Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork in the slow cooker.

What is wrong with me??? I'm constantly saying I can't think of anything to cook. Yesterday it dawned on me I needed to look at MY OWN RECIPE INDEX here on the blog!!! Yes. Once I post a recipe, I often forget about it. So yesterday I picked out one I had not made in years. One that would make enough to stock the freezer. And one that I was sure we liked.

We have been waking up crazy early lately. This morning was no exception. After coffee on the porch as the sun came up, I put together this recipe in the slow cooker. This one takes 10 hours to cook, so it needed an early start. Once it was in the slow cooker, the rest of my day was free. Knitting. Piano. Reading. An entire day to myself. Then at supper time, it only took a few minutes to shred the pork and dinner was ready.

The recipe is so simple. But let me caution you to actually read the recipe. I half read it and was about to dump in the barbecue sauce along with the vinegar and honey before the pork cooked. I'm not sure if that would have really been a bad thing. If I had actually poured it in, I would have cooked it that way and crossed my fingers. But that last glance at the recipe came just in time.

We made sliders for dinner with Hawaiian rolls. And I put 4 small bags in the freezer. 

PULLED PORK BARBECUE (slow cooker)

Spice rub:

   4 teaspoons smoked paprika

   1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

   2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic

   1 teaspoon ground mustard

   1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

1 medium onion, sliced

3-4 teaspoons mince garlic

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 (4-5 lb) pork butt, trimmed of excess fat

Salt & pepper

1 cup barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s)

Mix the spice rub ingredients. Season the pork butt with salt and pepper and rub the spice mix all over. (If you have time, you let put it in a bag or container and let it refrigerate overnight. I did not plan ahead, so put it in the slow cooker right after rubbing.)

In the bottom of the 6-7 qt slow cooker, put the onion and garlic. Pour in vinegar and honey. Place the pork butt on top. Cook on LOW for 10 hours.

When done, carefully move the roast to a large pan (9x13 works) and let cool for 5 or 10 minutes. Using two forks, shred the meat, discarding the bone and any large chunks of fat. Pour about a half cup of cooking liquid over the meat. Stir in a cup of barbecue sauce and mix.

As I typed this recipe, I realized I STILL didn't follow the actual directions. 😂 What is written here is how I made it today. If you want to read the original version, you can see it here on a post from a few years ago. This goes to show that most recipes have a lot of room for interpretation. Don't get too hung up on being exact.

 

Yes. I even practice piano on the porch.

It took us long enough, but we finally got this planted.

A Week Of Family And Food

Summer supper—pork tenderloin, orzo spinach salad, grilled corn, sautéed apples.

What a week! We had Little Lady and her mama and daddy in residence here at the farm for a whole week. We had not seen her in far too long. Last time we saw her in person, she barely had hair, she wasn't walking, and she had maybe four teeth. Now you can see the curly hair. And she walking AND talking. (Some words that you could understand, many words that we can understand.) And has too many teeth to count. 

We caught up on things that Mimi does best. Like reading books, snuggling....

...making music, singing songs (Wheels On The Bus is a fav)...

...and spending time on the porch.

Little Lady explored the farm as she waddled over every inch of the front and back yards.

And she got her first tractor ride with Daddy-O.  

That was a big hit! 

Mimi worked a little magic on the christening gown. 

Because of the pandemic, we are having a christening a year later than we planned. 

Thankfully the gown still fit—except around the neck. 

I added ribbon so that we can tie to fit instead of using the traditional gold pins.

It's going to be quiet here this week without those little feet pattering around the house. But we are thankful for the family time we enjoyed. Family time outside around the farm and family time around the table as we shared meals and stories. Here is the menu for one of those meals:

Because my friends have said they liked having recipes for an entire menu in one post, I'm adding another set. I cooked many meals—so many meals—while they were here, but this dinner was the favorite. All recipes we have used before but this combination is worth recording. We grilled the pork tenderloin and the corn, but both of those can be done in the oven. We've done it both ways.

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There are so many good ways to cook pork tenderloin. There are several recipes here on the blog. But hands down, this is our family's favorite. For us, it's one of those never-fail recipes.

