Spring-ey Sunday Dinner

Nothing says Spring more than baby red potatoes, asparagus, and roasted pork tenderloin--agreed? I was in a spring-ey mood from the warm weather this past week--too bad it's snowing today :( But we enjoyed the spring atmosphere while it lasted and had a fun Sunday dinner with Grandpa and Grandma with some carrot cake to top it all off. Take that, snow day!

Roasted Pork Loin with Mustard Cream Sauce
(This recipe is based on Barefoot Contessa's Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel--she roasts the pork loin with fennel, carrots, potatoes and onions all in one big roasting pan. yum.)
1 boneless pork loin (2 1/2 to 3 lbs)--the recipe called for the pork loin to be trimmed and tied, but I just used two skinny tenderloins and didn't tie them
2 garlic cloves, small minced
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves (I used 1 tsp dried)
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix garlic, salt, thyme and mustard. Spread mixture over pork loin and allow it to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Place the pork loin in a roasting pan (I used a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, the edges folded up to catch any juices). Cook for 30 to 50 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into the middle of the pork reads exactly 138 degrees. (The instructions that were with my tenderloin said to cook it 20 minutes for every pound--so I cooked it for 45 mins.)
Remove from oven. Cover meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Mustard Cream Sauce
1/3 cup Dijon mustard (I like the Dijon mustard with flecks of mustard seed so it looks "mustardy")
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbsp apricot preserves
1 green onion, sliced
In a medium bowl, stir together sour cream, mustard, jam, and onion until blended. Serve with pork chops, grilled chicken, or turkey cutlets. Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 week.

Roasted Red Potatoes
Depending on the size of the potatoes, I cut them in half or quarters.
Spread potatoes out on a baking sheet (I line it with aluminum foil for easy clean-up).
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder.
Roast in 425 degree oven for 40-50 minutes.

Roasted Asparagus
Trim off asparagus ends.
Same method as potatoes--place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper.
Roast in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top before serving.
Carrot Cake
(this recipe was adapted from a friend's family recipe--Grandma Gibbons' Carrot Cake)
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup applesauce
4 eggs
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white flour, 1 cup wheat flour)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp salt
3 cup grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained

Cream together sugar, oil, applesauce and eggs. Mix together flours, soda, allspice and salt. Sift and add to creamed mixture. Mix well then add grated carrots, chopped nuts and crushed pineapple. Bake in greased and floured tube pan or 2 round 10-inch pans for 40 minutes at 350 degrees (I used a 9x13 pan and baked it for 55 minutes at 325 degrees).

Icing
(I just used good ole' store-bought cream cheese frosting, but I thought I should include the recipe for posterity's sake :))
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1 cube butter or margarine
1 package powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cream all ingredients together to a smooth, creamy consistency. Spread on cooled cake.