Paula Deen's Pork Loin

This is my husbands favorite pork loin recipe. It's my favorite because it's so easy to make. Oh yeah, it doesn't call for a stick of butter!

This has a lot of flavor and will make your house smell so good. 

The other day I made this in the crock pot and it tasted even better. Just season your pork loin, pour 1/2 cup of water into the crock pot. Place the loin in the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Ingredients

• 1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin, with fat left on
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 teaspoons fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and roast for an additional hour. Keep checking on your pork loin. When I do a full hour its too done. Test   using a instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, remove the roast from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests.

Grilled Chicken Caprese Pasta

So yummy!

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy.

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced

9 ounces rigatoni or penne pasta

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup Romano cheese, grated

1 clove of garlic, minced

red pepper flakes to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1 pint of grape tomatoes, slice in halves

12 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated

16 fresh basil leaves, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cook pasta to al dente. While pasta is boiling in a separate sauce pan heat spaghetti sauce, heavy cream, Romano, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Cook until cheese has melted. 

Drain pasta, return to pot. Add the chicken, grape tomatoes, half of the mozzarella and half of basil to pasta. Stir. Then add the spaghetti sauce to the pasta mixture. Mix well. Place in a casserole dish. Sprinkle rest of bail and mozzarella on top. Cook for 20-25 until cheese is golden. Serve warm. 

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

This stuff is amazing and addicting. In our house we call it "Crack Is Whack". 
I dare you to try to eat just one!

This recipe was adapted from Mama Say What!

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of mini pretzel twists
2 sticks of butter
1 cup of brown sugar
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sea salt or table salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.Then line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and lay a single layer of pretzels down. 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil gently just until it starts to stick to the bottom and it forms a nice smooth caramel. You’ll want to let it bubble a little and get really thick.

Remove from heat and pour evenly over the top of the pretzels. The caramel will not cover all the pretzels. Don't worry it will spread in the oven. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for five minutes.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Place back into the oven for another minute.

Spread the chocolate chips around with a spoon. 

Sprinkle generously with salt.

Let cool on the counter top for a few minutes and then place in the freezer for at least two to three hours.

Once it is frozen, I like to let it sit for a few minutes before I break it apart. The foil is easier to get off. I like to store it in the freezer. If you keep it out too long the chocolate will start to melt.