(2024) Week 1: Crockpot BBQ Tenderloin

The Recipe
(Serves 2)
500g tenderloin
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbsp mustard
Salt
Paprika, oregano and cumin to taste

Combine BBQ sauce, mustard and spices in a crockpot. Add tenderloin and scoop the sauce over the meat to coat it.

Cook on HIGH for ~1.5hrs or LOW for ~3 hours until the meat reaches 65*C.

Remove from the slow cooker and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice and return to the sauce. Serve with potatoes.

The Verdict
The original recipe said to cook it on high for 2hrs - that was FAR too long, as the meat had reached 72C and was rather dry. I think 1-1.5hrs will fit better (I've adjusted the cooking times on low accordingly). For that reason, I wasn't too impressed by it. DH loved it though, and is eager for me to make it again :-P

Week 24: Sweet & Spicy Sausage Dish

The Recipe
~400g sausages
~500g potatoes
2 bell peppers
1 large onion
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp honey
1tbsp mustard
salt, pepper, oregano
Fresh herbs (optional)

Cut the potatoes and sausages into pieces ~3x1cm, cut the onion into wedges and the bell pepper into bite sized pieces.

In a bowl, mix together onion, potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Preheat the airfryer to 180C, add the potatoes and onions and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile use the same bowl to mix together honey and mustard. Add the sausages and give it a good stir until the sausages are completely coated. Add to the air fryer, stir everything up and cook for another 6 minutes.
Dump the bell peppers into the same bowl to scoop up the last of the honey-mustard mix. Add to the air fryer, give a good stir and cook for a final 7 minutes.

Put some fresh herbs on top and serve immediately with ketchup or sweet chili sauce on the side.

The Verdict
Really easy and really good! After dinner I commented to my husband that I could see myself making this again. "I insist that you do!" was his immediate response, which is always nice to hear :-D I bought some good quality sausages with garlic and cheese, which definitely added to the taste. The onion I used was perhaps a tad too small, so I may use a bit more of that next time, and it could be fun to add cherry tomatoes as well - but neither of those changes are really needed - it worked perfectly as-is.

Week 2 - Pork Tenderloin in Mushroom Sauce

The Recipe
~500g pork tenderloin, cut into 1-2cm slices
black pepper
salt
olive oil
2.5dl chicken broth
2tbsp flour
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
thyme
250g mushrooms, cut into pieces
1 onion, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced

In a small bowl, mix together chicken broth, flour and vinegar. Stir until smooth.

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan or a large pot with a fitted lid, add the pork and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned.
Add mushrooms, garlic and onion and give a quick stir before adding the chicken broth mixture and thyme. Bring to a boil, then to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is done.

Serve with beans, mashed cauliflower and baked potatoes.

The Verdict
Nothing special, but a decent enough meal. Anything with pork tenderloin is bound to be worth eating ;-) I tried steaming the beans instead of sauteing them, and definitely wasn't a fan of that way of cooking them - so lesson learned!

Week 39: Mustard-Glazed Neck Fillet

The Recipe
1kg neck fillet
1tbsp mustard
1tbsp honey
Salt, Pepper
Spices of your choice (I used thyme and bbq)
1dl chicken stock
corn flour
tomato paste

Cut the top of the neck fillet criss-cross. Add salt and pepper. Mix together mustard and honey and coat the meat with it. Add additional spices of your choice. Pour 3-4dl water to the bottom of the airfryer, put the basket on top and add the neck fillet.

Cook in the airfryer at 180C for about 70 minutes (or until a meat themometer reaches 65C.

Remove from the airfryer, and set aside to rest for ten minutes before slicing it.

Meanwhile make the sauce by pouring the meat drippings into a pot. Add chicken stock (or any other stock, I guess) and possibly a bit more water. Add tomato paste and some corn flour mixed with cold water. Bring to a boil and let it thicken a bit. Season to taste.

Serve with potatoes and a nice salad.

The Verdict
Really good! We hardly had any drippings left (I guess the rest had boiled off?), so added a bit more chicken stock than mentioned above, but it worked out really well, and tasted SO yummy!

