Strawberry Balsamic Sweet Onion Jam

When strawberries are in season, I always but a few gallons; some to eat while fresh, others to freeze and use later on. The BEST strawberries always come from a local farm, so do yourself a favor and find a local strawberry patch, or buy them fresh at the farmers market.

Dorr Farms, Gable, SC

 What could be better than fresh strawberries, balsamic vinegar and Vidalia onions in a jam? Oh my goodness, so darn delicious. The sweet strawberries are enhanced with the savory balsamic vinegar and onions, giving it the perfect balance.

Served with a cheese board, it is perfect over cream cheese or baked brie topped on crackers, but it's equally delicious basted on grilled poultry or pork.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed, crushed
1 1/2 cups diced sweet onion (I used Vidalia Onions)
1 tsp butter to reduce foaming
1 box Sure-Jell or powdered fruit pectin
7 cups granulated sugar

Method
In a large pot, over high heat, add the strawberries, onions, butter, balsamic vinegar, and pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil (one that doesn't stop while stirring). Add the sugar and return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one (1) minute.

Remove the pot from the heat. Ladle the jam into your hot jars, you want them filled to within ¼" of the top rim. Be sure to wipe the top rim of the jars with a damp paper towel to get off any drips or spills. Cover each jar with a lid and a ring.

Process jars 10 minutes in a boiling water bath or steam canner. Remove jars and allow them to cool 24 hours undisturbed on your kitchen countertop. Jars are sealed when the button on the top of the lid is fully depressed and won't move up and down.

Yield: 10 - half-pint (8 oz) jars


Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Smoky Bacon Jam

I have wanted to make this Smoky Bacon Jam for a long time. I would see pictures from time to time, and think "I need to make that."

The one thing that really held me back is it's not shelf-stable. Smoky Bacon Jam must be stored in the refrigerator, so, with that in mind, I wanted to make it at a time I thought we would use it up.

Over the holidays, with my adult kids and grandsons all gathering around, I thought this would be the perfect time to experiment with Smoky Bacon Jam ... oh my goodness, where has this been all my life?  It's smoky, sticky, sweet, and baconilcious!

It is the PERFECT jam to serve topped on baked brie, spread on burgers, grilled cheese, crostini, or served with a roasted or grilled pork loin. Heck it's even good slathered on a toasted English muffin.

Pickled Cranberries

Pickled Cranberries, say what? Yes, you heard me right ... pickled cranberries! Oh my goodness, just trust me, these are the next thing you'll want for your holiday table! 

Serve with Brie or other soft cheese on your cheeseboard, with a variety of crackers, nuts and berries. Sweet, tart and tangy, they have a robust flavor that can't be beat. These bad boys would also be awesome with a roast turkey or holiday ham.

Truthfully, I want to know where they've been all my life!

Kale and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

If you've followed my blog for awhile now, you know I love my small local family farms! I visit them quite often, purchasing almost all of our groceries at local farms and farmers markets.

Many, many times I come a away with something free, as was the case the other day on a visit to Willard Farms to pick up strawberries. While chatting with Jay Willard, he sent his boys out to cut some of his new Kale crop for me to try. Nothing better than cut fresh while you wait, is there?

The first thing I wanted to do when I got home is decide how I could incorporate the kale and the strawberries I picked up. Pretty much I was sitting in my kitchen looking at both of them, and then I thought, why not a salad, and even better, what about a salad with a strawberry vinaigrette?

I'm really glad I did because I am so happy with these results, and I think you will be too! Easy to do, light and delicious to eat, this salad is perfect with the zesty, yet sweet strawberry vinaigrette.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken

I originally saw this recipe on Delish and thought I wanted to try it, BUT I wanted to use bone in chicken breasts from a local farm, and raw local honey. I also used fresh cut rosemary from our garden. Oh my goodness, it is so good!

This is the BEST Balsamic Glazed Chicken I  have ever made. It's a great Sunday dinner, full of robust flavor from the balsamic vinegar and grainy mustard, with a touch of sweet from the honey.

All ready to roast

I used pasture raised bone-in chicken breasts from Thames Farm in this recipe. They always provide a superior product, and pasture raised chicken from a small family farm is so much better than a commercially produced chicken. No added saline solution here ... just all natural, flavorful chicken. Do yourself a favor, and buy your chicken from a local farm (if possible) ... there is just no comparison.

