Pork Tenderloin with Orange Sauce

This is a nice, fruity twist on pork tenderloin. Lots of thyme and a sauce made from orange juice pair nicely when served with rice.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into slices
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the pork slices in an ungreased 13x9-inch pan.

Combine the butter, thyme, and cayenne; spread over pork. Pour the orange juice over the meat.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Remove pork and keep warm. Pour pan drippings into a saucepan. Stir in flou rand sugar until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve sauce with pork, and rice if desired.

Garlic Beef Enchiladas

Here, at long last, we have rediscovered Paul's favorite enchilada recipe, the missing recipe referenced in our other enchilada recipe. With a homemade enchilada sauce, ground beef, and of course lots of cheese, these enchiladas are a delicious taste of Mexican food. Note that unless you really, really like a lot of sauce, you probably only need to make half this amount of sauce.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes

- 4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced (or minced dried garlic)
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 to 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 10 flour tortillas
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar or Colby cheese

Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the ground beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the flour and seasonings; mix well. Stir in the tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, saute the garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the flour until blended. Gradually stir in the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until bubbly. Stir in tomato sauce and seasonings; heat through.

Pour about 1 1/2 cups sauce into an ungreased 13x9 inch pan.

Spread about 1/4 cup beef mixture down the center of each tortilla, then top with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll up tightly. Place seam side down over the sauce in the pan. Top with the remaining sauce.

Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

This cake is oh-so-rich, oh-so-chocolatey, and oh-so-good. With a lot of eggs, chocolate, and cream, it comes out to a truffle-like consistency, paired with a delicious pecan-graham cracker crust. Don't eat too much at once!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted if desired, and coarsely ground
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup butter, melted

- 16 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 2 1/2 cups chocolate chips)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or half-and-half)
- 6 eggs
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Combine the cracker crumbs, pecans, 2 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the prepared pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet.

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate with the cream over low heat until smooth. Cool 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, flour, and 3/4 cup sugar on high speed, until thickened (at least 5 minutes). Gradually beat in the chocolate mixture.

Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until center is almost cet. (The center will not set completely, and if you keep baking it, the edges will be over-cooked.)

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then loosen the cake by running a knife around the edge of the pan.

Cool for 1 hour longer, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Serve cold, with whipped cream if desired.