BOURBON MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN

2-1/2 lb. pork tenderloins (usually one package contains 2 tenderloins and is about this weight)
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced (I used 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
 

Pat tenderloins dry. Combine soy sauce and remaining ingredients in a gallon ziploc plastic freezer bag or shallow dish. Add tenderloins. Seal bag or cover dish and chill 4-12 hours. Turn once or twice while they marinate. Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over high heat (400 to 500 degrees) for 30 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat reads 155 degrees, turning occasionally. Remove from heat; cover with aluminum foil and let stand 10 minutes or until thermometer reads 160 degrees.
 

It's also good cooked in the oven, if you don't have a grill, or if it's raining, 
Put tenderloins in an oven that has been preheated to 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until thermometer reaches 155-160 degrees. Let rest before serving.

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We absolutely love this dish! If there is an issue with feta in your household, you can sub crumbled goat cheese like we did this time.

ORZO SPINACH SALAD

1/2  box (16-oz) orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/2 bag (5-oz) baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion (use the amount that you want)
4-oz. container crumbled feta cheese (or crumbled goat cheese)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper (I used a few grinds of fresh pepper)

While orzo is cooking, mix the dressing--oil, vinegar, basil, pepper. Set aside.
Drain orzo thoroughly when done. Stir in chopped onion, spinach and feta. Whisk dressing again. Pour dressing over the pasta and mix to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

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The corn was perfect with this supper.  Daddy-O started it on the grill about 15 minutes before he put on the tenderloin. It all was done at the same time.

GRILLED CORN

fresh ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

Lawry's seasoning salt (or your favorite seasoning)

black pepper

Place an ear of corn on a sheet of foil. Add a couple of pats of butter, sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper. Roll it up tightly, twisting the ends so the butter doesn't leak out.

Put corn on medium grill, not directly over the heat, for 30 minutes. Close lid of grill. Turn corn in quarter-turns as it cooks. 

You can also put the wrapped corn in a preheated oven, 350º-ish, for 30 minutes. It won't have the brown color that you get from grilling but it's as delicious. Jessica says that if she also is baking another dish at 375º or 400º, she slides the corn in with it at that temp.

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I just realized I've never put the directions for sautéed apples here on the blog. It's a family favorite. It was one of those things I would make these when I needed one more things on the plate. 

All of these amounts are approximate. Just used the number of apples you have. Or the number you need to feed the crowd around your table. Make the butter and sugar match. Like I said, these are more "directions" instead of a "recipe."

SAUTEED APPLES

6 apples, peeled and sliced

1-2 tablespoons butter

1-2 tablespoons brown sugar

ground cinnamon

a little water

Melt butter in skillet. Add sliced apples and stir to coat. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add a little water. (The apples will release some liquid as they cook.) Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are as tender as you like them. I turned them low and put the lid on this time, to cook a little slower. 

The butter and brown sugar cook down to make a nice glaze. I don't use very much of either, although you can make it as buttery and sugary as you want to. 

Easy Peasy And Loosey Goosey

I had zero idea that this supper would be blog worthy. So you only get a photo of the leftovers. But sometimes life's surprises are good ones. I made a plate for Daddy-O's lunch tomorrow.  We've been busy this week with house and yard chores so I made something new that sounded super easy. I was only aiming for edible. But this exceeded my goal. Daddy-O said, "Be sure to put this one on the blog so I could make it if I needed to when you are gone." I put boneless pork chops in the slow cooker and topped them with a mix of two ingredients—a can of whole berry cranberry sauce and an envelope of dry onion soup mix. You really can't get much easier.

The rest of the meal of the meal was only canned peas (which Daddy-O loves) and yellow rice from a mix. Remember? I told you that tonight was all about easy. We were focused on the house and the yard. (The house is clean and the grass is cut.) Cooking supper was way down on my list. But it's a happy thing when something that easy turns out to be delicious.

