Pork Loin with Honey Mustard Glaze

The closest we have to a picture of the pork loin! (Thanks for modeling it for us, John.)

We grilled this pork loin last weekend for Alexis' bachelorette party weekend, and it came together beautifully, considering Andy and I didn't have a specific plan for the loin. Luckily Alexis brought a generous jar of her homemade mustard, which reminded me of an article I read a month or so ago in Bon Appetit magazine about homemade mustards, and how they are delicious with pork. Because we assembled everything on the fly, I don't have exact measurements, so use your best judgement.

What's in it

one pork loin (size depends on how many people you are feeding)

equal parts: homemade mustard, honey, olive oil

salt to taste

homemade mustard for serving

How it's made

Whisk together enough glaze (mustard/honey/olive oil/salt) to cover your pork loin, which is probably about 1/4 C per pound. You'll want the glaze to be thick enough to spread over the roast without running off, so please adjust as necessary. Place the loin on a pan or plate, and brush on the glaze, covering the entire surface evenly. Let marinade 30 minutes.

Heat up your grill (BBQ), and clean it as necessary. Using high heat, sear the pork loin on all sides, in order to keep the juices in. Then turn the heat to low/medium low and cook for about 30-60 minutes, depending on size, turning every so often for even cooking. You can use a thermometer to check temperature to decide when it is done cooking, or use the jiggle test if you have experience BBQing. Jiggle test: With your tongs, poke at the loin, and if it gives only slightly, or doesn't jiggle a bunch, it is probably done. If it jiggles quite a bit, then it needs more time. When you poke the loin, it should feel like the part of your palm below the thumb.

When done grilling, remove the loin from heat and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the loin to keep cooking a bit, and the juices will have time to reabsorb back into the meat fibers, so they don't run out when you slice it.

Slice the loin in 1/2" slices, and serve with homemade mustard on the side.

Recommended side dishes: Broccoli Salad, Baked Beans, Cornbread

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Sometimes it's the simple things that are best. This is one of those really easy sides that is fairly healthful and perfectly delicious. We had them with some barbecue tonight and it definitely satisfies the french fry craving. In fact, I like sweet potato fries better than regular fries. I could probably eat them forever. These are, in my opinion, really good when dipped in some homemade mustard, too!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

~Print Recipe~

• 2 medium sweet potatoes
• Olive oil or olive oil spray
• Salt

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment sprayed with non-stick spray.
2. Peel sweet potatoes and slice into wedges. If using olive oil, put wedges in a boil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat. If using olive oil spray, spread wedges in a single layer on baking sheet, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Bake wedges for 15 minutes, then flip them over. If using spray, spray the other side and sprinkle with salt. Bake another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and they've reached desired crispness. 
4. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired. 

Serves 2-3

Broccoli Salad

This is another dish I made for our Easter BBQ yesterday.  It was very delicious, and a great alternative to a standard lettuce salad.  It's the first time I made it myself, although my Mom always made a great broccoli salad.  I added and substituted a couple ingredients from the standard recipe, and I recommend you do the same thing, depending on your tastes.

What's in it 

Broccoli crowns chopped into bite sized pieces (you could blanch if you like)

Cooked bacon, chopped

Red onion, chopped (I pour boiling water over it to blanch it and cut the rawness a bit)

Sunflower seeds

Walnuts toasted

Dried cranberries

Cheddar cheese shredded

Creamy salad dressing - I used creamy poppy seed, which Trader Joe's just started carrying, otherwise Brianna's is the original brand.

How it's made

Combine all the ingredients and eat! If you can, it's best to let marinate in the refrigerator beforehand.

Honey Cornbread

I made this yesterday for Easter while BBQing with friends. It was so easy and really quite delicious - not too sweet, and very light and fluffy. Much better than the box of Jiffy I am used to. Thanks to Allrecipes.com for this one!

What's in it

1 C flour

1 C cornmeal

1/4 C sugar

1 Tbl baking powder

1 C heavy cream

1/4 C vegetable oil

1/4 C honey

2 eggs, lightly beaten

How it's made

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and lightly grease a 9x9 baking pan or cast iron skillet.

In a mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Then make a well in the center of the ingredients and add the rest of the wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. Drizzle honey on top for extra sweetness.

Andrea asked about honey butter, and apparently it's easy to make. Just whisk together soft butter and honey. It is delicious on cornbread. I will try making it next time.

Dennis' *Famous* Baked Beans

In the spirit of Super Bowl Sunday...these are a must.

Dennis (my step dad) has spent years perfecting this recipe, and as in all good ones, they are up in his head. Here's an attempt at transcribing it. To note - this recipe is ALWAYS requested by my cousins at family gatherings. We even have them on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 Dennis' Famous Baked Beans

~Print Recipe~

What's in it:

2 cans baked beans (van kamps - short and fat)

5 slices bacon, chopped

1/2 onion minced

1 Tbl mustard

3 Tbl catsup

3 capfulls liquid smoke

3 Tbl molasses

1/2 C brown sugar

How it's made:

Preheat oven to 325.

Saute bacon and onions until onions are clear and bacon is cooked. Mix this in with all the other ingredients. Bake in a large casserole dish (or so) for one hour. Let it cool a bit before serving.

Mark's Chicken Merry-Nade

It's winter. It's cold. But I've decided that barbecuing shouldn't be relegated to summers in the back yard. Bundle up, make yourself a hot toddy, strap a headlamp to your skull and fire up the grill.

This marinade is very simple and open to interpretation. My brain starts to hurt when I think about numbers or measurements, so I like to use pinches, skoshes, splashes and dashes. But I made it today using conventional means so that I might translate it to others.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Hunan Red Chili Sauce (more if you like it hot!)
4-5 splashes soy sauce
3-4 ounces beer (preferably a darker brew)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
fresh ground pepper

Put all ingredients together in a shallow baking dish, mix well, pour into a tumbler and drink it down! Kidding. Don't do that. Keep it in the baking dish, and add two organic chicken breasts. Let it marinate 5-6 hours. Throw them on the barbie and poof---it's July again.