Vote for my Menu: April Edition

I just want to start by thanking you for making this endeavor so successful and I look forward to a wonderful turn out for the voting this time!   This decision is based solely on 4 main course and 4 dessert recipes that I choose and then you vote to come to a FINAL decision.  After a week's time I will cook my version of the selected recipe and provide step-by-step instructions along with photos!
To vote just comment your Number and letter choice.  Thank you all in advance for your continued support and participation!

Main Dishes: 

Option A: Sea Scallops with Cranberry Balsamic Pan Sauce
You can't go wrong with scallops and mixed with cranberry balsamic should be an amazing combination.

Original Recipe:
Sea Scallops with Cranberry Balsamic Pan Sauce











Option B: Chicken Avocado Burritos
Avocado: Good, Chicken: Good, Burritos: Good.  How could you go wrong?

Original Recipe:
Chicken Avocado Burritos










Option C: Plum Pork Tenderloin
Plum and Pork make a savory combination.

Original Recipe:
Plum Pork Tenderloin










Option D: Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
During last month's edition I had a lot of requests for a vegetarian option.  So this is for my veggie lovers, and it sounds delicious! 






Here is the original recipe:
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Desserts

Option 1:  Stuffed Cinnamon Roll Bake
Oh man, this looks like it is simple delectable

Original Recipe:
Stuffed Cinnamon Roll Bake











Option 2: Carrot Layer Cake
Carrot cake used to seem like such a weird concept to me when I was younger, but as I have grown older I have learned to love the flavor sensation in my mouth as well as the amazing cream cheese frosting, however I have never attempted to make a carrot cake myself, so this would be my first try.

Original Recipe:
Carrot Layer Cake









Option 3: Blueberry Peach Crumble
What a delicious combination

Original Recipe:
Blueberry Peach Crumble











Option 4: Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies
Chocolate:Yum Cherry: Yum Brownies: Yum!  How could you go wrong with this recipe?

For the original recipe go to:
Chocolate Cherry Cordial Brownies










There you have it!  All of the options are listed for you.  Choose 1 Main Dish & 1 Dessert!  Vote by commenting below!  Here are the links to last month's winners!  Thank you again for your support!

Carne Asada

Caramel Filled Brownies

Burgundy Pork & Apple Raspberry Crumble: WHAT YOU DECIDED

I just want to take this time to thank the valuable support of everyone who took the time to vote for their favorite recipe choice between the comments on my blog and on facebook.  You helped turn this into something fun and I honestly had no idea which dessert I was going to be making.

Your input was invaluable!  Thank you so much for contributing to What Should I Cook?

The final food tally was

A Burgundy Pork 16 Votes
B Orzo & Chicken 4 Votes
C Apple Honey Drumsticks 0 Votes
D Chicken Chili 4 Votes
1 Apple Raz Crumble 10 Votes
2 Banana Pudding 6 Votes
3 Bread Pudding 3 Votes
4 Rice Pudding 4 Votes

The burgundy Pork really won by a landslide!  Not to talk myself up or anything, but it definitely did turn out very tasty.  The apple raspberry crumble took a small lead in the beginning and held it the whole way through.  Although personally I would have rated it as my least favorite of the choices, I am really glad that it was chosen because it turned out even better than the pork and I will definitely make it again!  Without further ado, here are your recipes and the accompanying photos!  Thank you thank you again so very much!  We should definitely do this again next month!


 Burgundy Pork

Ingredients:
2-2.5 lbs Pork Tenderloin (mine was 2.6)
Seasoning (Hickory Balsalmic Rub, Crushed Rosemary, Sea Salt, Garlic Salt)
2 Celery Stalks Sliced
2 1/2 Cups Red Wine
1 pkg Au Jus (or whichever brown gravy you prefer)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place pork in a 9 X 13 baking dish and sprinkle with the seasoning.  Add the celery and pour the wine into the dish.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the meat from the dish and put the dish onto the stove over a burner.  Add the Au Jus and simmer for about 5-10 minutes to thicken.  Serve by slicing the meat and covering with the sauce.

