Honey Pork Tenderloin and Homemade Applesauce

I woke up Monday and did the same thing I always do. Get the kids ready so I can take my daughter to school. Only this Monday I was in for quite a surprise! When we were ready to walk out the door, I couldn't find my keys. I remembered that my husband moved my car before he left for work on Sunday. I looked everywhere. Finally, I called my husband and found out that my car keys were in Charlotte, NC!! He put them in his pocket after he moved the car and forgot about them!! He drove all the way to Charlotte with my keys. Since we live in Georgetown, KY I knew I was going to have to wait at least one day, if not two to receive them again so I made last minute arrangements for my daughter and made do without a car for a day and a half.

I didn't have too much in my fridge or pantry. I had a pork tenderloin and some apples that I needed to use up. This meal came about while I was searching online for pork tenderloin recipes. I really like website http://porktenderloinrecipes.net/. If you haven't checked it out, you should. I found a recipe for Honey Pork Tenderloin and had all the ingredients so I went ahead with it. For every pound of pork tenderloin you make a paste of:

4 Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

Rub about half of the paste onto the raw pork tenderloin and bake @ 375F for about 35-40 minutes, basting every so often with the leftover sauce. The basting is the key to getting that real sticky sauce. I really loved this recipe. The sauce was a lot like a barbecue sauce, but a little more sweet. The outside of the pork was crusty and sticky and just delicious sliced thinly and served on a homemade roll. I would make this one again and again, and again......I would make it and serve it on little rolls at a party or a baby shower, even a bridal shower. They were like little pork sliders!

I made a homemade applesauce to go with the pork. My 2 year old loves applesauce and we were out of it, so I figured why not?? I usually don't care for applesauce, but I have to say that this was very good when it was fresh off the stove and warm. There is a HUGE difference between jarred applesauce and homemade!! It is ridiculous how much I liked this applesauce! If you have never made homemade applesauce, you would be surprised at how quick and easy it really is. It doesn't take very long, only 20 minutes, and is great served warm. You can flavor it with cinnamon or any other spice you like. You can also add in other fruits if you wish.

Recipe - Homemade Applesauce:

4 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

3/4 cup water or apple juice *I used water, apple juice would make it sweeter overall*

1/8 to 1/4 cup sugar

squirt of lemon juice

Put everything in a saucepan and cook, covered, over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until apples are softened. Remove from heat and mash with fork or potato masher. I used almost 1/4 cup sugar and it was pretty sweet, but not overly sweet. Next time, I would cut back a little to about 1/8 cup sugar. I think you could even use honey or other sweeteners.

The next afternoon I received a knock at the door and it was the Fed Ex man with a present for me......car keys!! You would never think car keys would make you so happy : )