Thursday, February 3, 2011

2 for 1 Dinner Recipe - With Sandwiches great for the BIG Game

Even though I could care less about the Superbowl this year (our Philadelphia Eagles are out and to me the Superbowl means baseball season is just around the corner...GO PHILLIES!) 

There are some things I LOVE about the Superbowl:
Good food
Time spent with family and friends
And of course the commercials!!

Here's an easy recipe for dinner and a second recipe for the big game using one 2.44 lb Smithfield Pork Tenderloin package, which is actually two pork tenderloins at about 1.25lbs each.  Both serve a family of 4.

For the Italian Pork recipe I took one of the 1.25lb pork tenderloins and dried it with a paper towel.  I then rolled it in a Good Seasons Italian Dressing packet (thank you to my friend Carla for this wonderful idea) and seasoned it with pepper. 
I sprayed the baking dish with Pam and put about a 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom.  Then baked at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  I served mine with corn and roasted potatoes, I seasoned up with season salt, pepper, and rosemary and cooked them in the oven at the same temperature for the same amount of time as the pork.
 Carla made this last week and served hers with pan fried potatoes and spinach with American cheese on top...yummy!

Now the recipe for the BIG Game...Best Pulled Pork Sandwiches I've ever had.  I took the second pork tenderloin and put it in the crock pot with a can of Root Beer....YES I said Root Beer and turned it on for about 4 hours!  Then removed about 1/4 of the liquid and shredded the pork with a fork.  Add a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce and cook on low for another 2 hours.

Serve it up on your favorite roll!  It's a little sweet from the root beer and the pork is so tender!  Thanks to my cousin Ashley for making this recipe for her son's dedication and sharing with me how simple it was!  Tasty and easy...two of my favorite things!  These would be great for the Superbowl, because everyone can eat as they like and the crock pot keeps the pulled pork warm all party long!  Of course if you are cooking for a crowd you may have to use both pork tenderloins...this recipe make about 4 large sandwiches.



And I personally can't wait to make these Sausage Stars from Less Cake More Frosting for the BIG Game...
  • 2c. cooked sausage (I like the plain kind, but you could do them spicy, if you're kinda spicy like that)
  • 1 1/2 c. cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/2 c. monterey jack cheese
  • 1 c. prepared ranch dressing (i use a light version, and can't taste any difference.  i don't love the completely fat free in this recipe though)
  • sliced olives to taste (i just throw in a tiny can of the ones already cut into tiny pieces, drained)
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped red bell pepper
  • Stir all that goodness into a bowl

Next you'll need a package of Won Ton wrappers.  Easy to find.  Usually in the refrigerated section of the produce department.  They have to be refrigerated.
  • Take your Won Ton wrapper and press it down into a muffin tin.  As shown above.
  • The recipe says to spray the pan with a non-stick spray, but I've never had them stick
  • They won't cover the whole thing, but make sure they have a definite "bottom"

Pre-heat your oven to 350
  • cook the formed Won Ton wrappers for 5 minutes
  • then fill with a couple tablespoons of filling.  Enough.  But don't over fill.
  • cook again for about another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is all melt-ee
Check out her entire post HERE.  You won't be disappointed! 
So what will you be eating for the BIG Game?!
HERE are some other great ideas!

Sharing this recipe on:
Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum
Fun w/ Food Friday @ Paisley Passions

8 comments:

  1. The pork idea is great...and the sauce is much easier then the one I make. Also, those sausage stars are the best!! Everyone's favorite!! We also will make the filling and bake the shells the day before, so when it is time to make them all you have to do is fill the shells and bake them on one cookie sheet. Makes preparing them easy when you have lots of guests at your house!

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  2. As a fellow die-hard Philadelphia fan(Phillies, Eagles, Flyers), I can really appreciate your recipes. I followed you, and I hope you stop by and visit me, too!

    http://thoughtsofaworkingmom.com

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  3. Hi, I'm your new follower from MBC. Nice blog :) Come by and visit me at http://seriousmrse.blogspot.com

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  4. Hello I am a new follower.
    My blog is at http://unorthodoxplaid.blogspot.com

    BTW, I am an Eagles fan too! Even though I do not live in Philly! I might be going to the Eagles/Bills game next season though if I cheer out loud I might get punched in the face. : )

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  5. OMG, those pulled pork sandwiches look so good!! I have to add this to my recipe list!

    visiting you from MBC!
    http://deeluxuries.blogspot.com/

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  6. LOVE the pork ideas!!! The pulled pork sandwiches sound so YUMMY!!!
    became a follower, come by and visit anytime.

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  7. You just hit on two of my favorite party food items- Pulled Pork from a crockpot & Sausage Stars. Love them both! I've never tried Rootbeer for the pulled pork, I've always used a can of beer and can of chicken stock. Definitely need to give the rootbeer a try!
    Jess
    jbeedelightful.blogspot.com

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  8. I love pork tenderloin, pulled pork, almost anything made with pork. While I've seen the root beer recipe, I've never tried it. I'm glad to hear that someone did and that it was successful.

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