Sweet Tea and Cornbread: Pork

Showing posts with label Pork. Show all posts

Bacon Wrapped Maple Glazed Pork Loin

The main course for the perfect special occasion dinner is a pork loin, wrapped in bacon and glazed with pure maple syrup. I originally got this recipe from my sister, who is also a very good, southern cook. She made this while she was visiting once and it was so good. I did adapt it a little by adding the maple syrup because of something I had at a local bed and breakfast called Federal Grove. Federal Grove is a civil war era, plantation style house that has been turned into a bed and breakfast, restaurant and an event venue. It is also the southernmost maple syrup producer in the United States. They have a maple syrup festival during the month of February and they feature dishes using the syrup. It smells wonderful before you even get in the door. They serve a maple glazed pork chop, which gave me the idea of adding the maple syrup to this. I am going to visit Federal Grove soon and do an entire blog about it with pictures. If you are in the area, you should go there to eat. The house is also very interesting and furnished with all period antiques that are also for sale. If you are ever in the area, make it a stop on your trip. You won't regret it.

Here is what you will need for this delicious recipe:

Whole boneless pork loin, brown sugar, spicy brown mustard, bacon, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Federal Grove maple syrup, garlic salt, salt and pepper.

Ingredients:

1 whole boneless pork loin 4-6 lbs.

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. spicy brown mustard

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. Worcestershire

1/2 cup pure maple syrup plus some or drizzling when basting.

10-12 bacon slices

salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste

Mix 1 cup brown sugar, 2 Tbs. spicy brown mustard, 1Tbs. soy sauce, 1 Tbs. Worcestershire, 1/4 cup maple syrup. Remove the layer of fat on top of the pork with a sharp knife or most of it. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Pour the brown sugar glaze over the top.

Wrap the pork with bacon slices covering it all. Drizzle the top with the maple syrup.

Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Remove foil and with a spoon re glaze the top with the dripping in the pan. Recover and cook for 30 more minutes. Uncover and re glaze again with the pan juices, you can drizzle with more syrup if you like now also. Cook uncovered until bacon is brown and crispy... about 20 more minutes.

This is your finished pork loin. Let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before slicing.

This will be so tender and will slice in nice thin slices. You can put the pan juices over it after slicing or leave as it is. Make sure each portion has some of the sweet, crispy bacon with it...that's the best part to me!

Redneck Fried Rice!

Fried rice is definitely not a southern dish, but it almost should be or in this case could be. I mean it's rice, it involves butter and oil and frying and it has eggs. Doesn't that almost seem southern?

This version even goes a step further and includes not only pork but bacon grease...lol, which is why it got it's name. When I first made the rice, I sent some to my son and a friend of his. When I asked what they thought of it, they said they liked it.

My son, who has taste buds that Gordon Ramsey would be amazed by, asked if the ham in it was country ham. I told him it was just baked ham diced up small. He said there was another meat flavor in there, other than ham.

Then it dawned on me that I had sauteed the ham in bacon drippings. He picked that right out and said that was the flavor that really made it good. Of course, bacon grease makes anything better...lol. I said, 'it's sort of the redneck's fried rice' and it just stuck.

This recipe is very versatile, you can add a few peas, small diced carrots or chopped mushrooms if you like. If you don't have bacon drippings on hand (obviously I always do...lol) you can fry 4-5 pieces of bacon until crisp and use the drippings to saute your ham. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the rice before serving.

Here is what you will need for the basic recipe:

2 cups rice (cook it according to package directions and for best results chill it before frying)

1 cup ham diced small

1/2 cup sliced green onion, including some of the green blades

1 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. bacon drippings

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. Canola or vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 Tbs. sesame seeds

dash of black pepper

dash of seasoned salt

2 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. Teriyaki sauce

2 eggs

Using a wok or deep frying pan, saute the ham in the bacon drippings. Make sure your ham is diced small so that it cooks up with the rice and blends well.

Add 1 Tbs. oil and 1 Tbs. butter to the pan. Add the rice, the green onions and minced garlic. Sprinkle all of the seasonings, sesame seeds and the soy and teriyaki sauce over all. Continue to turn and fry in the pan.

Make a well in the center of the rice and add the other tablespoon of butter to it. Crack the eggs in the center and scramble. When the eggs start to set, begin to mix them in with the rice. This should be cooked on fairly high heat without scorching it. If you need more oil add a little more canola or vegetable oil.

