Roast Pork Loin and Potatoes

This last weekend I picked up a pork loin at the market.  I searched and searched for a pork loin recipe that wasn’t Bavarian in style and came across this Italian version.

I was skeptical at first, as I normally don’t make roasts this large for just two people. (It was a 4 lb pork loin) But it was surprisingly easy to prepare. I prepped the roast in the morning and left it in the fridge to chill until I needed to put it in the oven.

Now I will say right now that I didn’t have any sage on hand-I think my husband may have given my lone spice jar to a friend not too long ago and never went to retrieve it. (There is a hole in my spice rack where it should be.) And while I had rosemary I decided to substitute both the rosemary and sage  with 1 1/2 Tbsp of “Savory” spice blend.

I think I may have baked it a little too long (keeping it warm for my husband-who had decided that day to come home late from work and didn’t tell me ahead of time) and I felt it was a little on the dry side. And this roast has no reason to be dry with the method of cooking used. But the flavor was phenomenal. I really liked the way the potatoes turned out and the next time I make this I am going to increase the amount simply because I enjoyed them.

*Side Note- While the “white” meat portions of the roast were somewhat dry, the “dark” meat portions were amazingly moist, something I found out the next day when I cut some of the roast up for a quick “Apricot Pork and Rice” dish [Recipe will appear once I remember what the measurements were - hazards of not writing things down as you concoct stuff]

Roast Pork Loin With Potatoes

Roasted Potato Soup

I really enjoy soups. I’m one of those people who believe that you can have soup any time of the year. It doesn’t matter if it’s ridiculously hot outside. If you want soup have some! This past week I decided I wanted some potato soup. This is by far one my favorite soup recipes. It’s simple. Unlike most potato soups I’ve had this one has a really nice flavor to it, more than any other recipe I have tried in the past. It heats up wonderfully the next day as well, which is a bonus for my husband who tends to take left-overs to work the next day.

Roasted Potato Soup

Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales & Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

Look at this! Some new recipes! It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, on the contrary, I have been cooking quite a bit. A lot of the same ol’ same ol’ actually. I tried something different last night. Noticing a lack of vegetables with out meals recently (somehow I tend to forget them when I cook…) I made a conscious effort to make certain veggies were included in last nights meal.

It was requested that I make Chicken Fingers (Anyone know why-other than the fact that they are like strips-that we call them ‘fingers’? ) They turned out really well for being as simple as they were. The Timbales were more work than the chicken…

The Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales were easy to make, I was actually quite surprised by this. I wasn’t what I was actually making until they were done. I’d made Parmesan-Broccoli Quiches…just without the crust. It’s the closet thing I know of to compare it to.

I admit that the idea of eating chicken fingers and ‘quiche’ was a little odd at first, but the combination was pretty good.

Parmesan-Broccoli Timbales and Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce