Category — Cooking

I picked a bucket of perfect peaches on Saturday. Perfectly ripe, just about to drop from the tree, mouth-watering, luscious peaches.
I ate two immediately, and after mopping up the juice from my chin and hands, I set out to find a peach pie recipe worthy of my perfect peaches.
Well. Most recipes I found were telling me to bake the pie. It seemed criminal to do such a thing to these peaches, so I settled on one that left well enough alone. In other words, I found a fresh peach pie recipe. One in which the peaches are left fresh. I changed a few things to my liking and I am posting it for you today. Because, dang. That was some mighty fine peach pie.

Fresh Peach Pie

Ingredients

* 1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked
* 1 cup white sugar
* 3 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 2 cups fresh peaches, pitted and pureed
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 4 cups fresh peaches – pitted, skinned, and sliced

Directions
1. Combine sugar, water, cornstarch, butter or margarine, pureed peaches, and nutmeg in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until translucent and thick. Stir in vanilla.
2. Fill pie shell with sliced fresh peaches, alternating with the glaze. Refrigerate.

Enjoy! (we enjoyed ours with whipped cream)

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new recipe here. I think I have the attention span of a two year old. Or a dog. Because I’ll be so totally into doing something like cooking or gardening and it’s all I think about or spend my free time doing and then it’s like, SQUIRREL! and my attention moves to something else.

Last night we had the Mauger’s over for dinner. They’ve been here twice before and both times I screwed up the food. Last time it was nearly inedible, but bless their hearts they ate it anyway. It was a new recipe I tried in which I brined chicken breasts overnight. I remember thinking, overnight? really? but I read the recipe and it was one from that Art guy who was Oprah’s personal chef turned restaurant owner. So I trusted. I mean, if Oprah trusts him…
Well, long story short. The chicken was like eating straight salt. Salt O rama. Salt a thon. Salty Salterson.

Last night, I was determined to make something good, so I put together a menu of things I’ve made many times before with success. In fact, I’ve posted all but one on my blog. We had the Peach Glazed Ribs, Oven roasted potatoes, cole slaw, corn on the cob, corn muffins, and peach crisp with maple cream sauce.
The corn muffins are another amazing Barefoot Contessa recipe which I was surprised to find I haven’t posted before. So here it is:

Raspberry Corn Muffins

3 C. flour
1 C. sugar
1 C. cornmeal
2 T. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 C. milk
1/2 lb. unsalted butter melted, cooled
2 extra large eggs
3/4 C. raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line muffin cups with paper liners.
In bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine the milk, butter, and eggs.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just blended.

Spoon the batter into the muffin liners filling each one to the top (I use an ice cream scoop)

Bake for 15 minutes until tops are crisp and a toothpick comes out clean.

After the muffins cool, spoon the raspberry preserves into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Push the tip into the tops of the muffins and squeeze 1 to 2 Tablespoons of preserves into the middle.

**For kicks, I made some mini muffins without the raspberry preserves and instead, mixed in some grated pepper jack cheese into the batter. They were more savory instead of sweet, but really good.

We had a great time with Jeff and Jenn and their cute little boy. Thanks for letting me redeem myself guys.

Dear chocolate lovers of the world,
Please make these cookies.
You may regret many things in your lifetime, but making and consuming these cookies will not be one of those things.
Thanks not necessary, (unless they are in the form of expensive gifts)
Loves,
Kelly

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

1/3 C. sugar plus 1/2 C. for coating
1 1/2 C. flour
3/4 C. Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp. table salt
1/2 C. dark corn syrup
1 large egg white
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions and heat to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place 1/2 C. sugar in a shallow dish.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In small bowl, whisk together corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla.
5. In a mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and remaining 1/3 C. white sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 min)
6. Reduce speed to low and add corn syrup mixture. Mix until fully incorporated, scraping bowl down with a rubber spatula.
7. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture and chocolate chips. Mix until just incorporated, scraping down bowl again.
8. Chill dough 30 minutes (no longer).
9. Make 24 balls (1 1/2 inches approx.) and roll in sugar. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
10. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate baking sheets top/bottom and front/back to ensure even cooking. Bake 5 minutes more. Cookies will puff and crack on top and look raw between cracks. Do not overbake.
Cool completely.

