Honey Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon

It seems appropriate to end 2012 by posting the first meal we had to start the year. This is an indication of how many photos and recipes I've tried that have yet to make the blog. Add keeping up with blogging to my 2013 resolutions list.

Pork is one of the foods that you can eat on New Year's Day to bring you luck for the coming year. We figured a little extra luck never hurts, so we chose a pork roast wrapped in bacon. This was simple to put together and delicious to enjoy with some prosecco. The arugula salad base added a nice peppery citrus flavor as well. I found this Giada recipe on The Way to his Heart.

I wish you a fabulous celebration to end 2012 and welcome 2013!

For the pork, you will need:
*1/4 cup Dijon mustard
*2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
*2 tablespoons honey
*2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
*2 garlic cloves, minced
*1 center-cut, boneless, pork loin roast, about 3 1/2 pounds
*12 slices bacon, about 1 pound
**kitchen twine



For the arugula salad base, you will need:
*3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
*3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
*Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
*about 5 cups baby arugula

1. Align an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, add the Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey, garlic, and rosemary; mix together until smooth.

3. Arrange the pork in a 9 by 13-inch baking pan and spread the mustard mixture evenly over the roast. Once coated, start on 1 side and lay a piece of bacon, lengthwise, on top of the pork. Lay another slice of bacon on the pork making sure to slightly overlap the first piece. Continue with the remaining bacon until the pork roast is fully covered in bacon. Secure the bacon in place using kitchen twine. Roast for 1 hour.

4. After an hour, loosely cover the pan with foil and roast for another 10 to 20 minutes until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the pork registers 160 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the roast to rest under the foil for 20 minutes. (You could prep the salad now-see step 5) Carefully transfer the roast to a cutting board. Remove the kitchen twine and slice the pork into 1/2-inch thick slices.

5. While the pork is resting, you can start the salad. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and oil until smooth; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the arugula on a large platter, or individual serving plates, and drizzle with the dressing. Arrange the pork slices on top and serve.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Here is the hot chocolate on a stick recipe that used the homemade marshmallows. This can be swirled into warm milk to make a creamy hot chocolate, or it can be enjoyed directly off the stick as a piece of fudge topped with marshmallow. This recipe has been all over blogs, but I followed the steps on The Dainty Chef. If you are still in need of a gift idea, give these hot chocolate sticks a try. They take awhile in how long everything needs to set, but they are not complicated to make. I'm excited to gift these to coworkers, friends, and family. In addition to these, this year's baked gifts included some gingerbread granola, oreo truffles, gingerbread biscotti, cinnamon sugar muffins, and the usual pretzel treats. I tried a number of new recipes while I was off this week. Some were successes and others were not. I am planning on baking a bit more these last few days before the holiday so hopefully I'll be back with more to share.

You will need:
*1/2 cup heavy cream
*14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
*3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (can be chopped or chips)
*4-oz bar unsweetened chocolate (I blanked on using this the first batch and it was fine without)
*marshmallows, can use store bought to save time
*lollipop sticks
*cellophane bags

1. Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Heat the cream and sweetened condensed milk over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it starts steaming. Remove pan from heat and stir in the chocolates. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. After ten minutes, put the chocolate mixture back on medium-low heat and stir with a whisk until chocolate is completely melted. (This did not take too long) Pour the chocolate mixture into prepared pan and spread it to be as level as you can. Let this set, uncovered, for about 12 hours.

4. Remove chocolate from the pan onto a cutting board with the top side down. Run a long, thin knife under hot water and wipe with a paper towel. Divide your square into six equal sections vertically and then horizontally. You want to keep reheating the knife with hot water after every few cuts. Store the chocolate squares in an airtight container until ready to use. I layered mine into a simple Tupperware using wax paper.

5. To assemble, place a marshmallow and then hot chocolate fudge piece onto each lollipop stick. Package in a bag and twist tie or add a ribbon. You'll also want to include directions with these treats. Here are the tags that I used that were inspired by Make and Takes:

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Swirl and melt the chocolate and marshmallow

stick in 4-8 ounces of hot milk.

If you can't wait for it to melt, just eat

the hot chocolate fudge and marshmallow

directly off the stick!

