Fabulous Friday- Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork

I have made this particular pork several times now and I love how simple and easy it is.  It takes just a minute to throw together which is generally the beauty of all crock pot meals.  I serve it with potatoes or rice, my vote is potatoes and my hubby's vote is always for rice.  It works great either way.  The sauce/glaze is SO good and I like making enough of this to have leftovers.  I like it paired with broccoli or asparagus or brussel sprouts.  I've also done this with wild rice and quinoa, there are just so many variations that you can do with this meal.  And I've done this with a pork loin and just a regular pork roast, either works really well.

I've also used the leftovers for pizza with the pork tossed in leftover sauce, green apples, pineapple, and red onion and pork sandwiches.  It's really versatile and I enjoy being able to cook just once and get several different meals from it.

Make sure you use gluten-free tamari instead of regular soy sauce for a gluten free version.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork by C and C Marriage Factory

Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce | Fabulous Friday

A while back we went over to my uncle's house for dinner and they made this amazing meal.  Seriously knocked my socks off.  This sauce was so killer.  Then I went home and thought about making it for weeks but I just didn't have time to do it.  And when I did it was wonderful.  When I made it I used chicken because that was what I had on hand and it was seriously good.  So it's great with pork or chicken.  By my uncle's recommendation I doubled the sauce using half for the marinade and then following the recipe directions to cook it.  I love recipes that are fast, simple, and seriously delicious and this totally fit the bill.

Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin with Peanut Sauce by Pamela Anderson for Fine Cooking

Slow-Cooker Kalua Pork

I want my children to be well acquainted with their heritage.  I'm so proud of all of the different countries that my ancestors hail from.  A big part of every culture is the food.  So I try to make all different kinds of food so my kids can have something to identify with.  Kalua pork is one of the most well-known staples of Hawaiian cuisine.  And I love that I can make it at home in the crock pot.  It would be a lot cooler if I could cook it like my ancestors did but that's a bit hard in the middle of California.  Yeah, this will have to do for now and perhaps someday we will make it the traditional way.

Slow Cooker Kalua Pork

3 lb Pork butt roast
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp liquid smoke

Pierce pork roast with a fork multiple times all over the roast.

Mix sea salt and liquid smoke together in a small bowl.  Rub salt mixture all over the pork roast.  Place in the slow cooker.

Cook on low heat for 10 to 12 hours.  Shred pork with a pair of forks and discard any fatty pieces.



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Tuscan Style Pork Ribs with Balsamic Glaze

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Pork Wontons

Tuscan Style Pork Ribs With Balsamic Glaze (gf)

We love cooking outside but it is something we have not done much of since we have moved out here to Georgia.  There are a lot of bugs!  Like outrageous amounts of bugs and when the weather is nice enough to be outside the bugs are out in full force.  But this summer has been so much nicer!  We have actually been outside a few times.  One day we were having our church's missionaries over for dinner but we had been busy all day and I realized I didn't have what I needed to make the dinner I had been planning on.  I did have ribs in my freezer which I pulled out to thaw and knew exactly what recipe I wanted to make.  This is my all time favorite way to do ribs.  The spice rub on them is awesome!  I have made this countless times and will make it countless more.  I love the fact that  there is no basting and essentially no turning.  I turned them once in 2 hours and then twice more just really quick when I added the glaze on at the end.  Low maintenance dinner during the summer is right up my alley!  These can be made in the oven or on the grill. I have made them both ways and obviously cooking them on the grill just kicks it up a notch.  So go make some killer ribs and knock the socks off the men in your life!

Tuscan Style Pork Ribs with Balsamic Glaze (gf)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp all spice
1 tsp crushed red pepper, optional, depending on how much heat you like
up to 6 lbs pork ribs
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a small bowl combine oil and all spices.  Rub spice paste all over ribs and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours (Or as long as possible.  I always forget this step so it only sits out for 30-45 minutes.  It's still delicious.) or refrigerate over night.

For grilling:  Preheat grill to 325 degrees, for charcoal that is about 30 briquettes.  Cook ribs directly on grate for approximately 2 hours, flipping once halfway until ribs are tender.

Brush ribs with vinegar and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more each side.

For oven: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Arrange ribs on a large rimmed cooking sheet or roasting pan, meaty side up.

Roast ribs uncovered for 2 hours until tender.

Preheat broiler.  Brush meaty side or ribs with balsamic vinegar and broil 6 inches from heat until browned, about 2 minutes.

Let stand for 5 minutes then cut between ribs, or serve in slabs.

Adapted from Fix It and Enjoy It Cookbook by Phyllis Good

Wontons

I've mentioned before how I have lots of fond food memories growing up.  This is another one of those meals that I have great memories of.  We would make these as a family right at the dinner table.  My mom would set up the deep fryer in the middle of our table and we would each have a dumpling press and we would make a ton of these, frying them as we went.  It was a lot of fun.  My kids are too little to do this yet but you bet it will be something I do with my family.