Week 41: Italian Stew

The Recipe
600g neck filet or neck chop (pork chop with more fat throughout the meat - it needs the fat to keep it from getting too dry)
1 large onion, diced
2 bell pepper, sliced
2.5dl stock (any will do - we used vegetable)
100g sundried tomatoes, chopped (use scissors! So much easier)
2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce / English sauce
2 tsp thyme
2 stalks of sellery, sliced
Salt and pepper

Cut up the meat into smaller pieces (about the size of 1/3 neck chop). Remove any bones.

Heat olive oil in a pan and brown the meat on both sides. Add onion and cook for about a minute.

Transfer to a pot together with bell pepper, stock, sundried tomatoes, paprika, Worcestershire Sauce and thyme. Cover and leave to simmer for 1.5 hours - adding the sellery the past 10 minutes.

Remove the meat and keep warm. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it reduce a bit.

Serve with baked potatoes or mashed potatoes.

The Verdict
So, so, SO good!!! One of my friends had found this recipe, and we all immediately loved it! It's super easy to make too, and great for company, as it's easy to scale up. We forgot the last set of instructions (bringing the sauce to a boil and reducing), but it really didn't matter. It was SO good either way!

Week 23 - Spanish Pot Roast

The Recipe
~600g beef or veal roast
1dl olives, finely chopped
1/2dl de-skinned almonds, finely chopped
1/2tsp cinnemon
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1.25dl red wine
1.25dl beef stock
1tbsp tomato paste

(To de-skin olives, pour boiling water over them and let them stand for about 5 minutes. The skin should come right off)

Mix together olives, almonds and cinnemon. Cut 5 small pockets in the meat and fill them with the olive/almond mix (if there's any left, just add it to the sauce later on). Tie up the roast.

Heat the oil in a pot and cook the roast for 3-4 minutes on each side (except the top, or all the almonds/olives will fall out... or perhaps I just didn't tie it up tightly enough. Anyway, it didn't seem to matter). Mix together wine, stock and tomato paste and pour over the roast. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for ~1 hr or until done.

Remove the roast and let it rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the sauce back up to a boil and let it reduce a bit.

Serve with baked potatoes and broccoli.

The Verdict
I must have let the roast cook for way too long, because it was REALLY dry! Should definitely have checked it sooner. The flavour combination worked surprisngly well, but it's a lot of work, so I'm not sure how likely I am to make it again.

Week 5: Fajita Casserole

The Recipe
500g chicken breast or pork chops
2 bell peppers, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2-3 tsp taco seasoning
1 cup of shredded cheese
Tortillas
Toppings: Avocado, Tomato, salsa, more cheese etc.

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Place the meat in a large ovenproof dish and season with the taco seasoning. Put sliced bell pepper and onion on top and cover everything with cheese.
Bake for ~30 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Remove from pan and slice thinly, before returning.

Serve with tortillas and your choice of toppings.

The Verdict
Quick, easy and good. Nothing special, but it's a "nothing special" dish that took all of 10 minutes to prepare. I'll take it!

Week 4 - Honey and Parm Tenderloin

(Serves 3)
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp soy sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
700-800g pork tenderloin
1 tbsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water
4 tbsp chicken broth

In a bowl, mix together first 8 ingredients (honey through pepper). Place the pork in the crockpot and rub it with half the mixture. Turn it over and rub it with the other half. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Remove the pork from the crockpot and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the cornflour and water and pour into the juices left in the crockpot together with the chicken broth. Cover and cook on HIGH for 10-15 minutes. Slice the tenderloin and return the slices to the crockpot so they can soak up the sauce.

Serve over mashed potatoes - you want something that can soak up the delicious sauce :-D

The Verdict
So, so, SO good! This was an instant favourite. I served it to DH and a guest and all three of us made spontaneous "Yuuuuuum!!!!" noises as we tried the first bite. Usually with a new recipe I like to tweak it a few times before it turns out exactly as I'd like it - not so with this one, it was perfect :-D

For my own future reference - mash made from ~1kg potatoes is only just enough for three people.

