Sweet and Sour Pork

This recipe I got from the Our Best Bites cookbook. 
http://mysisterskitchen2009.blogspot.com/2011/05/roasted-pork-tenderloin-with-sweet-and.html
We really liked it and I made it as written with a pork tenderloin and apple jelly.  Well, tonight when wondering what was for dinner I realized we had a package of pork chops in the freezer and thought I would throw them in the oven with the sweet and sour sauce, success!
So, what I did, mix together the sauce in a bowl (I used apple butter, so sue me, all I had in the house on a Sunday afternoon).  Then I spread about half the sauce in a glass pan, put 6 pork chops on top of the sauce, then topped the chops with more sauce.  I covered it with foil and baked it for half an hour at 350.  Then I flipped the chops over and moved them around to mix back up the sauce.  I put them uncovered in the oven for another half an hour.  Perfection!  We had them with baked potatoes, but that sauce would be lovely over some rice (probably what we will do when we eat the leftovers Tuesday).

Cinnamon Pork

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com when I was looking for something new to do with some pork tenderloins. I found this recipe and I think it turned out pretty good. I had made cookies just before and then plopped this in the oven and Ruthanne (my non-meat eater) said what smells so good? And, she followed through and has eaten a slice both times we ate it this week.

Here is the recipe (with my modified instructions):

* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons sherry (I just used a splash of balsamic vinegar)
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 pinch garlic powder
* 2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins

I mixed the marinade together in a 8x11 pan and then plopped my tenderloins in there too and flopped then around a few times to get marinade all over. I let this sit in the fridge for about 4 hours, then baked in a 325-350 oven for about an hour. I let it cook in with the marinade and then we used the juice over the rice and pork. The cinnamon adds a different but good flavor. Luke thought it was a lot of different flavors together, but I really liked it and it was really tender.

Cafe Rio Recipes

I always have to go back to Kara's blog to find these (since I think the recipes she found are the best copycats I've made), so I thought I would link them here to make it easier for me!

http://opp-family.blogspot.com/2007/08/cafe-rio.html

Asian Peanut Butter Pork

This was sooo good! The sauce was great with rice. It came from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

1.5-2lbs pork tenderloin
1 onion, sliced in rings
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used La Choy; it's gluten free)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts (garnish; optional)
1 lime, cut in wedges (garnish; optional)

The Directions.

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot. Put onion slices into the bottom of your crockpot. Put the pork on top. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter. No need to stir--the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The pork will be more tender the longer you cook it. 1 hour before serving, flip the meat over in the crockpot to allow the other side to soak up the peanutbuttery goodness. Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges. The lime juice mixed with the peanut butter is delicious.