Slow Cooked Pork Tenderloin

I'm always looking for recipes to do with Pork tenderloin and my daughter came up with this one, it's a keeper.

Take a 3-4 lb. Pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper and place in the crock pot, I just love these crock pot liners with them clean up is a breeze.

Mix the soups together and cover the tenderloin with them.

Put the lid on and cook for an hour, after another hour turn the roast. Cook for another 2-3 hours.

A half hour before serving pull the roast out and shred. Put the pork back into the soup mixture.

Serve with mashed potoates.

3-4 lb. pork tenderloin

1 10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup

1 10 oz. can french onion or onion soup

1 10 oz. golden mushroom or cream of mushroom with roasted garlic.

salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable-Stuffed Shells

I have a file folder of "recipes to try" many have been ripped from magazines or newspapers and this is one of those recipes, unfortunately I don't know which magazine it comes from.

Choose your favorite Marinara sauce, I make my own it is the Italian Sauce on the left hand side of the blog.
While cutting the vegetables up boil the pasta shells, according to directions on the package.
When finished drain and place on baking sheet to cool.

Saute the broccoli, onion, carrots, and garlic. Add the water and the spinach and cover cook until tender and the moisture is gone.

When the vegetables are tender add the Ricotta and Parmesan Cheeses, the fresh basil, salt and pepper.

Combine ingredients well.

In a 9x13 pan place the Marinara Sauce in the bottom.
Spoon the vegetable mixture into the shells and place into the Marinara Sauce.

Sprinkle the Mozzarella Cheese across the top, cover tightly with foil and bake at 400 for 35 minutes.

Until bubbly.

Enjoy! Serve with a nice green salad.

12 oz. jumbo pasta shells, cooked
2 T. olive oil
2 1/2 c. chopped broccoli
1 c. shredded carrots
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 10 oz. box frozen leaf spinach, thawed and cut
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1 c. ricotta cheese (cottage cheese can be used)
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. salt and pepper
1 1/4 c. marinara sauce
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 400. Bring a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to directions. Drain and cool on baking sheet. (This can be done ahead of time)

Heat oil in large skillet, saute broccoli, carrots, onion and garlic until tender. Add spinach and 1/2 c. water; cover and cook 2 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender. Remove lid and cook out remaining liquid. Stir in basil, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Spread marinara sauce (Iuse my own recipe on the lefthand column of this blog) on the bottom of 9x13 pan. Spoon vegetable mixture into the shells arrange in baking dish, sprinkle with the mozarella cheese and cover tightly with foil and bake 35 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serves 6.

(This would be good with a little Italian Sausage as well. But is a really good "meatless" dish)

Grandma Stevenson's Slow Cooked BBQ Ribs

Place ribs in a shallow baing dish
Bake at high temperature to render out some of the excess fat.

Mix ingredients for the sauce

Place the cooked ribs into a roasting pan.

Cover with sauce and chopped onion.

Meat so tender that it falls apart as you touch it. This is a family favorite.

Slow Roasted BBQ Ribs

2 T. brown sugar
1 t. paprika

1 t. dry mustard

1/2 t. salt

1/4-1/8 t. cayenne pepper

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. vinegar

1/4 c. ketchup

1 c. tomato juice

1 medium onion, chopped

(I usually double or triple these ingredients to cover the meat with to bake)

Pork or Beef ribs (I prefer pork country style)

Bake ribs in a shallow baking dish at 400 for an hour to render the excess fat out of the ribs. Place the ribs in a roasting pan, mix all of the ingredients pour onto the ribs. Cover and bake at 325 for 3-4 hours, or longer at 250. Serve over rice or noodles.

CHaNGeS-TiMe-NuMBeRs

(I have been absent a lot lately and this was a post I did on my personal blog but thought that this would explain some things.)

