Crock Pot Apple Pork Loin

Pin It It's apple season and I have lots of apples at my house from a recent apple picking trip.  According to my husband this pork is "lick the plate" good.  It is also probably one of the easiest crockpot recipes I have ever made.  The apples almost melt away and make a nice sauce for the pork.  I was worried that the honey would make this too sweet for a dinner item, but I didn't notice much sweetness at all.  Go get some apples and make this delicious dinner!

This recipe was shared at Six Sisters' Stuff Link Party.

Crock Pot Apple Pork Loin
2 lb boneless pork loin (mine was slightly smaller and worked just fine)
2-3 Jonathan apples, thinly sliced (or any variety of apple you want)
2 Tbsp honey
garlic, salt, pepper
water

1. Slice slits 3/4 of the way through the pork, 1 inch apart.
2. Place 1 apple slice in each of the slits.
3. Season pork with garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Lay a layer of apple slices on the bottom of your crock pot.
5. Place the pork on top of the apples and drizzle the honey on top.  6. Layer the remaining apples on top of the pork.
7. Pour 1/2 - 1 cup of water into the crock pot or until it is about 1/2 inch deep.  This will keep the pork from drying out and help create a sauce.
8. Cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. 
**I cooked mine for 8 hours on low and it was fork tender and fell apart like pulled pork

Boneless Hawaiian Pork Ribs and Veggies

Pin It So here's one meal we used the Hawaiian sauce on.  This meal just screams summer.  Fresh veggies, grilling, delicious sauce...mmmm.  I also liked that almost the entire meal could be cooked on the grill.  The only thing I had to cook inside was some rice.  The leftovers were delicious the next day too!
This recipe was shared at the Weekend Potluck.  Check out all of the delicious recipes!

Boneless Hawaiian Pork Ribs and Veggies
2 lbs boneless pork ribs, country style
1 green pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 small summer squash, diced
1/2 cup pineapple, diced
Hawaiian Sauce

**any vegetables would be delicious.  Next time I plan on using some red pepper and shredded carrots.

1. Heat grill to medium high heat.  Cover a grilling basket with foil for the veggies.  My basket is from Target or Kohls.  If you don't have a grilling basket, fold a piece of foil to make a shallow dish.
2. Cook meat on one side of the grill, basting with sauce and cook veggies on the other side.  Boneless pork ribs should cook about 5 minutes per side depending on the size of your pieces.
3. When vegetables start to brown, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the Hawaiian sauce and let the sauce and veggies simmer for 3-5 minutes.
4. When pork is almost done cooking, add it to the veggie pan so that it really gets coated in the sauce.
5. Serve over rice, with extra sauce if desired.

My grilling basket

Just before serving

Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Pin It The pulled pork that I made yesterday made way too much for Albert and I to eat in a meal.  I love leftovers, but eating the exact same thing for 3 days in a row can get  very boring.  I made these quesadillas out of some of the leftovers and they were an amazing lunch.

Pulled Pork Quesadillas
I didn't include measurements because you can make these as big as you want
Pulled pork
flour tortillas
gruyere cheese (or cheese of your choice)

1. Heat up leftover pork.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
3. Lay out a tortilla and spread pork and cheese on one half.  Fold the other half on top and place in the skillet.
4. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cheese is melted.

Notes- I heat up my porkl first because I found that I don't cook the quesadilla long enough to heat the pork all the way through without the tortilla getting to brown.
I chose gruyere cheese because it melts very nicely and has a mild flavor that pairs well with the BBQ pork flavor.

3 Ingredient Pulled Pork

Pin It Happy Father's Day!  This would be a great meal to enjoy with a crowd.  I love pulled pork and I love the leftovers for the rest of the week too.  I usually use a seasoning packet that you mix with kethcup, vinegar and brown sugar and it is always quite tasty, but I hate all of the extra salt and preservatives in those packets.  I was trying to find a homemade version of the seasoning online, but I couldn't find one that seemed normal enough.  Then I saw that you could use root beer to make tender roasts.  With the success of the Dr. Pepper tacos I decided to give root beer a try.  The verdict: success!  3 ingredients and 2 minutes of prep time equal one amazing meal!

I'm participating in a link party at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/.  Click to check out all of the awesome posts!