Take your spatula and sort of press down on the rice and let it get a little crispy on one side, then flip it and do it the same on the other side. I have spent a lot of time in Japanese hibachi places studying this technique..lol. That's it! You now have 'Redneck Fried Rice'!

Slow Cooker Apricot Glazed Pork Loin!

Pork loin is such an economical cut of meat, because it's mostly all lean with very little waste and really serves a lot of people. However, it's a cut of meat that so many folks seem to not know what to do with or they don't understand that it can be very dry if not cooked properly. It's a lean cut of meat and it works best with low and slow cooking, unless you cut it in nice boneless loin chops. Because it works well with low and slow cooking, the slow cooker is perfect for pork loin.

Now, how do you get the flavor in it and how do you get a variety of flavor other than just barbeque sauce? This recipe is a really good change of pace from the usual barbequed pork loin. It's also great for a week night meal as well as elegant enough for company. I have discovered in using the slow cooker more for recipes now than I ever have, that if you finish some meats in the oven after the slow cooking period, they not only taste better, but the presentation is much better also. This is one of those recipes.

This is really a very simple recipe and you family is going to love it. Here is what you will need:

1 4-6 lb. boneless pork loin
1 (20 oz.) jar of apricot preserves
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup prepared Italian dressing (whatever you prefer or have on hand)
1/4 cup Teriyaki or soy sauce (I used the Teriyaki)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. minced garlic
salt
black pepper
seasoned salt

Mix the apricot preserves with the dry onion soup, Italian dressing, soy or Teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and minced garlic until well blended. Place the pork loin in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker that has been sprayed well with nonstick spray or use a slow cooker liner. Sprinkle liberally with salt, black pepper, and seasoned salt. Pour half of the apricot glaze over the pork loin. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. You can cook this on high for 4-5 hours, but the low setting for longer produces a more tender roast. Cover the other half of the glaze and refrigerate. It will become thick when it gets cold and that is ok. When you use the other half it will stay on better a little thicker.

***You can cook this in the oven if you do not have a slow cooker or just prefer the oven. Cook at 350 degrees, covered for two hours and then uncover and add the reserved half of glaze. If there are a lot of cooking juices in the pan, pour some of those off before you add the other half of glaze. Cook at 375 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until the glaze caramelizes. Be sure to let your meat rest for at least 15 minutes out of the oven, before slicing. If you don't, it will lose all of it's juices. I also spoon some of the pan juices back over the slices after placing them on the platter.

When the pork loin has finished cooking in the slow cooker, CAREFULLY remove it to a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. It will be hot and depending on how hot your slow cooker cooks it might be very tender and try to fall apart (but probably not). I use a very wide spatula and meat fork to remove mine. Pour the other half of the apricot glaze over the pork loin. Place in the oven at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Don't let it burn but the sugars in the glaze will caramelize and turn darker. This also gets very sticky so be sure to spray that baking dish with nonstick spray.

Remove from oven and let stand to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before slicing. If you slice meat as soon as you remove from the oven, without allowing to rest, you lose all of the juices and the meat will be dry.

Creamy Ham & Noodle Bake!

This "Creamy Ham and Noodle Bake" brings back fond memories for me! My late mother-in-law always made a dish like this when she baked a ham and the whole family just loved it. For years I tried to recreate it and it just never tasted the same. My sister-in-law and I looked through all of her recipe files and cookbooks, but we never found the recipe for her Ham and Noodle Casserole. It was probably something she just made from memory she had made it so long!

My mother and I adapted a recipe we found and came up with this one, which is very much like the one she made! It is so good and all ages seem to really love it!!! This is a great way to use leftover baked ham! It's simple, but great comfort food!!!

Here is what you will need:

4 Tbs. butter

1/3 cup onion, finely diced

3 cups diced cooked ham

1 (10.5 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup

1 (10.5 oz.) can of cream of mushroom soup

3 cups milk

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 cup canned green peas (optional)

15 oz. package fine egg noodles, cooked

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute the onion and ham in the butter. Add the canned soups, milk, seasoned salt, and pepper and heat until well incorporated to a smooth sauce. If you are adding the peas, add them now. We didn't use them and my mother-in-law never did, but it's a nice addition if you like them.

Lightly toss in the cooked and drained egg noodles and half of the cheddar cheese. Pour into a large casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray! Sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly!!!