I saw a recipe somewhere in the last week or two that used the cranberry sauce/onion soup concoction. I don't even remember what meat they put it over or how they cooked it. But I have a recipe on the blog that uses cranberry sauce and bottled chili sauce over pork chops. So I kinda sorta followed those directions. I also was trying out a new slow cooker. All slow cookers are different. So I set this one like I usually do. But two hours before it should have been done, I checked it. New slow cooker has a temperature probe. And it was done. So I turned it to "keep warm" until we were ready to eat. I think you could also do this in the oven. The pandemic year has found me getting all loosey-goosey with my cooking methods and recipes (or lack of recipes.) 

For the record I'm also getting all loosey-goosey with my piano playing. Who says I have to play ALL the notes on the page? Don't tell Little Sister who is taking piano lessons and practicing hard, but now I play a song the way I want to. Add notes. Leave out notes. As long as it sounds good, it IS good. There are perks to passing age 70. 

So Daddy-O, here you go! Since it wasn't really a recipe, I had to make up a name for it. Somewhere later I'll try the cranberry/onion soup mixture with other meats.

CRANBERRY PORK CHOPS

4 to 6 boneless pork chops (my pack only had 3 this time)

1 (14-oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Place chops in a slow cooker. Mix cranberry sauce and onion soup mix. Spread on top of chops. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours. Or until done. (This slow cooker was faster than my other one, where the recipe says LOW for 7-8 hours. I also had less meat. Do it how your slow cooker works.) 

If you are wondering why I bought a new slow cooker, let's just blame it on pandemic brain. I have seen so many people who love the Hamilton Beach slow cooker I had to try it, too. This one has a temperature probe and a locking lid. Like every brand there are so many different models I have no clue if this particular one is even one I read about. I do like the locking lid. Haven't used it enough to have thoughts about cooking in it. I've used the Crock-Pot brand for decades with no complaints. Like I said...pandemic brain and too easy online ordering. Now to figure out where to store it. It will likely end up in Big Sister's apartment kitchen in the fall. Yes. She is that old.

 

Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork I've Ever Had

PULLED PORK BARBECUE -- SLOW COOKER

I got lucky enough to bring home a quart of this pulled pork last week when I stopped by Mommy's house to drop off some things on my way home from Jessica's house. And I got to see the granddaughters for a few minutes. Right now I can only visit with the little girls through the storm door but that is better than nothing. 

When Mommy ordered her groceries for the week, she had not anticipated such a large cut of meat, so she ended up with a massive amount of BBQ. Worked out well for me because I got back to the farm late that afternoon and I didn't have a dinner plan. But I had the BBQ that Mommy shared. It was delicious! We wrapped it up in tortillas because that's all I had on hand. 

Let me be clear! This does not taste like you made it in a slow cooker. It's pretty close to pulled pork you'd get at a BBQ restaurant. I have a couple of other slow cooker pulled pork recipes on the blog and we like them, too. But this one is different. Better different. I asked Mommy to share the recipe and tell a little about it. And send me photos. Here is what she sent.

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Words and photos from Mommy....

This was a hit at my house. The first time it was served, Little Sister ate 3 helpings, Baby Girl ate 2 big helpings, and J-Daddy said it was worthy to sit on an Independence Day spread. Leftovers have been eaten multiple times without complaints.

 

PULLED PORK BARBECUE

from Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker by Nicki Sizemore, creator of FromScratchFast.com 

Spice Rub

• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp granulated garlic (I used jarred minced garlic.)
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted it.)
• 1 (4-5 lb) boneless pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Slow Cooker

• 1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I used jarred minced garlic.)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2-1 cup barbecue sauce (I used 1c of Sweet Baby Ray's Original Sauce.)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For Serving

• Buns (or rice, or tortillas)
• Barbecue sauce 
• Red Cabbage & Sweet Corn Slaw (aka Princess Slaw at our house) 

RUB THE PORK

1. Combine the paprika, sugar, garlic, mustard, and cayenne in a small bowl. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper to taste, and rub it all over with the spice mixture. If you have the time, refrigerate the pork in an airtight container or ziplock bag overnight.

ASSEMBLE THE SLOW COOKER

2. Arrange the onion and garlic in the bottom of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker, and pour in the vinegar and honey. Place the pork on top. Cover and cook until the pork is tender and pulls apart easily with a fork, 9 to 10 hours on low or 7 to 8 hours on high.

