Can you believe the first day of Summer is this Friday? To kick off summer early I’ve paired up with some of my favorite blogging friends to host another progressive dinner party. This time it’s all about summertime entertaining. Last virtual progressive dinner party, I brought mini crab cakes w/ cilantro lime sauce that were out of this world amazing! This time around, I’m finally sharing my coveted recipe for Grilled Greek Pork Tenderloin.
I started grilling my pork tenderloins about two years ago. I can honestly say that I’ve made this dozens of times over the past few years. It’s one of my go-to grilling recipes whenever I’m entertaining. Or if I’m in a pinch and have no clue what to make for dinner… this is what I make! I pair it with my favorite summertime Greek salad (which I’ll share with you tomorrow) and my feta and herb mashed potatoes. Even those who don’t typically like pork–LOVE this recipe. That’s why I think it’s ideal to bring to my summertime progressive dinner party!
Split pea soup. You either love it or hate it. I grew up hating it. My mom would make it a few times each year, and try to persuade me to try her families recipe for split pea soup. Of course, me being a young bratty child I always refused. It wasn’t until I was in college that I finally gave the soup a try and found out that I loved it. I think it is the green murky color that this hearty soup has. It’s a turn-off, and quite frankly what us food bloggers like to call “ugly food”. Its hard to photograph and convey how delicious it really does taste.
Last year, I made my first large stock pot full of split pea soup. It was ok. Both my mother and mother in-law make split pea soup and ironically both are pretty different (each using their own family recipe, both equally delicious). When I made my Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Ham in the slow cooker the other week I knew I wanted to take that bone and make a decadent pot of split pea soup. I combined ingredients that both mothers use plus put my own spin on it. You know I love veggies. So why not add lots to the pot. I also did something daring. I put a few parsnips in the slow cooker. Yep, that’s right. I’ve never even cooked or consumed parsnips. But I knew it was a root vegetable and I figured this Split Pea Soup was the perfect dish to put it in. Another spin I put on it. I used my slow cooker. Both mothers let theirs simmer on the stove top for hours on end. I don’t have that kind of time. One morning before work, I peeled and chopped up all my veggies, tossed everything in my KitchenAid Slow Cooker, and then let it go to work. I love letting my slow cooker do all the cooking for me! I got home, removed the bone, stirred the split pea soup, added the fresh herbs, and voila–dinner was done!
I even brought some over to my neighbor to try. In her thirty-some odd years on this planet she had never consumed split pea soup! She tasted the soup with hesitation and then requested more. I’ve now converted one more person to becoming a split pea lover. So if you have a ham bone from Easter Sunday dinner–don’t hesitate to throw it in your slow cooker with tons of veggies, dried green split peas, and a whole lot of water to make a thick and hearty soup (large enough to feed an army).
Katie Original Recipe for Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
In a 6 quart slow cooker, place the ham bone, diced ham, and split peas in the slow cooker. Then add the sliced carrots, parsnips, white potatoes, onion, celery, and garlic on top. Add bay leaf, season salt, and black pepper followed by 6 cups of water. Stir until everything is incorporated. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Once the soup is done, mix well, and add 3 tablespoons fresh parsley and 5 of the 6 sliced green onions, mix well. Ladle soup into bowls and top with remaining fresh parsley and green onions.
I am a soup lover at heart–no matter what time of year it is. In the summer months, you will still find countless containers of homemade soup stored neatly in my refrigerator. While browsing through the May issue of Everyday Food I stumbled across this tortellini soup. As I’ve been told by friends tortellini in broth is a very traditional soup in Italy. I love tortellini in broth. One of my favorite soups is Spinach Tortellini Soup–I make it almost monthly. So when I saw this recipe I was instantly intrigued.
I had all intentions of making the recipe exactly as instructed until I was in the grocery store and saw Sweet Italian Sausage Tortelloni in the refrigerated section. I knew instantly I wanted to make it with this instead of the traditional cheese tortellini the recipe was calling for. Since I was making it with sausage–I wanted to change up the broth as well. Upon my first couple of bites I dubbed this the Italian version of Won Ton soup! It has gorgeous pork style dumplings, just enough vegetables to make it filling, and broth that has been infused by the sausage within the tortelloni.
At this point, you may be wondering what is the difference between tortellini and tortelloni. Tortelloni is simply a larger form of the traditional stuffed tortellini. The “ini” ending indicated they are smaller while the “oni” ending means it is larger.
Did you know you were going to get a little Italian lesson today? Probably not. But you did.