CHaNGeS-TiMe -NuMBeRs

Everyone knows that aging is a different process for everyone beginning the day we are born. I marvel at those who do it with great dignity particularly a woman in my neighborhood, to me she is an angel and I aspire to be like her. I really hate the number game that comes with aging. For those of you who know me one of the hardest numbers to change is that 20/20 vision is no longer a factor in my life and it has been difficult to get used to the need for reading glasses more and more all of the time. But to say I am 51 and am just in readers is a pretty great blessing. Thanks to Rebecca who reads the small print to me all of the time when I don't have my glasses handy which if you look in my house they are everywhere they should always be handy. Some numbers have been going up and some have been coming down I won't share all of that information with you but I am proud to say that one large number coming down is the weight, I have lost 25 pounds and an inch and a half, a good beginning but still have more to go. I will actually pose for picture right now, wow!

Beating myself up is a regular thing! Maybe if I had quit drinking the Cherry Coke sooner or walked just a little more or, or, or, my joints wouldn't be needing surgery when I can't take it anymore, or..... So if you see my pause in my walking or getting up just know I am adjusting! If you call me and know that I am at home but I don't answer it is probably because I have my Ipod on and am walking on my treadmill so please call back. I am now getting to the point where I am afraid to eat because I don't want to put any weight back on....

Change is also a constant part of life and one that I am struggling with a little. As a mom you are always so busy so excited to see your children learn and grow but you are so busy that you don't see how fast they are getting ready to spread their wings. It all goes way too fast, faster than I ever dreamed it would. I must admit I understand my own Mother a lot better over the last few years than I ever thought I would. When I am reunited with her one day I can only beg for forgiveness from her for my impatience with her, I wish I could tell her how much I love her, appreciate her, and understand her. I miss both my mom and dad and would love to talk to them and hug them.

I never anticipated being alone quite so much, that is the hard thing about my children growing up and a husband who travels with his job. But my goals are to make better use of my time like dejunking the house of STUFF from thirty one years of marriage, do some reading, learn a little more about technology, spend more time with my own sisier, and yes lose more weight. I am able to travel with Kerry from time to time and it is wonderful and always good to have him home.

Lest I sound like this is a pity party please forgive me. I am so blessed in my life! I don't know how to express enough gratitude for the blessings I am given. I am so grateful for the tender mercies that have come my way. I have the greatest daughters in the world and while we are a family and occasionally lock horns I wouldn't trade our family experience for the world. I am grateful that they care for each other and remain close and I know that if one of them was in trouble they would all be there for her or for us. Not enough can be said about the experience of being a Grandparent I never dreamed that these children would bring such delight and joy just being with them and yes they are part of the movitvation to get healthier. I am so grateful for the relationship that I have with my wonderful husband, it just gets better and better with time. I wish that I was brave enough to experience his new love with him but fear kicks in too hard. I wish that I was better at all things for all of them. I feel like I so often disappoint them in one way or another. When the eyes roll I know that I have done or said something silly or wrong,sorry. I hope to be a better example in the next phase of life.

changes, time, numbers...bear with me as I make adjustments in my current life-learning where, what and who I am in this new phase of life. I'm only 51 and have lot's of time to do lot's of things. Thanks for being part of my life. (I'm now trying different recipes to continue with the weight loss, being gone a lot, less people to feed, and change require change on my part in this respect as well.)

New recipe to try!!!!

Just recently we took my daughter and her family to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory for her birthday dinner and had the Avocado Appetizers and they were so yummy. Today on Studio Five Emily Roche had her Copycat recipe and it looks so yummy. I can't wait to try it so I thought I would pass it along.



Avocado Egg Rolls with Dipping Sauce



2 large avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
4 T. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
2 T. red onion, minced
1 t. cilantro, chopped
1/4 t. salt
6 egg roll wraps


Gently stir avocadol tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and salt. Distribute filling evenly in the center of each egg roll wrapper. Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up over the filling.


Fold side corners in and roll toward the top corner. Wet the top corner with a little water. Then fold top corner over then press to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers.


Continue by deep-frying egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.


Slice egg rolls diagonally across the middle and serve with prepared dipping sauce.


Honey Cilantro Dipping Sauce


3-4 t. white vinegar
1 t. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. chopped cashews
2/3 c. fresh cilantro
2 green onions
1 T. granulated sugar
1 t. black pepper
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 c. olive oil


To make dipping sauce, use a blender or food processor to puree all ingredients except olive oil. Blend until well pureed. Stream in olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use

Can't wait to try this one, let me know if you try it and what you think!!!!!