3. Switch the slow cooker off, and transfer the pork to a cutting board. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using two forks, coarsely shred the pork, discarding any large chunks of fat.

4. Using a ladle, skim off enough fat and liquid in the slow cooker to measure 1 cup and discard. Transfer the shredded pork back into the slow cooker with the remaining liquid and onions, and add the barbecue sauce to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste then toss to combine.

SERVE

5. Pile the pulled pork into buns, and serve with additional barbecue sauce on the size for drizzling. Serve the slaw either in the sandwiches or on the side (or both!)

Cook’s Notes:

• Kroger gave me 8-lb bone-in pork butt, so I cut it in half, and doubled the spice rub amounts. I adjusted the cooking time to 5 hours on low and then 5 hours on high.
• Since I skipped cayenne pepper, J-Daddy added Frank’s hot sauce to his before eating.
• The first time I served barbecue with rice and lima beans. The second time I served it in quesadillas. The third time it will be served as sandwiches. Guessing could work in a biscuit or on pizza too…

 

 

Goodness Gracious! This Glaze!!!

Sunday dinners used to be a thing. After church we would sit down to a table set with the good china on a tablecloth. Food was placed on the table to be passed around family style. That is how we learned to set a table and how we learned good table manners. How on earth my mother got the dinner cooked on Sundays, I am still not sure. It felt like it magically appeared after church. But it was a given...we would sit down together and eat,

Fast forward several decades and things are different. Pre-pandemic, we often would go out to eat after church. No lunch to cook. No dishes to wash. And we would always see some friends to visit with as we left the restaurant. If we did eat at home, it likely was something I had picked up at a drive-thru on the way home. (KFC, anyone?) 

Roasted sweet potatoes, green beans, & pear salad on the side.

But on Sunday of this week it felt like we time traveled back to the 1960s. The table was set. A full meal was ready. And we—just the two of us—sat down together and shared a proper meal. Daddy-O saw this recipe a couple of weeks ago and he told me he'd like for us to try it. I suggested that he cook it. And he said, "Sure. If you will make the side dishes." The deal was done. 

He found the recipe for glazed pork loin in the online version of our local newspaper. Not the pork tenderloin that we cook fairly often. But a pork loin. Make sure you buy the right cut of pork. This roast is cooked, uncovered, in the oven and basted with a tasty glaze. 

I make pork loin in the slow cooker sometimes. This excellent oven version is almost as easy. This particular pork roast came from Whole Foods (I have discovered they will deliver to my front door) instead of the big box store where I have picked up groceries for months now. I will still order pork loin from the big box store but I do think the pricier Whole Foods roast was the better piece of meat. It's nice to have options.

But y'all...this recipe is all about the glaze. It is delicious. After putting the first slices on our plates we realized we needed to spoon some glaze over the top. And the best part of this recipe might have been the leftovers. We sliced the remaining roast very thin and put the slices back in the glaze to be reheated. So. Very. Good. The last slices were made into sandwiches on toasted buns topped with a sliced of Swiss cheese that got all melty.

If you are close to my age, you remember cutting recipes out of the newspaper or a magazine. When you find a recipe online now, it's still possible to print it out (ask a grandchild how if necessary) if you like to cook from a printed copy. I do. And there are several ways to save them online, too. I like the "CopyMeThat" app. It only saves the recipe. Pretty uncomplicated. I only use it to clip recipes. Maybe it does get complicated if you try to do more, but it's easy to save recipes.

MAPLE GLAZED PORK ROAST

1 (3-lb) pork loin roast

2 teaspoons canola oil

1-1/4 cups maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 375º.  Season roast well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet until just smoking. Brown roast on all sides, about 10 minutes. Do not clean skillet. 

Move roast to a 9x13-inch baking dish. (We used a baking pan lined with foil.) Cook 50 to 70 minutes, until internal temp is 145º, flipping roast over about halfway through cooking.