3 Ingredient Pulled Pork
1 bottle BBQ sauce, any variety (I used Sticky Pig)
1 can root beer
1 4-5lb pork butt

1. Place pork in a lined slow cooker.  Pour BBQ sauce and soda over the roast.
2. Cook on low 6-8 hours or until pork falls apart when pulled with a fork.
3. Remove pork from crock pot and shred.  Return pork to liquid before serving.

Perfect Pork Roast

Pin It As I've said before I love my crock pot.  I love knowing that I will have a delicious meal waiting for me when I get off work.  I love meals that I can prepare the night before and then just turn on in the morning.  This is my go to pork roast recipe.  You really can't mess it up. 

Perfect Pork Roast
2-4 lb pork roast (I prefer boneless, but bone in is fine too)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp pepper
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
half of a lemon, sliced (the one you got the zest from)
1/2 bottle of blush wine (white wine will work too)

1. I recommend using a crock pot liner.  Place your pork roast in your crock pot. 
2. Sprinkle garlic, pepper, lemon zest and Italian seasoning on roast.
3. Pour wine in the crock pot around the roast.  Arrange lemon slices on top of roast.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours or high for 3-4.

Delicious when served with potatoes, gravy and a vegetable.

Asian Citrus Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Pin It I love cooking pork tenderloins.  They are fast and tasty.  I also make them a lot because it is a dinner that Albert and I both enjoy.  I'm always looking for new ways to spice it up since just roasting it can get a little boring.  This is one of those recipes that I just came up with based on ingredients that I had handy.  It has all of the Asian flavors I love: sweet, spicy and tart.  This marinade would also be great on chicken or shrimp.

Asian Citrus Marinated Pork Tenderloin
* This is for 2-3 people.  Adjust amounts for your crowd
1-2 lb pork tenderloin
Juice from one orange or 2-3 clementines
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp chili garlic paste or sriacha hot sauce (to taste)

1. Mix all ingredients in a gallon size ziptop bag.  Place tenderloin in the bag, seal and mush around to make sure meat is well covered in marinade.
2. Allow pork to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 375.  Place pork in an oven safe dish.
4. Bake 35-50 minutes unil pork is done.  (Time depends on the size of your tenderloin).
5. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

Sunset Dinner for Two

Pin It

A winery near my house hosts Sunset Dinners.  When my husband and I were first dating we went to one and had an amazing meal.  A few months later I surprised him by recreating the meal at home.  He was quite impressed (and to be honest I impressed myself).  This is one of those meals that looks fancy, but is quite simple.  One the menu tonight: Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Wine Sauce, Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Sauteed Green Beans.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Blackberry Wine Sauce
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 T minced garlic
salt and pepper
white wine (any variety that you like to drink)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Place tenderloin in the center of the dish.
3. Liberally sprinkle salt, pepper and garlic over the top of the pork.
4. Pour white wine in dish until it covers the bottom.
5. Bake in oven for approximately 1 hour or until cooked through (time will vary depending on size of tenderloin)

Blackberry Wine Sauce
 1/4 cup blackberry jam (seedless works best)
3 T wine (same kind used for roasting pork)

1. Add jam and wine to a small sauce pan over medium heat
2. Whisk vigorously until jam breaks up and there are no large globs.
3. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
4. Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.
5. Serve immediately over pork.
**The original recipe called for blackberry wine which makes a sweeter sauce.  Any wine can be substituted.**

Oven Roasted Potatoes
1 pound Teeny Tiny Potatoes (or Fingerling Potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces)
olive oil cooking spray
2 T seasoning of your choice
    *I like Mrs. Dash Original, Italian Seasoning, or Rosemary and Garlic.*

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Generously spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Add potatoes and spray with cooking spray.
3. Toss with seasonings.
4. Bake 35-40 minutes, turning halfway through,  or until potatoes are tender and golden.

***I have found that cooking spray is easier to work with than olive oil because it evenly distributes.  You could use olive oil in a mister if you have one, or just straight olive oil if you prefer.***

Sauteed Green Beans
1/2 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed
2 T finely chopped garlic
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 T butter
salt and pepper

1. In a large skillet add green beans and enough water to coat the bottom of  the pan.
2. Bring water to a boil and cook beans for 5 minutes (they will still be crunchy)
3. Drain water and add butter, garlic, onions, beans and red pepper flakes to the pan. 
4. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until garlic and onions are tender.