Sunday Dinner: Honey Dijon Pork Tenderloin.

Since the restaurant closed I've been able to do 'Sunday Dinners' whenever I please. Which means they've been happening less frequently on Sundays...but today I was in the cookin' mood and I had a wee little pork tenderloin in the fridge, some potatoes in the pantry and a good ol' fashioned can of peas just calling my name.

In defense of the peas, I love them canned. I do not love them frozen. And seeing as I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first CSA box of the season, it had to be canned.

Okay, back to the tenderloin.

My favorite way to prepare pork is to pair it with a sweet(ish) glaze or sauce. Also, I have seasonal allergies (stay with me here). Like, my- head- is- going- to- explode- from- the- intolerable- pressure- and- all- I- want- to- do- is- pull- the- covers- over- my- head- and- burrow- deeper- into- my- bed- allergies. So A good friend of mine suggested I get myself some local honey to combat the allergies. Every morning while the coffee is brewing a psych myself up to take a teaspoon of honey straight up. I shudder and choke as the nasty stuff slips slowly down my throat. Kitchen immunotherapy (sort of like bathroom surgery), if you will. You see, I hate honey so I'm scheming up a way to get the stuff into my system without provoking my gag reflex. And the idea hits me to make a glaze for the pork with the local honey. Kill two birds with one stone! Only, I didn't know, in order for the honey to work as an antidote is has to be raw; uncooked. Frig.

Well at least the pork was killer.

Here is what you will need:

1 boneless pork tenderloin
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 TBSP Honey
1 TBSP fresh or dried parsley
a pinch or two of dried thyme
2 TBSP freshly chopped green onion or chives
2 TBSP evoo

My tenderloin was only 10 ounces so I just eyeballed the ingredients for my sauce. Taste as you go, if you want a more subtle mustard flavor adjust the honey and vinegar amounts.


Start with the tenderloin, mine was really well trimmed but you may need to remove the silver skin (the tough membrane that covers the top of the loin) from yours.


The secret to a really good sear is pat the meat down with a paper towel to wick away the moisture, then salt and pepper and set aside while you prepare the glaze.

In a small bowl mix together the mustard, honey, white wine vinegar, parsley, thyme and green onion. Now taste it and adjust to your liking.

In an oven proof saute pan (you'll be going from stove to oven back to stove) on med-high, heat up the olive oil
When its hot, place the tenderloin in the pan

and sear each side for about 30 seconds

until its nice and golden brown on all sides.


Remove pan from heat and baste the meat with the glaze.

Make sure you use it all, brushing all sides then cook in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until the tenderloin reaches and internal temperature of 145 degrees.


When the tenderloin is finished cooking remove it from the pan and let it rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes.

While the pork is resting deglaze the pan. I don't have a photo of this step, sorry. There was a toddler having a melt down and a husband just getting home from work and, well, it slipped my mind. To deglaze take the saute pan with all the drippings and honey glaze and place it on the stove on medium heat. If you have a open bottle of nice white wine, you can use that, if not just use water. Pour the water/wine into the pan and with a wooden spatula or spoon scrape the fond (the caramelized bits of meat and sauce) from the bottom of the pan and stir adding enough water/wine to make a thin sauce to pour over your meat.

Just like so...


Pair it with a yummy green salad...

...mashed potatoes and peas and viola! Sunday dinner.

In theory now I would sit down with my husband and son and we would talk about how Chris's games went and the art project we worked on while daddy was working. Liam would eat his mashed potatoes and peas and push the pork around his plate after at least, giving it a try and then deciding he didn't care for it...

In practice, everything is on the table and were just sitting down to eat when I realize there are no serving spoons so I jump up to grab them, then Liam is spitting out his mashed potatoes into his hands and wringing his hands together then shaking them over the table spraying mashed potato bit and repeating the "S" word over and over because he doesn't like the texture. I jam a forkful of food into my face and chomp as I wipe his hands clean of potato. He refuses to try anything else on his plate and proceeds to cry when Chris and I make him sit with us at the table because DAMNIT this is SUNDAY DINNER! I munch a bit of salad and jump up from the table to microwave some leftover noodles and corn for Liam. By the time I get back to the table my plate is cold but at least Liam is eating something. Finally after a few fork fulls of noodles and corn we are defeated and let him down to go watch Thomas the train while we eat our thoughtfully prepared, yet cold dinners.

