Boneless Pork Roast with potatoes and carrots

Made this for dinner one Sunday night.  I have so much food in the freezer I could eat for a year and never go to the store.  I believe I got this habit from my MOM, she did the same thing and I can remember as a kids I would always ask her ..."gee Mom why do you have so much food??  Her reply was always the same, ya never know when you won't be able to go food shopping and what if company dropped in, you'd always have food to make".  I would say now, pure logic.

This meal goes together quickly and not much fuss.  Make the marinate.
put meat (that has salt and pepper both sides) in a plastic bag, pour the marinate over pork and refrigerate about an hour or you could do over night if you have the time and have planned ahead.  Cook your potatoes and carrots for about 12 minutes, drain and set aside.

Marinate
put dry spices, garlic, lemon juice , zest, olive oil s & P in a blender or magic bullet and blend til you get a nice smooth texture.

3 lbs boness pork loin
5-6 russet potatoes
4 large carrots
6-7 cloves garlic
zest of 1 lemon
juice from lemon
2 heaping TBL oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper.



Remove meat from bag, put in roasting pan and bake at 350°  for about an hour.  Add the potatoes and carrots after that hour and cook for another 45 minutes or so, until veggies are tender and meat is 145° internal temp.  Use a meat thermometer to always make sure you meats are cook properly.  I use the one with the probe and little counter thing that goes off when the meat is ready.  Let it rest at least 20 minutes, carve and serve.  You could make a pan gravy if you wanted from the drippings.  I put the information for that below.

**Pan gravy**  Use the dripping from roast and add a little water, stir then add some chicken stock or more water .  Make a slurry of corn starch or flour using water and dry mix.  Add to pan dripping and cook until it thickens.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over meat is desire.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You L♥ve.
Donna


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Chocolate Banana bread

2 medium bananas (about 1 cup), over-ripe
6 oz (3/4 cup) plain 2% Greek yogurt OR Applesauce OR Sour Cream
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp (packed) light brown sugar
2 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
optional: 1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped and chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375° ­. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use the back of a fork to mash the banana until only very small lumps remain. Add the yogurt and the egg and use the fork to whisk the mixture together until completely combined. Add the oil, milk, and vanilla, and stir to combine. Add the sugars and stir again.
3. Using a spatula, stir in the cocoa powder, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix until the cocoa is completely incorporated. Stir in the salt and baking soda, then gently fold in the flour, until just combined.
4. Fill loaf pan *these could be made as muffins too**.
5. Bake for 16-19 minutes, rotating once, until the muffin tops look set, and a cake-tester inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes, before removing and cooling completely on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room-temperature

Potato Wedges- Super Easy

These are super easy to make and are a great side dish with any meal.  Give them a try.

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• 3 large russet potatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup bacon bits (or cooked & roughly chopped bacon)
• ¼ cup chives
• salt/pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash potatoes & cut each into 4 wedges
2. Cut out most of the inner part of the potato
3. Place potatoes in a shallow microwave safe dish & microwave uncovered 10 minutes (or until tender)
4. Remove & brush both sides of each wedge with olive oil & place on a baking sheet
5. Sprinkle with salt & pepper & top with cheese, bacon & chives
6. Broil in oven approx 5 minutes or until cheese is melted

Pecan coconut banana bread

This bread is really yummy.  The coconut and pecans are a great addition to the slight banana taste.  Give it a try.  Goes together fairly quickly and makes a nice loaf.  Bet they would be great as muffins also.  Maybe next time. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup half n half with 1 tsp cider vinegar or ½ cup vanilla yogurt (I used the 1/2 n1/2)
1 egg
3 medium bananas, mashed (about 1⅓ cups)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1⅓ cup flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup shredded coconut
Streusel Topping
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons coconut
2 tablespoons pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, pecans and coconut.
In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, egg, oil and bananas. Add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Do not over mix. Pour into prepared pan.
Combine topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle over batter.
Bake 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and Always Remember to Find the Time to DO ALL the thngs You L♥ve.
Donna

Pecan Pie Cookies

A co worker posted these on FB back in October and I asked if this was a hint that she wanted me to make them for work.  Her reply "hell yes".  I am not a fan of pecan pie because I think it's way to sweet but there were good.  Maybe because it's just a bite or two.  I doubled the recipe because it said it only made 12 cookies, well that would never be enough for the crew at work, they've been know to eat 4 dozen.  :)

1 prepared single pie crust (homemade or purchased, I used Pillsbury) 

2 tablespoons butter, melted 

½ cup pecans, chopped 

⅓ cup packed brown sugar 

¼ cup corn syrup 

2 eggs 

⅛ teaspoon salt 

Optional ¼ cup semi sweet or milk chocolate chip for decorating 

Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Combine butter, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and eggs. While constantly stirring, cook on the stove top over medium­low heat just until thickened. (You don't want it dry, just slightly thickened, about the consistency of pudding). Remove from heat and set aside. 3. Unroll dough and using a 3" cookie cutter, cut out circles. Gently fold about ⅛­1/4" up on the edges. 4. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pecan mixture into each circle. 5. Place on a parchment lined pan (it's important to line it) and bake 8 minutes or until filling is just set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. 6. Place chocolate chips in a small Ziploc bag (use brand name, the store brands tend to leak). Microwave about 15 seconds or until mostly melted. Snip off a tiny corner of the baggie and drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Cool until set

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