Cranberry Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Here is a simple and delicious dinner for tonight!  Thanks to my friend Christy for the recipe.

INgredients:

1-16 oz. can whole cranberry sauce

1/3 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup brown sugar

juice of 1 lemon

1 TBSP salt

2- 1 lbs. pork loin roasts

directions:

1. mix all ingredients except pork roasts together in a medium bowl.

2. place roast into a crock pot, pour cranberry mix over the the roasts. cook on high for 1 hour.

3. turn down to low & cook an addition 4 hours.

4. let cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Also tastes great with a Beef Chuck Roast.  

Shrimp Dip

I am about to share with you an Aiken Family secret recipe.  Consider yourselves lucky! :)  We make a mean shrimp dip for Christmas Eve, football games, backyard bbq's, etc.  Here's the recipe:

Mix: 1 tub sour cream, 1 can tiny shrimp drained, and smashed with fork, 1T worcestershire. Sprinkle lemon pepper generously over the entire top of mixture, add garlic salt and onion salt to taste.  Refrigerate.  Serve with Ruffles for an excellent appetizer!  Merry Christmas to all of our loyal followers!

Crepes

Growing up our Christmas morning tradition was having crepes and hot chocolate for breakfast.  My Mom makes delicious crepes and we fill them with fruit and cool whip.  She fries hers over the stove and has a special technique to making them.  When I married McKay he showed me another delicious way to eat crepes.  I'd never seen a crepe maker until I met him...

This tool makes it easy to make the perfect, round crepe to fill.  Here's his family's recipe and they are also a tradition around Christmas at his house!

Crepes

2 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

We usually double this recipe because the filling recipe makes so much.  Mix all ingredients and place in a shallow plate/pan if you have a crepe maker.  The crepe maker works by tipping it upside down into the batter so the whole crepe plate is covered.  The batter cooks for 30 seconds to a minute and you carefully peel the crepe off.  It really makes them easy!  If you don't have one, you can pour onto a greased frying pan and flip like a pancake. 

Filling

Cream cheese (8 ounce)

Cool Whip (8 ounce)

Powdered sugar (at least 1 cup)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend well to avoid any chunks of cream cheese.  When crepes are cool, spread a spoonful down the middle and roll crepe.





Candy Suckers

Every year as a child, my mom made hard candy suckers.  They are super easy and tasty.  Begin by purchasing sucker molds, sticks, and flavoring.  Assemble molds on cookie sheet and spray molds and cookie sheet with cooking spray.  This recipe makes about 20 suckers.

The recipe is as follows:

Mix 2 cups of sugar

2/3 c light corn syrup

1 cup water

1 tsp flavoring

Combine first three ingredients in pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Bring to a boil, add thermometer, cook, stirring occassionally, to hard crack stage (300 degrees).  Remove from heat, add oil flavoring,  and coloring if desired.  Pour hot candy into prepared molds.  Remove candy from molds when cooled.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Here's a super easy cookie recipe that's great for the holidays.  Anything mint is always good at Christmas!

Chocolate Mint Cookies

1 box devils food cake mix

3/4 cup shortening (regular)

2 eggs

1 bag Andes mints

For cookies...blend cake mix, shortening and eggs in bowl.  Drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for

8-9 minutes.  Right after taking out of the oven, place an Andes mint on top of the cookie and let melt for a minute or two.  Spread over the cookie with the back of a spoon and cool.

Scotcharoos

This a recipe I thought everyone would have...but I made them a few weeks ago for a get together and a few people asked me for the recipe!  So if you've never made these you must!  They are always a favorite.

Scotcharoos

1 cup white sugar

1 cup karo syrup

1 cup chunky peanut butter

4 1/2-5 cups Rice Krispies

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

Melt karo syrup and white sugar together over medium low heat.  (You don't want this mixture to boil...it will make the scotcharoos go hard later! I just watch for it to become more runny.)  Take off heat and add peanut butter.  Stir well.

Gradually add Rice Krispies until coated.  I usually add about 4 1/2 cups and it's just right.

Pour into lightly greased 9x13 pan and spread.

Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together and pour over Rice Krispies.  Let cool at room temperature about an hour before serving for chocolate to harden. 

Work great as a Christmas treat with a red or green M&M on the top!

Pumpkin Muffins

In honor of Thanksgiving next week, I'm throwing an extra recipe in for today.  My friend Renee posted this on Facebook and I had to try because they sounded so easy.  And they are good too!

Pumpkin Muffins

1 boxed spice cake mix

1 15 ounce can pumpkin

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

(She and I added chocolate chips...)

Combine all ingredients and stir.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Thanks for posting Renee!

