Pork Sirloin Tip Roast...and Pumpkin Pie

I wish I could capture smells in a post for you ... because the smells that have filled our apartment tonight have been heavenly - enough to make my paper-writing bearable. And enough to make me forget that we have a pile of dishes to clean up after my culinary adventures. But really... sooo good.

We enjoyed some Pork Sirloin Tip Roast, and are about to enjoy the pumpkin pie that just came out of the oven. Enjoy!

Herb Rubbed Pork Sirloin Tip Roast

1 pork sirloin tip roast

herb rub (see this recipe for a version we tried)

6-8 slices of bacon

Rub the roast all over with the herb rub. Ideally you'd let it sit for a bit, but we couldn't wait. Wrap the roast with the bacon (seals the moisture in, and gives it a great flavor) - secure ends with toothpicks, or wrap with butcher twine - whatever you have. We used toothpicks. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour.

Serve with whatever veggies you like. Unfortunately the brussels sprouts I was saving for this went bad :( so we just had sweet potatoes - oh darn! :) I prepped those just like the butternut squash from the other night. These might have turned out even better than the squash with the spices I chose - nice and crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

Here's a glimpse of the goodness that is going to come once it's cooled... (try this recipe).

Easy weeknight pork tenderloin

So this meal has become one of my go-to meals when we don't have a lot of time but still want to eat a healthy and delicious meal. Trader Joe's has packages of pork tenderloin pre-seasoned with garlic and herbs in their meat section. Trader Joe's also has pre-seasoned asparagus in a microwave pack. And you can just pick up a few sweet potatoes while you're at it, and you've got this meal made! This is also a pretty cost effective meal... Did I mention I love Trader Joe's?

Bake the pork tenderloin as directed on the package - ~350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the size. Let sit for at least 10 minutes once you take it out of the oven.

While that's in the oven, chop up a few sweet potatoes and boil them. Once they're tender, drain, and mash to desired consistency. Use a food processor for smoother results. Add milk, butter, cinnamon, or other spices/flavorings. These should be done around the same time as your meat.

Follow the directions for microwaving the asparagus - 2 1/2 minutes, and you're done!

ENJOY!! :)

Crockpot Pork Chops

Jeff and I decided we would be brave and try cooking pork chops again. We both have never been big fans of pork chops, but because they're so cheap, we wanted to see if there was a way to cook them that we'd enjoy. We found it! The Crockpot wins again... these chops were SO tender - literally falling apart when you cut them with a fork. I've NEVER had a pork chop do that before, and these were sooo easy and very flavorful.

Crockpot Pork Chops
Adapted from Allrecipes.com

6 boneless pork chops

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cloves garlic, crushed

*I cut the soy sauce to 1/4 cup and added about 1/8-1/4 cup of honey as well.

*I also added some chicken broth to increase the amount of liquid

salt and pepper to taste

Place pork chops in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops. Make sure that you cover the chops with the sauce - if your crockpot is large like ours, spoon some of the sauce over the chops periodically as they cook to keep them from drying out.

Cook on Low setting for 6 hours, until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

*Important: brown the pork chops in a pan before putting them in the crockpot - this adds a ton more flavor, and helps seal in the moisture. I didn't do this because we ran out of time, but this is important!!

Chop up some sweet potatoes and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast on a baking tray in the oven ~350 degrees, for 25-35 minutes, or until tender.