Marshmallows

I've read on many blogs how easy it is to make homemade marshmallows. I decided to try it this year to add to Christmas treat gifts. I will join that clan and say yes, this is easy! You know what isn't easy? Cleaning a corn syrup sugar mixture off your stove as the smoke fills your entire kitchen. Alton's recipe that I followed recommended a small sauce pan. I have to disagree because that left me with an absolute mess before the mixture reached temperature. However, the product of this recipe was impressive. I used these marshmallows to create hot chocolate on a stick. I'll share that recipe with you tomorrow because those would make great last minute treats for Christmas weekend! I'm off to continue picking at the stove with my fingernails because I'm too lazy to go out and buy a razor blade.

You will need:
*3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
*1 cup ice cold water, divided
*1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 12 ounces
*1 cup light corn syrup
*1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
*1/4 cup cornstarch
*nonstick spray

1. Place the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water into the bowl of a stand mixer . With the whisk attachment in place.

2. In a medium saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place over medium high heat and cover. After cooking 3-4 minutes, remove cover, and clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

3. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture while the mixer is running. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 15 minutes. Add the vanilla extract during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

4. Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. (I do not own a metal baking pan that size, so I used my glass Pyrex) Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the sugar and cornstarch mixture. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

5. When ready, pour the thick mixture into the prepared pan. Use a lightly oiled spatula to help spread evenly into the pan. Dust the top with some of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board. Use a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture to cut 1-inch squares. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining sugar cornstarch mixture. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Alton's recipe also contains instructions for preparing mini marshmallows. It changes the directions after step 3 and you can find those steps through the link above.

Gingerbead Cookies

I wanted to share one more holiday treat before the new year. I had plans of sharing some more, but then I left my camera at a friend's house all week! These cookies were a last minute addition to my holiday gift tins. My father loves gingerbread cookies at Christmas, so I am trying to get him to expand his tastes from the slice and bake variety he buys each year. This is the first time I ever made gingerbread cookies, and believe it or not, it's also the first time I've used cookie cutters this decade! I had so much fun covering the counter in flour and dough and putting our rolling pin to good use. I loved the spice of these cookies, and I can see myself using this recipe for years to come. I found this recipe posted on Annie's Eats.

You will need:
*4 cups all-purpose flour
*
1 tsp. salt

*1½ tsp. baking powder
*
½ tsp. baking soda
*
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
*
1 ½ tsp. ground cloves

*2 tsp. ground ginger
*
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
*
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

*1 cup sugar
*
1 cup molasses

*1 large egg

1. 
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and spices to combine. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the molasses and egg until combined. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.

4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place the cookie shapes onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.

5. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool completely.

Gingerbread Granola

Merry Christmas! (A few days late, I know) I hope you all enjoyed time with family and friends over the holiday weekend. We had a busy couple of days and are enjoying some downtime now that we're snowed in. I was completely spoiled this year with fabulous gifts. I'm most excited about my gift from Dave- a Nikon DSLR! I look forward to playing with it as I start cooking new recipes in the new year.

I made this granola to add to some of my cookie tins and trays this holiday season. I used some of the leftovers in my yogurt, and I think you could enjoy it at any time of year. If you like ginger, then you'll like this recipe. I found this linked through a Taste of Home email that I receive, and it is posted on a Disney Family website.

You will need:
*4 cups old-fashioned oats

*1 cup blanched, slivered almonds

*1/2 cup brown sugar
*
1/4 cup maple syrup
*
1/8 cup molasses
*
1/3 cup oil

*pinch salt

*1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

*1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

*1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (I used a bit less because I didn't have enough)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Mix oats, nuts, and dried fruit together in a large bowl; mix sugar, spices, salt and wet ingredients in another.

