turns out there is no apple juice involved in the original recipe.

Honey Garlic Pork Chops

For some reason we don't eat a lot of pork in our house.  I love pork chops.  When I was young one of the first meals I learned to cook was pork chops cooked in French dressing with broccoli and cheese rice and creamed corn.  Yes, the meal was completely my creation (besides the French dressing, that was my Dad) and I chose the sides and everything.