Pork Wontons

1 lb. lean ground pork
1/2 head green cabbage
3 green onions (white and green parts)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
wonton wrappers

Coarsely chop the cabbage and onion.  In the food processor with the blade attachment, finely chop cabbage and onion but do not mince.  Mix with the remaining ingredients.

Place 1 tsp filling in the center of the wonton, press air out, wet edges, press and seal edges.  Fry in deep fryer until each side is golden brown.

They can be frozen by placing uncooked wontons on a cookie sheet in a single layer.  Bring to room temperature in a single layer to fry.

This makes a ton of wontons.  If you don't want to make the entire recipe into wontons, take about half of the pork mixture and make fried rice.  Cook the pork mixture until browned and add leftover rice and scrambled eggs.  Continue to mix it all together in the pan until heated through.







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Goat Cheese Lasagna

So this may sound super fancy and super expensive but it really isn't. Yes, goat cheese is a bit more expensive than just plain mozzarella but considering when I make normal lasagna I use ricotta cheese and mozzarella the cost balances out. I buy my goat cheese at Costco because they come in the biggest blocks for the cheapest price around my area. I bought goat cheese one time at our local supermarket and paid the same price for 5 ounces as I did for an 11 ounce log of goat cheese at Costco.

If you've never tasted goat cheese I must warn you it's definitely different. It's one of those cheeses that is an acquired taste if it's eaten by itself. The reason I love this recipe is the way the sauce balances out the cheese. They are both extremely rich and heavy so one square of lasagna goes a long way. This version of the sauce is quite spicy when you use Hot Italian Sausage. If you want a milder version go for plain old Mild Italian Sausage or if the word Mild throws you off go for whatever kind of sausage is your favorite. My mom has been making this sauce all of my life and I have never found a better tasting spaghetti sauce. I know many people who claimed they didn't like spaghetti until they had my mom's spaghetti. It's definitely a winner.

This spaghetti sauce recipe makes way more sauce than you will need for the lasagna. Often times I'll freeze it for a quick dinner later or keep it to use with ravioli or stuffed pasta shells later in the week. If you're not into using the crock pot you can make this sauce on the stove cooking on the lowest heat possible for 3 hours stirring frequently. Warning: It will splatter and make a mess so be careful!

Goat Cheese Lasagna

Momma Artis’ Spaghetti Sauce
One box lasagna noodles
¼ cup packed fresh herbs such as basil or parsley or 1 Tbsp mixed, dried oregano and parsley
1 cup fresh spinach, finely sliced
2 10-11 oz logs of fresh, mild, goat cheese
Up to ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 13x3x3 inch baking or lasagna pan. Process goat cheese, herbs, and spinach in a food processor, adding cream or milk as needed to make mixture spreadable. Assemble lasagna by layering ingredients in following order:

1. Spaghetti sauce
2. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese
3. Noodles, overlap noodles by ½ inch
4. Herb goat cheese mixture

Start again with first layer.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly on top (20-30 minutes for cooked pasta, 45-50 minutes for dry pasta). Remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Momma Artis’ Spaghetti Sauce with a twist

1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
3-4 28 oz cans tomato sauce
2 12 oz cans tomato paste
1 ½ Tbsp basil
1 ½ Tbsp oregano
3 bay leaves

Brown beef and sausage, drain grease, and then process in a food processor. Sauté garlic, onion, and mushrooms in a drizzle of olive oil. Add meat mixture to the mushroom and onion mixture. Then mix in tomato paste to mixture. Add tomato sauce and mix thoroughly. Place sauce in a large crock pot and cook on low for at least 3 hours.

Before serving pull out bay leaves they have an extremely strong flavor and biting into one is a super nasty surprise.

Crock Pot Apple Cider Pork Roast

I love my crock pot. I use it at least once a week and often times more than that. There is nothing better than being able to come home to a wonderful smelling house, especially when there was little to do to prepare it. Since I like the ease that comes with the crock pot it shouldn't be a surprise that I love my bread maker too. Fresh bread without 99% of the work makes everything better. This pork has a great flavor with just a hint of sweetness. This was great as leftovers on toasted bread with some barbeque sauce.

Apple Cider Pork Roast
1 packet Spiced Apple Cider
1 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp Hungarian paprika
Salt & pepper
1 medium sized onion, sliced
2-3 lbs Pork Roast

Combine apple cider, garlic powder, mustard, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper in boiling water. Place sliced onion in bottom of crock bottom. Place pork roast on top of onion and pour apple cider mixture over the roast. Cook on high for 5 to 6 hours. Shred and serve.


Bread Maker Whole Wheat Bread

9/16 cup (4 5/8 oz) tap water
9/16 cup (4 5/8 oz) milk
1 cup whole wheat, 2 cups white (13 ¼ oz) bread flour
1 ½ tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
1 ½ Tbsp butter
1 tsp dry yeast

Add ingredients in order listed and bake according to bread maker instructions.