Season the pork

Add the celery

Pour the wine into the pan

Cook for 45 minutes

Add the Au Jus to the sauce

Serve & enjoy :)

Apple Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients:
Topping:
7 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Walnuts, Chopped
1/4 Cup Almonds, Sliced

Filling:
2-2.5 lbs baking apples (I used Gala)
2 Cups Raspberries
5 Tbsp granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp Flour
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Almond Extract
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter


Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 2 Quart shallow baking dish.
Topping:
Whisk the oats, flour and sugar together.  Stir in the nuts. Thinly slice the butter into the bowl and work it into the mixture with your fingers until evenly mixed.  Set aside.
Filling:
Peel and core the apples.  Cut apples into 3/4 inch chunks.  Gently toss with the raspberries.  Toss in the remaining ingredients except for the butter.  Transfer the filling to the baking dish.  Slice the butter over top of the filling. 
Scatter handfuls of topping on top of the filling until evenly distributed.  Bake 40 minutes or until bubbly and brown. 
Let sit at least 10 minutes, serve with ice cream or whipped topping.  Enjoy!

Butter the baking dish

Whisk Oats, Flour, &  Sugar

Mix the nuts into the topping

Work the butter in with your fingers until evenly mixed

Peel the apples

Slice into 3/4 in. chunks

Gently toss with raspberries

Mix in the remaining ingredients

Pour into the baking dish

Slice the butter over top of the filling

Sprinkle the topping evenly on top of the filling

Side view of the topping evenly distributed

Cook until bubbly

Side view of finished deliciousness :)

What should I cook? YOU DECIDE!

Some days you just want someone to tell you what to cook and then you can be as creative as you want with the dish instead of having to do all of the thinking yourself.  As I was perusing the internet thinking of inspiration for my blog and what I wanted to pour my time into this evening I ended up looking at a lot of delicious recipes.  It brought a brilliant idea to mind.  What if I posted a couple ideas for the main dish and the dessert of a meal and I could have my wonderful readers vote and I will cook that dish within a week and post my version of the recipe with my step by step photo recipe blog.  I am really excited about this!  I hope that I can get some of my readers to actually comment and vote so that this can be very interactive and fun!  I look forward to the results and would love to this at least once a month or more.  If you have any recipe suggestions that I don't post, please feel free to share them with me and if plausible they can be featured on the next What should I cook recipe vote, or just as a regular meal that I prepare and recipe share with you!  Thank you for your support and I am giddy with excitement about the outcome of this!

Here are 4 of my top picks for the Main DISHES:

Option A: Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

This is a delicious pork tenderloin in a hearty red wine based sauce

 
The original recipe
Burgundy-Pork-Tenderloin











Option B: Creamy Lemon-Pepper Orzo with Grilled Chicken

I absolutely love orzo, and for some reason it always seems to go amazingly well with lemon.  Add the grilled chicken on top and you can't go wrong

The original recipe:

creamy-lemon-pepper-orzo-with-grilled-chicken

Option C:  Apple-Honey Drumsticks

 I love trying new flavors on chicken and don't like to get in the BBQ rut.  This looks like a nice Asian flair to a great drumstick.

The original recipe:

apple-honey-drumsticks

Option D:  Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

I don't use my slow cooker nearly as much as I should, and am always looking for great new recipe inspiration.  I love messing with Chili and this looks like a great recipe to try.

Original Recipe:

slow-cooker-chicken-chili

Now we move on to the DESSERTS!!!

Option 1: Apple Raspberry Crumble with Oat Walnut Topping

It always makes you feel great when you can make dessert and also feel like you are getting some great vitamins into your body at the same time.  Apple and raspberry are two of my favorite flavors to cook with and these seem like they would make a great combination in this dessert. 

Original Recipe:

apple-raspberry-crumble-with-oat-walnut-topping

Option 2: Caramelized Banana Pudding

One of my all-time favorite desserts is banana pudding, this looks like a delicious twist to an old favorite!

Original Recipe:

caramelized-banana-pudding

Option 3: Slow Cooked Winter Bread Pudding with Dried Pears

 I LOVE bread pudding with the pear addition sounds like a fantastic combination!

Original Recipe:

slow-cooked-winter-bread-pudding-with-dried-pears

Option 4: Rice Pudding with Cherries

 Rice Pudding AND Cherries, and there is also WHITE chocolate, I am salivating just thinking about it!

Original Recipe:

Rice-pudding-with-cherries

Now you have seen the 4 main dishes and the 4 dessert choices.  Please vote by selecting a Letter and Number so that I can go shopping and get everything.  Voting will close in 1 Week and then I will cook the selected dish and dessert and post my version of the recipes along with step by step instruction with photos of what I did.  Thank you very much for your support, I can't wait to see what you have selected for me to make!