While roast is cooking, make the glaze. Pour any fat out of skillet. Heat to medium-high and add syrup, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne pepper, scraping up any brown bits left in skillet into sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened and fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat and let sit until ready to use.

With 20 to 30 minutes left to cook, pour the glaze over the roast and roll the roast over in pan to coat it all. Return to oven to finish cooking. If glaze in pan begins to look dry, pour 1/4 cup hot water into pan. Check temp at 50 minutes. Continue cooking until desired doneness.

Slice and serve with glaze spooned over slices.

Serves 8. (Or two hungry people, with lots of leftovers)

 

Cooking From Memory

In my new normal I've started using online ordering for groceries. We have one source for this service in our county. My older daughter has been doing this for years and likes shopping that way. When Baby Girl was even smaller it was easy to pick up groceries without having to take a toddler into the store. I have not had a particular need to do so, but now it seems to be a prudent way to get my groceries. 

Using the grocery shopping app has been simple. Finding a delivery time has been harder. Looks like everyone else in our county is using this service, too. Overall I have been happy shopping this way. I haven't always gotten everything on my list. But that's okay. I did check the box to allow substitutions. And that's okay. This is not a time to be too picky. I've had different brands than my usual choice. I've used more store brands than normal. 

In this "happy to get anything" world I was delighted to see that the pork loin roast made it into my cart last week. The item description said it was 2.5 to 3 lbs. When I unpacked the groceries the pork loin looked tiny. It was less than two pounds. Again, glad to get anything. That was still plenty for the two of us.

We cook pork tenderloin all the time. A pork loin is a different cut. I looked quickly for a recipe for a glaze or a rub before I cooked it thinking it might need a flavor boost. Again, everything now is based on ingredients on hand. Earlier in the day I read one recipe that sounded like a good one. By late afternoon I couldn't remember where I found it, so I used the parts of the recipe that stuck in my brain. It was like one of those memory tests where they show you a group of items and then later ask you to write down all you remember.

The part I remembered is worth doing again. So I'm adding the "how I did it" here on the blog for the next time I cook a pork loin.

SWEET & SAVORY PORK LOIN

There are no precise measurements here because I didn't remember what they were. You really don't need them. Trust me. Trust yourself.

pork loin roast

olive oil (or other cooking oil)

salt

freshly ground black pepper 

paprika

about 2 tablespoons brown sugar

about 2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use the jarred kind)

Pat the pork loin dry. Put pork in a pan or bowl and pour a little oil oil over the roast. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Spoon a couple of tablespoons brown sugar and a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic onto the roast. Then rub this all over the roast. Transfer to a baking dish and cook, uncovered, according to the directions on the package. Let rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

My package said to cook at 375º for 27 to 32 minutes per pound, until internal temp reaches 145º to 155º. 

We really liked the hint of sweetness from the brown sugar that complemented the garlic. The paprika gave the cooked roast a beautiful color. The loin cut isn't quite as tender at the tenderloin and it takes a little longer to cook. But it was so easy. And now we have plenty of leftovers. I'll vacuum pack some slices and freeze them for later. There is an easy Lo Mein recipe that I want try soon. I'll add a little pork to that "meat optional" dish.

My Grandmother Tour Of Duty

It's my last day here. For the past four weeks I've had the honor and great privilege to be here to welcome this new baby girl to the family. To be helping hands to the brand new parents. To help in the middle of the night when the mommy and daddy were both so tired. To keep everyone in clean clothes and to keep the refrigerator stocked and meals cooked.

But being a grandmother is more than doing the practical. It's about offering encouragement to the new parents. It's about loving. It's about passing on that feeling of being loved beyond measure that I always felt when I was with my own grandmother. I adored my grandmother and hope that years down the road all these girls will feel the same about me.

In my time here I've felt all the feels that come with rocking a tiny (less than 6 lbs.) baby in the middle of the night. I've remembered how terrified I was my first couple of weeks as a new mom. I've remembered the rush of love that overwhelmed me when I would watch my tiny sleeping baby. (When she ever would go to sleep.) And I've remembered that at the very same time I was overwhelmed with love, I could be overwhelmed with anxiety. How will I do this? What am I even supposed to do? And here we are, over 30 years later, and my babies are grown, well-adjusted adults. I know we didn't do everything right, but we did okay.