Just a day in the life.

Enjoy the pork Y'all.

Comfort Quinoa with chicken & spinach

I was first introduced to this itty bitty faux grain (its actually a seed but widely considered a super grain) back when I was making Liam's homemade baby food. He, of course, didn't care for it, then or now, but that doesn't stop me from serving it to him. I try and keep it stocked in the pantry because its super versatile.
This recipe is my favorite use of quinoa for a couple of reasons. First, it makes awesome leftovers. I'm always looking for new 'one dish' recipes that I can make an obscene amount of. Having something easy to just heat up when I'm hungry keeps me from surviving solely on crackers and peanut butter. Secondly, its flavoring is so similar to chicken noodle soup, its instantly comforting. An' who don't like that?

Here is what you will need:

½ whole Onion, Diced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1.5 cup Quinoa
2.5 cups Organic Low-sodium Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Thyme
2 whole Medium-sized Carrots, Chopped
1 cup Fresh Baby Spinach
Shredded Chicken Breast

Serves 4. Or two generously with leftovers!

(Does anyone else find it odd that Rachel Ray puts her mug on her stock boxes? I mean, it shouldn't annoy me, Paul Newman has his face all over his products and I never gave him a second thought.)

To start toss your chicken in the oven and bake at 375 for 2o minutes. Next rinse the quinoa. The seeds are coated with saponins, naturally-occurring plant chemicals that can be bitter. They keep insects from eating the plant but if you don't rinse the seeds properly you wont want to eat it either! While most quinoa is rinsed prior to packaging, I always rinse it again to be sure. Simply put it in a bowl and swirl it around in water, drain in a very fine mesh strainer, and repeat until the water is clear. Now, while the chicken is cooking prepare the main part of the dish.



Dice the carrot and onion and mince the garlic.
Spray a large saute pan with nonstick cooking spray or drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if you don’t need to keep the recipe low-fat. I like a combo of both. Heat pan over medium heat and cook onion, garlic carrot and quinoa for about five minutes.

This picture is blurry. I'm sorry. I never took a photography class in school and am just now learning about F-stop/aperture values, shutter speed and depth of field. As you can see even armed with this info I still have no idea how to take a decent picture. ANYWAY. You want the onions to become translucent and tender and the quinoa to slightly toast.

Add the chicken broth...


...and spices, bring mixture to a boil. I only had a pinch of thyme left so I tossed in some rubbed sage as well.
Cover skillet and turn heat to low. Let everything simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed- about 10 minutes.


While the quinoa is simmering, using two forks if the chicken is still hot, shred the chicken breast.


Add the shredded chicken to the quinoa
and mix together allowing to simmer until all of the stock has absorbed.


Finally, turn the heat off and mix in the spinach


It will wilt as you blend it with the other hot ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste!

Warm and nutty comfort quinoa!

Garnished with some sliced green onion and Parmesan cheese (there was also some Texas Pete nearby).


Delicious!

Lemon Poppyseed crisps.

Hello. My name is Lara and I have an enormous sweet-tooth. E. NOR. MUSS.

I am currently experiencing minor withdrawal symptoms as I have given up candy for lent.

AND dining out.

We've only just begun and I'm already feeling tortured. Of course it doesn't compare to the passion of Christ, but it IS my own personal suffering.

Anyway, Liam and I are home all day together and we usually end up making treats but today as I peered into the pantry the only sweet things I could find, to ease my suffering, were a 5 year old package of Jello pudding, (the kind you actually have to cook!) and a box mix for lemon poppy seed muffins.
The jello hit the bin but the muffin mix sparked a bit of creativity so I jumped online to see if I couldn't find some guidance (there is precise chemistry required with baking and I am not a chemist) and lo and behold the Lemon Poppyseed Crisp is born!