Week 49: Cajun Pork

The Recipe
~500g tenderloin
1/2 tsp each of cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt, garlic granules and brown sugar
A dash of ginger and pepper
Lemon juice
2 large potatoes
2-3 large carrots
2dl boiling beef stock

Mix together cumin, cayenne, oregano, salt, garlic, ginger and pepper. Rub the tenderloin with the mix.

Heat oil in a pan and brown the tenderloin on all sides. Transfer to the crockpot and leave the pan for later.
Peel potatoes and cut them into chunks, placing them around the tenderloin. Pour beef stock and a bit of lemon juice over.

Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4, adding carrots (also peeled and cut into chunks) about half-way through (they get waaaaay too soft if added at the beginning).

Remove the potatoes, carrots and pork and cut the pork into slices. Meanwhile, transfer the sauce to the pan from earlier and bring to a boil, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has reduced somewhat.

Serve with a nice salad.

The Verdict
I cooked mine on HIGH for 3.5 hours and the pork had gotten a tad dry already. I think I'll try on LOW next time and then check it after 7 hours. Other than that, I really liked it. It was a tad on the spicy side, so I may leave out the potatoes and serve it over rice another time, but I really liked the way it tasted.

Week 20: Mexican Pork Chops

The Recipe
4 pork chops
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili
1 tsp cumin
Juice from 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp salsa

Mix together salt, cayenne pepper, chili and cumin in a bowl and lime juice, chopped garlic, honey and salsa in either a large bowl or a freezer bag. Sprinkle the pork chops with the spice-mix and place them in the box/bag with the salsa-mix, making sure to coat all sides. Let it marinade for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil on a pan and cook the chops until done.

Serve with rice and vegetables.

The Verdict
It was just borderline too spicy for DH, but I loved it. The salsa-honey mix worked really well. Perhaps I'll try just the marinade without the spices another time, to see if that works better.

Week 14: Lasagna with Rocket Salad, Ham and Mushrooms

The Recipe
~25g rocket salad
200g ricotta or cottage cheese
1.75dl shredded cheddar
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
200g thinly sliced ham
300g finely chopped mushrooms
1 (425g) can tomatoes
1 (140g) can tomato paste
1dl freshly chopped basil
shredded parmesan
lasagna pasta

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Chop up the rocket salad and mix it with the ricotta cheese and cheddar. Put aside.

In a large pot, add oil and cook onion and garlic until fragrant and slightly soft. Add ham and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes before adding the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and leave it to simmer for 5 minutes until it's thickened a bit. Add basil.

In an oven-proof dish layer pasta, cheese mixture, pasta, meat sauce, pasta etc. End with pasta and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes

The Verdict
Tasted good but strangely bland. It was definitely in need of something - although I'm not quite sure what that something should be. I liked the idea of an alternative filling for a lasagna though, so might play around with that a bit more... but doubt I'll make this specific recipe again.

Week 8: Apple-celery stuffed pork chops

The Recipe
(Serves 2 who aren't too hungry)
1 thick pork chop, bone-in (the one we got was about 1lb including bone)
1 small, crisp apple, deseeded and chopped finely
1/2 small onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 celery stalk, chopped finely
30g bread crumbs
2tbsp chicken stock (or just plain water if it's too much hassle making up that little stock!)
rosemary, salt and pepper
butter and oil for cooking
1tsp maple syrup
1tsp mustard
A pinch each of salt, pepper and rosemary

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Warm oil and butter (about 1tsp of each) in a pan. Add apple, onion, garlic, celery, breadcrumbs, chicken stock, rosemary salt and pepper and cook until the onion's soft and the bread crumbs are slightly brown. Put aside and leave to cool.

Once cool enough to handle, cut a deep "pocket" in the pork chop and stuff as much of the filling into it as you can get. Discard the rest (or serve it on the side - whichever).

Mix together maple syrup, mustard, salt, pepper and rosemary. Rub each side of the pork chop with the marinade. Heat a bit more oil in the pan, reduce to medium heat and cook the pork chop for 4-5 minutes on each side to get a nice, crisp coat. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes depending on thickness of pork chop.

