Thanks Laurie...she says sarcastically! I have everything necessary to make those muffins which I will do after I finish my canning project.

I had a small boneless pork loin roast. Didn't feel like making a roast--the weather was great--so cut it into some thick chops and went looking for a new marinade recipe. The cinnamon in the recipe was a new wrinkle for me as I had never used cinnamon in a marinade before. Turned out quite good. Served some of the reduced sauce on the chops and drizzled a bit over plain white rice. Recipe Source: Allrecipes Grilled Pork Loin Chops Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons honey 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons ketchup 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 (6 ounce) thick-cut boneless pork loin chops Directions: 1. Mix the garlic, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, ginger, onion powder, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Pour half the mixture into a large plastic zipper bag, and place the pork chops into the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag, and seal the bag. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Refrigerate remaining marinade in the bowl. 2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate. 3. Remove the pork chops from the plastic bag, and shake excess droplets of liquid from the chops. Discard the marinade from the plastic bag. Grill chops on the preheated grill, basting with the reserved marinade until meat is browned, no longer pink inside, and shows good grill marks, 8 to 10 minutes per side. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). 4. Pour remaining reserved marinade into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the marinade until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly; serve sauce with chops.

...although his sister will give me the lecture if I sweeten the cornbread. Annie....a couple of suggestions. You could fib a little & tell her that Elery made the cornbread. :-) Or, use unsweetened cornbread and a sweet-ish salad dressing in place of the Ranch. That is, if you want a sweet salad. I wanted a sweet cornbread salad because the salad I had a hankering for was a sweet salad. And I like sweet cornbread because I always make cornbread with the idea of me hogging the leftovers for cornbread & milk. Adding blueberries & making corn muffins is an excellent idea...blueberry season is just about upon us, isn't it? Except that, in my case, I have to have cornbread & milk. Just cornbread because I'm a purist when it comes to C &M...although I'm sure blueberry corn muffins & milk be an almost acceptable exception. And my cornbread has to be a little bit sweet because Mom, a Missouri gal, always added just a little sugar to cornbread. That said, I used between 1/3 & 1/2 cup sugar in the above recipe and will reduce the am't of sugar to 1/3 cup next time because it was a bit too sweet for my taste. (I can't imagine using the full 2/3 cup called for in the original recipe.) Oh yeh...I'm sure you noted that this is a make-ahead recipe which is great for when company is coming or for taking to potlucks, etc. Teresa--thank you for the inspiration. Sometimes those improv dinners turn out soooo yummy, don't they? I would never have though to do the ricotta dollop thing but it's a great idea that I must remember. DSII is a pasta lover & often makes spaghetti topped with garlic, butter & olive oil when he gets in late from work. Your ideas will help us kick it up a notch & make it a bit more of a balanced meal!

I have made the Pork w/Dijon recipe tooo. I totally agree it's a keeper! I mada a parmesan garlic butter based on something that was served at one of the restaurants in a hotel I worked at years ago in St Paul. I have their recip, but it makes 25lbs of butter so I winged it and it came out really good! Served it with ciabatta bread, but it would be equally good on steak or chicken, I think. Parmesan Garlic Butter Inspired by the St Paul Grille & Caf� 1-1/2 sticks butter, softened 1 tsp minced red pepper 1 lg clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/3 c finely grated parmesan cheese 1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar Dash seasoned salt Dash tobasco Combine all ingredients. Spoon into small serving dish, or roll in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill. I tried a new recipe tonight for pulled pork. Too freakin' hot to cook so I needed a crockpot meal. This filled the bill quite nicely. I did not have onion powder on hand, so I subbed minced onion. I also only had about 4oz of tomato paste, so I used what I had. The sauce was quite runny, but it was really tasty! I may try a larger roast or a little less sauce next time. The slaw is exceptionally good and very easy, too. Crock Pot Pulled Pork And Coleslaw Sandwiches From Tastykitchen submitted by Mrswilliams FOR THE PULLED PORK: 1/2 cups Ketchup 1/3 cups Cider Vinegar 1/3 cups Packed Brown Sugar 6 ounces, weight Tomato Paste 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce 2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard 1\-1/2 teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Onion Powder (didn�t have, subbed 1/2 small onion,minced) 3 pounds Pork Sirloin Roast, Cut Into 3 Pieces 1 package Sandwich Rolls/hamburger Buns FOR THE COLE SLAW: 1 bag (14 Oz. Bag) Cole Slaw Mix (shredded my own fresh cabbage and carrot) 1/2 cups Mayonnaise 3 Tablespoons Canola Oil 1/4 cups Sugar 1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar 1/4 teaspoons Salt 1/2 teaspoons Celery Seed 1 teaspoon Onion Powder (didn�t have\-subbed 1/2 small onion, minced) PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: For the pulled pork: mix together ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, salt, and onion powder in a crock pot. Add pork and turn pieces to coat with sauce. Cover, and cook on low for 6\-8 hours. Once done, shred pork and stir to completely incorporate in the sauce. For the cole slaw: mix coleslaw mix, mayo, canola oil, sugar, cider vinegar, salt, celery seed, and onion powder well in a large bowl. Cover and let chill for 1\-2 hours. Once pork is done and cole slaw is chilled, make sandwiches! Put some pork on your bun and top with cole slaw. Enjoy! Linda