**These cookies are perfection as is for any chocolate fan. Chewy! Who doesn’t love chewy cookies? Chocolate! Rich, dark chocolate that’s not too sweet. And the sugar coating, adds a touch of sweetness and crunchy texture when you first bite into them. So good. So, so good. But something I’ve done to fancy them up a bit is to roll in crushed, candied ginger before baking (yum) or place an Andes mint in the center of the dough balls before baking (yum squared).

Guess what? I have a new recipe for you! Be excited because it’s so yummy.
I know that I haven’t posted any new recipes for my usual Sunday Dinner posts, but it’s because I’ve been on this crazy diet and trust me when I tell you that you DO NOT want to be eating what I’ve been eating.
It’s my friend Erin’s recipe. And, if she says it’s good, then it is. So, I made it for a little shin-dig I had over here on Tuesday night.
And, it was good.
I have had it for lunch everyday since then, and once for dinner.
It’s too easy to merit my usual step-by-step photos, so without further ado (and just so you know, I totally researched this and it’s ado, not adieu) , I give you…

Tarragon Chicken Salad

(salad)
1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed and shredded
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1/2 C. chopped pickles or cornichons
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 T. chopped, fresh tarragon (dried will do, but use half the amount)
2 T. mayo
salt and pepper
*In a medium bowl, mix together all but the mayo. Toss mixture with mayo and vinaigrette. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days.

(vinaigrette)
1 T. grainy mustard
2 T. honey
2 T. white wine vinegar
1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
*Place all ingredients in a glass jar or salad dressing mixer. Seal tightly and shake until emulsified. Use immediately or keep refrigerated for up to one week.

I rolled mine up in a whole wheat tortilla. As my three-year-old would say, “Yumzilla”.

Every year I look forward to throwing this party. We love our employees so much and feel so grateful to them for taking such good care of our studio, that we want to do something fun at Christmas to show our appreciation.

This year, I decided to keep it somewhat simple and serve soups. We had broccoli cheese, butternut squash, and clam chowder.

I served it with rolls, breadsticks, a veggie tray and this yumzilla stuff that someone gave me to try.

It’s her jalapeno jelly poured over cream cheese, served with crackers.
I loved it! (Monika, if you are reading this, it was awesome)

For dessert, I made cake pops (cake on a stick!) from this website. They were so fun, and tasty too!

We usually have a new game to play, but this year, we talked our ‘digital guy’ Mark, into sharing his amazing musical talents with us. He sang a duet with his daughter that was so sweet.

He is an amazing musician, and he shared some of his original songs. I was blown away by both his playing/singing ability, and the lyrics. Not to mention the passion with which he played. I almost cried on the first song he played. It was amazing.
Best part of the night, by far.

Do you ever stare into your freezer and think, “What am I going to do with that ground beef?” Me too!
Once, instead of just asking myself that question, I got on the phone to my friend and asked it of her.
She shared with me this recipe, and I love it. I think you will too.

French Onion Salisbury Steak

1 1/4 lb. ground beef
1/4 C. chopped, fresh parsely
2 T. chopped scallions
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 T. flour
2 T. olive oil
2 C. sliced, yellow onion
1 tsp. sugar
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. tomato paste
2 C. beef broth
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. thyme
4 slices french bread or baguette, cut diagonally 1/2 inch thick
2 T. butter, softened
1/2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 C. swiss cheese (I used Gruyere because it’s my favy)

1. Combine beef, parsley, scallion, salt and pepper.

2. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape into 3/4-1 inch thick oval-shaped patties.

3. Place flour in a shallow dish and dredge each patty in flour. Reserve remaining flour.

4. Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add patties and saute for 3 min each side or until browned. Remove from pan.

5. Add onions and sugar to pan. Saute 5 min.

6. Stir in tomato paste and 1 T. garlic. Saute about 1 min until paste begins to brown.

7. Sprinkle onions with flour, cook 1 minute.

8. Stir in broth and vinegar.

9. Add salt and thyme, return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Cover meat with some of the soup, reduce heat to med-low and simmer 10 min.

10. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine softened butter with garlic and paprika.

11. Spread on each slice of bread.

12. Sprinkle cheese over bread and bake about 10 minutes or until golden.

13. Serve steaks on cheese toasts, with onion soup ladled over both.

Despite it’s simple appearance, this is SO delicious. We had it with a green salad.
Spot=hit.

