DELISH Weeknight Dinner

I know, I know, I must be CRAZY to have friends over for dinner on a weeknight with 2 kiddos under 2.5 year old BUT I still do! I love having weeknight dinner parties, despite how crazy they might become (like tonight, W was all over the place with his toddler-ness). It's great to spend time with friends who are just glad to get together and enjoy good food. Which brings me back to the point of this post - DELICIOUS FOOD!

My neighbor shared this pork crock pot recipe and boy was it amazing; it's one of my most favorite pork crock pot recipes to date: Balsamic Pork. I served it with Hawaiian rolls, the au jus from the crock pot and golden yams (just like sweet potatoes, maybe better! but golden like Yukon gold potatoes, plays a trick on your eyes) and a garden salad. We finished our meal with  Triple Berry Pretzel Pie finished (no baking!) with freshly whipped cream - yum!

Happy cooking!

Balsamic Pork
2# boneless pork shoulder (sirloin roast)
kosher salt, to taste
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/3 c chicken broth
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T honey

- combine salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes & then rub/season the pork with them
- place pork in the crock pot
- combine broth, vinegar & worcestershire sauce then pour over the pork
- drizzle honey over the pork
- set crock pot on low & cook for 6 - 8 hours (or on high for 4 hours)
- pork should be fork-tender and easily shredded with two forks
- serve with juice from the crock pot

Golden Yam!

Baking Golden Yams - use the same method as you do for sweet potatoes:
- wrap in foil
- bake at 425 for approximately 1 hour until tender
- serve with butter and brown sugar

No Bake Triple Berry Pretzel Pie
Crust:
2 c pretzel crumbs
1/8 c sugar
1 stick of butter
Filling:
1 c water
1/2 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/2 package of strawberry jello
2 c sliced strawberries
1 c blueberries
1 c blackberries

For the crust: crush pretzels into smallish-sized crumbs. Mix with sugar and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch pie plate and refrigerate for 2 hours to set.

For the filling: mix water, 1/2 c sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute then remove from heat. Stir in gelatin until dissolved. Refrigerate the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes so that the mixture thickens but isn't set.

Once the mixture has cooled, fold in the fruit. Pour the mixture into the crust and chill for at least 2 hours.

Whip your cream and serve each slice with a dollop on top! Yum!!!