This is great served as a main course with a salad and rolls or serve it as a side dish!!! The leftovers are even better the next day!!!

Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops!

This is absolutely the easiest and best slow cooker recipe I have ever made. I originally saw this on a slow cooker site, but I did change it just a little by adding a cup of sour cream to the sauce at the end.

Here is what you will need:

2 cans cream of chicken soup, 1 pkg ranch dressing mix, 1 cup sour cream and 5 or 6 boneless pork loin chops about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. I usually just buy a whole pork loin and slice my own to save money and to be sure I get the thickness I want. You can substitute boneless chicken breasts in this for the pork and it would be great also!

Spray your slow cooker liberally with cooking spray. This really makes clean up so easy. Lay your pork chops in the bottom. Sprinkle with pepper. The soup and the ranch dressing mix have enough sodium in them that you won't need extra salt. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high 4-5 hours depending on your slow cooker. At the end of the cooking time, add a cup of sour cream to the sauce. You will need to temper your sour cream gradually with some of the hot sauce before adding it or it will curdle (not a good look). If you are not serving immediately, turn the crock pot to warm to hold it.

I usually serve this over hot buttered egg noodles, but it is also excellent over rice or mashed potatoes. Add a salad and rolls and you have a great meal!

Zuppa Toscana...a Rustic Sausage and Potato Soup!

This is a very rustic soup, almost a stew that is very much like the one they serve at Olive Garden. It's hearty, very filling, easy to make, and economical which makes it a big winner in my book. With some homemade soups you need to start them fairly early in the day, but this one can be ready, start to finish in 45 minutes.

Here's what you'll need:

1 lb sausage (Italian or regular breakfast sausage works)

4-5 medium baking potatoes, washed and sliced with skins on (don't slice them too thin or they will break up too much)

3 Knorr chicken bouillon cubes (use 6 of other brands that only make 1 cup of broth)

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 Tbs. minced garlic

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

6-7 cups water ( enough to cover potatoes in the pot)

2 cups half and half

4 cups kale or baby spinach (I prefer the spinach)

grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for garnishing

Brown the sausage, onion, celery and garlic in a little olive oil. Scrub the potatoes well and slice with the peels left on. Add all of the seasonings, the water and the bouillon cubes. Cook on medium heat until the potatoes are fork tender...maybe 20 minutes!

Add the half and half and stir. Break up the potatoes some at this point, but not a lot. You want most of them to stay in slices. Don't let it come back up to a boil, just keep on low heat to heat the cream. You can add the kale or spinach to the entire pot right before serving if your family all likes the greens. If you have picky eaters, like I do, just place some of the greens in each of the bowls that want them and ladle the hot soup over them. This cooks them plenty and actually I prefer to do this.

Garnish each bowl with shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese and it's best served with breadsticks, crusty bread or even cornbread hoe cakes are really good with it.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops!

These might be the best pork chops I have ever cooked in the oven. They are juicy and have the most yummy crust you have ever tasted. I have used a similar recipe for chicken before and it is also very good, but the addition of dipping these in ranch dressing before breading really added something fantastic to them!

Here is what you will need for these:

Ingredients:

pork chops (this will coat about 8 or 9 medium size chops)

2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1 cup Parmesan cheese

1 envelope Italian dressing mix

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup Ranch dressing (you can use a good bottled Ranch or I like to make my own with a mix)

a sprinkle of black pepper

a sprinkle of seasoned salt

Pork chops (I used boneless loin chops and did 9 of them with this recipe), Italian bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, ranch dressing (you can use a good bottled dressing or make your own).

Pour a cup of the ranch dressing over the pork.

Make sure all of the meat is covered in the dressing. Let this sit and marinade while you prepare the crumb coating.

Mix the Italian bread crumbs, the Italian dressing, and the Parmesan cheese in a Ziploc bag. Place about 2 or 3 chops at a time in the bag and seal. Toss it around to coat on all sides well. Place foil on a baking sheet and spray well with baking spray. I like to use Reynolds Wrap non-stick foil. It browns the crust so well. Invest in a roll of this foil for recipes like this...the results are worth it. When you have all of the chops coated sprinkle with a little black pepper and seasoned salt, place in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Don't try to turn the chops over during the baking or you will lose some of your coating. If you use the baking spray and the non-stick foil they should just slide right up when you get ready to serve.