Here is what you will need:
(recipe adapted from Martha White)

1/4 cup Applesauce
1 TBSP butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 (7.6 oz.) package Lemon Poppyseed Muffin Mix


GLAZE
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons skim milk
dash of vanilla extract

This really couldn't be easier!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine butter, applesauce 2 tablespoons sugar and milk in bowl; blend well. Add muffin mix until well blended. drop mixture by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. While the cookies are cooling mix up the glaze to desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

People, listen to me: these are REALLY good. I was shocked. Go get yourself some muffin mix and give it a try.

I'm thinking these dolled up with pretty pastel glaze will be on our Easter menu. And Maybe by then I will have kicked the candy habit. Otherwise I'll be hitting Liam's basket for some damn robbin eggs and jelly beans.

Pasta Salad with Tuna

This is one of my mom's recipes that always shows up at our family barbecues. I don't know why I love it so, but I do and I haven't had it in a while (Tuna + Chris = divorce). So when the craving for it hit on Sunday I threw together a batch. And, of course, that afternoon Chris is sticking his head in and out of the fridge rummaging for something to eat and he pulls out the pasta salad. I should have just let him have at it but having purposefully tricked him into eating shrimp once before I have made a solemn promise never to do it again. So when I hear the saran wrap being drawn back away from the bowl I sing out a small warning:

theeeeres tunaaaaa in iiiiiiit...

I'm pretty sure he cursed.

Hey, its not my fault he's so picky.

Anyway, I made a few changes to the recipe to make it a little more "healthy".

Here is what you will need:

2 cups dry pasta, cooked (I used piccolini farfalle)

1 can albacore chunk white tuna (in water)
3 heaping Tbsp. onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 Tbsp fresh chopped dill
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp light mayo
1 Tbsp fat free sour cream
4-5 whole green olives, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
a few slices of hard boiled egg to garnish-- optional.

So the rest is pretty self explanatory: Drain the tuna, I also rinse mine and drain again. Use a fork to shred the tuna in a large mixing bowl. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix together.

As you can see mine is sans egg. I like it with the hard boiled egg I was just saving my eggs for a savory crostata that turned into "The tomato and feta crostata fiasco." But more on that later...

Add a few healthy dashes of Texas Pete and sweet Georgia Brown, that's good!

Hope you like! Enjoy!

Skinny Skins.

This appetizer is awesome. I got the idea for my stuffed skinny skins from these really incredible stuffed portobella mushrooms my brother in law used to make. But again, Chris wont eat mushrooms so when I was trying to come up with guiltless munchies for the Superbowl this recipe was born.

Here is what you will need:
10 small russet potatoes
1 small zucchini, diced
1 small yellow squash, diced
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
two green onions, sliced
half a jalapeno,minced
1 cup fresh grated mozzarella
3 slices cooked bacon, chopped
salt, & Cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 and place scrubbed potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes. until soft.

While the spuds are cooking prepare the veggie filling.

Turn this...

...into this. Add salt and Cayenne, mix together and set aside

Next, turn this...


...into this. Set aside.


To prepare the cooked potatoes slice in half and allow to cool.

Remove the pulp. I like to take out most of the pulp and save for mashed potatoes for my boys. Plus you'll have a lot of filling, Less pulp equals more filling.


Place the skins on a foil lined baking dish.


Eagerly awaiting their destiny.

I had a bit of leftover grated cheddar that I threw into the filling to help bind everything together.


Now stuff the skins.

I like my food to be pretty.


Sprinkle on the mozzarella...


...and, if you so choose, the bacon as well. I do two-thirds of the skins with bacon because, in all honesty, bacon makes em better.

Bake at 375for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

See what I mean about the bacon?


But the bacon-less ones are pretty kick-ass too. I served mine with a spicy sour cream (light sour cream dosed with Sriracha hot sauce)

Not feeling the zucchini- squash combo? Try them with a layer of guacamole, pico de gallo and top with cheese. Or how about mushrooms, peppers and onions? Endless possibilities!


Whatever your flavor I'm sure you'll love them as much as this guy.