 

All Things Boy

For today's recipe, I want to share the ingredients for the perfect baby "boy" shower.  We held one last night for our friend Amanda, and it turned out darling.  The theme of our shower was "Little Man."   All of our food choices, colors, and even beverages served revolved around this theme.  My favorite food picks were Lil' Smokies in honor of baby BOY, as well as bottled root beer, my mini parfaits, and these darling treats featured below.

My friend Jackie found this great tie cookie cutter and made darling sugar cookies.

She also found this mustache mold for these chocolate party favors.  It was just perfect for celebrating all things boy.  Hope this gives you some ideas for hosting your next baby boy shower.

Vanilla Pumpkin Pie

Here's another recipe from one of my favorite people...Melissa.  This pie is so very delicious and a perfect twist to the normal pumpkin pie.  Thanks for sharing!

Vanilla Pumpkin Pie

1 graham pie crust (you can buy or make)

2 packages (3.4 ounce) jello vanilla instant pudding

1 cup cold milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tub (8 ounce) Cool Whip, thawed, divided

Melis made a graham crust from the graham cracker box.  Most should have a recipe on them.

Beat jello, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl with whisk until well blended.  Stir in  1 1/2 cups Cool Whip.  Spoon into crust.

Refrigerate one hour.  Top with whipping cream (you can use the Cool Whip or make your own with heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and a little vanilla).

Creamy Chicken Bowtie Soup

This is one of my favorite soups.  I first tried it at Pizza Factory and fell in love.  Here is my version.  After spending a night in the hospital with my sick daugther, I am ready for some.

 

Directions:

1. In medium sauce pot, heat 1 can chicken broth with 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.  Add shoestring carrots, and chopped celery, 2 cups of each.  Simmer on low til veggies are tender.  Set aside.
2.  Cook 1/2 package or box of bowtie pasta according to directions; drain and set aside.
3.  Boil chicken breast in water til cooked.  Shred and set aside.  Canned chicken breast also works great.
4.  In large soup pot over medium heat, melt 3/4 cube butter; whisk in 3/4 c flour.  Add 2 cups milk and 2 cups cream.  Whisk and cook til thickened.  Once thickened, add broth mixture with veggies.  Whisk in and cook over medium heat to desired thickness.  Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese. (The Mexican blend works great).   Season with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt.  Add bowtie pasta and shredded chicken.
5.  Enjoy with a fresh loaf of French bread.

Chicken Broccoli Bake

This is a fairly common recipe and called a few different things, but I thought I'd share.  Sometimes its nice to be reminded of the easy, quick recipes you can make!

Chicken Broccoli Bake

1 pound chicken, cooked and cut into cubes

1/2 pound broccoli

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup mayonaise

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Parmesan cheese

Rice

Cook and cube chicken.  I buy the bag of frozen broccoli from Costco so I thaw it in the sink and briefly heat in the microwave first.  Mix soup, milk, mayo, cheese and lemon juice in a bowl. 

In a 9x13 pan spread broccoli (heads of broccoli laid on the bottom of pan).  Spread chicken over the top and pour sauce over everything.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  Serve with rice.



Mummy Cupcakes

I am looking for treats for my annual Halloween party.  I love these cupcakes from BHG.com.

To make the cupcake, follow these steps:
1. Use a pastry bag with a basket-weave tip to pipe on white frosting.
2. Pipe on red frosting for the mummy's eyes.
3. Make two dots using black frosting for the pupils.

Saturday morning breakfast

Our Best Bites has the most delicious syrup recipe in their cookbook (I have friends who make it too and love it!)  It's a lot like Magleby's Fresh syrup if you've ever eaten breakfast there (which I recommend...it's delicious!)  You can visit their site here for it, or I've included it below.  Lisa posted the best waffle and pancake recipes awhile back here.  Sounds like a great Saturday morning breakfast to me!

Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

Courtesy of Our Best Bites

3/4 cups buttermilk

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup and baking soda in a 4-quart pan.

Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to low...just make sure it's still bubbling.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 7-9 minutes or until the syrup reaches golden brown.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

Creme Brulee is Davy's favorite dessert.  Here is a fun Fall twist on the recipe.

