Jenn’s Cook Book

This is a remake of the Super Easy Sausage & Egg Noodle Dinner. Italian sausage were on sale and to stretch the dollars even further, I used some for this dish and saved the rest for another dinner. Pork, like beef, is not very eco-friendly, which is why I used less than the original recipe.

4-5 cups dry egg noodles
1 tsp salt
3 sweet Italian sausage, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
8 oz mushrooms, such as mini bella, sliced
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 jar marinara or spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese, optional

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and egg noodles. Prepare according to package directions (about 8 minutes). Drain and keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet and saute mushrooms over medium-high heat. Saute until almost soft, add water if needed. Set aside in a small bowl.

Add sausage to hot skillet and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, add a bit of marinara sauce if the pan is dry. Continue to saute until sausage is cooked through and add mushrooms back to pan. Add jar of sauce of pan along with prepared egg noodles. Toss all ingredients until sauce is warmed. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Economically Friendly: The pack of 5 sausages was $2.19 on sale, leaving 3 for this recipe and 2 for another meal. Normally, I would have used 4 and the remaining sausage would have sat in the freezer (and probably suffered from freezer burn). Egg noodles are a fairly inexpensive pantry staple, and you can usually find it on sale.

Environmentally Responsible: Well, I am not sure what to say here, other than I used less meat than usual. It’s a small step, but a step nonetheless. This is a great dish to serve with steamed, seasonal veggies.

Excellently Healthy: Served with steamed veggies, this isn’t bad for you, as long as it’s in moderation. Another option is to make your own sauce to monitor ingredients and sodium content.  

I love the art and simplicity of one-dish meals. It can be difficult to balance meat, vegetables, and a starchy side all in one pan. This dish was inspired by the first small zucchini of the season, which was very exciting to find. Paired with mini-bella mushrooms, which have a bit more taste then white mushrooms, this dish was earthy yet fresh. White mushrooms would be a fine substitute, or shiitake if you are ambitious. Here is another adventure in Spring Fever!

1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
8 oz mini-bella or white mushrooms, sliced
4-5 large green onions, green parts chopped and whites discarded
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
8 oz wide egg noodles
1 tsp salt
3 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 lb (12 oz) sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
bean sprouts, optional

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and egg noodles. Boil 7-8 minutes, until just tender. 

Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil over high heat in a large skillet with tall sides or a wok. Saute onion 1 minute, add mushrooms and saute 3-4 minutes. Add a little water if skillet is too dry. Add green onions and saute 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Dredge pork in cornstarch mixed with chili powder. Add to hot skillet, cook for 2 minutes without turning. Add 1 cup water and turn pork, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits. When liquid begins to simmer, add onion mixture back to pan and toss with pork. Add zucchini and sugar snap peas. Turn heat to medium, cover pan and let simmer 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Drain egg noodles and add to skillet. Toss well, coating with sauce. Remove from heat and stir in pepper. Serve topped with bean sprouts, if desired.

I also served a side of roughly chopped radicchio tossed with 1 tsp dark sesame seed oil and 1/8 tsp black ground pepper. About half of a small head is plenty, though the radicchio was rather bitter and not as big of a hit as the rest of the meal.

Here is the first recipe for Spring Fever, combining fresh asparagus with sausage, mushrooms, potatoes, and more. This is a relatively quick and easy one-dish dinner, perfect on those chilly spring nights (or, if you live in Michigan, snowy spring nights). This recipe is inspired by one in Simply in Season, but I added my own personal touch to give it a little more substance and flavor. If asparagus isn’t your vegetable, try broccoli, peppers, or sugar snap peas.

1 lb bulk sausage
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4-5 medium potatoes, any variety, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup water
1 lb asparagus, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper
cheese, for topping, if desired

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine sausage, onions, and mushrooms. Using a spatula, break sausage into smaller pieces (but do not crumble completely). Saute until sausage begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes and water to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Add asparagus to top of mixture but do not stir in. Cover and simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender and potatoes are tender. Stir and top with fresh ground pepper.

Serve immediately, topped with cheese if desired.

Cooking on the stove:

Ready to serve:

This recipe pairs pork with red wine, fresh rosemary, garlic, and red onions. Adjust the proportions according to the size of the pork tenderloin. I used red cooking wine, but you could also select your favorite red wine. Please welcome another Jenn Original Recipe.

