Prosciutto, Tomato, and Mozzarella Bruschetta

This is a great side or appetizer to add to any meal. It's one of those things that I just made up based on some ingredients I had on hand. My family loves it and whenever I have made it for dinner guests it has always been a hit. This is really easy and can be pre-assembled so all you have to do is throw it in the oven right before dinner is served. I typically use my toaster oven for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• Fresh loaf of bread (ciabatta, french, sourdough, etc)
• Pesto sauce
• Prosciutto slices cut in half
• 1 large tomato on the vine
• 1 fresh mozzarella ball

Directions:

I typically slice my tomato first to see how many slices I'll get out of it and then that's how many slices of bread, mozzarella, and prosciutto I'll cut.

Spread a small amount of pesto on each slice of bread. The place one half slice of prosciutto on the bread. Next layer a slice of tomato, and then top with the mozzarella.

Place in toaster oven directly on rack. Turn oven on broil and cook until cheese is melted and starting to get a golden tint on top. Carefully pull out of oven, it will be hot!! Serve and enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Sauce

So between Thing 1's birthday, our Carlsbad/Legoland trip and then getting sick with a stomach bug, there hasn't been much cooking going on around here. Until today! Back before I "retired" from teaching to be a stay at home mom, one of my friends and coworkers shared the results from this recipe with my teammate and I at lunch one day. Let me tell you, it was delicious! We could not stop eating it and I just had to get the recipe from her. It came from the "Everyday Paleo" cookbook by Sarah Fragoso. I modified the recipe because my tenderloin was larger than the one called for in the recipe. No joke, this recipe is sooo good! And the pork doesn't get dried out at all. My kids just gobble it down too! So it is definitely a winner around here.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 lb dried cherries
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Directions:

Heat olive oil in skillet on medium low to medium heat. Cut tenderloin in half so it will cook faster and more evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Place tenderloins in skillet and brown on all sides. It should have a nice golden brown color. Add chicken stock, blasamic vinegar, cherries, and rosemary. Continue cooking in skillet for about 30-35 minutes turning the tenderloins periodically.

While the tenderloins are cooking, it is the perfect time to prep some of my Prosciutto, Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta to accompany the tenderloin.

Remove tenderloins and cover with foil. Continue cooking the sauce in the skillet until stirring continually until it has a syrup consistency (about 3 minutes). Discard rosemary. Slice tenderloin and pour cherry sauce over top. Serve and enjoy!!