Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

I found the original recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but now can not seem to find it anywhere on that site! UGH. So here is what I printed out:

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

2 lb. boneless pork loin roast (I like the little ones from Costco)

1 tsp. ground sage

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 clove garlic, minced or crushed (I always like to use a lot more than this)

1/2 c. water

Glaze:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 Tblspn. cornstarch

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. water

2 Tblspon. soy sauce

In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the pork roast. Place the roast in a slow cooker and pour in the 1/2 c. water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Near the end of the cooking time, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.

Remove pork from slow cooker, shred and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve.

** I did not use a crockpot, but instead made a tinfoil envelope around the roast and cooked it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 4 hours--turned it on when we left for church and it was ready when we got home. (so I didn't need to use the 1/2 c. water)

The glaze was GREAT over the fresh steamed broccoli as well!

Chocolate M & M cookies

We are back into "Cookie Friday" mode, where I bake about 12 dozen cookies for the neighborhood kids on the first Friday of each month. This gives me the opportunity to try new recipes each month and let the kids be my guinea pigs! I randomly found M&M's on clearance at Randall's--huge bags for $2/each--so I decided to use those instead of chocolate chips in this recipe. They were really good!

You can find the original recipe HERE

Chocolate M & M cookies!

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 M & M's

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the M & M's. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.