This is an extremely quick soup to make and great to have on hand in the refrigerator to add to mundane lunches and/or a nice before dinner soup. Heck, just eat it as is for whatever meal you would like it for–even if it is for breakfast. If you are a soup connoisseur like me–you must try this soup.
In a large stock pot, pour the 2 boxes of beef broth in the pot and bring to a boil (about 5-10 minutes depending on your stove). Add tortelloni and cook for 2 minutes (still on a boil). Then add peas and spinach. Cook for 2-4 more minutes or until the spinach is just wilted. Season with ground black pepper and squeeze one wedge of lemon over the soup prior to serving. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and additional lemon wedges if desired.
Grilling season is in full effect in Florida. It’s something about this time of year that makes me resist wanting to turn on the oven and step outside and fire up the grill. Somehow I’ve managed to never grill Italian sausages, so the other day I decided I wanted to give it a try. Let me tell you–this is not only easy but in my opinion I think the only way I will ever cook Italian sausages again. The sausage skin is crispy and the inside is perfectly moist, and best of all it only takes 20 minutes to grill!
I mean, take a look at the crispy sausage above. I used hot Italian sausages, so to be honest they really did not need to be seasoned, and since they can be on the oily side I did not coat them in anything for fear that they were burn with any additional oil added.
I love recreating classic recipes and cooking them with a twist. This is the perfect recipe for entertaining this summer since its quick, easy, and your guest will surely be impressed with your creative take on this classic! I decided that I didn’t want a traditional starch for dinner so I made a quick batch of Italian white beans on the stove top. I’ll share that recipe tomorrow. It pairs wonderfully with the sausage and peppers. Or you can use it for a side dish for any meal you’d like!
Preheat your grill on high heat and clean. Then reduce the heat to medium. While the grill is preheating toss sweet peppers with one tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper.
Place sausage on one side of the grill and peppers on the other side of the grill. Grill for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the sausage reaches 165 degrees. *You'll want to turn the sausage and peppers two-to-three times during the cooking process to prevent burning. If peppers begin to char remove from heat.
Last month when I read my friend Julie’s post about Spring Pin-spiration with McCormickI was instantly intrigued. I browsed through the McCormick.com Look Book and started my own “McCormick Pin-spiration” board on Pinterest. One of the first recipes I pinned was this Creamy Pepper Dressing. I’ve been making an effort to make more homemade salad dressings this year and buy less processed. I’ve made this creamy pepper dressing 3 times now! I love this creamy dressing and now I have no need to ever buy a bottle of ranch dressing again. This recipe suffices the processed dressings by far, and it’s so incredibly easy to make. No one has excuses. Stop buying processed dressings and make your own people!
The first time I made the Creamy Pepper Dressing I knew it would be great on a wedge salad. I hadn’t made a wedge salad in years. Frankly, because I never buy iceberg lettuce. I grew up on iceberg and when I moved out of my parents house I stopped buying and for the most part consuming iceberg lettuce. I branched out and started using a wide variety of leafy greens–not just iceberg! While I was shopping yesterday at my local produce market I decided to buy a head of iceberg lettuce. I knew I wanted to make a wedge salad. I figured it would make for a nice dinner salad; however, by the time I got home it was later in the afternoon and both my husband and I were starving. So I whipped up this wedge salad and dressing for a late-lunch. I loved the flavors of this salad. It instantly reminded me of a BLT (without the bread). To my surprise, my husband had never heard of a wedge salad before!??! What? I was in shock and glad I could introduce him to the world of wedge salads. He does love his veggies, but his comment to me was “I feel like a cow eating in a field of grass“. Apparently, the wedge was too much lettuce for him. I think he has come accustomed to my typical salads I make that have 10+ veggies in it. Although, he did say it reminded him of a BLT, too!
Author: Katie Jasiewicz of Katie’s Cucina adapted from McCormick.com
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 slices of bacon
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon McCormick® Black Pepper, Coarse Ground
¼ teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoon McCormick® Onion Salt
1 head of Iceberg Lettuce
12 grape tomatoes
Instructions
Using a frying pan, fry the four slices of bacon until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel, and set to side to cool.
In a medium bowl mix mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, cider vinegar, McCormick® Black Pepper, McCormick® Garlic Powder, and McCormick® Onion Salt until well blended. Set aside in the refrigerator until your ready to use the dressing.
Rinse the head of iceberg lettuce and cut into 4 wedges. Place on 4 individual plates, top each wedge with creamy pepper dressing. Crumble one slice of bacon over the top of each of the wedges of lettuce and place 3 grape tomatoes on the side.
