Hello again, Monday. How did we get here so soon?

Weekends always seem to fly by. Ours was pretty low key and involved a lot more time camped out on our couch than normal, thanks to all of the rain. It felt great to spend some time vegging out and getting a few things done around the house that we’ve been neglecting. I hope to give you a peek inside our place very soon! It finally feels put together.

This pork was the product of one of the weekend’s rainy afternoons. I wanted to make something that tasted great but took little effort — because getting off the couch when there’s a thunderstorm is hard. 

Every once in a while we get into a rut where it seems we have the same couple of proteins on repeat in our house: ground turkey and chicken. While there are so many delicious ways to use those meats, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to add a little more variety into our weekly menus. That means incorporating more lean cuts of beef and pork.

It doesn’t get much easier than roasting a pork tenderloin. When it’s cooked right, it’s one of the most tender, juicy and delicious cuts of meat you’ll find. And this just may be my new favorite way to prepare it.

As soon as the smell of this dish started wafting through our house, I knew this recipe would be a keeper. It’s insanely good — and insanely simple. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Honey Dijon Pork Tenderloin

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground pepper

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Trim all visible fat from pork tenderloin.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, dill, salt and pepper. Brush mustard mixture all over pork tenderloin.
4. Place pork on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the middle of the tenderloin reads 150 degrees.
5. Cover pork with foil and let sit for ten minutes before slicing.

[/directions]

The post Honey Dijon Pork Tenderloin appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

We’ve officially entered my favorite season: porch season. Last night we cleaned off the table on our front porch and had our first outdoor meal of the year. Everything about it was wonderful — the brightly-colored scenery, the scent of freshly-cut grass, the taste of a homemade meal. The company wasn’t too bad, either.

I love outdoor meals because they make it easy to disconnect and soak up the moment. James and I get a chance to catch up about our days without being interrupted by text messages or e-mails. And there’s something about fresh, spring air that just makes my soul so happy.

Because the weather was so beautiful, I didn’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen throwing together dinner. I had some thinly-sliced pork chops thawing in the fridge and decided to use them to create a lightened-up version of pork piccata. James is a huge fan of schnitzel, so I knew he’d enjoy its Italian cousin. Dare I say he liked pork piccata even better than his beloved German version?

I served this pork alongside some pasta tossed in lemon olive oil, freshly-ground pepper and parmesan cheese. James and I kept looking at each other after every few bites and saying how delicious the meal turned out. This is definitely one I’ll be keeping my recipe arsenal for a long time to come.

If you don’t have pork on hand, you can easily replicate this recipe using chicken or veal. I hope it’s as big of a hit in your house as it was in mine!

Easy Pork Piccata

[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]

• 1 lb. thinly-sliced boneless pork chops (you can also use a meat tenderizer to turn thicker pork chops into cutlets for this recipe)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. capers

[/ingredients]

[directions title=”Directions”]

1. Set aside 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Using a brush, lightly coat both sides of each pork chop in the remaining lemon juice.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge each pork chop in breadcrumb mixture until completely covered.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add pork chops and cook until browned — about three to four minutes on each side.
4. Once pork chops are done, remove them from the skillet and cover them with aluminum foil to keep warm.
5. With the skillet still over medium heat, slowly add wine to the to the pan, using a spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom. Add chicken broth, the remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and capers. Simmer for about five minutes, until sauce is reduced by about half.
6. Remove aluminum foil from pork and drizzle it with the warm sauce. Serve immediately.

[/directions]

The post Easy Pork Piccata appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.

If I had it my way, I would eat Mexican food for every meal. I can never get enough of the comforting, spicy cuisine.

This recipes is one my favorites — my parents have been making it for years. It’s easy, healthy and makes enough meat to feed an army. They threw this in the crockpot when they were visiting over the weekend and I was busy at work — nothing is better than coming home to a house that smells like carnitas and a meal that’s ready to eat.

You can use this meat in pretty much any Mexican dish. My favorite way to serve it is in charred tortillas, topped with guacamole, mango habanero salsa and fresh tomatoes.  The leftovers are great for topping salads, baked potatoes and sandwiches throughout the week.

Throwing this in the crockpot on a lazy Sunday makes meal prep on weekdays so easy!

Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas

Ingredients:

• 1 3-4 lb. pork shoulder, trimmed
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 2 tsp. Mexican oregano (you can also use normal oregano)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 whole bay leaves

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, oregano and cinnamon.
2. Rub pork all over with spice rub.
3. Place pork, broth and bay leaves in a large slow cooker. Cook on high for one hour and then on low for four hours, or until the pork shreds easily (no more than eight hours).
4. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Discard bay leaves.
5. Return pork to crockpot and mix with cooking liquid. Serve immediately.

The post Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas appeared first on The Broadcasting Baker.