Pork Tenderloin with Apple Cider Reduction

This recipe is incredible easy, fast, and flavorful. I will NEVER do pork tenderloin in a slow cooker again. The glaze is sweet and tangy and the pork is moist and delicious. This recipe is perfect for busy moms.

Cook time: 25 min; Level: Easy; Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

· 2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins, cut in 1/2

· Vegetable oil

· Salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 1 1/2 cups apple cider

· 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

· 1/4 cup maple syrup

11/2 Granny Smith Apple, diced

Corn starch or thickener

Directions

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees F and arrange rack in the upper third.

2. Brush pork tenderloin with oil, and season well with salt and black pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear pork on all sides until browned.

3. Place pork in oven and cook about 15 minutes, until center temperature is 145-155*. Meanwhile, place the same pan over high heat, add cider, vinegar and apple. Stir while scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until mixture is reduced by 2/3, about 8 minutes. Remove the apples and add the thickener until it reaches desired thickness (note: Once the glaze cools completely it will be thicker than it is hot so keep that in mind while adding thickener) Reduce heat to medium, stir in maple syrup and remove from heat until pork is cooked.

4. When pork is ready, remove to a cutting board to rest about 5 minutes. This is important to keep the moisture and juiciness of the meat. Warm the glaze over medium -high heat. Cut pork into slices and place in the glaze, turning to coat completely. Serve with rice or other starch and enjoy!

The Briggs' Orzo Salad

ORZO SALAD

4 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups orzo
1/2 can garbanzo or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
¾ cup finely chopped red onion (or green onion)
½ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
¾ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.



RED WINE VINAIGRETTE (makes 1 ¾ cups)
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 tsp honey
2 tsp salt
¾ tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette to taste with more salt and pepper if desired.

Courtesy of Will and Melissa Briggs

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients for TWO separate pizzas:
2 rolls of store bought sugar cookie dough (or use your own sugar cookie recipe)
Variety of fruits (strawberries, bananas**, kiwi, grapes, blueberries, mandarin oranges, etc.)
8 oz of cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 small tub of whipped cream

Directions:
1. Roll out cold dough to form a "pizza" shape
2. Bake according to the package's directions, but add a few more minutes. You want to overcook it slightly (golden brown all over) so that it's baked well in the center. Plus, the toppings will soften it up.
3. Let the dough cool completely before adding on the toppings!
4. Whip the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped cream in a mixer on high speed. Make sure all the chunks of cream cheese are all smoothed out. Spread evenly onto the dough.
5. Decorate the pizza with your choice of fruit.

**If you use bananas, dunk them in a little bit of lemon or lime juice to keep them from browning.

Note: You really don't need that much fruit to cover the pizza. For TWO pizzas I used one small box of strawberries, 2 kiwis, 2 bananas, and a handful of blueberries.