Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This is an awesome pork recipe for the slow cooker!  It's sweet and tangy and the pork will literally fall apart on your plate.  Hope you enjoy!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (I used boneless, but the recipe said you can also use regular)
1 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup water, divided
Combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Rub over roast.  Place roast in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  One hour before roast is done, combine remaining ingredients in small saucepan for glaze.  Heat on medium and stir until glaze thickens.  Brush roast with glaze every 10-15 minutes during the last hour of cooking.  Serve with remaining glaze.
Adapted from http://www.candcmarriagefactory.com/

Creme Brulee French Toast

Wow, this is an amazing breakfast recipe!  It's so much better than your normal french toast...you don't even need syrup!  Put it together the night before and let it sit in the fridge.  It is great to have ready for company!

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup
1 loaf French bread (cut into thick slices)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
powdered sugar
In a small pot, place butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup.  Mix over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Pour mixture into a large, greased 9x13 pan (spread to cover bottom of pan).  Place 12-14 slices of French bread in a single layer over mixture.  Whisk together eggs, cream, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon in large bowl.  Pour mixture over French bread, being sure to cover each piece.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Serve immediately by flipping a slice over onto a plate to reveal the creme brulee coating.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Adapted from http://www.chef-in-training.com/

Bite-Size Jalapeno Poppers

This a great quick appetizer that you can throw together when you have friends over!  You can make it as spicy as you like based on how many jalapeno seeds you leave in.  The cream cheese is a great combo, because it really tones down the hot jalapeno.

Bite-Size Jalapeno Poppers

1 can crescent dough
2 tbsp cream cheese
1 jalapeno
3 strips bacon
Cut uncooked bacon into bite-size pieces.  Cook until crispy done.  Cube cream cheese into small pieces.  Chop jalapeno into small pieces (you can remove seeds if you like it less spicy).  Unroll crescent dough and split into pre-cut triangles.  Cut each triangle into 3 smaller triangles with a pizza cutter.  In the middle of each smaller triangle, place a cube of cream cheese, a piece of jalapeno, and 1-2 pieces of bacon.  Bring corners together and press to seal edges.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.
Adapted from http://www.hellohue.com/

Cheddar & Bacon Stuffed Burgers

I am a big fan of burgers on a charcoal grill.  My dad has perfected the art of the charcoal burger, but this weekend while Brent's parents were in town, we decided to change it up a little!  We stuffed them!  Play around with this recipe...I've read minced onion is really good or maybe chop up some jalapenos.  We will be experimenting with this one all spring and summer!

Cheddar & Bacon Stuffed Burgers

1 1/2 to 2 lbs ground beef
4 oz medium cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, crumbled
4 Italian style hamburger buns
Pat out 8 very thin hamburger patties (about 1/2 inch thick).  In center of 4 patties, push down a small area for filling.  Cube the cheese into very small pieces.  Place 1/4 of the cheese and a 1/4 of the bacon in the burger.  Top with another thin patty, press edges together to seal and press burger down to flatten.  Be sure edges are completely sealed and together.  Grill on a charcoal grill until done.

Grilled Cajun Chicken Pasta

This is a great, easy pasta recipe that has a lot of flavor!  It makes a delicious weeknight meal.

Grilled Chicken Cajun Pasta

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 tbsp black pepper
2 boneless chicken breasts
8 oz bowtie pasta
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Combine olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp cajun seasoning, white vinegar, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. Pound chicken breast to 1/4" thickness. Place chicken in a ziplock bag, add marinade, toss to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Grill until chicken is no longer pink (I grilled the chicken on my stove with a grill pan).  Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, remaining Cajun seasoning, remaining pepper, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Whisk together on low heat for 5-6 minutes until smooth and the sauce begins to thicken.  Slice chicken and place over pasta, pour sauce over chicken and pasta.  Sprinkle a little more shredded parmesan cheese on top and serve with salad.
Adapted from http://www.plainchicken.com/

Caramelitas!

As I've been trying new recipes from Pinterest, I've really been wanting to improve at baking.  This recipe looked so good, I just had to try it!  These cookie bars turned out delicious!

Caramelitas

32 caramel squares
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
Combine unwrapped caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth, about 10 minutes; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.  They are best if allowed to cool overnight.  Store at room temperature.
Recipe adapted from http://luluthebaker.blogspot.com/
 

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

Wow, Pinterest has really good recipes!  This is my adaptation of another recipe I found on there.  I have frozen half of these since this recipe makes way more than 2 people can eat.  We'll see how the frozen ones turn out in a few weeks!

Spinach & Sausage Stuffed Pasta Shells

1 lb hot sausage, browned

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 c frozen spinach, cooked and drained

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

16-18 pasta shells, cooked and drained

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano

Brown sausage with garlic, drain.  Cook shells according to package directions and drain.  Add cooked shells to a bowl of ice water to cool.  Return sausage to skillet, add tomatoes and spinach, heat for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in ricotta.  Stuff shells with a fork and place in a greased glass baking dish.  Cover with mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Adapted from http://www.inspiredtaste.net/