Pork Roast with Peach Sauce

1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (15.5 ounces) sliced peaches in heavy syrup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Coat a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Place roast into slow cooker; season with onion salt and black pepper.

Drain peaches, reserving the syrup.  In a bowl, whisk syrup, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and pumpkin pie spice.  Pour over meat; scatter peach slices over the roast.

Cook 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.

Remove meat and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Spoon out peach slices and reserve.  Place liquid in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds until sauce thickens.

To serve, slice meat and scatter reserved peach slices over the top.  Serve with sauce on the side.

Taken from FamilyCircle.com

Baked Potato Soup

3 1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1 pkg frozen chopped broccoli
4 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup half/half
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 scallions
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
cheddar cheese

Combine potatoes and broccoli in slow cooker bowl.  Pour broth over top, cover and cook 3 hours on high, or 6 hours on low (I found I had to cook it a little longer) or until potatoes are tender.

In small bowl, stir together half/half, 1/3 cup cour cream, constarch, salt and pepper.  Remove cover and mash potatoes slightly. Stir half and half mixture and scallions.  Spoon soup into bowls.

Divide bacon among bowls and dollop each with sour cream.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. 

Taken from FamilyCircle.com

Paper Thin Blueberry Pancakes

2 cups packed Bisquick
2 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups salted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grade A maple syrup, heated

Put the Bisquick in a medium-size mixing bowl and make a well in the center.  Pour in all the milk and stir with a whisk until just blended.  Do not overwork the batter; lumps are okay.  Let the batter rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat an electric griddle to 400 or a regular stovetop griddle until very hot.

Pour the batter through a fine sieve to strain out any lumps.  The batter should have the consistency of heavy cream.

With the end of the chilled stick of unsalted butter, quickly grease the hot griddle for each batch of pancakes.  Using a 2-ounce (1/4 cup) ladle, pour the batter onto the griddle to form paper-thin, 5 to 6 inch round pancakes; if the first one is too thick to spread evenly, stir a little more milk into the batter.  Scatter a few blueberries on top of each pancake, patting them into the batter with a large spatula. 

When the edges of the pancakes are brown, after about 1 minute, very carefully flip the pancakes with a spatula; tuck any stray berries back under the pancakes.  Cook for about 30 seconds more, then carefully transfer to a large heated serving plate, overlapping them.  Repeat with the remaining batter and berries.

Pour about 1/4 cup each of melted butter and maple syrup over each serving of pancakes. 

Taken from Comforting Foods - Feel Good Recipes from America's Top Chefs

Ice-Cream Tartlets

• 2 (6-count) packages graham cracker tartlet shells
• 6 cups various flavors of ice cream
• Ice cream toppings
• Chopped nuts, fruit, sprinkles

Preparation:

Spoon about 2 teaspoons ice cream topping in the bottom of each tartlet shell. Top with ice cream, pressing slightly so the topping is visible around the edges of the ice cream. Freeze until firm, then serve with remaining toppings. Serves 12 Some of my favorite combinations include:

• Marshmallow sauce (not marshmallow creme) topped with strawberry ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.
• Hot fudge sauce topped with mint ice cream, drizzled with more hot fudge sauce.
• Hot fudge sauce and peanut butter, topped with chocolate chunk ice cream.
• Caramel sauce topped with caramel fudge ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce. 

taken from About.com

Frozen Grapes

Freeze grapes.  Voila!

Onion-Roasted Potatoes

1 envelope onion soup mix
2 pounds potatoes, cut into large chunks
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.  Combine all ingredients and toss until evenly coated.  Empty into shallow baking pan.  Bake, stirring occasionally, 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.  Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Taken from Favorite Brand Name Light Cooking

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 4 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley
• Bread:
• 1 medium baguette, French or Italian bread cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Dice tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces; drain over a bowl for 30 minutes to remove excess liquid. Combine all relish ingredients except the Mozzarella cheese in a small non aluminum bowl. Stir well and taste for seasoning. Prepare grill for medium hot grilling, or preheat broiler. Place the bread on the grill; grill or broil each side just until marks of the grill or broiler pan appear. Remove and place on serving platter. Rub the toasted bread pieces on each side with cut surfaces of the peeled garlic cloves. Add cheese cubes to the relish; spoon mixture over each bread slice and then drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over top. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Makes 6 servings.

taken from about.com