Oven Baked Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops!

These are even better than they look!

Ham and Asparagus Casserole!

I love asparagus, especially fresh asparagus. I can eat it just by itself, drenched in hollandaise sauce, in a salad or in a casserole. However, I find that there aren't all that many good casserole recipes for asparagus or maybe I just haven't found them. This casserole is absolutely one of the best in my opinion. Two of my aunts each say this recipe is theirs so I am not sure which one made it first, but they both make it very tasty so I am just glad they shared it. I did make a few subtle changes to the recipe, but shhhh... don't tell the aunties! The recipe calls for canned asparagus and I am not a huge fan of canned asparagus so I used fresh and I added some celery, garlic powder and a little cheese. The recipe is delicious without any alterations though.

Here is what you will need:

Asparagus, ham, rice, onion, celery, cream of mushroom soup, cheddar cheese, small can of evaporated milk, corn flakes, butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Slice the asparagus on the diagonal in about 1 inch pieces. Break off the woody ends and discard those. Put about 2 inches of water and 1/2 tsp. salt in a deep skillet, add asparagus and bring to a low boil. Turn down to simmer and cook for about 3 minutes. The asparagus will turn bright green. Remove from heat and drain in a colander. It will be tender but still slightly crisp.

Rinse and wipe out the skillet and put 1 cup rice and two cups water along with 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, turn heat down and cover. Cook the amount of time it directs on the package. I am all about using as few pans and dishes as possible when cooking to make cleanup easier.

As soon as your rice has absorbed the water, remove the lid and fluff it up.

In another skillet saute ham, chopped celery, and onion in about 1 Tbs. butter just until the vegetables are slightly tender.

In the skillet with the rice, add the ham, celery, onion mixture, the asparagus, the mushroom soup, garlic powder, pepper, the cheese and the can of evaporated milk. Fold it all together and pour it into a casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Place the cornflakes in a Ziploc bag and crush them slightly...not to fine crumbs. They should still resemble cornflakes. Melt 2 Tbs. butter and pour over the cornflakes. Spread over the top. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 35 minutes.

This is a great side dish for a holiday or special meal or with a salad and bread it makes a main dish for a light supper or lunch! It's a great way to use leftover ham.

Ingredients:

2 cups asparagus (canned or fresh)

2 cups cooked rice

1 1/2 cups chopped ham

1 small can evaporated milk or a 1/2 cup half and half

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup cheddar cheese

3 Tbs butter

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 cups cornflakes for topping

1/2 tsp. pepper

Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole!

If you like cabbage rolls, you will love this "Unstuffed Cabbage Casserole"! It's much quicker to get on the table than cabbage rolls and you can serve this for a main course or as a tasty side dish! I like cabbage just about any way you prepare it, but I especially like it with a little spiciness. You can adjust this recipe to your level of spice, but using either the hot or mild sausage so if you are not into spice don't shy away from it. This is my mother's recipe and she doesn't do spicy much at all so she uses the milder seasonings.

Here is what you will need for this dish:

1 lb. ground sausage (use hot if you like spicy)

1 medium sweet onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 head of cabbage, cored and chopped

1 (10 3/4 oz.) can tomato soup

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the sausage in a skillet adding onion and bell pepper about half way through to just get them tender. Add seasoned salt and pepper.

Place the chopped cabbage in enough water to cover and boil for just about 8 minutes or until just tender. Drain really well.

Place cabbage in a 2 quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top with the sausage, onion and bell pepper mixture. Spread the can of soup over the top. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

About 10 minutes before it's finished baking, uncover and sprinkle the top with cheese. Leave uncovered so cheese melts and just starts to brown.

This is great served as a main dish or as a side dish! Add some beans and cornbread and you've got supper!

Mama's Ham Salad!

In the South, we tend to bake a ham for almost every holiday and occasion. Christmas, Easter and some even add a baked ham alongside that turkey on Thanksgiving for good measure, will all definitely call for a baked ham. If someone dies, graduates, has a church potluck or family reunion, somebody is baking a ham. We just love a baked ham. A big ole baked ham can feed a bunch of folks and even after they have all gone home, there will usually be some leftovers from that ham. If there isn't, you didn't buy a big enough ham. Buy a bigger one next time...lol.

