Marinated Roast Pork and Potatoes

This was a delicious meal.  I had a bonless roast pork in the freezer that needed to be cook soon and this turned out to be a very moist delicious way to cook it.

I used the meat thermometer to make sure it was done.  They have changed the temperature for pork from years ago.  They say now the internal temperature should be about 160° for roasts, of course you know you should take it out about 10°before it reaches that temperature so the meat and rest and the juices form in the meat.
Here are the potatoes

Marinade:
4-4.5 lb bones pork roast
4 TBL mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic (minced)
salt and pepper

potatoes:
5-6 med to large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks, salt and pepper and then toss them and a small sliced onion in oil.

Place roast in large plastic bag, add ingredients and let marinate at least 2-3 hours...best if you do overnight.
Preheat oven to 425° place roast in pan and cook on high heat for 15  minutes, turn oven down to 375° and continue to cook until the internal temperature in 150-155°.  Remove from oven and let rest for about 15-20 minutes.  For the potatoes you can par boil them is you like, I didn't do that I just peeled them and cut into chunks and when the meat was at about 125° I added them, and when I removed the meat I left them in the pan to finish cooking.

This was an awesome meal, I served this with sauerkraut and cooked carrots.  The only thing that was missing was some great biscuits.  Maybe next time.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna

Fudge Banana Muffins with spiced nuts and a hint of Apple Jack

I had some banana's that I put in the fridge and they were nice and ripe,  just perfect for making some sort of treat.  I also had some spiced walnuts and pecans from the holidays in a sealed container along with the chocolate fudge I made this year.  Soooooooo to the drawing board and I decided to just put them all together.  Why waste all that yummy stuff, Right??  I made these for Monday Work Treat.  The guys loved them even the one that doesn't like nuts.  LOL

Ingredients:

2 cups AP flour
3 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBL Apple Jack or some sort of Bourbon
2 large eggs
1/4 cup soft unsalted butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 very ripe bananas (mashed)
3/4 cup homemade fudge (approximate) chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped spiced nuts (walnuts and pecans)

Directions:
Preheat oven 400°, line 12-14 regular size muffin tins, set aside.
In bowl, combine dry ingredients, set a side
chop fudge and nuts, set aside
In a large bowl, cream the butter, coconut oil and sugar  until creamy.  Add 1 egg at a time and mix well, add mashed banana and Apple Jake, mix well.  Add dry ingredients and stir unless well incorporated.  Add the nuts and fudge mix until combined.  Fill muffin cups 3/4 full place in reheated 400° oven for approximately 18-20 minutes.  Remember each oven is different.
Cool on rack....enjoy!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the THINGS Y♥u  L♥ve.
Donna

cracklin Chicken

My daughter found this on Pinterest and wanted me to make it for our Thursday family dinner.  Its is really good and so quick to make.  So if you're looking for a quick week night meal give this a try.  This would be great to make and then put in your salad.   This was a huge hit so I will for sure be making this again.

Ingredients:
boneless chicken thighs *skin on*
salt and pepper
ghee or butter and oil mixed *for frying*
large cast iron skillet

As the person that posted this says it's so much cheaper to buy bone in thighs and just removed them yourself.  It's not rocket science and oh so easy.
Turn the thigh skin down, get a good boning knife or kitchen shears and just start cutting along the bone taking your time and then cut around the knob at the end and remove.  It's really that simple.
Dry the pieces well and then salt the skin side *as the chef's say make it rain* which means hold your hand up high and sprinkle the salt on your chicken.  You can season the under side with salt and pepper or add some other spices if you like.  Guess you like a bit of kick you could add some chilli powder or such.  I just did the plan salt and pepper.  Was great.

Heat the oil and butter then add the chicken skin side down.  Cook for about 7 minutes *DO
 NOT MESS WITH IT* just let it cook, you can move the pan around on the stove to be sure that all the parts are getting cooked the same.    Check after about 7 minutes to see if it's nice and golden brown...like above... then flip and cook for about another 3 minutes.  Drain on paper towel....ENJOY!!

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU L♥ve.
Donna
 

Filled Carrot Cake Muffins

These were a Monday work treat, I must say they came out looking Awesome.  They were a big hit at work too.  Hope you'll give them a try.  See the cream cheese trying to ooze out the top?
adapted from here

This recipe made 14 regular size muffins

Ingredients

For Carrot Cake Muffins:

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup water
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots (about 2-3 medium carrots)

For cream cheese filling:

• 10 ounce cream cheese-softened
• ¼ cup+1 Tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

For Streusel Topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 1 /2 cup unsalted butter-melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Glaze:

• 1 Teaspoon milk
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F, line standard cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. To make streusel topping in a medium bowl stir together 1 cup all-purpose flour, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon salt, add 1 /2 cup melted unsalted butter melted and stir it with a fork until crumbly, set aside.
3. To make the filling beat the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth, set aside.
4. To make the muffins, in a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients listed for the muffins.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water and oil.
6. Stir the egg mixture into dry ingredients, then fold in grated carrots and stir well to combine..
7. Drop about 1 ½-2 Tablespoons of the batter into each cup and spread to cover the bottom, then place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling, cover with carrot batter to fill the cups ¾ full, then top with streusel topping and bake about 20 minutes, until the toothpick inserted in the cake (not cream cheese filling) comes out clean.
8. Remove the muffins from the oven, let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
9. To make the glaze, stir well 1 tablespoon milk with ¼ cup powdered sugar and drizzle over the muffins before serving.  
10. These made 14 muffins. 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do All the things Y♥u L♥ve.
Donna

Guy Fieri Loaded Baked Potatoe Soup

It's that time of year when we are craving comfort food and this is one of mine.  I love homemade soup during the winter.  This is one of my favorites.  A couple of years ago my daughter made potato soup that was so delicious and different from what I had been used to.  When I asked her how she made it she told me she had baked the potatoes instead of boiling them.  So from then on I have made my soup this way.  Hope you give it a try, it really is worth the effort...but really it's not that hard.
adapted from here

2 large baking potatoes (Idaho or russet)
6 slices  smoked bacon
1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

2 cups half and half

1 can chicken broth
3 ounces cheese of your choice , grated *I used taco blend that I had on hand*
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces sour cream
1 small onion diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the potatoes on a roasting tray and bake for 45 minutes. When done, the tip of a paring knife should go through the potatoes easily.
  

Cook in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pot.

Add the flour to the drippings in the pot and stir to combine. Cook, without adding color, until the flour and fat has combined, about 1 minute. Pour in the milk while you whisk to incorporate. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Scoop out the potato pulp from the skins and add to the milk mixture. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon leaving it a little bit chunky.

Add the cooked bacon (leaving a little out for garnishing the soup), 1 cup of the cheese, and season well with salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat.

Ladle the soup in bowls, top with crumbled bacon, some cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  Then say YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!  ☺

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do All the Things you L♥ve.

Donna