Pineapple Chipotle Grilling Sauce

This is a great grilling sauce, but if don't like a lot of heat, this recipe is not for you. The sweet of the pineapple is the first thing you taste, followed by the heat from the chipotle peppers. It is awesome basted on grilled chicken, pork or lamb. Shrimp or Scallop kabobs, threaded on a skewer with more fresh pineapple is also excellent.

Recipe
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbls chopped chipotle chilies in adobo (I used about 1/2 of a small 7 oz. can)
5 cups fresh or canned pineapple (if using canned, buy pineapple chunks) reserve about 1/3 cup diced pineapple to add to sauce after blending
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3/4 cups balsamic vinegar (I used dark, next time I will use white balsamic)
1/2-3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt

Method
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and cook onions 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in chipotle chilies and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar and salt, stir well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer 35 minutes or until reduced to 1 1/2-2 cups.

Remove from heat. Pour into blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Stir in 1/3 cup reserved diced pineapple, and return to heat and reduce for another 10 minutes or until glaze is desired thickness. Glaze should be pretty thick, and will continue to thicken up in the canning process. Mine was thick enough before canning to coat a basting brush and not drip off.

Ladle glaze into 4 half-pint sterilized jars leaving 1/4 head-space. Wipe rims and add hot lids/rings. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath and let sit undisturbed on a kitchen towel on our counter-top 24 hours undisturbed. Jars are sealed when button in the middle of the lid is fully depressed and won't move up and down.

Store jars in pantry up to one year. Open jars should be refrigerated.

Yield: 4 - 8 oz jelly jars

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original 
content.

Blackberry Chipotle Glaze

I nabbed the original recipe for this from SB Canning, and made a few adaptations to make it my own. This Blackberry Chipotle Glaze is tangy and smoky with a pretty good zing of heat! It would be great on grilled chicken, pork chops, ribs, or even lamb chops.

We were tasting it with spoons dipped in it before I even put it in the canning jars. YES, it is that good and husband approved. He can't wait to get grilling with it.

Vidalia Onion and Rosemary Confiturra

This Confiturra (A confiturra is the Spanish or Portuguese word for a “preserve” or “conserve") is delicious on a steak sandwich or with any other grilled or roasted meat. It is both sweet and tangy, with a really good hint of rosemary throughout. It is the perfect accompaniment on toasted baguette pieces topped with a good cheese, or slather it on some grilled burgers or a good bratwurst.  (recipe adapted from Serious Eats)

Did you know? 

1. The Vidalia Onion is a Georgia-grown yellow granex hybrid known for its sweet, mild flavor. Vidalias were first grown in Toombs County, Georgia.
2. Vidalia Onions has developed an international reputation as the "world's sweetest onion." Their mild flavor is due to the unique combination of soils and climate found in the 20-county production area.
3. Through Federal regulation, the Vidalia Onion growers developed Federal Marketing Order No. 955 in 1989 in an effort to fund research projects and to promote the consumption of Vidalia Onions.
4. The marketing order program covers onions produced in the following counties in Southeast Georgia: Appling, Bacon, Jeff Davis, Montgomery, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, and Wheeler, as well as portions of Dodge, Jenkins, Laurens, Long, Pierce, Screven and Wayne.
5. Approximately 225 growers cultivate Vidalia Onions on over 14,000 acres. About 125 handlers are involved in the grading, packing, and distribution of Vidalias.
6. An average of 300 50-pound bags of Vidalias are produced per acre. Approximately 6% of the 275 growers cultivate 100acres or more; 7% produce on 50 to 100 acres; 40% on 10 to 15 acres; and 47 % on 10 or fewer acres. The majority of Vidalia Onion farms are multi-generational, family-owned-and-operated businesses.
7. The industry's annual Vidalia Onion harvest brings some $50 million directly into Georgia's economy. The economic impact from related downstream marketing activities is estimated at $145-150 million.
8. Vidalia Onions are sold loose by the pound, in 2-, 3- and 5-pound "pre-packs," and in 10-, 25- and 50-pound mesh bags and boxes.
9. Generally recognized Vidalia Onion sizes are small (1 to 2 1/4 inches), medium (2 to 3 inches), and jumbo (over 3 inches).
10. About 70% of the Vidalia crop is distributed through grocery stores as a specialty item. The remaining 30% are distributed through roadside stands and mail-order businesses.
11. Vidalia Onions are harvested from late April through mid-June. Due to the introduction of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, stored Vidalia Onions are available through December.
12. In 1990, a resolution was passed by the Georgia legislature declaring the Vidalia Onion as Georgia's Official State Vegetable.

