Today for lunch we had: Pork Tenderloin--Alabama Style; zipper cream peas; Cracker Barrel Fried Apples; Easy Au Gratin Potatoes; rice cooked in pork broth; homemade bread; CLAUSSEN Pickles; and sweet tea with lemon. I'm baking a cherry cheesecake this afternoon.

PORK TENDERLOIN--ALABAMA STYLE

Marinade:

3 cups orange juice
1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T. chopped garlic
2 T. dried rosemary
1/2 can frozen lemonade (thawed)

Mix all of these ingredients together and DIVIDE. Place 1/2 of the mixture in a quart jar in the refrigerator.

Tenderloin ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin 1 1/2 lbs.-2 lbs.
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced

Take 1 pork tenderloin and thaw in the microwave for a few minutes, but before it has thawed thoroughly. Let the tenderloin still be frozen a little so that it will be easier to slice.
Take the tenderloin and cut away all of the fat that you can. Take the tenderloin and divide it into even pieces, approximately 1" thick.
Place the pieces of tenderloin into a plastic bag and add HALF of the marinade. Shake the plastic bag so that each piece will be coated with the marinade. Let marinate for SEVERAL hours or overnight.

In the morning, place 2 T. vegetable oil into a skillet. I used my electric skillet and set it at 350 degrees. Remove the tenderloin from the marinade and discard this marinade. After the oil is hot, place the pieces of tenderloin in the oil and let the pieces cook until brown on both sides. Remove the tenderloin from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

Using a plastic cooking bag, place 1 T. flour into the bag and shake it until the flour has been distributed. Add the tenderloin pieces, along with 1 onion, sliced, and 1 bell pepper, sliced thinly. Take the marinade that you reserved in the refrigerator and pour over the tenderloin/veggie mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Tender and delicious! Serves: 4.EASY AU GRATIN POTATOES

4-5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thinly
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 cup of grated cheese

Spray a baking dish with PAM--I used an 8" square dish. Place the potatoes into the pan evenly. Mix the milk, soup, and cheese together and pour over the potatoes. Bake this mixture at 350 degrees for 1 hour-1 hour and 15 minutes, or until potatoes are done. Serves: 4.CRACKER BARREL FRIED APPLES

Melt 3 T. margarine in a skillet. Add 1 jar of Cracker Barrel Fried Apples (available at Cracker Barrel Stores), 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Let simmer for 25 mintues. DELICIOUS! Serves: 4.MICROWAVE PORK BROTH RICE

I cooked a pork roast in the crockpot the other day and reserved the broth. After the broth had cooled, the fat was skimmed. Place 2 1/2 cups of pork broth in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup of rice-I used Uncle Ben's--and stir the rice into the broth. Cook for 15 minutes more or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. I've been cooking rice in the microwave since I was married. In fact, I've never made rice using a conventional oven. While it is no quicker, the "rice bowl" is much easier to clean! Serves: 4. EASY CHEESECAKE

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
dash salt
2 eggs
1 graham cracker crust

Beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually blend sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Add eggs, one at a time; beat after each. Pour filling into crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until filling is set.

Remove the cheesecake from the oven and top with your favorite pie filling--strawberry, cherry, or blueberry are some of our favorites. Chill the pie overnight before cutting.

Happy Sunday.