Apple and Onion Pork Loin "Roast"

In this post, I told you about the AMAZING Pork Loin Roast I made on my stovetop because my oven was broken. (Note - my oven is fixed now, but it wasn't fixed the next day as I'd hoped.)

I already told you about the deliciousness, so let me show you how I made it!
Original recipe can be found here.

The Goods:

Pork Loin

Apples

Onion

Apple Juice

Chicken Stock

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Bay Leaf

Heat olive oil over high heat and sear pork on all sides.

Add apple juice, broth, sliced apples, onion and bay leaf. 

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour and a half or longer depending on size of pork.

 Once cooked, remove the pork, the apples and the onions.
Let the pork rest and then slice.

 Raise heat, bring the liquid to a boil and reduce until thick.
Serve over the sliced pork with apples and onions on the side!

Homemade Spaghetti and Turkey Bolognese!

I hadn't made homemade pasta in awhile, so a few weeks ago I busted out my trusty pasta maker and went to town! I made half a recipe of a simple egg dough, letting it rest for a few hours before rolling it out and cutting it into spaghetti.

 I usually serve my homemade pasta with a simple marinara or an olive oil based sauce, but this time I wanted to change things up and give turkey bolognese a try! I'd never made a bolognese  but I thought I could handle it! After looking at a few recipes, I decided on this yummy sounding one from Giada de Laurentiis.

Take a look below at the process of making both the pasta dough and the sauce.

The Pasta Goods:

Flour

Eggs

A lil Salt 

THAT'S IT!

Put flour in a big bowl and make a well. Crack the eggs and mix them in with a fork until dough is starting to come together. Continue to mix it a little longer by hand.

Then dump it onto a floured surface and go to town kneading. 

I kneaded the dough for about 5 minutes, give or take. 

The top shows what it should look like when you're done kneading.

Wrap it in plastic warp and let it rest for a few hours, or even a few days in the fridge!

Once you're ready to use the dough, cut into 4 pieces. Flour the top and form each piece into a flattened disk. Run the dough through the pasta machine and then cut into spaghetti.  

Now that the pasta is done, let me tell you all about the sauce!

The Bolognese Goods:

Ground Turkey
Crushed Tomatoes
Celery
Carrot
Onion
Garlic
Basil
Flat Leaf Parsley
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Prep all your goods!

Heat a little olive oil, sauté your onions and garlic. Once onions are translucent, add the carrots and celery and cook a few minutes. Then add the ground turkey and cook completely. Finally, add the crushed tomatoes and fresh herbs. Stir everything to combine and simmer for about 30 minutes. 

Since I made fresh pasta, it only needs to cook for a few minutes. While that was cooking, I added fresh parmesan to the sauce. Toss the sauce with the pasta and save a little sauce to add on top. I served mine with homemade garlic bread and some oven roasted corn on the cob. 

Homemade Applesauce!

My brother was recently talking about making A LOT of applesauce (we're talking a bushel of apples here people!!), and it got me wanting some to eat and maybe even bake with. With that fresh in my mind, I bought a two pound bag of apples yesterday and made the delicious treat just hours later. 

I knew I wanted to keep my applesauce pretty simple, so I just used apples, water and a tiny pinch of sugar. That's IT! No cinnamon, no other sweeteners, nothing! It may sound boring but it's incredibly tasty and really doesn't need anything else.

Wash, peel and dice the apples.

Add a lil water and a pinch of sugar if desired.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes - until tender and starting to fall apart.

Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree to your liking.

Store in an airtight container in your fridge.

Homemade applesauce is amazing and I really should make some more often. 

Maybe even make bigger quantities like my brother!!