And in these weeks I've watched my own baby—yes, Jessica is my baby—grow in confidence and skill as she learns to do the things that mothers do. When it's your first, it's all new and unknown and.... Well, you moms know. She's made me proud.

I've been interested in watching mothering in the age of the internet. All I had was the Dr. Spock book and the weekly long distance phone call to my mother. Now there is a crazy amount of information at your fingertips. Maybe too much information. But it's also wonderful that you can text your new mom friends and ask questions and share what's going on. Friends are only a tap-on-your-phone away. How wonderful that would have been for me back in the day.

Sausage Butternut Squash Breakfast Casserole

I've made several new-to-me recipes while I've been here. Recipes from Jessica's repertoire. I'll share a few of these as I get home and my life settles back down. I'm putting the recipes here so that I can find them again. The easiest of these new recipes was the sausage/vegetable breakfast bake. I'm going to share how I did it. I couldn't find chorizo and we swapped out the fresh spiralized sweet potato for frozen squash. Certainly no time around here to spiralized fresh potatoes! Here is the link to the original recipe.

SAUSAGE BUTTERNUT SQUASH BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 lb sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Regular)
1 bag frozen spiralized butternut squash (12-oz, I think)
8 large eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup milk or heavy cream (I used 2% milk)
1/2 to 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (who measures this?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the sausage, breaking apart, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, pepper, and milk until very well combined and frothy. Set aside. 

Spread the frozen squash across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Next, spread the cooked sausage over the top of the spiralized squash. Then, pour the egg mixture over the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. 

Place into the oven and cook until the eggs have just set, 35-45 minutes (depending on your oven). 

This was a delicious supper. It also was good reheated for breakfast. The squash was a fun substitute for the more traditional hash browns. I think this may have started as a Whole30 recipe. Maybe I should say it's now "Whole30-ish."

Happy New Year!

New Year's Day meal.

This was the Christmas I discovered that many of my "must do" holiday things were not particularly necessary. I probably knew that intellectually but I never wanted to skip any of it. Until the flu made that decision for me. The funniest part is that no one else seemed to notice what didn't get done. Lesson learned.

I am thankful for daughters and sons-in-law and a capable husband who all pitched in to make sure everyone was fed. I was laying low, looking at friends IG posts of their families seated around beautifully set tables and feeling like I had let my folks down a little. I was sad that my Christmas china never made it out of the cabinet. And then yesterday one daughter told me that one of the best parts of her holiday was eating the Christmas night dinner—standing rib roast and the (fewer) trimmings—on the holiday Corelle dishes, in her pajamas. Nothing fancy required. But we were all around the table. That's what mattered.

Yesterday, it was the traditional Southern New Year's Day meal of peas and collards meal that promises good fortune in the coming year. And I cooked most of it. So good to be back in the kitchen. As we feasted yesterday everyone said this was their most favorite meal. Maybe because it's the opposite of rich holiday foods. And we all wondered why we don't make this menu more often.  

Here are the links to the foods that are on our plate each year. And the recipe to an old, old recipe that hasn't been on the blog in this version. (Before you cringe at the amount of butter you should know I cut it in half from Aunt Bibby's original version.) I often have macaroni and cheese with this meal but this year I subbed "brown rice." It is easier to put together. It isn't really brown rice...the brown color comes from beef consommé. I was completely grown before I knew that real brown rice was rice that retains the bran layer. In my family brown rice was white rice baked in the oven with beef consommé. And butter. This dish still shows up on every church covered dish dinner table.

NEW YEAR'S DAY MENU:

Bourbon Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Collard Greens

Black-Eyed Peas (cook a bag of frozen peas)

Sweet Potato Soufflé

Brown Rice

Pickled Beets (from a jar)

Corny Cornbread

BROWN RICE 

1 cup white rice

1/2 stick butter

2 cans Campbell's beef consommé

1 can of mushrooms, drained (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.

