Cauliflower Soup With Bacon and Leek Topping

I am back in soup mode despite the fact that it is really warm around these parts still.

Rigatone with Mozzarella and Arugula

This is a simple and quick pasta dish for busy weeknights.

Tomato, Egg, and Prosciuttto Tarts

These individual tarts look very sophisticated, but are easier to make than you may think!

Pecan Chicken And Bacon Sandwich

As I was going through my my ever growing recipe pile sitting on my desk, I found  this recipe that I had torn out from our local newspaper quite a while ago.

Celery Root (Celeriac) Soup with Apples and Bacon (GF)

I am really jump starting soup season today with this smooth and delicious celery root soup.

Easy Grilled pork tenderloin with Balsamic-Honey Glaze

I was so excited about the Massaged kale salad (recipe here) that I kind of forgot to take pictures of the grilled pork tenderloin. But here is the simple recipe:

Pork with Mozzarella and Tomato Sauce

This dish was one of the highlights of my cooking this week. My husband just raves about it!

Ham and Parsley Risotto

If you are looking for ways to use up any of that leftover Easter ham I urge you to try this recipe. This Ham and Parsley Risotto is really easy to make although as with any risotto it  is somewhat of a high maintenance dish to make, due to the constant stirring and adding of liquid.

Slow-cooker Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This week I want to share some really good slow-cooker recipes. This is a new cooking method for me since I just recently purchased one.Slow-cookers (or Crock pots as they are commonly called) have been around for decades and many of my friends tell me they own one but never use it. Well, lately it seems the slow-cooker is experiencing somewhat of a revival. There are many new beautiful slow-cooker cookbooks out there and every major food magazine have run features on slow-cooking and offer many wonderful recipes.

Butternut Squash and Ham Soup

This is a great winter soup that I am confident your whole family will enjoy. My 10-year old daughter asked me if "I could make that really good soup with squash and ham", and I said "most definitely!" I love this soup, I just forgot about it for a while.

Grilled Cheese and Fried Egg sandwiches

This is not your average Grilled cheese sandwich! It is hands down the best one I have ever had! I haven't made anything really extraordinary lately (therefor the absence of postings last week), but I am really excited to share this recipe idea with you.

Roasted Pork Loin with black-bean and sweet potato salad

This is a wonderful family meal that I made recently. The pork roast came out really nice and moist, but the star of this meal was definitely the black-bean and sweet-potato side salad. I really like sweet potatoes but for whatever reason I don't use them much. I thought this Mexican inspired recipe looked really interesting. I love it when familiar ingredients are used in a new and different way (knew to me anyway!).  And I have to say I have good instincts.

Potato and butternut squash gratin with corn and ham

A very busy and eventful week end is over and now it is time to relax! I worked my butt off last week to get ready for the annual neighborhood garage sale. We really cleaned out a lot of stuff this time. It is just mind -boggling how much stuff we accumulate over a few years. The last few strays of baby equipment had to go, along with other odds and ends I have clung to for sentimental reasons. Despite a mediocre forecast we had a splendid day and lots of bargain hunters. We sold 90 percent of our things. Pretty good! The leftovers were taken to Goodwill and some things just had to find their way into the trash because they were not going back in the house. What a relief it is to get rid of excess stuff.

Asiago-crusted pork chops

Doesn't this look like the perfect weeknight dinner? I thinks so. I have made these pork chops a few times now and I just love them, and since I finally purchased a non-stick skillet they now come out beautifully golden and crusty, m-m-m!

Pork chops with red onion marmelade

I found this recipe on a Norwegian web site Matprat.no. It looked so easy yet so interesting at the same time. It is amazing how some meals can be so simple and contain so few ingredients and still be so satisfying and flavorful. These pork chops were brought to life with a  red onion marmalade. Simply red onions caramelized with sweet orange marmalade. This meal was a big hit with my entire family, big and small. My 13 year old daughter is my most vocal critic and she loved it. Even the onions! I served it with plain rice and sauteed green beans.

Pork chops with red onion marmalade

6 pork chops

Salt and pepper, to taste

Oil and butter for frying
1 large red onion, thinly sliced into rings
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T sweet orange marmalade

Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium High heat, brown pork chops in a combination of oil and butter; about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the pork chops continue to cook, covered about 5 minutes more.
While pork chops cook, fry onion rings in a skillet over medium heat until soft, 8-10 minutes. Increase heat to high and add red wine vinegar and cook until absorbed completely about 5 minutes. Add sweet orange marmalade and cook until slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes longer.
Top each pork chop with a nice heap of onions.

Flautas

I  saw  this recipe on one of the many cooking blogs out there, fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com. This girl has a huge following. She makes beautiful meals and takes great pictures. Something to aspire to for sure. I had never heard of flautas before (Spanish word for flutes). Mexican  in origin, these are meaty tortilla roll-ups usually deep fried. These however, are baked.   They sounded so good I just had to try them. And they are terrific! I recommend you all make these for a delicious family dinner. Thanks Pam for sharing with all of us!

I Changed the recipe slightly to accommodate my family. This makes for a mildly flavored  version.

Pork tenderloin, caramelized onion, and Monterey Jack baked flautas

2 T olive oil (divided)

1 sweet yellow onion, sliced

1 pork tenderloin (1 1/2 lbs), diced

1/4 t Chili powder, or to taste

1/4 t coriander, or to taste

1/2 t paprika, or to taste

1/2 t garlic powder, or to taste

1/4 t ground cumin , or to taste

1 t dried oregano, or to taste

sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

10 flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and cover with cooking spray.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring often, about 10-15 minutes until caramelized and tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium High heat. Once the pan is hot add the diced pork tenderloin then season, to taste, with all of the spices. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown, but not yet cooked through (it will finish cooking in the oven). Remove from the stove.

Wrap flour tortillas in wet paper towels and microwave them for 1 minute or until soft.

Place a bit of Monterey Jack cheese in the center of the tortilla then add caramelized onion and the diced pork:; roll. Place seam side down on prepared  baking sheet. Finish rolling the rest of the flautas, then spray each with cooking spray. Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Serve with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

Makes 10 flautas