I’ve never thought to roast a pork on the stove top until I found this recipe. I wouldn’t say it’s quick. This recipe takes about an hour, but its so incredibly worth it. The flavors that develop and almost marinate this pork loin are unreal. We can give all the credit to the glorious sweet bell peppers and partial credit to fresh sage.
This meal is worthy of entertaining with and if you find your pork loin on sale its cost effective, too! I’ve made this meal twice. The first time I was entertaining and took a chance (although I’ll say I’m about 99% accurate on knowing if I’ll like the recipe prior to cooking). I took a few quick photos of the pork and went on with my meal. I’ll say that afterwards I knew I would need to make this again. Not only because it is so incredibly flavorful, but because I needed photographs that would truly encompass how amazing this dish really is. My first set of quick photos did not do this meal justice! Of course, secretly inside, I’m grateful for that because I was more than happy to make this meal again (and again and again).
Author: Katie Jasiewicz of Katie’s Cucina adapted from Rachael Ray
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 boneless pork loin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups sweet mini bell peppers, cut into 1-inch peices
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
4 leaves fresh sage
1 medium tomato, chopped
½ cup chicken broth
Instructions
In a 5 quart pan with lid, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown on all sides (about 10 minutes). Transfer the pork loin to a plate, and pour off the fat if needed. *My loin did not add additional grease to the pan.
Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, sage and remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened about 8-10 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and broth to the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the pork back to the pan with the sweet pepper mixture, cover and cook over low heat, turning the meat once (cooking time should take about 40 minutes). Using an instant-read thermometer (insert it into the center of the pork it should read at the very minimum 145 degrees although just last year the standard was 165 and that’s what I still go by.).
Remove the pan from the stove top. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice into ¼-inch-think pieces and transfer to a platter. Meanwhile, place the vegetables and juices back on the heat and bring to a simmer reducing the sauce. Top the pork with vegetable mixture.
Notes
I served this on top of a bed of thick egg noodles as Rachael Ray suggested.
I don’t cook pork often. In the past year I have tried cooking it more often for my husband… more often meaning once a month. Whether that be pork chops, a loin, or in this case a shoulder roast. I’ve never been a fan of pork (minus bacon) and to be a little too honest my body just can’t digest it well! I saw this recipe in the December issue of Every Day Food and the picture lured me in… I was sold, and I knew my husband would love it! The aroma that filled the house was unexplainable. Even I couldn’t wait to try this pork dish. Since this recipe made a lot of food and I was just cooking for my husband and I — I invited my neighbor over for an impromptu dinner. We all loved this meal! I served it with mashed potatoes (and not pictured steamed asparagus). You could taste the smokiness from the paprika throughout the dish. I will definitely be making this again, sometime soon!
Author: Katie Jasiewicz of Katie’s Cucina Adapted from Everyday Food, December 2011
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
3lbs boneless pork shoulder
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
4 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season pork with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven (or in my case a French oven) or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add pork, fatty side down, and cook, turning each side until all sides are browned (about 10 minutes). Remove pork from the pot, drain excess fat if necessary, and add onion. Cook until fragrant about 5 minutes and then add garlic and cook until fragrant about30 seconds. Add tomatoes to the pot and season with more salt and pepper. Add broth and vinegar and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits. Return pork to pot (tomatoes and broth still in pot), sprinkle with paprika. Bring mixture to a boil over high on the stove top.
Once the pork has come to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven; cooking for one hour. Remove the pot from the oven, and turn the pork. Return back to the oven and cook uncovered for an additional hour (basting pork every 15 minutes). Using a meat thermometer make sure the internal temperature of the pork reaches at the very minimum 145 degrees. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Slice pork and serve with sauce.
I featured this Thai-Style Pork a few week’s ago from Mostly Food and Crafts. I love Thai food, but to be honest am not the biggest fan of pork. I made this in hopes to keep my husbands love for pork alive! This was very easy to put together prior to leaving for work. I prepped the red bell peppers and garlic the night before, and to be honest I probably could have let everything marinate in the crock-pot the evening before–making it even easier for me to just put the pot into the “crock”, set it and go. I was very excited about this recipe, but to be honest once I tasted it I was a little disappointed. It was a bit on the salty side for me, and I’m a salt freak! I know it’s because of the teriyaki sauce. If I was to make this again I would probably use half the amount of teriyaki sauce required and the other half water (maybe 2 tablespoons teriyaki and 2 tablespoons water). I wouldn’t use a broth since that typically has fats in it, and I think the “sauce” would be extra greasy. I think water would work best. Typically I would just cook plain long grain rice, but I made sure to buy the basmati rice for this dish, and I was very happy I did. It was fluffy and absorbed the sauce well. I could have eaten a bowl of the rice by its self it was that good! I also found out that this happens to be my husbands favorite rice. After nine years–I never knew that! We had more than enough to take to work the next day, plus I was able to freeze a container for later use.
