Just passing it along!!!

Did you ever make or bake something and it ended so well, you wanted to tell someone else?  Well, that happened to me yesterday, and since my neighbors are all gone, you’re stuck.

First of all, my husband loves dressing or stuffing as some call it.  And I had bought a very small pork loin – boneless, on sale this last week.  Coincidentally, I happened to catch a cooking show last week that showed how you could cut a pork loin and stuff it, tying it up with string.  No string in my house and I knew I would have such sticky fingers that regular thread would never work, so I came up with this…so easy!!!

First I made a box of Stove Top turkey dressing, but you could make your own recipe.  Then I cut my little filet or pork loin down the middle – cutting on the side so that fatty part was still on the bottom, for flavor.  Then I spread mustard liberally over the cut surface and seasoned it generously with salt and pepper.  I carefully spread the dressing over the top of the meat, making a flat surface covering the meat.  I had an apple handy, so I did not peel it, but I did take the seedy center out and cut it into eight slices, lining them up on their sides on the top of the dressing(added flavor and presentation).  Finally, I put some halved and washed (but not peeled) potatoes along the side of the meat, as much as I could - cut side down or against the meat.

I covered it all with foil and baked it at 325 for about an hour and a half….Out of this world, and a great company meal.  Remember I had a small loin, so it would serve five (generously) or six.  I can see myself doubling this for a family dinner, baking it and serving it in two separate dishes. I would imagine you could put the whole thing in a crockpot if you wanted and it should be fine. I will reheat the “planned overs” in the microwave and only have to make a salad.

This morning I cooked up a package of coconut pudding mix, the kind with 2 cups of milk, and after I put it in a casserole, added three slices of toasted banana bread, buttered and cubed.  It should all be cool and set by dinner tonight.  That’s one of the hazards of just the two of us, and my desire to bake things my husband enjoys (and deal with the uneaten bananas.)  You can eat only so much banana bread.  And if you are only one in your house, make this and invite a couple of friends in for dessert or a coffee break.

Probably most of those who are reading this blog did not expect to find recipes here, but I am blogging about my retirement journey just now, and this is part of it – God still teaching me things and me just passing it along.

 image from http://www.steakdepot.com/home.php?cat=260