Ode to Butternut Squash

I am drawn in by your curves, impressed by your substantial weight.
And, when I cut you open, your color, like a blushing cheek, makes my heart skip a beat.
You are warm soup and comfort in the cold winter.
You are a sweet companion for anything with spice.
And while you are perfectly at home in a hearty stew,
You are best alone, when the spot light is on you.
How can you be so good for me?
When you taste like I’m doing something bad?
Butternut Squash, You had me at hello.
You had me at hello.

Baked Butternut Squash with Garlic

3 lbs. butternut squash
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 T. chopped, fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel squash, scoop out and discard seeds.

Cut into one inch cubes.

Finely mince garlic.

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and toss to combine.

Transfer squash mixture to a 2 qt. baking dish and bake for 50 min.

Serves 8.

Here is the final product. Soft throughout, and slightly golden on the top.

I love this dish. Kelly D. called it “scrumptious”. The Fish said, “It’s not the worst thing I ever ate.” T dry-heaved when we made him take a bite, and The Little Guy ate one bite and said, “Mmmm. Good.” But wouldn’t eat anymore.
You can’t really go by what my kids say though. They don’t eat anything.

This recipe came from my friend Kim. If I remember correctly, I think she said that she got it from one of the Dallas Cowboys’ coaches when they lived in Texas.
Does that give the recipe more credence?
Well, if you can’t trust a football coach to know a good recipe, then who can you trust?

For a last bit of warm weather fun, we had the O’Neils over for dinner. Celeste is my friend from a million years ago. I met her in high school when we were both working at Chick-fil-a. She has awesome kids, and we just love hanging out with their family.
On the menu: Ribs, coleslaw, cheddar bay biscuits and baked beans. Followed by a honey-glazed beehive cake.

Baby Back Ribs

3 lbs. baby back ribs
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. ketchup
1/2 C. soy sauce

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place ribs fatty side down in a baking dish.

Normally, I just use a pyrex dish, but I was cooking for a crowd, so I used this roasting oven. Also, my oven was busy baking this:

And these:

Bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and set aside.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees. Pour sauce over ribs and bake for another 30 minutes.

Turn over and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes more.
Cut into smaller portions and serve.
Fall-off-the-bone-goodness.
In fact, as we were eating dinner, Celeste gave me one of the best compliments I think I’ve ever had.
She said, “Oh, Kelly. Nothing sucks!”
That really says it all.

We ate outside on the patio in perfect weather.

After dinner, Celeste entertained everyone with her piano playing skills.

I tried to impress everyone with my ukulele prowess…

Pretty sure I impressed no one.

When it got dark, we set up a backyard movie using a projector and our fence, complete with popcorn and movie treats.

It was such a fun way to end the summer.

We had dinner guests tonight and since I’ve been hankering for mexican food lately, I made the chicken enchiladas that I posted HERE a while back. We also had black bean and avocado salad, which I also posted HERE. I made some rice (much to Kelly D.’s dismay) and a fruit salad too.
So that just leaves dessert. I looked in books and online for a good mexican dessert recipe that wasn’t flan. I finally came across the one that I made tonight and while I’m pretty sure it’s not authentic mexican cuisine, I can tell you that it was tasty. And, it has the word ’sopapilla’ in the title, so that counts, right?

 
This recipe is beyond easy. But, don’t let that taint your opinion. I was hesitant to try it because it uses canned bread dough. But then I told myself to quit being a food snob, and I gave it a whirl.
It didn’t disappoint. Canned bread dough tastes gooooooood.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

 
DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
3. Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9×13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish,

then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter.

Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey.

Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

 
Everyone loved this dessert. It had a creamy, cheesecake flavor and consistency with a crunchy, cinnamon top. So good.

 
We loved having Chris and Sally and family over tonight. We all have fun together, young and old alike.


 
Since Sally knew we were having a mexican dinner, they brought a pinata with them!


 


 


 
It was a great way to spend a Sunday night.
Hope you had a good one too.

Spicy Curried Chicken with Couscous

4 small chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless)
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 C. chopped, unpeeled apple
1/2 C. chipped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. orange zest
1 C. chicken broth
1/4 C. raisins
1 Tbsp. corn starch
1/4 C. cold water
2 C. hot, cooked couscous

 
Remove excess fat from chicken; cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Heat 2 tsp. oil in 10 inch non-stick skillet until hot. Cook and stir chicken, salt and cayenne pepper in oil over medium heat until chicken is done, about 5 minutes;

remove chicken.
Add 1 tsp. oil, the apple, onion, garlic, curry powder, and orange zest;

cook and stir until apple is tender, about 7 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, raisins and chicken. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.

