Apricot Glazed Pork Loin

What a perfect fall meal. Mashed potatoes, a glazed pork loin…YUM! It was really cold out yesterday, I believe the high was 35? It was 18 when I left for the gym this AM….BRRRR!!! Guess it is time to figure out the combination to my lock so I can start changing at the gym again. I have no clue what the combo is. But, it is apparently too cold to go from my house in shorts/running skirt anymore.

This meal does take a bit of time to cook, but it is fairly simple. It is very tasty, so well worth the time invested. The kids love this, DH loves this, it is a winner all around. I served it last night with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and a salad. Jon is eating leftovers as I type!

Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of the whole roast before I cut into it…I was running around trying to get things set on the table.

Apricot Glazed Pork Loin

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 pounds pork loin roast, rolled, boned, tied
* 1 jar (12 ounces) apricot or pineapple preserves (I have never tried pineapple, but I bet it would be great too)
* 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
* 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted* (I left these off last night b/c I didn’t have any…I didn’t miss them)

PREPARATION:
Rub roast with salt and pepper. Place on rack in a shallow baking pan. Roast uncovered at 325° for 2 hours.

While roast is cooking combine all ingredients, except almonds, in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Add toasted almonds; keep sauce warm.

After 2 hours roasting time, spoon enough hot apricot sauce over roast to glaze. Return roast to oven and baste often with sauce for 30 minutes or until meat is ready to serve. Serve remaining sauce with the roast.
Serves 8.

*To toast nuts, spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350° oven, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. Or, toast in an ungreased skillet over medium heat, stirring, until golden brown and aromatic.

Now that it is closer to winter, this will become part of our meal rotation again. I am excited about that!

Oatmeal Raisin Bars ~ Gluten-Free

I love oatmeal raisin anything. Always have. I was really bummed when I had to go gluten-free that oatmeal was out and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing until gluten-free oats came onto the market. They aren’t cheap, but they are worth every penny. I was never a huge fan of oatmeal as a hot cereal, just in recipes like apple crisp, oatmeal raisin cookies, meatloaf, etc. I read Carrots’N’Cake, a blog, daily and Tina posted a great looking recipe for oatmeal raisin bars. It looked easy enough to convert to gluten-free, so I gave it a try the other day. The pumpkin raisin bars I made the other day were also a recipe that Tina posted last week. She is one great baker!

Before baking:

On my plate, ready to chow!

Oatmeal Raisin Bars (Courtesy of Tina at Carrots & Cake)
Modified to be gluten-free

Makes 9 bars
Ingredients:
2 cups dry oats
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix; if you use a regular GF Flour Mix, make sure to add xanthan gum, 3/4 tsp per)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup raisins
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients until smooth.
3. Spread batter in prepared baking pan, and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until bars are cooked all the way through.
4. Let bars cool completely in pan before cutting.

I brought some of these to a friend of mine the other night when we met for dinner and she loved them! She asked for the recipe and I passed it along. She doesn’t even have to eat GF and she like them! 🙂