Mike doesn’t mind me making this casserole often. I found it in our church cookbook and I know the lady that submitted it quite well. If I have some ham, I will usually have the other ingredients on hand and it’s fast to put together. Put it in the oven and continue with other household tasks while it’s cooking! It’s really scrumptious! I add about an extra ½ to ¾ cup extra of ham and maybe around 5 ounces of noodles. It’s all up to the cook!

This was our delicious dinner last night! A fabulous way to ensure a tasty, healthy and lean meal, plus I always have arborio rice sitting around as it is such a versatile grain. You can substitute the pork with chicken if you prefer, and change around the dish as you like.

This is what I decided to cook for my 2005 Christmas Eve dinner for my family. I like easy-cooking meals. This recipe is from my “Christmas Recipes” book compiled from the “Southern Living” magazine. As an add-on, consider the Creamy Mushroom Gravy recipe — it really adds to this pork loin recipe! Also, I used minced garlic in a jar instead of buying garlic cloves. It says on the jar how much to use equal to one clove of garlic. Just insert the minced garlic in the slits of the roast like it says-Enjoy!

I made this tonight! I was sitting on the couch totally bored at the thought of another boring pork roast and suddenly this popped in (partly due to what I had at hand).

Now I don’t know about you but often stuffing seems so old fashioned and fussy, but it is easy, delicious and really gives an added kick to your meal. I usually cube root vegetables and roast at the same time, deglazing the vegetables with a mixture of honey and mustard 5-10 minutes prior to removing from the oven, however it could be served with a spinach pine nut and pear salad with a lemon dressing as a lighter alternative. (see salads)