3. Pour sugar and oil mixture over the oats and stir well, making sure everything is evenly coated.Pour out onto greased, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

4. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Peppermint Truffles

How's your holiday baking going? I am really enjoying mine now that I get to spend the days in the kitchen. It is time, however, for me to focus on other things like wrapping and getting to the post office! This recipe is an easy variation on oreo truffles. It starts with one of my favorite signs of the holiday season:
These peppermint like oreos are great in brownies and as the 'oreo' in truffles. I used some red Wilton candy melts to do this batch, but I do not think I will use them again. The chocolate was harder to work with, and I prefer the Bakers bars taste and texture. I think I will use my leftover red wafers to drizzle over the next batch after they are dipped in chocolate.
You will need:
*8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
*1 16oz. box Candy Cone Joe-Joe's (or other mint chocolate cookie)
*chocolate to coat

1. Crush the cookies.
2. Beat cream cheese to smooth it out.
3. Combine half cookies with cream cheese. Mix until combined. Add remaining cookies.
4. Form mixture into balls and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Freeze for at least 1 hour.
5. Dip into any melted chocolate you desire.

Red Velvet Cookies

I have spent a lot of time in the kitchen over this past week. I was (and still am) making treats for coworkers, neighbors, family, and friends. I have made a few batches of candy cane biscotti and gingerbread biscotti. The popular oreo truffles and pretzel treats have made a return, and I have experimented with new recipes too. These red velvet cookies are a simple recipe using boxed cake mix. During the busy holiday baking, I appreciate shortcuts with ready-to-go ingredients. The bright red colorf will add holiday cheer to any cookie tray or gift tin. I found this recipe on Homemade by Holman.

You will need:
*1 box red velvet cake mix
*1/2 cup vegetable oil (Used for 18 oz cake mix)
*2 eggs
*Cream cheese frosting (my recipe is below)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; grease a cookie sheet lightly.

2. Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs together.

3. Roll cookies into balls and place on cookie sheets, flattening slightly. (A silicone lined cookie sheet will help prevent burning the bottoms)

4. Bake for about 8 minutes or until tops start to crack.

5. Cool on wire racks and frost when completely cool.

Cream cheese frosting
You will need:
*8oz. cream cheese, room temperature
*1/2 cup butter, temperature
*1 tsp vanilla
* about 2 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla.

2. Mix in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until you reach your desire consistency.

Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes

One of my favorite signs of the holiday season is the peppermint mocha latte at Starbucks. It is one of the few Starbucks drinks I splurge on. Typically I enjoy this indulgence while tackling some holiday shopping at the mall. This year Coffeemate had a peppermint mocha nondairy creamer at my local grocery store. It is amazing! So all of this peppermint mocha talk translates to these cupcakes. When they popped up on my google reader, I knew I had to try them. These were a combination of the minty chocolatey goodness that I always enjoy. This was my first time using a pastry bag to frost cupcakes. I looked up some techniques and tips after I did these (clearly, I should have reversed that order!) Even though they looked a bit messy, they were tasty and festive.

These were another wonderful recipe from Annie's Eats. I followed Annie's exact recipe, so I am going to send you to her site to get the details.

Pretzel Treats

This was the first year I did a TON of holiday baking. However, these treats are something that I have been making for a couple years now. I first received the recipe from one of my parent's neighbors. Now I have coworkers and some family members requesting more! The fun part is that you can mix different flavors by choosing a variety of Hershey kisses or M&Ms. This time of year, I prefer to make them with the candy cane kisses. The caramel and mint truffle, or any kiss with a filling in the middle, taste good, but they do often ooze through the pretzel. This is a great recipe to make with kids because you can have their assistance with unwrapping kisses and placing them on all the pretzels. Thanks to Hershey's endless flavor varieties, these could be made any time of the year.

You will need:
*square pretzels
*M&Ms
*Hershey kisses

1) Preheat the oven to 200.
2) Unwrap all of the kisses you plan on using.
3) Cover a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper. Spread the pretzels out onto the wax paper. (I do not use any broken ones. I put them aside to enjoy with peanut butter later!) Top each pretzel with a Hershey kiss.
4)Bake for about 5 minutes. The kisses will appear shiny as they are beginning to melt.
5) Remove cookie sheet from the oven. Top each kiss with a M&M and push it down.
6) Put the sheet pan in the fridge until the treats have set.
I keep these in the fridge in bags or containers until I am ready to serve/gift them.

Gingerbread Biscotti

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. We sure did! In preparation for many Christmas celebrations, I did a lot of baking over this past week. This gingerbread biscotti was one of my favorite things that I made. It was perfect with a cup of coffee on Christmas morning. This recipe is from Annie's Eats. Her recipes and photos always seem appealing! I saved this recipe and had kind of forgotten about it. Once I found the cinnamon chips at the grocery store, they sparked my memory. I highly recommend you try this soon.

