Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Loin

Drop everything you're doing, go to the grocery and get the ingredients for this right now. It is so good. I want to make batches of the sauce and put it on everything- I have a feeling that it would be very yummy on chicken, as well.

What You'll Need:

1 2 lb boneless pork loin

1 tsp ground sage

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp soy sauce

How to Make It:

Combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture over the pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker, and pour the 1/2 cup water in there with it. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. About an hour before the pork loin is done, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water and soy sauce in a small saucepan, and heat the pan until the mixture thickens. Stir the sauce frequently so you don't get little lumps of cornstarch in it. Brush the roast with the glaze two or three times in the last hour of cooking, and serve the roast with whatever sauce you have left over. Or you can be like me and double the sauce recipe so you'll have plenty to go around!

Glazed Lemon Pound Cake

Be sure to properly grease and flour your cake pan. I wasn't paying attention, missed a spot, and my cake broke in half. It was still good, though!

What You'll Need:

For the cake:

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup shortening

3 cups sugar

6 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup milk

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla

Juice of 1 lemon

For the glaze:

Powdered sugar

Lemon juice

How to Make It:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Beat the butter and shortening at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt, and add it to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in the lemon zest, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour the batter into a greased and floured Bundt or tube pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a long wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the pan onto a serving platter, and top with the glaze.

For the glaze, start with a healthy amount of powdered sugar- I used 1 1/2 cups, but you might want to use a little less. Add lemon juice to the powdered sugar and whisk until it's a nice, glaze-y consistency. You can use the bottled lemon juice for this, or freshly squeezed lemon juice. Either way, you're going to use several tablespoons of juice. When your glaze is finished, drizzle it over the cake, and you're done!

Raspberry Truffle Brownies

Really more truffle than brownies, these are super yummy and very rich. Be sure to cut them into tiny pieces!

What You'll Need:

3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp whipping cream

2 tbsp butter

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/4 cups raspberries, optional

How to Make It:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square pan, line it with foil, then grease the foil. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the unsweetened chocolate, butter, and jam, stirring constantly, until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until frothy. Slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture, then the flour, mixing until smooth. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the brownies are set, about 25-30 minutes (but don't try the "toothpick test" with these brownies- if you wait till the toothpick comes out clean, the brownies will be way overdone!) Let the brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the cream, butter and semisweet chocolate, stirring until smooth. Let this chocolate mixture cool slightly, then pour it over the brownies and spread it evenly. Top the brownies with the raspberries, if you're using them, and chill the pan until the brownies are cold. Lift the foil out of the pan, cut up the brownies and serve.

These brownies need to stay refrigerated as long as possible- if you let them sit out on a serving plate for too long, they get too soft and they're hard to eat!