Maple Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Not too long after I started blogging Connie came home from a bridge game and announced that Suzanne had a friend who blogged also.  Well, now.  That'd be fun to know another Indianapolis blogger.  Her name was Liz and she wrote a blog called ThatSkinnyChickCanBake. 

It turns out that Liz is not only a fabulous blogger but one of the most wonderful people you can ever hope to meet.  She and her husband, Bill, live not too far from us.  And, coincidentally, across the street from a friend from high school and his wife - who I'd lost contact with.  Super double bonus.  We meet Liz and Bill and Steve and Pam are now back in our lives. 

So, let me tell you a bit about Liz.  She and Bill are from Iowa.  His work brought them here.  They've got three kids.  Tom, Katie and Nick.  They're great kids.  Not surprising at all given how wonderful their mom and dad are.  She's super involved in the community.  And, she's got LOTS of friends.  Friends who've been friends for years and years and years.  She's that kind of person.  Once you know her you're her friend and you want to stay her friend because she's so delightful.  I can't forget Lambeau.  She's the family dog.  She's an old lady but still loves to have company.  You'll see her in the occasional post. 

Her blog is amazing.  I've never seen anyone who can not only master so many dessert techniques but who also does such a wonderful job with the other courses - appetizers, entrees, sides, salads...  Now, because I'm not a dessert maker I love it when she posts the other stuff.  And, I know it's going to be good because our tastes are so similar.  When I'm in a position where I've got to fix dessert, the first place I go is Liz's blog.  That's where I found the Mounds Bars cookies.  Thank goodness the leftovers are in the basement freezer.  If they were in the office freezer they wouldn't still be around...  I'm not much of a sweets eater but those I'll make an exception for. 

Now, imagine my delight when I got my Secret Recipe Club assignment.  Liz.  Wooo Hoooo!!!  With the big change over at work going on time to cook has been scarce.  I wasn't excited about getting a blog that didn't have fantastic choices.  Not a problem here.  I must've printed a dozen recipes before settling on this one for pork tenderloin.  Actually, there's another that I'm going to have to make this week.  It's a salad with beets, hearts of palm and blue cheese.  I've got all the ingredients and just have to remember to cook the beets. 

A note about Secret Recipe Club in the event you're not familiar with it.  Every Monday a different group of bloggers posts for SRC.  We're given our assignment about three weeks prior to the reveal date.  Then, it's time to sit down and read blogs.  We've had some fantastic recipes from SRC.  I think Connie's favorite is the Irish Pancakes from Josie.  I'm not sure if my favorite was the BBQ Chicken Dip or the Stuffed Meatloaf.  It's a fun opportunity to get acquainted with other bloggers. 

So, how did we like the pork tenderloin?  MMMMMMMM!  Liz hit another home run with this.  We marinated the pork overnight then grilled it for dinner.  Leftovers wound up in sandwiches for lunch.  I'll tell you more about the sandwiches in another post...  This will now be the alternate to my favorite pork tenderloin from Back Home Again - a cookbook both Liz and I love.  Here's the link to Liz's post:  Maple Grilled Pork Tenderloin.

There's one fun note that I want to add.  Connie's our wine steward.  He'll ask what we're having for dinner then figure out the right wine.  The evening we had the pork tenderloin he came up from the basement with a big grin on his face.  A Chablis from Suzanne!  It was perfect with the pork :-)

Maple Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins
1/4 c Dijon mustard
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 T lemon juice
1 T soy sauce
3 T maple syrup

Directions:

Mix the ingredients in a ziplock bag.  Add the tenderloins and marinate in the fridge overnight.  Grill until the tenderloins have reached your desired temperature.  We like ours more pink than most folks...  Liz serves hers with sauteed Granny Smith apples.  Connie gripes if I feed him too much fruit.  That and the fact that I had about a dozen tomatoes from the garden to use up tipped the scales in favor of parmesan baked tomatoes instead of the apples...

adapted from ThatSkinnyChickCanBake

Bruschetta with Cantaloupe Chutney and Prosciutto

Prosciutto and cantaloupe.  Pretty much the perfect pairing, isn't it?  So, I have a choice here.  One, tell you really quickly about this fantastic recipe or two, write a long post and once again let it languish in the queue because there isn't time to finish it.  Speed wins.  This was amazing.  We'll have it again for lunch today!

Prosciutto Bruschetta and Cantaloupe Chutney

Ingredients:

12 1/4" thick baguette slices
2 T olive oil
12 thin prosciutto slices (I used half slices since my baguette was tiny)


for the chutney:
1/2 medium cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1 T minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 t salt
1/4 t ground cloves
pinch cayenne

Directions:

Mix the chutney ingredients in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium low heat for about 45 minutes.  You'll want the chutney to thicken up so it stays on the bruschetta.  Now, because it was almost 9pm and I'd just gotten home from the office and wanted dinner NOW, I put the chutney in a bowl and microwaved it for 3 minutes. It didn't thicken well, but it did serve to combine the flavors nicely. Next time I'll do it the right way. 