Cut in half, tossing a coin (or playing rock, scissor, paper, lizard, spock!) to see who gets the bone.

Serve with potato fries and some greens.

The Verdict
Really, really good! Definitely something I could see myself making again, as the meat was nice and moist, the flavours worked really well together, and it wasn't even that complicated to make! I've adapted the measurements somewhat, as the first try had waaaay too high a ratio of bread crumbs. I think this works better. You could even leave out the stuffing completely, and just use the marinade for ordinary "thin" pork chops. It's a nice variation to the usual honey-mustard marinade.

Week 46: Adobo Pork Tenderloin

The Recipe
3 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper
~500g pork tenderloin, cut into 2-3cm slices
3 carrots, in bite sized pieces
2 tomatoes, quartered

Preheat oven to 200C.

In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients (paprika through cayenne). Rub both sides of each piece of pork with the mixture.

Heat a bit of oil in a pan and sear each piece of pork on both sides. Transfer to an ovenproof dish. Add carrots to the pan to soak up the last of the spices. Transfer to the ovenproof dish. Add tomatoes on top. Bake for ~20 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.

Serve with baked potatoes.

The Verdict
VERY spicy. It was fine for me, but a bit much for DH. We both agreed that we really liked the taste of it though, and the meat was lovely moist - not the least bit dry - so I think I'll have to play around with the spices a bit. Maybe leave out the chili entirely... maybe just use less of everything? As it was, I only used about 2/3s of the mixture.

Definitely worth playing around with for a bit.

Week 23: Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

The Recipe
1.2kg pork shoulder / butt ("nakkefillet" in Danish)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp each of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and cumin
1-2 tbsp BBQ sauce
1 tbsp butter
~2dl water (3/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped

In a small bowl mix together sugar and all spices. Rub the pork shoulder with the spice mix on all sides and place it in the slow-cooker.

Add chopped onion, BBQ sauce and butter. Pour water over.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 5-6 hours until the meat shreds easily. Remove any big fatty bits and let the shredded meat stand in the sauce for another 15-20 minutes to absorb as much of the sauce as possible.

Serve on bread rolls with coleslaw and more BBQ sauce.

The Verdict
The original recipe called for 2 entire cups of water!!! I used less than half of that, and it was still rather watery. Not too bad though, so I think I'll leave it at this.

It turned out really good, but the spices somehow lacked "depth" in taste (if that makes sense)... would perhaps have been better if I'd used stock or more BBQ sauce instead of the water? Or perhaps just more salt? Still, with coleslaw and extra BBQ sauce it was still really tasty and definitely something I'll want to make again.

Week 19: Honey-Mustard Pork Chops

The Recipe
4-5 pork chops (500-600g total)
3 heaped tbsp honey
3 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper

In a zip-lock bag or similar, mix together honey, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. Add pork chops and shake to coat the pork chops. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour - I left it overnight, turning the bag half-way through.

Take out the pork chops and cook in a pan over medium high heat until done - about 3-5 minutes per side.
Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small pot and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a few minutes until it's a tad thicker.

Serve with roasted potatoes and veggies - cooking the veggies in the same pan as the pork chops to soak up the last of the marinade.

The Verdict
Really good! The marinade left the meat nice and moist, and worked really well as a sauce as well. I used bell pepper, carrots and tomatoes for the veggies, but you could really use anything. This served 3 people with no left-overs.

Week 14: Honey Glazed Ham

I've missed a few weeks due to illness, but hope to get back on track now.

The Recipe
1 2lb ham
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp (~30g) butter, melted
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp thyme

In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, honey, butter, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and thyme.
Unwrap the ham (including the netting around it) and place it in a crockpot.
Pour mixture over the ham, cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Serve with baked potatoes and steamed asparagus.

The Verdict
Unfortunately I couldn't find a plain ham, so mine already had a bit of flavouring which didn't do it any favours. That said, the glaze still worked out really well (although better on day 2 as it thickened somewhat when reheated), and was super-easy to make, so I could easily see myself making this again.