Melt butter in a 2-qt baking dish (I put the butter in the dish and slide it into the oven while it heats.) Stir in the rice, consommé and mushrooms. Cover dish (I use foil tightly wrapped over the top) and bake for 1 hour.

You may now return to your clean eating plan for the rest of the year.

What Does "Best" Mean?

NOTE TO READERS:  This post was written earlier this week right at supper time. I am posting it this morning before I leave for a travel adventure. The adventure is immediately followed by some family time. So I'm taking a little time off from the blog. Look for me back here in a few weeks. 

I may have mentioned once or twice that there are times I get tired of cooking. But NEVER EVER have we gotten tired of eating. And I think I may have agreed in our wedding vows to keep my husband fed. (Truthfully, he would NEVER complain if I announced I didn't feel like cooking. I'm just teasing.) So I am always on the lookout for quick, easy recipes. We both love pork tenderloin. And we love it marinated in bourbon soy mixture we've used for years. But there are times when I don't start the prep hours ahead of time. Like tonight.

Last week I saw a recipe online called BEST Baked Pork Tenderloin. Who am I to argue with the recipe developer? So it's in the oven right now. I had all the ingredients on hand except for oranges. There were lemons in the fridge but for whatever reason, orange juice sounded really good on this very hot evening. I needed a trip to the grocery store for a few items, so I tossed two oranges into my cart.

The fresh corn in the refrigerator needed to be cooked, too. Before I have to stop calling it "fresh" corn. Jessica fixed corn-on-the-cob while we were all at the lake over Labor Day weekend. She buttered each ear, salted and peppered it and wrapped each one in foil. So I did that, too. I put the pork in the oven for 30 minutes. The corn went in beside it at the 25 minute mark. She did hers at 350-375 for about 30 minutes. Fingers crossed that my adjustment of time and temp works out. It's nice to think it can all cook at the same tine. Another time I might roast cut up potatoes instead of corn. The goal is "cook it all at one time."

So at this very minute I am sitting down. The pork and the corn is cooking without needing any more attention from me. I have asparagus that I'll slide into the hot oven—I'll bump the temp up to 450º—when the pork comes out. The pork needs to rest before we slice it anyway.

And the very best part? The extra tenderloin will go into the freezer for one of those nights when I'm less inclined to cook that I was tonight. We have frozen cooked pork tenderloins many times. It's once of those foods that is delicious after being frozen and thawed.

So. Was this really the BEST? This recipe came from Creme de la Crumb, a website with wonderful recipes. I made it exactly like she did. The verdict—it is very, very good. But our first love is still the Bourbon Marinated Pork Tenderloin that we've made for years. Maybe I'll call this one "Next Best Baked Pork Tenderloin." I will agree that it is the best tenderloin I've made with a rub. 

The thing with calling any recipe "best," is that they are so personal. Even in our own household we don't always agree on what's "best." Rest assured this recipe is really good. Good enough to make again. I'm happy to have this recipe as another option for pork tenderloin. And it does get bonus points for being so quick to put together. Faster than our usual marinade. Check out her website for more good recipes that come with beautiful photographs. I have marked several other of her recipes to try. 

BEST BAKED PORK TENDERLOIN—that is not marinated in our fav mix 😂

2 to 2-1/2 lb pork tenderloin (my pkg was about this weight, 2 tenderloins to a pack)
1 tablespoon oil
2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon, lime, or orange juice (or a mix of juices)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional but highly recommended)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a large baking dish. (I lined the pan with foil instead.) Pierce tenderloins all over with a fork. Rub oil onto all sides of the meat.

Stir together Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin, salt, chili powder, smoked paprika (if using) and black pepper. Sprinkle mixture over tenderloin(s), patting it onto the surface of the meat on all sides. Place in prepared baking dish and drizzle citrus juice over the top.

Bake for 25-35 minutes until outside is browned and crispy and centers are cooked through to desired doneness. (National Pork Board recommends an internal temp of 145º [medium rare] to 160º [medium] with a 3 minute rest before slicing.)

Spoon juices from the dish over the meat. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice into 1-inch pieces. Spoon any remaining juices from the pan over the slices.