Trisha Yearwood Pork Tenderloin

Who doesn't need a good crockpot recipe up her sleeve?

This Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin comes from Trisha Yearwood. While I don't avidly watch her show on the Food Network, I've heard of her cooking skills and thought this dish looked interesting. 

This is a crockpot recipe, but it starts on the stove with searing the meat and ends on the stove with making the gravy.

I served it with mashed potatoes and broccoli rabe.

I followed her recipe closely, but I do use low sodium soy sauce and low sodium chicken broth. I also skipped the very first step of seasoning the pork tenderloin with salt. I try to cook with minimal salt always, and I thought the soy sauce provided ample salt. I seared the meat in olive oil rather than vegetable oil. The seasonings seem sparse in the recipe list, but it all worked well together. 

My pork tenderloin was just under 3 pounds and it came in two pieces. You may use a pork loin or a pork tenderloin for this recipe. 

Slow Cooker Pork Loin

By Trisha Yearwood

Makes 8 to 10 servings

2 1/2 to 3 lb. pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil (The Jersey Girl used olive oil)

2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

salt and pepper, to taste

Season the pork loin lightly with salt. In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, ginger, dried thyme, and black pepper. Rub the seasoning over the surface of the pork loin.

In a skillet heat the oil and brown the pork loin on all sides. Transfer the pork to the crock pot. Combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, and soy sauce; pour over the pork loin.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5.

After cooking, transfer the roast to a platter and keep warm.

To make the gravy, pour the liquid from the crock pot into a measuring cup. Skim off the fat. Measure two cups of the liquid, adding water if needed. Transfer to a sauce pan reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Stir the cornstarch into the reserved liquid, then stir into the liquid in the sauce pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thick. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the roast with the gravy.

Roast Turkey Breast Barefoot Contessa Style

Roast turkey is a wonderful thing whether it is the fourth Thursday of November or any ole' day of the year.  Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast by Ina Garten is the perfect dish when you want home-cooked turkey deliciousness for a small crowd. Take a look:

You know you want a piece of that, right?!

I make this for my family of three throughout the year, but you could certainly rock it out for a party of up to six to eight for Thanksgiving. This is also a good first venture in turkey cooking for any newbies up in here as there is no trimming and tying and brining and sticking your hand into slimy holes of animals. TMI, but I'm just keeping it real. So, the turkey breast - you got this!

I follow the recipe exactly but I often use dried sage since it is a rare occasion that I find fresh sage in my markets. And this go-around the thyme in the store was a bust, so my dried spice to the rescue!

I like to whip up a gravy rather than just using the pan juices as Garten recommends. I mean, if you are having turkey in any form it needs gravy, in my humble opinion.

To make the turkey gravy, I place the roasting pan over a burner on medium heat. I add one .87 ounce packet of McCormick turkey gravy mix and 1 to 2 Tbsp. flour to the pan drippings. Whisk into the drippings. Add three to four cups of turkey or chicken broth. Whisk and bring to a simmer. Cook for about five minutes or so. Strain into a second pot for a smooth gravy. And that's it! If you need to adjust the seasonings, go for it.

Here is a pic of my gravy while it's cooking away. I forgot to grab a pick of it all strained and gorg.

 And here is how the turkey looks looks all plated up with mashed potatoes and some garlicky broccoli rabe and some silky smooth gravy, baby:

I also served a little romaine salad, too. Because you can never have enough veg!

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast
Serves 6 to 8
From "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?"
By Ina Garten

1 whole bone-in turkey breast (6 1/2 to 7 pounds)
2 Tbsp. good olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the turkey breast on a rack in a roasting pan, skin side up.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, mustard, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.

Rub the mixture evenly all over the skin of the turkey breast (You can also loosen the skin and smear half of the paste underneath, directly onto the meat.) Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.

Roast the turkey for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, until the skin is golden brown and an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest and meatiest area of the breast. Check the breast after an hour or so; if the skin is overbrowning, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

When the turkey is done, remove from the oven, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and allow the turkey to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Slice and serve warm with the pan juices.