You will need:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*
(*The original recipe called for 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. I didn't have any wheat flour so I added a cup of all-purpose)
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 bag Hershey’s cinnamon chips
1/4 cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 cups chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate, for dipping

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 35o degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

2) Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices and cinnamon chips in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed until combined.

3)In a small bowl, combine eggs with molasses and stir well. With the mixer on low speed, pour egg mixture into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

4) Divide the dough into two equal halves* and form into two 10-inch logs on the prepared baking sheets, at least 4 inches apart. Bake for about 30 minutes, then allow to cool for 10 minutes.
*I think I would do this different next time. I liked the size of the candy cane biscotti a bit better; it made it easier to gift. I think I may try making three logs when I make these again.

5) Using a long serrated knife slice each log into 3/4-inch to 1-inch pieces on the diagonal. Separate on the baking sheet so that the sides are not touching. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

6) Once the biscotti is completely cool, place chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt until smooth. (I used Baker's white chocolate and topped it with some red and green sugar topping) Dip half of each biscotti into the chocolate, shake gently to remove excess, and place on the parchment covered baking sheet to set.

Oreo Truffles

I have seen this all over the internet this holiday season. While I was intrigued, I had never tried one and wasn't sure I would like them. WOW was I wrong. These are such a simple treat that is packed with oreo goodness. Dave has already requested that I make more of these for him to enjoy.

*I do not have a source for this recipe because I had truly seen it everywhere!

You will need:
*8 ounces cream cheese softened (I used reduced fat to rationalize eating more of these!)
*1 package of oreos
*best quality chocolate-white or milk
(I also made a batch using red and green chocolate wafers I picked up from AC Moore)

1. Crush oreos in a food processor. (I prefer putting them in a freezer ziplock and banging them with our mallet)

2) Beat the cream cheese for a couple minutes to smooth out. Add in just over 1/2 of the broken oreos and mix until thoroughly combined. Then add in the rest of the oreos and mix just until combined.

3)Put some wax paper on a cookie sheet that will fit in the freezer. Roll cookies into balls using your hands or a cookie scoop. Freeze the balls for about an hour.

4) Slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until most of the chunks are smooth. (I create this by putting a silver mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water) Dip frozen balls into the chocolate and return them to the wax paper.
(You may want to drizzle another chocolate over the balls or you can sprinkle them with something) *I am trying to improve in my chocolate dipping ability...

5. Freeze balls for another hour or so. Then you can transfer to air tight container, and place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve.

Candy Cane Biscotti

I was a bit nervous making this treat because I have never attempted biscotti before. I was excited to see how simple this recipe was to follow. These minty treats tasted great with my newest addiction this holiday season. That is Coffeemate's peppermint mocha non-dairy creamer. It truly reminds me of a starbucks peppermint mocha when I add it to my coffee. Anyway, back to the recipe. I gifted these to coworkers along with a few other treats. I plan on making another batch, and possibly some other biscotti, to have around this week. The recipe below is taken from Pennies on a Platter.

You will need:
*2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
*1/2 cup granulated sugar
*3 large eggs
*2/3 cup finely crushed peppermint candy canes
*14 ounces fine quality white chocolate, melted (I used what I had on hand-10 oz)
*extra crushed candy canes to sprinkle on top

1) Preheat oven to 350˚.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

3)In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined – stir in crushed candy.

4) Evenly divide dough into 4 pieces on a lightly floured surface. Shape each piece into 9″ x 1 1/2″ round log. Place logs 3 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheet.

5) Bake until tops are cracked and ends just start to turn light brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325. Cool logs 10 minutes on cookie sheet.

6) Cut each log diagonally into 1/2″ slices with sharp serrated knife. (Discard ends, if you want.) Arrange pieces standing up back onto the baking sheet.

7) Bake until cookies are light golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 12 to 15 minutes. The centers may still be a little soft, but will firm up as they cool. Place onto cool rack and cool completely.

8) Dip half of each biscotti into melted chocolate – shake off excess. Immediately sprinkle with additional crushed candy canes and set on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet until the chocolate has set.

This recipe makes just under 4 dozen.