Took the Christmas Tree Down

Well, I bit the bullet, and took down the Christmas Tree this afternoon. Busy cleaning, and had planned to wait till next weekend....but did it today......And it is done for another year....

How many of you have already started buying or making things for next Christmas? I actually have started making things.......

Back to work for me tomorrow....have enjoyed these couple of weeks off.....

Tracie guessed the Staircase Challenge.........Staircase from Phantom of the Opera.....in Paris, France....Opera Garnier.....beautiful Opera House.....did a walk through.....just beautiful......

Still looking for recipes to download.....

Working on next challenge also......

More to follow....

Enjoying reading the comments left.......Hi Tracie, and June.......

Recipes from the Rachael Ray Show

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Green Onion Smashed Potatoes & Roasted Green Beans
Dinner
This double-duty dinner yields enough pork to make Rachael's Cheddar-Smothered Pork & Applesauce Sammies
ingredients
2 pounds boiling potatoes
Salt
4 1/2 pounds pork tenderloins, 2 packages of 2 tenderloins
4 tablespoons grill seasoning
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus some for drizzling
1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed of the stem end
1 medium onion, chopped and divided
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoon butter, divided
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup milk
4 green onions, white and green part thinly sliced
preparation
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place potatoes in a large sauce pot, cover with water by at least 1 to 2 inches and place over high heat to bring up to a boil. Once boiling, add some salt and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.While potatoes are cooking, trim silver skin or connective tissue off tenderloins with a very sharp thin knife.

Place them on a non-stick cookie sheet with a rim. Coat tenderloins with EVOO then sprinkle with the grill seasoning. Transfer to oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Place green beans and half the chopped onion onto a cookie sheet, drizzle with a little EVOO and season with some salt and pepper.

Toss to coat evenly then transfer to the oven with the pork to roast for the last 12-15 minutes the tenderloins are in the oven. Give them a shake about 5 minutes into the roasting time. Let meat rest while you finish the potatoes and sauce.Once you have the beans working in the oven, start the BBQ pan gravy: Heat a medium skillet with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon, over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion, garlic and a little salt and pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes or until the onions start to get tender. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and melt. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute.

Add BBQ sauce and whisk in the chicken stock. Bring up to a bubble then turn down the heat and let the pan sauce cook until thick.Once the potatoes are tender, drain and return them to the pot. Add 1/2 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of butter, season with salt and pepper, and add the chopped green onions. Smash with a potato masher or back of a fork to desired consistency.
To serve, thinly slice 2 of your roasted pork tenderloins, reserve the other 2 in the fridge for the next day.

Platter it up drizzled with your BBQ pan sauce, and serve alongside the green onion smashed potatoes and the roasted string beans.
Yields 4 servings

Cheddar-Smothered Pork & Applesauce Sammies with Tangy, Sweet Apple-Dressed Greens
it's all about you .... really!

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Cheddar-Smothered Pork & Applesauce Sammies with Tangy, Sweet Apple-Dressed Greens
Lunch
Not your average pork chops & applesauce!
ingredients
2 Roasted Pork Tenderloins
2 tablespoons butter, plus some for spreading on Sandwich-Size English Muffins
3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and chunked
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons cider vinegar, divided
4 sandwich-size English muffins, split
1/2 pound aged white cheddar cheese, sliced
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 small bunches watercress, trimmed of stem end
preparation
Thickly slice the leftover roast pork tenderloins on a slight angle and then into chunks. Reserve.
Heat a medium-size skillet over medium-heat with the butter. Once butter melts, add the sliced apples, thyme, brown sugar and cider vinegar. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes.
Add the chunked pork and toss to combine to heat up pork up slightly, a minute or two. While the apples are cooking toast up the English muffins until they are golden, remove from the toaster and spread lightly with butter. To assemble sandwiches, divide the sliced pork between the 8 toasted muffins. Top each one with some of the apple mixture, then top that with a slice of the cheddar cheese. Transfer to the oven or broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese. While the cheese is melting, combine the remaining cider vinegar with the honey in the bottom of a salad bowl. Add EVOO in a slow steady stream, whisking to combine. Season with some salt and pepper then add the watercress and toss to coat.
Serve the sammies with the sweet apple dressed greens alongside.
Yields 4 servings