Recipe of the Day: Mini Pork Pies

Mini Pork Pies

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 pounds ground pork
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 packages (14.1 ounces each) refrigerated pie pastry
1 large egg
2 teaspoons 2% milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch and broth until blended; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.

In a large skillet, cook pork, garlic and seasonings over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until pork is no longer pink, breaking up pork into crumbles; drain. Add broth mixture; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly.

Unroll each pastry sheet. On a work surface, roll each into a 12-in. circle. Using floured round cookie cutters, cut twenty 4-in. circles and twenty 2-3/4-in. circles, rerolling scraps as needed. Place large circles in ungreased muffin cups, pressing pastry onto bottoms and up sides.

Fill each with 3 tablespoons pork mixture. Place small circles over filling; press edges with a fork to seal. In a small bowl, whisk egg and milk; brush over tops. Cuts slits in pastry.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully remove pies to wire racks. Serve warm.

Freeze option: Freeze cooled pies in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw pies in refrigerator overnight. Reheat on ungreased baking sheets in a preheated 350° oven 14-17 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 10 servings.

Recipe found here: Mini Pork Pies

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Recipe of the Day: Pork Chops with Honey-Garlic Sauce

Pork Chops with Honey-Garlic Sauce

Ingredients
4 bone-in pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions
In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook pork chops over medium heat until a thermometer reads 145°, 5-6 minutes on each side. Remove; let stand 5 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients; add to pan. Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with chops. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe found here: Pork Chops with Honey-Garlic Sauce

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Recipe of the Day: Sweet & Sour Pork Wraps

Sweet & Sour Pork Wraps

Ingredients
1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 to 4 pounds)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 cup sweet-and-sour sauce
1/4 cup sherry or chicken broth
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
3 garlic cloves, minced
16 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
4 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions
Place roast and onion in a 6-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk water, sweet-and-sour sauce, sherry, soy sauce, soup mix, ginger and garlic until blended; pour over pork. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until meat is tender.

When cool enough to handle, shred pork with two forks. To serve, spoon about 1/3 cup pork mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Top with 1/4 cup cabbage; sprinkle with cilantro. Fold bottom of tortilla over filling; fold both sides to close. Yield: 8 servings (2 wraps each).

Recipe found here: Sweet & Sour Pork Wraps

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Recipe of the Day: Country Ribs Dinner

Country Ribs Dinner

Ingredients
2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 small red potatoes (about 1 pound), halved
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup water
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

Directions
Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper; transfer to a 4-qt. slow cooker. Add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, water and garlic. Cook, covered, on low 6-8 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Remove meat and vegetables; skim fat from cooking juices. Whisk soup into cooking juices; return meat and vegetables to slow cooker. Cook, covered, 15-30 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe found here: Country Ribs Dinner

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Recipe of the Day: Rosemary Pork Roast

Rosemary Pork Roast

Ingredients
1 cup thinly sliced / chopped green onions
4-1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 3-1/2 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt, optional
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water

Directions
In a large bowl, combine the onions, 1/2 cup broth, vinegar, oil, garlic, rosemary and pepper. Pour half of the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add the pork; seal bag and turn to coat.

Refrigerate for 4-8 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade.

Drain and discard marinade from pork. Place with fat side up in an ungreased shallow roasting pan.

In a large bowl, combine reserved marinade with remaining broth; pour over roast. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 145°. Let meat stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, skim fat from pan juices. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into juices. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with roast. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Rosemary Pork Roast

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Recipe of the Day: Garlic Pork Roast

Garlic Pork Roast

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 bone-in pork loin roast (5 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, mix celery, green pepper, green onions and garlic.

Place roast in a roasting pan, fat side up. With a sharp knife, make deep slits into top of roast, cutting between ribs. Fill slits with vegetable mixture. Sprinkle roast with salt and cayenne.

Roast until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°), 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove roast from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Garlic Pork Roast

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Recipe of the Day: Individual Pork & Cranberry Potpies

Individual Pork & Cranberry Potpies

Ingredients
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
4 celery ribs, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
2-1/2 cups apple cider or juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 tablespoon beef or chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed, or dried thyme
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup water
5 cups chopped cooked pork
1 package (14.1 ounces) refrigerated pie pastry

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°. In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until berries pop, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix flour and water until smooth; stir into cranberry mixture. Return to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in pork; remove from heat.

On a work surface, unroll pastry sheets. Roll each to a 12-in. circle. Using a 5-in. disposable foil potpie pan as a guide (top side down), cut out eight 5-1/2-in. pastry circles, rerolling scraps as needed.

Divide pork mixture among eight 5-in. disposable foil pans. Place pastry circles over tops; flute edges. Cut slits in pastry.

Place potpies on baking sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked potpies. To use, bake frozen pies on baking sheets in a preheated 400° oven 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Individual Pork & Cranberry Potpies

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Recipe of the Day: Pork with Sweet Potatoes

Pork with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cubed
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 medium apple, sliced
4 green onions, chopped

Directions
In a shallow bowl, mix flour, salt and pepper. Cut tenderloin into 12 slices; pound each with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness. Dip pork in flour mixture to coat both sides; shake off excess.

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown pork in batches. Remove from pan.

Add sweet potatoes, cranberries and broth to same pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 4-6 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender. Stir in mustard.

Return pork to pan; add apple and green onions. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 4-6 minutes or until pork and sweet potatoes are tender. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe found here: Pork with Sweet Potatoes

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Recipe of the Day: Savory Mushroom & Herb Pork Roast

Savory Mushroom & Herb Pork Roast

Ingredients
2 medium onions, chopped
16 fresh baby carrots
1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 to 4 pounds)
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
French-fried onions, optional

Directions
Place onions and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Cut roast in half; add to slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the soup, broth, mushrooms, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, marjoram and pepper; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove pork to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a large saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Serve pork with gravy. Sprinkle servings with French-fried onions if desired.

Freeze option: Place individual portions of cooled meat mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Microwave, covered, on high in a microwave-safe dish until heated through, gently stirring and adding a little water if necessary. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Savory Mushroom & Herb Pork Roast

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Recipe of the Day: Barbecue Pork and Penne Skillet

Barbecue Pork and Penne Skillet

Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 carton (16 ounces) refrigerated fully cooked barbecued shredded pork
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute red pepper and onion in butter and oil until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the pork, tomatoes, broth, cumin, pepper and salt; heat through.

Drain pasta. Add pasta and cheese to pork mixture; stir until blended. Sprinkle with green onions.

Freeze option: Freeze cooled pasta mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Place in a shallow microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe found here: Barbecue Pork and Penne Skillet

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