Adventures in Cooking - Part 3

Continuing with my cooking-fest, I've had this recipe for a while. A friend made it for a Christmas party I went to last December, and I've been itching to try it. So this past Sunday was rainy and oh-so-cold, and seemed a perfect time for some comfort food.

The recipe is for "Apricot-Glazed Pork Loin," and it was incredibly easy and good. You just put a rub on the pork, let it marinade for a while, then put it in a baking bag and roast for a while. I did make a few adaptations - I used a 1 1/2 pound tenderloin; I baked it for an extra 20 minutes to get it to the correct internal temperature.

The results? An easy, delicious entree - elegant, too, so it would be perfect for company.



And looking forward to a nice sandwich for lunch tomorrow!

Adventures in Cooking - Part 2

One of my favorite cooking gurus is the Hungry Girl. Lisa Lillien runs a great site, full of tips for low-Points cooking, portion control, and just what to eat at various restaurants. For Valentine's Day, I decided to try her recipe for "Best of My Lava Chocolate Cake." It's basically a molten chocolate cake - one of those cakes that oozes out melted chocolate when you stick your fork in it. I'd watched "The Worst Cooks in America" tackle a recipe for it, with various degrees of success. I thought, if they could do it, so could I! The results:




You be the judge! (YUMMY!! and oh, so easy!)

Adventures in Cooking - Part 1

I've been doing some experimenting in the kitchen of late. I'm not sure what has caused this - the cold, snowy weather; boredom with my usual repertoire; or repeated viewings of "Julie & Julia"! But on Super Bowl Sunday, I decided it was time to tackle Julia's famous Beef Bourguignon! I looked at several versions on the 'Net, but this one from "Good Morning America" seemed the most straightforward. So, after purchasing the ingredients which included a 1/2 lb of bacon


Three pounds of beef!


Tons of onions!


And an entire bottle of red wine.



(Seriously, how could anything that includes all of those things be bad!!)

It had to bake for 3-4 hours; towards the end, the house smelled divine - I couldn't wait to dig in!

The final step is sauteing some pearl onions, then adding them in.



Almost ready!


And voila!


Yes it took nearly all day - but it was Super Bowl Sunday, so what else was there to do. And, I must say, it was awesome! It also reheats really well - I even used the beef in a sandwich. I have two servings stashed in the freezer which I may use as a base for either Beef Pot Pie or Shepherd's Pie.

I'm always looking for something special for New Year's Eve dinner, and I think this is at the top of the list!