1 large (4 to 5 lb) or 2 small (2 lb each) pork tenderloins
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp minced garlic
5-6 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 medium red onion
2 pkg whole mushrooms
1 1/2 cups red wine or red cooking wine
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp warm water

Preheat oven to 400F

In a large roasting pan, rub olive oil and minced garlic over pork tenderloin. Top with fresh ground black pepper and pour 1/2 cup of red wine over pork. Roast, uncovered, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, roughly chop onion and strip leaves from half of the rosemary sprigs. Rinse mushrooms and toss with chopped onion and striped rosemary leaves. Arrange around pork and pour remaining 1 cup red wine over pork and mushrooms. Top pork with remaining rosemary sprigs.

Continue to roast 25-30 minutes, until roast is done but still slightly pink and tender in the center. Baste with pan juices and wine occasionally. Remove from oven and let stand 10-15 minutes.

Remove whole rosemary sprigs from pork. Thinly slice pork and arrange roasted mushrooms and onions around pork slices. Pour pan juices into a small saucepan or serving bowl.

Combine cornstarch and warm water, whisk into pan juices. Serve sauce with pork and mushrooms.  

Shown below, with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli:

From www.dianeskitchen.com, this recipes uses garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper to create a tasty sauce for boneless pork chops. Both the pork chops and the sauce are super easy to make.

4 boneless pork chops, about 1 1/2 lbs
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

Sauce:
2 tsp oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground cayenne (red) pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, add pork chops and brown on both sides. Add more oil if needed. Add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.

Meanwhile, combine remaining oil, broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper. Pour over pork chops. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until pork chops are cooked through.

Remove pork chops and set aside on a serving plate. Whisk cornstarch and cold water together and add to sauce. Scrap the bottom of the pan to include any browned bits. Cook until thickened. Pour sauce over pork chops and serve.

Shown below with Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pears:

This recipe originally appears as Onion-Apple Glazed Pork Tenderloin from the Lipton cook book, and here is my updated version. I added fresh onion and sage, instead of the soup mixture, and also added lots and lots of mushrooms. As apples come in season, I will probably add some fresh apples instead of using juice.

1 (1 1/2 to 2 lb) pork tenderloin
2 tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper
2 pkg (8 oz each) whole mushrooms, rinsed
1-2 sprigs fresh sage
1/2 yellow or Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
1 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 425F

In a small roasting pan, arrange pork. Season with pepper and rub with 1 tbsp oil. Arrange mushrooms around pork and drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with sage leaves and chopped onions. Roast uncovered for 15 minutes.

Add apple juice to pan, pouring over pork and mushrooms. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes, until pork is done. Serve with drizzle of juice from pan.

Here is my first attempt at cooking a pork tenderloin. The recipe I used comes from Lipton Recipe Secrets Soup Mix Magic cook book. I added mushrooms to this recipe and roasted them right along with the pork, and were they ever tasty! I saved the leftover pan gravy to use as a marinade for more mushrooms.  

1 (1 1/2 - 2 lb) boneless pork tenderloin
ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup dry red wine (or water)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 package whole mushrooms (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F

In a small roasting pan or baking pan, arrange pork. Season with pepper and rub with 1 tbsp olive oil. If using, rinse mushrooms in lukewarm water and arrange around tenderloin. Add more oil if needed to prevent burning. Roast uncovered 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tbsp olive oil with soup mix, apple juice, and brown sugar. Pour over pork and mushrooms, continue roasting 10 minutes or until desired doneness. Remove pork and mushrooms to serving platter and cover with aluminum foil.

Place roasting pan over medium-high heat and bring pan juices to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Stir in water, wine, and flour. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened.

To serve, thinly slice pork and drizzle with gravy.

Shown below, with mushrooms:

It’s no secret that I like making pork chops with various rubs, such as Spicy Paprika, Sweet Orange, and now the new Chile Rub. This is such a quick and easy way to throw a meal together, so here is another great recipe for rubbed pork chops.

4 (6 oz)boneless pork chops
3-4 tsp Chile Rub, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425F

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Use Chile Rub on both sides of pork chops and arrange in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes or until done.

Here is another option for the Sweet Orange Rub using pork chops (from Cooking Light magazine).

2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 
4 (6 oz) boneless pork chops
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of pork chops. Place pork chops on a baking pan coated in cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes or until done.

Use the Spicy Paprika Rub to liven up pork chops. This is a quick and easy meal after a busy day.

4 boneless pork loin chops (1 1/2 lbs)
3-4 tsp Spicy Paprika Rub
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 425F

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Use rub on both sides of pork chops and arrange in a single layer on baking sheet. Top with minced garlic.

Bake for 15 minutes or until pork is done, internal temperature should reach 150F.

These would also be great on the grill!