When I was a child and Mama was baking a ham, I knew we were getting ready for some special event or company was coming! My job was always to stick the cloves in the little squares she had scored in the top of the ham. The smell of cloves still takes me back to that little kitchen and sitting around that table with Mama and sometimes other family, while they diced celery and peeled hard boiled eggs for potato salad and deviled eggs. You know those are a given if you are baking a ham in the South!

Later on, I also knew there would be leftovers and I never minded that. As a matter of fact, I loved the leftovers. My father on the other hand, did not and would grumble for days...lol. He still does according to Mama. We had ham sandwiches, ham and rolls, casseroles, ham and noodles, quiches, and on and on, but the thing I really loved was the ham salad. When my creative mother had made just about all of the things you could out of the ham and all that was left were the smaller pieces and ends of the ham, she would grind those up and make her ham salad. The best ham salad is made with the remnants of a good baked ham. That sweet glaze you bake the ham in just makes that ham salad so much better. If you need a good recipe for baking the ham first, try my "Kentucky Bourbon Brown Sugar Ham" or "Nana's Smiley Face Ham"!

Now, on to the discussion of ham salad that I would call the 'real deal'. We like the ham in ham salad ground up or at least chopped fairly fine. Big chunks of ham do not spread all that well and for me, it's just not as appetizing. However, if you like it that way, go for it. It's best to grind your ham with a food processor or a meat grinder, but don't over do it. Sometimes, food processors do too much to food. We are not making pate. You can use one of those manual food chopper things. My favorite one is the kind Pampered Chef sells. You can't chop much at a time, but it gets the consistency just right for things like this. I also chop my celery for this very fine. Here is what you will need for this ham salad:

4 cups ham, finely chopped or ground
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish (we grind up bread and butter pickles usually)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sugar (You might need 2 tsp. if your ham was not baked in a sweet glaze)

Mix all ingredients together and serve or cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin Supper!

I really love this recipe, because it's just about your entire meal right in one pot and that pot can be your slow cooker, which means you put it all in and forget about it. It's great for those days when you do not have time to be in the kitchen half of the day.

It also uses pork loin, which is pretty inexpensive when you catch it on sale and it feeds a lot of people. This meal is also healthy and can be adjusted to your families tastes, just by substituting for the vegetables they prefer. If you remove the roast from the slow cooker and place it on a platter with vegetables around it, it's pretty enough for company also.

Here is what you will need for this:

1 (4-6 lb.) boneless pork loin

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 (14.4 oz.) cans sauerkraut (I prefer the Bavarian and if your family does not like sauerkraut, substitute 4 potatoes peeled and quartered or cabbage, cored and cut into wedges)

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

3 Tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp. dried oregano

4 bay leaves

1 Tbs. dried parsley

4 carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, then in half across

3 medium onions, quartered

3 stalks of celery, cut in 1 inch pieces

1 cup water

Place the pork loin in slow cooker that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Pour sauerkraut over the top of the pork loin. Place the can of the tomatoes over the sauerkraut.

Place the carrots, onions, and celery around the sides of the roast. If you are using potatoes instead of sauerkraut, place them around the sides also. You can sprinkle the vegetables with a little more seasoned salt and black pepper if you like more spice.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the tomatoes and sauerkraut. Sprinkle the oregano, parsley and bay leaf over all. Pour 1 cup water around the sides.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, depending on how your slow cooker's temps are.

When done, remove to a platter and place the vegetables around the pork loin and the sauerkraut and tomatoes on top of it. You can garnish with some rosemary at this point. Drizzle the juices over all. The pork loin will be very tender and will slice in nice thin slices.

Ten of Our Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes!

As I have said before, I am not a huge fan of the slow cooker for everything, like some are. I think some recipes are really great cooked in the slow cooker, but I think a whole lot of things are not as good cooked in the slow cooker. This might be a strange intro to a post on "10 great slow cooker recipes, but my point is that if I recommend a recipe for your slow cooker, you know that I have tried it and tested it several times and it actually is just as good or better cooked with this method.

The slow cooker is a very convenient appliance and when I was working constantly away from home and we were running here and there every night with my son when he was in sports and school activities, it was a very useful thing. By using the slow cooker, I could still have a home cooked meal when we all finally got back home at night. I know that many of you are in that same situation and I hope these recipes will help you also! These are 10 of my favorite recipes for the slow cooker! I started with one of the most popular recipes on the site and ended with a slow cooker dessert! To go to each recipe and post, just click on the title under each picture!