Mix cornstarch and water; stir into chicken mixture.

Boil and stir one minute till thickened.

Serve on couscous.

 
Enjoy!

Kelly D. often refers to many things I cook as “world famous” or “special recipe”. He’s very sweet, but he’s such a liar. In fact, he often tells dinner guests that my potato salad has won blue ribbons. He will say, “Oh, you guys are going to love Kelly’s blue ribbon potato salad! It’s the best!”
But, it’s just regular potato salad. Good, but basic. Same potato salad my mom makes and probably my grandma before her.

 
Tonight for dinner, we had marinated flank steak. I’ve posted the recipe before. It’s something I tend to make in warm months, because it’s perfect for grilling and eating outside. And, what’s better with grilled steak than blue ribbon potato salad?

 
So, I’m halfway done with making it when I realize we are totally out of mayonnaise. You can’t make blue ribbon potato salad without mayo. The steak was already on the grill, and we’re minutes away from dinner time. And it’s Sunday. We don’t go to the store on Sunday, so I think to myself, it’s oil and eggs…make your own mayo.

I quickly found some recipes online, along with a few tips on how to successfully make mayonnaise and I was in business in no time.
Every recipe I came across boasted of how much better homemade mayo is than store bought, so as I read I was getting more excited about this new prospect than maybe I should. It’s only mayo, after all.
But! They were right! It is actually better. And it was easy to make.
And most importantly, it made my potato salad SO good. Dare I say it? It might just win a blue ribbon after all!

 
So, for today’s cooking post, I made my own mayonnaise. (recipe HERE) I’m like a pioneer. Well, a pioneer with a stick blender….. and a video camera……..

 

PS. Maybe I should have told Kelly D. that a camera was rolling before I hit record.

You’re probably thinking that you already have a good cinnamon roll recipe, and why would I bother posting this one? Doesn’t everyone make things just like their mother or grandmother?
I found this recipe on the AllRecipes website. (do you know about that site? It’s awesome!) It’s supposed to be just like a Cinnabon, but that isn’t why I picked it. I picked it because it had been reviewed over 2,700 times and still maintained it’s 5 star rating. (I only try the 4.5 and up recipes) That’s impressive!
So here we go…

Cinnamon Rolls

* 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
* 2 eggs, room temperature
* 1/3 cup butter, melted
* 4 1/2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 pkt. active dry yeast

 
* 1 cup brown sugar, packed
* 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
* 1/3 cup butter, softened

 
* 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/8 teaspoon salt

 
DIRECTIONS

 
1. Dissolve yeast in warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer.

Mix in the sugar, butter, salt, and eggs.

Add flour one cup at a time and mix well.

Using the dough hook (or your hands) knead dough for 5 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl and cover. Set bowl in a warm place to rise.

2. After the dough has doubled in size…

turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle.

Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Roll up dough

and cut into 12 rolls…

Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.


 
Um…. yeah. They were good.

I thought it would be fun to have guests for dinner and serve something simple and homey like grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup except do it right. You know? Like with really good homemade soup and a twist on the classic grilled cheese.
Tonight, that’s what we did.
The first recipe I’m sharing is the soup. You’ll never eat it from a can again.

Cream of Tomato Soup

extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 C. chopped carrot
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 C. chicken stock
3 large cans crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. dried basil
1 T. fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 C. heavy cream

 
Heat oil in large sauce pan. Cook onion and carrot until tender. (about 7 minutes)

Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.

Add chicken stock, tomatoes, herbs, and salt and pepper.

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree in blender or use and immersion blender.

Stir in cream and heat through. Do not allow to boil after cream is added.
Serve.

 
And now for the sandwich portion of the meal. I found this little gem a while back at the book store.

I was drawn in by the photographs, but bought it because it is loaded with all sorts of interesting flavor combinations and new ways to enjoy an old favorite.
I couldn’t pick just one, so I thought I’d make a bunch and cut them into smaller portions so we could have a little taste of several.
Behold….
Grilled cheese elevated:

 
#1 Sharp cheddar and dill pickle on whole wheat bread
(This one turned out to be the favorite. So simple, so good)

#2 Roast beef and bleu cheese with spinach on 9 grain bread

#3 Austin Power’s Shagadelic Grilled Cheese (jack cheese, thinly sliced ham, pineapple, and bread & butter pickle on good white bread)
(this was my favorite! So yummy.)