Recipe
Ingredients
3 pounds peeled and trimmed Vidalia onions 
1/2 cup olive oil
1 ounce fresh rosemary, or about 6 long, full branches*
3 bay leaves
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp course-ground black pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup sugar

Method
Cut the onions in half and slice them thinly crosswise; you should have about 10 heaping cups of onions.

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 or 6-quart stockpot with a tight-fitting lid and add the onions, turning them over repeatedly in the oil to coat them. Add the rosemary and bay leaves, burying them in the onions. Season the onions with 2 tsps of kosher salt and 1 tsp. of course-ground black pepper, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook the onions for 15 to 20 minutes, until they have softened and released their liquid, and the rosemary has wilted.

Remove the lid and add the vinegars, wine, honey, and sugar, stirring well. Maintain the heat at a steady simmer and continue to cook the onions for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, stirring the mixture often with a wooden spoon.

When the liquid has reduced by about half, pick out and remove the rosemary stems and bay leaves and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Taste the confiturra and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

As the liquid continues to reduce, you must be careful to keep stirring to prevent the confiturra from scorching. Continue cooking the mixture until it is soft, sticky, and moves from the bottom of the pan as you stir Be careful not to let it caramelize.

Allow the mixture to cool slightly, then spoon it carefully into sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch head-space. Seal the jars and process in a water bath 10 minutes, or keep the confiturra refrigerated for up to two months.

* Note: The rosemary will shed its leaves into the confiturra. If you prefer not to have the wilted leaves in your finished confiturra, tie the rosemary in cheesecloth to make a sachet.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Blueberry Balsamic Barbecue Sauce

Seriously! Blueberry Balsamic Barbecue Sauce is the bomb diggity! It's sweet, tart, tangy, tingly, and oh so good. The sweet blueberries blend so well with the tart balsamic vinegar, then the bite of the red pepper flakes mellows out some to the smooth taste of the honey ... in a word ... amazing!

This the the perfect grilling sauce for pork or any poultry. Baste it on liberally toward the end of the grilling time for a simply delicious result.

RECIPE
Ingredients
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup raw local honey 
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste
2 tsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. course-ground black pepper

Method
Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer at least one hour, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Sauce will thicken and reduce some while simmering.

Remove from heat and process sauce in a blender until smooth. Pour contents into a 2 cup storage container and refrigerate.

To can it:

Pour into two - 8 oz. jelly jars leaving 1/2" headspace, cover with lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath or steam canner 15 minutes.

Remove jars from water bath or steam canner and let sit on top of a kitchen towel on your counter top 24 hours undisturbed. Jars are sealed when button in middle of top is fully depressed. Store up to one year in your pantry; refrigerate after opening.

When ready to use, baste sauce several times on grilled pork or chicken toward the end of the grilling process, or until meat is lightly caramelized with barbecue sauce. Serve additional sauce on the side if desired.

Cooks note - no need to can it if you don't want to. Store in your refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Yield: 2 cups or 2 - 8 oz. jelly jars

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Cabbage Slaw Salad

A completely different twist from traditional coleslaw with it's goopy mayonnaise dressing,  this dressing is a mixture of vinegar's, sugar, and spicy mustard yumminess.

It is the perfect Cabbage Slaw Salad to serve anytime of the year and pairs really well with pulled pork or fried or grilled chicken.

Recipe
Ingredients
½ cabbage, sliced into thin strips
2 carrots, sliced into carrot sticks
½ onion, sliced into thin strips
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tbls. balsamic vinegar
½ cup sugar
1 tbls. olive oil
1 tbls. spicy mustard
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp course-ground black pepper

Method
Combine the vinegar's, sugar, olive oil, spicy mustard, salt and pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle rolling boil, stirring frequently until the sugar is dissolved.

Place this mixture aside and allow to cool.

Pour the vinaigrette over the coleslaw veggies and place in the fridge to chill for several hours before serving.

Really good with fried or grilled chicken or pulled pork.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Strawberry Dijon Sauce

I recently received a small produce box from Farmbox Direct, a virtual online Organic Farmer's Market delivering amazing products right to your door.

"I started Farmbox Direct with a vision of how food SHOULD be: fresh, local (when mother nature permits), and free from pesticides! Having grown up in a family of farmers and living on a farm, I spent summers working at my uncle’s compost in the Midwest, learning how to live off the land, and the benefits of local and organic food! You could say the foundation of Farmbox Direct is in my blood!

After I became a mother I really began to pay very close attention to exactly what was in the food not only I was eating, but also what I was feeding my daughter. I was a busy NYC working mom, I didn't always have time to make a weekly trip to my local farmers market to pick up the freshest local, and organic items for my kitchen, I began to realize the true need for this service!