Courtesy of bhg.com

Pumpkin Spice Creme Brulee

Ingredients

• 2 cups whipping cream (no substitutes)
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 10 baby pumpkins*
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream over medium heat just until bubbly. Remove from heat; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine egg yolks, eggs, the 1/2 cup sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves. Beat with a whisk or rotary beater just until combined. Slowly whisk the hot whipping cream into the egg mixture.
3. Use a small serrated knife to cut off the top 1/2-inch of the baby pumpkins. Discard the tops. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.
4. Place the pumpkins in a roasting pan. Divide custard mixture evenly among the pumpkins. Place roasting pan on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pumpkins.
5. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until centers appear nearly set when gently shaken. Carefully remove pan from oven. Remove pumpkins from water; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
6. Before serving, let custards stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. **Meanwhile, for caramelized sugar: in a heavy 8-inch skillet, heat the 1/4 cup sugar over medium-high heat until sugar begins to melt, shaking skillet occasionally to heat sugar evenly. Do not stir. Once sugar starts to melt, reduce heat to low; cook 3 to 5 minutes more or until all of the sugar is melted and golden brown, stirring as needed with a wooden spoon.
7. Quickly drizzle caramelized sugar over the custards. (If sugar starts to harden in the skillet, return to heat, stirring until melted.) Serve immediately. Makes 10 filled pumpkins or 6 custard cups.
* Instead of the pumpkins, you can use six 3/4-cup souffle dishes or 6-ounce custard cups. Place the souffle dishes or custard cups in a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
**Culinary Torch Method: Instead of caramelizing the sugar in the skillet as directed in steps 6 and 7, sprinkle sugar evenly over custards. Use a culinary torch to caramelize the sugar.



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'd never made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and wanted an easy, good recipe that turns out...thanks to my sister in law Melissa I found one! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

 1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix ingredients and drop on a greased cookie sheet (dough will be sticky).

Bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes.



Pecan Crusted Pork

Pecan-Crusted Pork with Orange-Maple Glaze

I found this recipe on BHG.com and am excited to try it!

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lb.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 cup pecan pieces, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 oranges (1 juiced; 1 cut in wedges)
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Trim pork, then cut into 1/2-inch slices. Flatten slices with palm of hand; season pork with salt and pepper.
2. Place 3 tablespoons of the syrup in a shallow dish; place pecans in a second shallow dish. In a 12-inch skillet heat oil over medium heat. Coat pork in syrup, then press in pecans. Place pork in skillet in single layer; top with remaining pecans and syrup from dish. Cook 3 to 4 minutes each side, just until pork is pink in center. Remove from skillet. With a slotted spoon, remove any pecan pieces in skillet; spoon over pork.
3. Stir orange juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup, cumin, and cayenne into skillet. Cook, uncovered, for 1 to 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Pour over pork. Serve with orange wedges.

Our Best Bites...

I've been wanting this cookbook for awhile and I got it last night!  I play Bunco with a group of friends and won it!

You can buy it at Costco for around $16.  There are quite a few delicious recipes in here.  They also have a website where they post new recipes all the time.  One I thought I'd link you to is for the Brazilian Lemonade.  I had it at a friends house a few months ago and it is delicious!  If you've ever had one at Tucanos it's very similar!

I'll be trying new things out and sharing what my favorites are!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Banana Cream Pie Shots

I had to take a dessert to a wedding shower last month.  Banana Cream Pie shots is what I settled on.  Partyland had the plastic shot glasses and plastic silver mini spoons for cheap.

Aren't they cute?  To make, simply break graham crackers with rolling pin and mix with 2T melted butter.  Layer in the bottom of glass.  Make Jello Instant Vanilla pudding according to directions and add small banana chunks.  Pour it before it sets.  Add another layer of crust, then another layer of pudding.  Top with whipped cream.

Lemon Bundt Cake

Thank you to Kallee for sharing pictures and this delicious recipe!  I can't wait to try it...

Lemon Bundt Cake



Cake...

1 lemon cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup oil

3/4 cup water

Bundt cake pan (grease and flour well)

(Kallee uses the Wilton Dimensions Cascade Pan - $30.99 on Wilton.com)

Blend together and bake at 325 for 40.45 minutes.  Cool cake in pan for 10 minutes.

Glaze...

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 cups powdered sugar

Blend ingredients (picture below shows consistency)

When the cake is removed from pan, poke holes around cake.  Pour some glaze over the cake to fill the holes making the cake moist.



After pouring glaze, add more powdered sugar for an icing consistency.  Pour the rest of the glaze over cake.  Embellish with fresh fruit.

Thanks for sharing this delicious summer dessert recipe Kallee!  You are a beautiful presenter too!

Fried Chicken

I make delicious, moist fried chicken.  It is one of my favorite meals, and can be yours as well!

Start by dredging your chicken in egg.  Then coat with a flour mixture that consists of 1c flour, 1T ground mustard, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp onion salt, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp paprika.  Coat both sides.

 Melt 3-4T butter with 3-4T shortening over medium heat.  Place chicken in skillet and cook 10 mins. Then turn over.

 

Cook other side for 10 mins.  Cut fattest piece of breast to ensure doneness.

Remove and place on paper towels.  Serve immediately with mashed potatoes, gravy, etc.  Enjoy!