#4 Dill havarti and spinach on whole wheat

#5 Tuna Melt with Spanish flavors with jack cheese
I totally forgot to take a picture of this one when it was done, but I am going to share the recipe because it was Kelly D’s favorite and it was my second fav.

 

Tuna and Red Pepper Salad

6 oz. chunk white meat tuna packed in olive oil
1 red pepper, roasted and chopped (from a jar is fine)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
4-6 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1-2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
salt
black pepper

 
Drain tuna.

Break up tuna with a fork and mix together with all ingredients.

For sandwich, spread over bread and top with jack cheese. Grill till cheese is melted and bread is golden. Serve hot.

 
Dinner tonight was an adventure in tasting. It was actually kind of fun to try them all, but I seriously hope you try that shagadelic sandwich because it was so good.
Yeah baby!

Do you watch Top Chef? Well if not, then you should check it out. It’s one of my favorites. Kelly D. will tell you that I’d watch anything on Bravo, but don’t listen to him. Top Chef is a really good show. Well, except for the all the cursing, but they bleep it out. And you’ve got to give those chefs a break, they are under a lot of pressure.
Anyway. The reason I bring this up is because they seem to cook a lot of short ribs on that show. Have you noticed? And I’ve never made short ribs. Then just the other day, I was reading an old issue of Cook’s Illustrated and there was a whole story about how to cook great short ribs and why they are so good.
So I’ve had short ribs on the brain.
And then last night at my local grocery store, the short ribs were on sale! It’s fate I tell ya. I had to make short ribs.
And guess what? They were really, really good.

Braised Short Ribs

2.5 lbs. boneless beef short ribs
garlic powder
kosher salt
black pepper
oil
beef broth
water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, sliced

 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season ribs generously with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed pan, heat a small amount of oil and brown ribs on both sides.

Add half water and half beef broth to pan until ribs are just covered. Bring to a boil.

Remove ribs and place in a casserole dish. Add garlic, onions and broth and place in oven.

Cook ribs in oven for two and a half hours.

No knife needed. Moist, flavorful, falling apart goodness.

 

Yesterday, after Kelly D. and I shot a wedding together, we stopped at the Nauvoo Cafe for a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce. Do yourself a favor and have lunch there next time you’re downtown. I noticed on their menu they had something called a Coca-Cola Pork Tenderloin sandwich. Sounded interesting, so I asked about it. I was told that they marinate the pork in Coke and brown sugar for three days and then roast it in the oven.
Doesn’t that sound like something you’d want to try? I thought so too. But, since I didn’t have three days to marinate the meat, I settled for overnight. Here’s the super complicated recipe:

Coca-Cola Pork

2 lb. pork tenderloin
2 C. Coca Cola
1/3 C. brown sugar

 
Mix Coke and brown sugar.

Place pork and Coke mixture in ziplock bag and marinate in refrigerator overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove pork from marinade and discard. In a skillet over medium high heat, brown tenderloin on all sides.

Place pan in oven and roast for about 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees.

Let rest (covered with foil) for 10 minutes before serving.

 
That’s it! And it was seriously tasty. I make pork tenderloin lots of different ways, but this is my new favorite.

 
This next recipe is SO very good. I got it when I was looking for new and exciting ways to serve vegetables to my kids, and while they still won’t eat butternut squash (crazy!) this has become one of my favorite ways to cook it. If you like butternut squash, you should try this one. I promise you’ll like it.

Baked Butternut Squash

One large or two small butternut squash
1 egg
1/2 C. mayo
1/2 C. finely chopped onion
1 tsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 C. crushed saltine crackers
4 T. grated parmesan cheese
1 T. melted butter

 
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Cut squash in half length-wise.

Scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Rub cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in oven for about 40 minutes or until soft.

Let squash cool enough to handle, then scoop out flesh with spoon and place in a large bowl.

Add onion, egg, mayo, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Using a potato masher, mash squash and mix together.

Spread into a 2 quart casserole dish.

Isn’t it pretty?
Crush saltines in a plastic bag. ( I used my rolling pin, but you can use your fist, or head or whatever you like.)

Mix together with parmesan cheese and melted butter and sprinkle over top of squash.

Bake until golden brown on top.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.