What was in the box!

I decided to step down from the corporate world, and go back to my roots! I personally hand pick every Farm, Artisan, and Vendor we deal with! If it’s not USDA Certified Organic, we do not carry it! We strive to bring you local USDA Certified Organic when Mother Nature permits! My goal is to bring you an Organic Farmers Market in it’s purity to your door!

Our promise is to bring you ONLY USDA Certified Organic Produce, and Local USDA Certified Organic items when Mother Nature permits! All farms we work with use ZERO pesticides on the produce they grow! Our Artisanal items come direct from the Artisan! Our eggs are cage free, free range, and come directly from that Farm. We believe in farm to table, the way food should be! Ashley Tyrner, Farmbox Direct CEO.

Disclaimer: The produce used in this post was provided by Farmbox Direct. All opinions are my own.

Things I personally like about Farmbox Direct:

• No weekly commitment
• You can customize up to 5 substitutions each week
• No registration or membership fees
• All packing used is recycled and biodegradable
• All produce is certified organic (All are 100% certified organic and follow the strict USDA standards. Organic is a unique label that can only be placed on a product that has been certified, unlike other labels you might see at your local supermarket).

At this time delivery is not available to all states, however, it is the goal of Farmbox Direct to expand their delivery area in the very near future.

My box arrived early on a Friday morning and everything inside the box was perfectly wrapped and still cold due to an ice pack on the bottom. The smaller fruits or veggies were protected by being packed in a smaller box. Some of the veggies were inside green veggie bags (I'm keeping those to use to store the veggies in the refrigerator).

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce
3 tbsp. strawberry jam 
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Heat strawberry jam in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Mix in remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Drizzle over top of roasted Brussels sprouts.

Method
Preheat oven to 400. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.

Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 25-35 minutes or until they are crisped on the outside and tender on the inside.

Stir around from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.

Sprinkle with more kosher salt, if desired, and serve immediately with sauce drizzled over top.

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Beet Greens

So, let's talk about beet greens ... most people either love 'em or hate 'em. I'm one of those who love them. If you like spinach and other greens, than you'll love beet greens. 

I got these glorious Golden Beets from Wishbone Heritage Farms, on a recent trip to the Winter Farmer's Market at Coastal Coffee Roasters, so I cut the greens off, rinsed them well with cold water, and put them in the refrigerator so I could make some beet greens for supper. They are delicious!

What's the health benefits of beet greens?  Besides supplying good amounts of protein, phosphorus, and zinc, beet greens are also a great source of fiber. Packed with antioxidants, they’re high in vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese, and low in fat and cholesterol. Based on a 2,000 calorie diet, daily values of beet greens contain: 220% of vitamin A, 60% of vitamin C, 16% of calcium, and 15% of iron.

As if that wasn't enough, studies have also shown that the vitamin K in beet greens contains blood clotting properties, helps ward off osteoporosis, works with calcium to boost bone strength, and may also play a role in fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Beet greens have a higher iron content than spinach, and a higher nutritional value than the beetroot itself.

The vitamin A content in beet greens helps strengthen the immune system and stimulates  production of antibodies and white blood cells. The beta-carotene in vitamin A is a known antioxidant that can fight the effects of free radicals in the body along with cancer and heart disease. Doctors often recommend vitamin A to patients at risk of developing night blindness. (source: Mercola)

Here’s a great tip: if you find yourself with too many beet greens, don’t throw them away. Freeze them and use for soup stock.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 large bunch organic beet greens (rinsed well with cold water)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. course salt
1 tsp. butter
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Method
Place trimmed beet greens in a large sauce pan. Add water and steam, covered, over medium/high heat for several minutes or until beet greens are soft.

Drain beet greens well, being sure all water is removed. Add butter and salt and put the pan with the beet greens back on the hot burner (turned off) for a a minute or two. Add salt and splash balsamic vinegar over top.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy,
Mary

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Caramelized Vidalia Onion Relish

Why, oh why, I haven't made this before is beyond me! Savory, sweet, delicious, and versatile! I recently purchased a 5 lb. bag of Vidalia Onions and wanted to put them to good use. Well, this recipe definitely does that. Just wait until you taste it!  Yummmm!!!!

RECIPE

Ingredients
4 large Vidalia onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups red wine
1/2 cup white vinegar
6 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper

Method
Place sliced onions and brown sugar in a large stockpot.  Heat over medium-high heat stirring until well combined. Cook 25 minutes, stirring often, until onions are soft and caramelized.

