A Few Recipes

I just wanted to share some of the yummy things that I have been cooking this week...

I rarely follow recipes. Part of me just won't let myself do it. I always think, "This would taste just a little bit better with such and such." or "I wonder how this would be if I added ______ instead." I simply cannot help myself. This drives Josh crazy! He says that if I ever do happen upon just the perfect combination of ingredients, it can never be duplicated as I can never remember exactly what I put in!!!

I decided to try out a few recipes this week and hit a few home runs. I typed them up for my recipe collection and thought I'd share them with my blog readers. The first recipe is made out of leftovers from meal #1.

For meal #1,I slow cooked a pork tenderloin for most of the day. I bought one that had been pre-marinated with a Mesquite BBQ flavoring. For meal #1 we had slow cooked pork tenderloin, turnip greens, potato salad, and Spiderman mac-and-cheese (Major’s pick). :)

For meal #2, I chopped up the leftover half of a pork tenderloin and used it to make this recipe:


BBQ Pork Quesadilla Torta (from my Southern Living Magazine)
Very good and very easy (especially if you just use leftover pork tenderloin from the previous day)

½ lb. (about 2 cups) chopped Barbecued pork
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup barbecue sauce (I used Stubbs)
4 (10 inch) burrito size flour tortillas
1 cup seeded diced plum tomatoes (about 2 large)
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Mexican style cheese blend
Avocado Mash
Toppings: sour cream, cilantro, barbecue sauce
Garnish: Fresh cilantro sprigs

Stir together barbecued pork, black beans, and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl.

Place 1 tortilla in a lightly greased 10 inch springform pan, and spread with 1/3 pork mixture. Sprinkle with one third each of tomatoes, green onions, and cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining tortilla, and gently press. Cover pan with aluminum foil.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove sides of pan and cut torta into wedges. Serve with Avocado Mash and desired toppings. Garnish, if desired.

Avocado Mash
2 medium sized avocadoes, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
Mash together all ingredients with a fork just until chunky.



And now... I am going out on a limb and sharing the turnip greens recipe that I made with Meal #1... Turnip greens are my favorite vegetable. These taste like they came from a homestyle type restaurant. If you think that maybe you don't like turnip greens, you must try this recipe before you make your final decision. Josh loved them...and so did my kids!


Turnip Greens
1 cup chopped cooked ham
1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 ½ cup chicken broth
1 (16 ounce) package frozen, chopped turnip greens
½ (16 ounce) package frozen seasoning blend (onions, celery, peppers)
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp pepper

Saute chopped ham in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until lightly browned.
Add chicken broth and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer; stirring occasionally,25 minutes.