On a side note, I just recently defrosted the Thai-Style Pork. I defrosted it in the microwave then added the container to a large sauce pan. I cooked the pork on medium heat and added about a cup of peanut butter to the sauce pan and about a half cup of water (eyeballed it). Continuously mixing, until the water and peanut butter mixed into the pork. I reduced the heat down to low and let it simmer in the sauce pan for another few minutes.
1. To prepare stew, trim fat from pork. Place pork, red bell pepper, teriyaki sauce, rice wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, and minced garlic in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on low-heat setting for 8 hours.
2. Remove pork from slow cooker, and coarsely chop. Add peanut butter to liquid in slow cooker; stir well. Stir in pork.
3. Combine stew and rice in a large bowl. Top each serving with onions and peanuts; serve with lime wedges.
I’m not a huge fan of pork, but I wanted to make a wide variety of tapas dishes for my guest. I gave my husband the task of grill master for the evening. He was a bit hesitant since he had never grilled pork skewers before. He grilled them to perfection! They came out moist and flavorful (and I didn’t have the chance to brush the barbecue sauce on them). Everyone loved them and there were very few left at the end of the evening!
1. Combine garlic, oregano, pepper and paprika to make a marinade.
2. Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Toss pork cubes with marinade. Put into a non-reactive container, cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Heat grill to high. Skewer the pork pieces. Grill the skewers on all sides, about 8 minutes. Brush all sides lightly with barbeque sauce. Serve warm.
I ran into my local grocery store the other day just to grab a few items, and of course the “apron’s man” was cooking up a storm and was handing out samples. How could I not give his recipe a try? I tried it and immediately grabbed the recipe card and began filling my basket with all the items I needed to make this recipe. If you aren’t familiar with arepas–you need to be! An arepa is a flat corn patty stuffed with a mild white cheese (normally mozzarella). I always get them when we go to craft shows, and whenever we visit the fair! Arepas are my guilty pleasure, for sure! As the apron’s man carefully crafted my sample I read through the recipe card. It looked easy, but something caught me off guard. They were using a packaged fully cooked pork roast in au jus. Now, I’m not going to lie. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased any of these fully cooked meats just heat it up in minutes and you have a hot meal on the table. I was a little hesitant until I tasted the dish. I was amazed that the pork came from a package and that it was already cooked!
1 can diced tomatoes with garlic/onion (undrained)
Cooking spray
1 (11.2-oz) box frozen arepas (fried corn and cheese patties)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese (totally forgot to top our food with this)
1/2 lime (for juice), optional
Slice of avocado, optional
Directions:
1. Thaw sofrito under cool running water, (if needed). Remove pork from packaging. Drain au jus and discard; place pork roast in large saucepan.Stir in sofrito and tomatoes; bring to a boil on medium-high, stirring to break up meat.
2. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir 7–8 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Meanwhile, preheat medium sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and coat with cooking spray. Add arepas; cook 2–3 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated.
3. Transfer arepas to serving platter. Top with pork mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Squeeze a little lime juice over the tamale mixture to add a touch of fresh flavor, if desired. Serve.
Ingredients for the Grilled Potatoes:
2 tbsp frozen sofrito (Spanish cooking sauce)
3 large potatoes
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Complete seasoning
1/2 lime (for juice), optional
Directions:
1. Slice potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; place in microwave-safe bowl.Stir in oil and sofrito until evenly coated and cover; microwave on high 8–10 minutes or until potatoes begin to soften.
2. Preheat tabletop grill pan. Place potato slices in single layer on grill and close lid; grill 3–4 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Repeat as needed with remaining slices.
3. Remove from grill and sprinkle evenly with complete seasoning. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, if desired.
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. {more}
I am a soup lover at heart–no matter what time of year it is. In the summer months, you will still find countless containers of homemade soup stored neatly in my refrigerator. While browsing through the May issue of Everyday Food I stumbled across this tortellini soup. As I’ve been told by friends tortellini in broth is a very traditional soup in Italy. I love tortellini in broth. One of my favorite soups is Spinach Tortellini Soup–I make it almost monthly. So when I saw this recipe I was instantly intrigued.
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
Join me on a culinary adventure where life always tastes good. 