Week 3: Ham and Potato Corn Chowder

The Recipe
Oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp thyme and basil
½ dl flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2-3 large potatoes, diced
225g ham (I used a mix of ham and sausages)
4-8 slices bacon, diced
1 can (~200g) corn
~100g mushrooms, diced
A handful cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt, pepper, chili, curry

Cook the bacon in a large sauce pan until beginning to crisp. Add a bit of oil if necessary and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until tender.

Mix in the garlic, thyme and flour and cook until the flour is lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.

Slowly stir in the broth and milk. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add ham, corn, mushrooms and tomatoes, reduce heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper and spices just before serving.

The Verdict
Really, really good! I'm not usually a huge fan of celery, but it actually worked well here. It could have used a few more mushrooms, but otherwise I have no suggestions for improvements. Definitely a soup I'll be making again - it was awesome comfort food :-)

Week 36: Garlic Pork Chops with Cheese

The Recipe
4 pork chops
1 large tomato, sliced
4 slices of cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt, pepper
4 tbsp olive oil

Rub the pork chops with salt, pepper and minced garlic. Heat the oil in a pan, reduce to medium-high heat and cook the pork chops for about 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Transfer to an oven-proof dish, put 1 slice of cheese and 1-2 slices of tomato on top of each and broil in the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.

Serve with baked potatoes and last week's carrot dish.

The Verdict
Really good! I find that pan-cooked pork chops often get too dry, but that wasn't the case here at all! Whether that was due to the tomato and cheese, or just because I finally stopped over-cooking them, I'm not sure. Either way, I thought it was great :)

Week 30: Fried Pork with Parsley Sauce

This is one dish I'm ridiculously pleased I got right. It's quintessentially Danish and one of my husband's favourite dishes. For some reason I hadn't dared attempt it before now, but with our home-grown potatoes being ripe for harvesting it was time :)

The Recipe
500g of sliced pork belly. You'll want the stuff that looks like spareribs - just thinner. Like this.
6-700g new potatoes
15g flour
1/2 tbsp butter
1 cup milk
1dl chopped fresh parsley (about half a pot)
Salt, pepper

Heat the oven to 200-220C.

Place the slices of pork belly on a grill tray / gridiron. Make SURE to have something underneath to catch all the drippings or you'll be cleaning the oven for the next year. Put the tray in the middle of the oven and cook for about 40 minutes - checking ever 10-15 minutes. You'll want them crisp but not burnt. Once they're done remove them from the tray and put them on a plate covered with paper towels to soak up the last juice.

Meanwhile boil the potatoes and prepare the parsley sauce:

In a small put, melt the butter over medium heat. Pour in a little of the flour at a time until the butter cannot take any more - this is probably only about half the flour. Add in some of the milk and stir until smooth again. Add the rest of the flour - the sauce should be able to incorporate it now - and then the rest of the milk (this sounds more complicated than it is). Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Finally mix in the chopped parsley and bring to a quick boil again.

Serve with preserved beetroots or other pickled vegetables.

The Verdict
I feel like doing a happy dance here. I got the meat exactly right. It was perfectly crisp, not too hard, not too chewy and not burnt at all!!! So proud of myself :) The parsley sauce turned out okay - I didn't put nearly enough salt into it, but then I never do :-P and it was easily remedied. DH loved it, and I'm very satisfied with how this attempt went :) Definitely something I'll be making again :)

Week 4: Caroline Crock Pork

The Recipe
1lb pork chops
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1tsp mustard
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together everything but the pork chops. Add the pork chops to a slow-cooker and pour everything else over. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-9 hours.

Serve over rice.

The Verdict
I can definitely understand making this as a freezer meal! The best thing about a crock-pot is that it's quick and takes little to no preparation time. Sure, chopping up garlic and onion doesn't take forever, but it's still great to be able to leave out even that small step. I put this on a Saturday I was going out to a birthday brunch, and it was GREAT not to have to worry about dinner when I got home.

Unfortunately the pork chop I got was slightly 'off' in its taste, which ruined the dish for me somewhat, but DH loved it, so I'm definitely willing to give it a second chance.