To make the bruschetta, brush the baguette slices with olive oil and broil them until they're just a tad bit brown.  Fold the prosciutto and put that on the slices.  Top with a dollop of chutney.  Broil again until the chutney is bubbly.

adapted from Southern Living

Dinner from the Garden

Normally this time of year we have a bumper crop of everything from the garden.  Not so much this year.  A lot of Indiana is in an exceptional drought.  That's the worst type.  Until the last week or so rainshowers had pretty much hit all around us but very few had actually hit our home.  Our herbs have mostly gone to seed and the vegetables (with the exception of peppers and cucumbers) just haven't grown.  Finally, we went out to the garden and got enough for dinner!  Well, at least for the salad course!

I remember the year we had an absolute bumper crop of eggplant.  I made all kinds of new and fun dishes.  This year, we've had two eggplants from eight plants.  The first was almost decent sized.  The second as about the size of Connie's fist.

The Southwestern Grill by Michael McLaughlin had recently joined my collection of cookbooks.  There was an eggplant dip that I really wanted to try.  But, I couldn't find the cookbook.  All over the kitchen and family room I searched.  Not to be found.  Ah, ha moment.  I'd taken it to bed to read.  Yup.  It was sitting on the floor next to the bed.  Whew. 

What did we think?  This was incredibly easy to make.  And, we totally loved the flavor.  The recipe calls for using the dip with corn chips.  I can see it being used mixed in with mashed potatoes.  Or a good dollop on top of a lovely southwestern rubbed pork tenderloin. 

Now, for the second, little eggplant, I got creative on my own.  We had a couple of burrata that we needed to use up.  I'd never seen them in Indy and had found them at Trader Joe's.  One of my favorite eggplant salad combos is fried eggplant and tomatoes with shredded mozzarella.  What if I replaced the shredded mozzarella with the burrata and added some good homemade pesto?  Well, let me tell you, that worked.  I wish I had another eggplant in the garden and I'd be making that again NOW.

Grilled Eggplant Dip wtih Sweet and Smoky Flavors

Ingredients:

3 T pine nuts, toasted and set aside
2 - 1/1/2 lb eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1/2" slices (do not peel)
3 T olive oil (divided)
chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 T minced canned chipotle chilies en adobo
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t salt
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped (optional) 

Directions:

Toss the eggplant with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  You can either grill the slices or roast them.    The eggplant should be very well done. 

Coarsely chop the eggplant and put it in the bowl of the food processor with all the othe ingredients other than the pine nuts and cilantro.  Pulse a few times making sure the mixture is still a bit coarse. Top with the pine nuts and cilantro.  (Obviously from the photos I skipped both.)  Serve at room temperature with corn chips.

adapted from Southwestern Grill


Eggplant and Burrata Salad

Ingredients:

One small eggplant, sliced into four slices
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c panko
1/2 c finely grated gruyere, parmesan or romano
1 large tomato, sliced into 1/2" slices
2 buratta
1/4 c freshly made pesto

Directions:

Don't peel the eggplant.  Dip the slices into the egg then into a mixture of the panko and cheese.  Fry in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until the eggplant is brown and crunchy.  Remove from the heat and put on two salad plates.  Nest the slices. 

Top with tomato slices.  Depending on the size of the tomato, you'll need either one or two per salad. 

Top the tomatoes with a burrata.  Drizzle pesto over.

Pulled Pork

We had a party at the office this weekend.  It was a shredding, electronics disposal, BBQ and chair massage.  Oh, and folks could sign their paperwork for our big change.  Several weeks ago we had a BBQ tasting and determined that Black Diamond was the best.  Like they won by 27 points out of 30 to the other's 19 points.   See the things we go through for our clients?  I know.  It's tough but somebody's got to do it. 

Time came to order and the website said the big tray of pulled pork or beef brisket would serve 40.  I ordered a tray and a half of each.  Then, I ordered a tray and a half of mac and cheese and a tray each of slaw and baked beans.  Should have been plenty of food.  Let's just say the mac and cheese and baked beans were inhaled.  I got a little taste early on then headed to my office to meet with folks.  When I came up for air four hours later the pans were empty.  Bare.  Nada.  The only thing we had much left over was pulled pork.  There was about four pounds of that.  And, maybe a pound of the beef brisket. 

With the hours we've been working cooking has not been a priority.  But, I'm craving some good homecooked food.  So, I decided to take an evening and turn the pork into four dishes of about six to eight servings each.  I'd decided to make chili, shepherd's pie, stuffed peppers and something else.  As luck would have it, there was an article in Food Network Magazine by Melissa D'Arabian about ten uses for leftover pulled pork.  I was pumped.  As it turned out, I'd already made "sloppy joes" with some of the meat.  And, I had the chili and shepherd's pie on the menu.  Then, I found an old recipe from an antique Woman's Day that I'd pulled out of the stack in the basement to go thru and toss.  It was for a beef stew with garbanzo beans, black beans, salsa...  Perfect for pork.  I had my four dishes.  And, I came home in time to cook.

Here are the basics.  Since time is so precious here I'm going to be brief...

Shepherd's Pie:  Mix pulled pork, jarred gravy (pork is best but turkey will do,) a good splash of white wine, a good dose of herbs, frozen peas, chopped and cooked carrots, frozen pearl onions and a can of mushrooms.  Top it all with cheesy mashed potatoes and a sprinkle of paprika or emeril's essence or BBQ rub or something that'll give it some color and zing.  Bake until it's nice and bubbly.

Stuffed peppers:  Mix pulled pork, cooked brown rice, black beans, salsa, chipotle chili powder and shredded mozzarella cheese.  You can either freeze them and cook them later or bake them until the peppers are cooked through.

Chili:  Saute a large yellow onion (diced) with some diced green pepper.  Add a can of chicken broth (homemade stock is best but use what you've got,) a couple of cans of diced green chilies, pulled pork, a couple of cans of beans (rinsed and drained - I like pinto, white kidney and/or black beans,) along with a good sprinkle of cumin and chili powder.

Pork stew:  Mix a can of corn (drained) with a can of garbanzo beans and a can of black beans (both drained and rinsed,) pulled pork, 1 c each salsa and BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays,) and a package of taco seasoning mix.  It also calls for mixing in chopped cilantro but since I was putting the mixture into a foil lined casserole dish then freezing the whole deal, I decided I'd top it with some grated cheese and cilantro when I actually bake it.

So, there you have it.  How I turned a few pounds of pork into about 16 meals.  Now, if I can keep from going nuts from eating pork too often  over the next month, I'll be in great shape.  That and if I can get through the veritable mountain of paperwork in my office... 

pork stew adapted from Women's Day

Deli Breakfast Sandwich

At the office working away and I need a brain break.  It's going to be a brutal week.  A busy week typically has 25 appointments.  This one has 34.  Ouch!  We're making a major change at the office and I need to get signatures on paperwork from about 400 clients.  Another 150 won't have to sign anything at this point - WHEW! 


The good news is that we started the morning with killer breakfast sandwiches.  Our tummies are full and happy.  Food Network Magazine publishes a pull-out booklet each month.  Fifty of something.  I usually scan the list and think, "That's nice," then never get anything made.  This month is different.  50 quick breakfasts.  I'm always on the lookout for a great new breakfast.  Unfortunately a LOT of the recipes were for sweet breakfasts.  I do vanilla yogurt, blueberries and Cheerio's a few times a week because Dr. Don says to eat dark fruits and veggies for my eyes and Dr. George says to eat fiber for my, well, you get it.  That's enough of the sweet breakfasts for me. 


What caught my eye about this recipe was the olive spread.  I had a jar of muffaletta relish that needed to be used.  Great excuse to open it!  And, I had some salami in the freezer that'd been there a couple of months.  Plus, any excuse to buy the Rosemary and Sea Salt Foccacia from Sam's Club is fine with me.  That is our favorite bread.  As much as I try NOT to eat bread, that's the one I'll devour.


What did we think?  A FIVE.  Absolutely.  I'd make this again tomorrow.  Now, nothing will ever replace slices of happiness.  But, this is close.  This will be one of those Sunday breakfasts that we'll talk about on Saturday.  A Saturday trip to Sam's after a day at the office to snag some of the foccacia.  An excuse to keep muffaletta relish on hand.  Perfect!



Deli Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

foccacia bread or kaiser rolls
green olive tapenade, spread, relish or muffaletta relish
shredded mozzarella cheese
salami
mortadella
eggs

Directions:

Split the rolls or cut the bread into sandwich sized servings then cut those in half.  Toast the cut sides of the bread/rolls under the broiler. 

Spread with the green olive tapenade.  Top with the shredded mozzarella. 

Put it back under the broiler until the cheese melts.  While the sandwiches are getting started, cook your eggs. 

One per sandwich.  However you like them - scrambled, over easy, sunny side up...  Once the cheese melts, top one half with slices of salami and mortadella then with your cooked eggs. 

Put the top of the sandwich on and serve.

adapted from Food Network Magazine

Cucumber Salad

Leftovers for lunch again.  More Firefly meatloaf.  And, more cucumber salad.  I was hoping Connie wouldn't realize the salad was pushing five days old.  He really doesn't care for leftovers but eats them because that's whats served to him.


That evening, he says, 'Was that the cucumber salad we had a WEEK ago?"  Why, yes, it was.  (You and I know that's easier than arguing about the number of days something has been hanging around our refrigerators!)  Why?"  Well, he says, it was still very good.  I liked that a lot.  Can we have it again?  Like tonight?


SCORE!  Thank you MomChef!!!  So, my friend Christiane is a fantastic cook.  If you don't already know her, she's one you need to get to know.  I frequently make recipes from her blog.  In fact, if I only had two blogs I could read it'd be hers and That Skinny Chick Can Bake.  Not that I love to bake.  I don't.  I just think Liz is wonderful too.  And, she has some really fantastic NON-baking type recipes.


So, back to the cucumber salad.  Goodness but it was wonderful.  I'm not a huge fan of cucumbers.  We grow them in the garden because Connie loves them.  No, he LOVES them.  Cucumbers and radishes.  The two veggies that absolutely make his heart go pitty-pat.  Most of the time I just munch my way through the cucumbers knowing that I've made the dish because I love Connie - not the cucumbers.  Now, I have my own cucumber dish to love.  Ok, so here's the deal.  If you don't read another blog today, please go read this recipe on Christiane's blog.  Her story about her dad is so heartwarming that you'll probably have a smile on your face the rest of the day like I did!

Christiane's Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb cucumbers, halved lengthwise and seeded
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion
2 T chopped fresh mint
2 T chopped fresh dill (dried will do in a pinch)
2 T red wine vinegar
1 t chopped fresh oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Chop the cucumbers in 1/2" chunks.  Quarter the red onions before thinly slicing them.  Toss the salad ingredients together. 

adapted from Taking On Magazines One Recipe at a Time, originally from Fine Cooking

Firefly Meatloaf

Ahhh, Saturday.  Two appointments at the office.  A calling for a friend's dad.  Then, home to change clothes and off to the grocery for the first time in about a month...  I should've gone back to the office.  But, every recipe I looked at called for something I didn't have. Plus Connie was out of his pretzel crisps. 
I typically do my menu planning in the car.  Carte du Jour - one of the cookbooks published by Royal Caribbean - had gone in the car with me on the way to pick Mom up to take her to the calling.  I'd gotten some great ideas and mapped out some potential dinners.  But, I wasn't totally ready.  Then, on the way to the grocery, we stopped at Tuesday Morning.  Our salad spinner died.  Our blender and mandoline are on their last legs.  It was time to try and replace all of them.  Did you know Tuesday Morning carries cookbooks?  Sometimes it's the same collection forever.  Sometimes they get some great new ones in.  You've just got to stop in a couple of times a year - or more :-)  This trip I found one from Niman Ranch.  They're the meat folks.  Most of the book is the Niman Ranch story.  But the back third is recipes.  Almost all of which I'd like to try. 


The recipe that first caught my eye is Firefly Meatloaf.  It's from Firefly restaurant in San Francisco.   Since Connie plays bridge on Monday evenings, dinner that night is either ultra quick or he's going to have to hit the dollar menu at Mickey D's.  Meatloaf would be the perfect reheatable dinner to get him fed and out the door on time.  So I could start my lovely evening of quietly catching up on a bunch of things at the office - all from the comfort of my home.

What did we think?  This was very good.  It wasn't as good as my mom's, but then when is ANY meatloaf as good as Mom's?  Same goes for chocolate chip cookies.  Well, unless your mom wasn't a great cook.  Then, I might understand.  But, my mom is a fantastic cook!  So, this is something we'd make again but probably won't because there are just so daggone many wonderful recipes out there to be tried.


Firefly Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 1/4 lbs ground beef
2 T olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 yellow onions, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 1/4 c dried bread crumbs
1 c milk
2 large eggs
1/3  ketchup
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T kosher salt
1 t ground black pepper
1 t Hungarian sweet paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t celery seeds
pinch ground allspice
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
6 slices apple wood smoked bacon

Directions:

This is made in three parts. First, you want to soak the bread crumbs in the milk.  They should soak for at least ten minutes so all of the milk is absorbed. 

While that's soaking, you want to saute the onion and celery until they're tender. 

Add the garlic at the last minute so it doesn't burn and become bitter.  The third part is whisking together the seasonings and the eggs.  Once that's all done, mix it all up.  You're better off using your hands with this.  Form the mixture into a loaf on a rimmed baking sheet.  Wrap the loaf with the bacon and bake it at 350F for about an hour.

adapted from Niman Ranch Cookbook