Mustard and Mushroom Pork Tenderloin

I’m ready for the warm weather to get here. Usually I try to cling to every last chilly day we get – probably because we only get about 10 here in Tampa and I am SUCH a New England girl who loves her scarves and boots – but this year I am ready for cute spring/summer dresses and pretty wedges. I’m ready to wiggle my toes into the sand, and relax on the beach with a good book pretending to weigh about 15 pounds less than I do.

All of this has zero to do with this recipe, which I really love. I first made it a couple of years ago when my dad was coming to visit and I wanted to use the slow cooker so I could spend my time visiting with him rather than cooking. It’s warm and comforting and perfect for one of the last few chilly nights before spring really blooms.

Mustard and Mushroom Pork Tenderloin

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          2 lbs pork tenderloin or roast

-          8oz mushrooms, quartered

-          1 ½ cups chicken broth

-          3 garlic cloves, smashed or minced

-          ½ medium onion, sliced

-          ½ cup white wine

-          2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

-          1 bay leaf

-          1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

-          ½ teaspoon celery salt

-          ½ teaspoon ground thyme

-          2 tablespoons butter

-          3 tablespoons flour

Directions:

1. In a 4 or 6 quart slow cooker combine broth, wine, mustard, thyme, celery salt, bay leaf and worcestershire sauce. Add garlic, mushrooms, onions and pork. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

2. Remove tenderloin and set aside. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Reserve 2 ½ - 3 cups of liquid to make sauce.

3. In a large sauté pan melt butter over medium low heat. Once melted add flour and whisk together for about one minute. Then slowly add reserved cooking liquid whisking as you combine. Bring heat up to medium-high to let thicken – about 5 minutes.

4. Once sauce has thickened, taste for seasoning and add any salt and pepper if needed. Stir in mushrooms.

5. Slice pork and serve over mashed potatoes or rice and top with gravy.

So what are you most looking forward to this spring?

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Slow Cooker Spicy Pulled Pork

I love my slow cookers. Despite having three, they all surprisingly get a fair amount of use, and I actually wouldn't mind having a fourth. But according to Brent, we don’t have room for anymore kitchen gadgets.

So I buy them and don’t tell him about it.

I do this with clothes and shoes too.

Shhhhh! It’s a secret, k?

While I love using my slow cookers for a variety of things, I find the most useful (or maybe it’s just my favorite) to be for making pulled pork, beef, or chicken. It is incredibly simple to do and the possibilities are endless.

This recipe is for spicy pulled pork that is great for tacos, burritos, southwestern bowls, sandwiches, or anything other vessel you may want to use to get it in your mouth.

Like nachos? Oh, yes. Do it, like now.

Little tip! Puree the chipotles in adobo whenever you open a new can. I do this and keep some in the fridge in a tightly sealed jar, and then divvy up the rest in small freezer bags and freeze them for future use. It makes it so much easier to measure out and you don’t risk wasting any.

Spicy Pulled Pork

*Serves 6-8

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          3-4 lbs pork roast*

-          1 15.5oz can tomato sauce

-          2.5 tbls chipotles in adobo

-          1 tbl chili powder

-          1 tbl cumin

-          1 tea garlic powder

-          1 tea onion powder

-          1 tea oregano

-          1 tbl brown sugar

-          Salt and Pepper, to taste

             *I generally use about a 3 lb roast but a little larger roast will be fine.

 

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sliders

Recipe for: Sweet and Sour Pulled Pork on Hawaiian Sweet Rolls with Spicy BBQ Sauce

A couple of years ago now Brent and I were going to a Hawaiian themed graduation party. We were asked to contribute a Hawaiian type dish and bring it along. I've never been to Hawaii, though I’d love to get there someday, but for whatever reason Sweet and Sour Pulled Pork seemed to fit the theme. Plus, pulled pork generally does well with large crowds.

While everyone at the party seemed to enjoy it, Brent really loved it and over the years he has asked me to make it again. Recently he had a potluck at work and asked for the recipe so he could bring it in.  Since the recipe was never posted here, I figured I would make it again so I could write it down and share it with you.

For his potluck we bought about 14lbs of pork butt, so I slimmed down the recipe for 4-8 pounds to post here. This gives you a little wiggle room in the recipe depending on how many people you’ll be making this for.

One addition I made this time was a spicy BBQ sauce to go on top and I really thought it brought the whole thing together. In fact, the BBQ sauce would also be great on grilled chicken, pork chops or maybe even grilled salmon.

Just a note: In the recipe below for the pork, I separated the ingredients between the cooking liquid and the sauce to pour on top afterwards. I think it makes it easier to follow, even though they use many of the same items.

Sweet and Sour Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sliders

*Makes 20 – 30 sliders or 6 – 8  sandwiches

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

Beef Stroganoff

I’m going to be honest with you - I’m not the biggest Beef Stroganoff fan. I don’t know if it’s because my mother never really made at home or if it’s the name, but I never have really been a fan. (And yes, it I needed to say that twice) BD however does like it, so I figured I’d make it for him one night. Sometimes I’m a good girlfriend.

Like everyone else in the world we have pretty hectic lives so we like to use the slow-cooker a fair amount. It comes in handy, especially when neither one of us are getting home before 8pm. So when I decided to make Beef Stroganoff I thought I’d see how it would come out in the good old crock pot. I’ve made Beef Stroganoff before in a more traditional way, but was never really impressed with it. I started this recipe the same way I do my pot roast with golden mushroom soup and then built the recipe from there.

Beef Stroganoff

*Serves 6-8

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 lbs thick cut top sirloin

- 2 10 ¾ oz cans of Golden Mushroom soup

- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced

- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

- 1 tablespoon minced garlic

- ¼ medium onion, thinly sliced

- 2 cups beef broth

- 3 tablespoons fresh dill, minced

- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
- 3/4 cup sour cream

- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

- splash of water

- S&P

- Egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving

Preparation:

1. Take the sirloin and remove the extra fat. Cut into 1 ½ inch chunks. (Think large bite-sized pieces.)

2. In a large slow cooker combine: soup, beef broth, mushrooms, mustard, garlic, and onion. Whisk to combine, then add sirloin and stir to incorporate. Add a few good turns of black pepper.