Easy Roasy Pork Recipe

This pork roast recipe will not only tingle those taste buds, but will also work as an aromatherapy during the day. An apple glazed pork roast is just about one of the most flavorful recipes that I have ever had in my life. Sweet juicy pork roast with apple glaze drizzled all over the top of that warm piece of cooked meat and some cooked apples to go with it to give some extra sweet taste to your dinner. Are you drooling yet? You just can’t go bad with any meals that deal with adding sweets to a meat. You will also be cooking this low and slow for about 10-12 hours in a crock pot, so you might want to prepare it the night before and start the crock pot in the morning before you go out to work.

What you’ll need: 3tbs Brown Sugar, 1tsp Ground Ginger, Salt and Pepper, 4lb Pork Loin Roast, 6 Apples, 1/3 cup Apple Juice

First, you need to get some seasoning onto that pork roast by giving it a rub with the salt and pepper. Be careful to not use too much as it will not taste good mixed with the sugar and sweet ingredients in the recipe. Now take those six apple and core them and cutting them into four pieces. Take those apple quarters and place them into the crock pot. Now take all that big juicy looking pork roast and lay it on top of those sweet apples. When I made this, I took the apples and kind of spread some over the sides and top of the pork roast to get some of that apple flavoring into the sides as well.

Now you can insert a song and dance because you are about half-way done with the recipe! After you finish doing the shuffle, it’s time to put all the sweets together. Take the Apple Juice and mix it with the brown sugar. While mixing those two ingredients together throw the ginger in with them. Take the mixture that you just made and pour it slowly all over the pork roast. Make sure to cover the entire pork roast to ensure that the sweetening flavor gets in each and every bite. We do not want anyone upset at dinner because they missed out on the best sweet apple flavoring in the entire world. Now put the cover on the crock pot. Then set the crock pot on a low cooking level for 10 -12 hours until the pork roast is cooked to your satisfaction.

Dinner is now complete and ready for you and your family to eat the best dinner in your life. It is time to dig right into that scrumptious apple glazed pork roast. I served mine with some veggies on the side and some mashed potatoes. Since this is a sweet meat, it mixes well with pretty much any side dish that you want to include with the whole dinner. Now, go enjoy!

Homemade Guatemalan-Style Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of the most popular baked goods in Guatemala and all of the best bakers in Guatemala take pride in their banana bread recipes, which they tend to keep as very closely guarded secrets. This banana bread recipe creates a rich, moist bread that is equal to what can be found in the best Guatemalan bakeries.

What you will need: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon,  1/2 teaspoon ground allspice,  1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (2 large bananas), 1/4 cup milk, 3 tablespoons melted butter,  1 egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest, 1 tablespoon lime juice

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Then, grease just the bottom of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Now, in a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice and sift with a large whisk for 2 minutes. Beat the egg and add the milk, egg, and melted butter to the dry ingredients and blend well. Finally, add the lime zest and lime juice and fold in the mashed bananas. Once the bananas are well mixed into the other ingredients, pour the entire mixture into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 – 60 minutes.

When fully baked, cool the bread slightly and loosen the sides of the bread from the pan with a knife. Remove from pan, slice and serve hot.

Homemade French Fries

Everyone loves French fries and when it comes to fast food, the greasier the better! However, a healthier option is to make them at home with monounsaturated fat-rich olive oil. Using olive oil to coat the potatoes not only make these a healthier option than traditionally deep-fried French fries but it also helps to seal in the flavor of the spices used to season the fries. You’ll never want fries from your favorite burger joint again!

What you’ll need: 3 large baking potatoes (or 6 large yellow potatoes), 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of onion powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder (cayenne pepper or black pepper may be substituted for chili powder) and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, cooking spray

The first thing you need to do is preheat  your oven to 450 degrees F . Next, cut the potatoes into thin wedges. Optionally, you may peel the potatoes before cutting them. Now, mix the olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, onion powder and salt together. Carefully coat all of the potatoes with the olive oil and spice mixture and place each on a baking sheet that has been lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

Hearty Homemade Lasagna

The secret to this Lasagna recipe is using an additional pound of ground beef to make the meat sauce very thick. This extra fulfilling version of the classic Italian lasagna is very easy to make and yet can provide you plenty of leftovers, assuming you can keep your family from indulging in second and third helpings in one sitting!

What you will need:  1 16 oz. package of lasagna noodles,  2 pounds of lean ground beef, salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon, dried oregano,   1 28 oz. can of spaghetti sauce,  1 clove garlic, minced, 1 small onion, chopped,  1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 pound shredded Cheddar cheese,  1 pint ricotta cheese

The first step is boiling your lasagna noodles.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain the noodles. Now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F while you begin to prepare the meat sauce. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and season it with salt, pepper, the oregano and the basil. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, onion and garlic and simmer for 5-7 minutes. In a bowl, combine the cheddar and ricotta and half of the mozzarella cheese and stir well. In a 9×13 inch pan, alternate layers of the meat sauce, noodles, and cheese mixture until the pan is filled. Be sure that your very last layer is a meat sauce layer and top with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover your pan with foil if it doesn’t have its own lid and bake in preheated oven for 30- 35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Shrimp and Spinach Pot Pie

This is a delicious variation on the classic Chicken Pot Pie. Nothing warms both the body and soul better than a piping hot, straight out of the oven homemade pot pie.  This version uses a slightly tangy shrimp, delightfully combined with a classic flaky pie crust.

What you’ll need:  2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt,  /4 cup all-vegetable shortening, 6 tablespoons cold water, 1 egg, 8 large shrimp, shelled and deveined, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup of spinach, diced, 1 tomato, diced, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 2 cups heavy cream, salt and black pepper

To get started, you’ll need to make your pie crusts. Mix the 2 cups of flour with 1 teaspoon of salt and cut in the shortening with a pastry blender (alternatively, you may freeze the shortening for 20-30 minutes and grate it into the flour with a grater) until you have small pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle with 5 tablespoons of water and toss with a fork until the dough has formed into a ball. Divide dough in two, place into two plastic bags and refrigerate for 15 minutes. After removing the dough from the refrigerator, lightly dust one dough ball with flour and roll out, using even strokes, with a rolling pin. Set the rolled out dough in a pie pan and cut off any extra dough from around the edges. Flour the second dough ball, roll it out and set it aside. Finally, beat your egg with the remaining tablespoon of water and set aside.

Now, onto the filling. First, you’ll need to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, Season your shrimp with salt, black and cayenne peppers and gently sauté them in the olive oil in a medium sauce pan. Remove them from the pan, add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Add the thyme, basil, tomato and spinach and sauté for a few minutes. Pour the heavy cream into the pan and let it simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. Place the shrimp back into the pan and stir gently for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour into the pie pan that you set aside. Place the second crust over the pie pan, fork the edges and remove any extra dough. Make two cuts at the center of the second crust and using a pastry brush, brush the water and egg mixture over the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown.