Slow Cooker Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

This recipe is one from my Thanksgiving cooking magazine binge. I would have never guessed including salsa-- but somehow, the heat in the salsa is balanced out in the end with the cumin, cider vinegar and brown sugar, and it blends in nicely. The greatest thing about this recipe is that the slow cooker eliminates the need to actually pull the pork. By the end of the cooking time, it shreds with little help. The juices drip everywhere and soak into the bun (this is a good thing). As described by Fine Cooking, "You'll need...lots of napkins."

The sweet potatoes are an easy fix from Men's Health (buried at the bottom of the pork kebab recipe): sweet potato, salt, olive oil, chili powder, done.

Pork Loin with Mustard Sauce and Sauteed Squash

The mustard sauce for this June 2011 Real Simple recipe is eerily reminiscent of another RS favorite-- the steak with roasted carrots and onions. Accordingly, next time I would deglaze the pan a bit with white wine prior to adding the mustard and parsley. I used a smaller pork loin - about a pound- and it was required less than 30 minutes of oven time, which was a big help when confronted with a hungry husband :)

Shrimp with Spiced Masala and Coconut Milk

Shrimp masala is a recipe from a friend that originated in an old bon appetit. Two great things about this recipe: first, you can make the masala the night before, which means dinner comes together in a snap when you get home on a weeknight, and second, you could easily substitute another protein for the shrimp. The gravy is fragrant and mild, very typical of what you'd find at an Indian restaurant in the U.S. Serve with naan, and you're done!

Caramelized French Toast with Cinnamon and Berries

Um, yum. This recipe ups the crunchy outside, pudding-y inside deliciousness of French toast by the nth degree by using brown sugar butter. The caramelized brown sugar produces a beautiful toffee color on the toast surface as well. What I really love is that the ingredients that make the difference here are simple pantry ingredients-- brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg-- that take only a few minutes to add. The only downside here is the time to soften butter; I find there is rarely an hour prior to breakfast to let butter sit. The first time I made this I made the butter ahead of time and refrigerated, which doesn't quite work because you need the butter soft in the second application after you flip the toast over. Although I hate doing it, I think this calls for the microwave.

Cacio e Pepe

Still heart-ing the bon appetit pasta article... this time, the cacio e pepe, or cheese and pepper pasta. The recipe was even simpler than the pasta al pomodoro-- literally, it's pasta, cheese, salt, pepper and butter. As a result I have nothing to add, other than it's 7:45 a.m. and I would eat a plate of this right now if it were in front of me.

Real Simple Four-Week Dinner Plan: A Summary

The four weeks, annotated:

Week 1

Day 1: Roasted tilapia, potatoes and lemons. Best way to make a cheap fish sophisticated.

Day 2: Penne with tomatoes, eggplant and mozzarella. Summer eggplant parmesan.

Day 3: Turkey burgers with creamy romaine slaw. Best turkey burgers we've ever had!

Day 4: Pork cutlets with spicy noodles. Weirdest combo that worked.

Day 5: Steak with roasted carrots and onions. My introduction to tarragon, and my second favorite recipe of the group.

Week 2

Day 1: Curry shrimp and snow peas. Most photogenic.

Day 2: Lamb meatballs with couscous and feta. Truly a fresh take on Greek meatballs.

Day 3: Red currant-glazed chicken with spinach. Great spinach preparation alternative to my standby of garlic, lemon and olive oil.

Day 4: Chorizo and potato tacos with black bean salsa. Hands-down favorite.

Day 5: Ravioli with Brussels sprouts and bacon. This recipe was just too random; I couldn't make it.

Week 3

Day 1: Chicken paprikash. "When Harry met Sally" chicken.

Day 2: Shrimp with white beans and toast. As we discovered the second time around, the toast is essential.

Day 3: Asian beef and mango salad. Asian taco salad!

Day 4: Mushroom and herb strata. Delicious, but does not lend itself to leftovers... friends?

Day 5: Balsamic-glazed pork with lentils. Not making this again.

Week 4

Day 1: Roasted pork chops with polenta. My introduction to polenta. Love!

Day 2: Salmon with potato salad. Now my go-to salmon recipe.

Day 3: Seared steak with cauliflower puree. A series of unfortunate events only led to a messy kitchen and the conclusion that I do not like green olives with steak.

Day 4: Sweet potato and Brie flat bread. California Pizza Kitchen, at my house.

Day 5: Cajun chicken with collard greens. Wherein I triple the seasonings by 3 times and find success.

So, more than six months after I started, my October 2010 Real Simple issue is wrinkled and torn up, I've become more adventurous in trying recipes based on how adaptable they are for weeknights even if I wouldn't normally select them otherwise and I'm working on making complementary sides, instead of using frozen vegetables. Although there were a few busts, I've made most of these recipes more than a few times. Definitely more success from this issue than most cookbooks!

Pork Cutlets with Spicy Noodles

Week 1, day 4.

Maybe this recipe doesn't really go together-- Italian-ish breaded pork cutlets with super spicy asian noodles-- but, what the heck. The pork cutlets with panko crumbs are almost like crunchy chow mein bits on top of the udon noodles, which have great flavor from being boiled in chicken stock. The recipe is so fast and simple I only have a couple of notes-- use a green jalapeno, de-seeded, to tone down the spice, and use sliced button mushrooms since they'll keep longer in the fridge.