Add red wine, white vinegar, and balsamic vinegar and continue to cook for 15 more minutes, or until almost all the liquid has evaporated.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle onions into 8 oz. canning jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes.

Remove jars and let cool on a kitchen towel on your counter-top 24 hours undisturbed.

Store on your pantry shelf for up to 1 year.

Serve relish over crostini, grilled burgers, steaks, and more.

Yield:  3 - 8 oz. jars

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Roasted Ham with Blackberry Balsamic Honey Sauce

Oftentimes underplayed, ham truly is a wonderful meat to roast, bake or grill. Oh I know, almost all of us enjoy a good ham at the holidays, but it's really great year 'round.  Plain, basted or glazed, each has its own unique tastes and flavors.  

The center-cut ham roast comes from the heart of the ham and is approximately 2-inches thick (much thicker than a ham steak) and is a good choice for a summer time meal, or any time you simply want some ham without buying and preparing a whole large ham.

Ingredients
1 - 3.5-4 lb.bone in ham roast, 2-inches thick
2 tbls. blackberry jam
2 tbls. balsamic vinegar
2 tbls. honey

Method
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine blackberry jam, balsamic vinegar and honey until well mixed; set aside.

Place ham roast in a large baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray.

Roast 10-15 minutes per pound or until ham reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees (approx. one hour).

During the last 10-15 minutes of roasting, baste liberally with blackberry jam mixture.

Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before carving.

Serve with additional sauce if desired.

Serves:  6-8

Enjoy,
Mary

Molasses Pork Tenderloin

I just love pork, all kinds of pork!  We've had it prepared in a variety of different ways, with all kinds of cuts of pork; pork scallopines, pork shanks, pork chops, pork roast, tenderloins and more.  Each is very good in its own special way, and it almost always exceeds our expectations as far as taste and flavor.  Of course the BEST pork ever is pastured pork, raised humanely with no antibiotics or hormones from your local farm. This is always the kind of pork we seek out, since there is simply no comparison in the flavor.  Simply put, pastured pork is a superior product from anything purchased in a grocery store. Once you've tried it, I promise you will never look back.

Ingredients
1 small pork tenderloin
1/4 cup molasses
2 tbls. Dijon mustard
1 tbls. Balsamic vinegar
sea salt and pepper to sprinkle on pork

Method
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly oil a baking dish on all sides and bottom to prevent sticking.  Lightly oil pork tenderloin, place in baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix molasses, Dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl; spoon 1/2 of the mixture over the pork tenderloin.  Roast pork at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes; reduce heat to 350, baste remaining sauce over pork and continue to roast 15 additional minutes or until internal temperature is 145 degrees.  Remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes, covered with foil, before carving to serve.

Be careful not to over-cook.  You want the pork to be slightly pink inside, or medium.  This will insure it's still moist and juicy.


Enjoy,
Mary




Safe internal temp of pork

Asparagus & Tomato Pasta Salad

I told y'all I love Asparagus! Adding a variety of Asparagus dishes to the ones I already enjoy just seemed like a win-win to me. More ways to eat and enjoy it is always a good thing.

This Asparagus and Tomato Pasta Salad uses a dressing mix of Balsamic Vinegar and Dijon Mustard to give it a nice little kick. Use the freshest Asparagus you can buy when preparing this dish.

What will you need to make Asparagus and Tomato Pasta Salad?

• 3 cups uncooked rotini or penne pasta
• 1 lb fresh asparagus
• 1/4 cup oil of your choice
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1-14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes drained or 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
• garlic powder, salt and pepper

RECIPE
Ingredients
3 cups uncooked rotini or penne pasta
1 lb. fresh asparagus, cut into 1/2-1-inch pieces, discarding woody ends (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup oil (your choice)
2 tbls. balsamic vinegar
1 tbls. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. course-ground black pepper
1 -14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained (or 2 fresh tomatoes cut into small pieces, approx. 2 cups)

Method
Cook pasta according to package directions, adding asparagus during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Rinse with cold water and drain well.

In a small bowl add oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper; whisk well until blended. In a large bowl toss pasta, asparagus and tomatoes with dressing mixing well.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to blend flavors. This is a great fresh pasta salad, good by itself, or served as a side dish to grilled meats.

Find more cholesterol lowering recipes in this wonderful collection from Sumptuous Spoonfuls

Enjoy,
Mary

© Cooking with Mary and Friends. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cooking with Mary and Friends with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.ix all ingredients in a large sauce pan. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil over medium heat.