Tuscan Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Potatoes

While I was doing the Jillian Michaels diet thing, I kind of fell out of the whole cooking mode. Then I tried a few new recipes, and had some friends over for Cinco de Mayo (still paying for all those margaritas, LOL), and when I was talking to my friend Julie Sellers, who loves to cook (and did a great cooking challenge in September), I decided to try a cooking challenge of my own--me and Julie, each trying some new and/or cool dishes in the coming month.

I had a copy of the annual collected recipes of Cooking Light magazine, and had a bunch of cool new ingredients I wanted to try, so I tried two new recipes today.

Yummy. That was pretty much the only word I spoke, LOL. Both were big hits! I improvised on a couple of ingredients, so this is what my version ended up being (rather than their original). I served these with roasted green beans.

Tuscan Pork Tenderloin


4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 large shallots, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds pork tenderloin (I divided mine into two one-pound portions)


Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and shallots. Spread them along the roasting pan. (I drizzled in a little extra oil because it didn't seem to be enough).



Combine remaining oil, salt, rosemary, then add the lemon rind, lemon juice, fennel, pepper and garlic. Rub this mixture over the pork tenderloin, then arrange it in the pan on top of the shallot mixture. Roast at 500 degrees for 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 155 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes, then serve.


Roasted Garlic Mustard Potatoes


3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
7 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
3 tablepoons minced scallion (or chives)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, minced garlic and unpeeled cloves (these will be roasted and later used, so they go in the pan now), and potatoes. Toss well to coat, and put in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour, stirring at 30 minutes.


Remove potatoes from oven. Take out whole garlic cloves and press out the garlic pulp (I gripped the teeny end with my fingers and used tongs to squeeze them because they were hot. The pulp just slips out of the skin). Mix with all remaining ingredients, then toss potatoes in the mustard mixture. Serve :-)


I'm dying to see what Julie comes up with this week :-)


Shirley

Ham, Potato and Cheddar Pie

When I was a kid, my mom made something she called Spam Pie. I loved it, and it's always been one of those comfort foods that I love when it's cold and icky out. I know, I know--SPAM? But it was good, believe me.

My husband is anti-Spam, so I now make the pie with ham. Whatever leftover ham I have from roasting one, that's what goes in there (so, the Blackberry Glazed Ham became this later). It's easy, quick, and though most people would use two pie crusts to make it a true pie, I usually just use one to save the bottom calories. LOL because this is not a low-calorie meal (it's the whole Diet Coke and large fries concept, LOL).

Ham, Potato and Cheddar Pie

1 green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons butter

3 baked potatoes, peeled and cubed (if you don't have leftover ones, just bake them in the microwave, let them cool and then cut them up)

1 pound ham, cubed

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 can cheddar cheese soup

salt and pepper

pie crust

1/2 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350. Melt the butter in a pan, add peppers and onions and cook until softened. Add the ham and potatoes, then stir in ONE can of cream of mushroom soup and the cheddar cheese soup. Season with salt and pepper. Put into a pie plate, top with pie crust (cut a slit in the top) and bake (I put a cookie sheet underneath since it tends to bubble up) for 30 minutes. In a separate saucepan, mix the remaining can of soup and milk, and cook until warmed through. Serve pie with soup on the side.

Shirley

A Dinner Hit...and Miss

Not everything I make goes over with a "yum." Some things get a decided thumbs-down. But hey, it looks good on TV or gets good reviews, so I figured it would be a good choice.

Not always the case ;-)

Anyway, we had company for dinner a few nights ago and I had one Hit -- Emeril's Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts with Chasseur Sauce (definitely good, very easy and the presentation is very pretty, so it's really good for entertaining). And one Miss--Nigella's Double Potato Mash.

With Emeril's recipe, I didn't use bone-in chicken breasts. For one, I just don't like bone-in anything. I have this thing about finding bones in my food (hey, we all have our quirks). So I tend to use boneless meat in my recipes. The boneless chicken breasts worked out just fine (and FYI, the technique of searing and then baking at 400 degrees works great with all kinds of meat...I did it with steaks later in the week and it worked out fab).

I had my homemade chicken stock for this recipe (not his recommended dark chicken stock). I think homemade chicken stock, as I have said before, makes all the difference in the world. I also used a white wine I would drink, not one of those icky ones you just throw into a recipe because you wouldn't serve it to your worst enemy.

My daughter, who is not a big meat eater (AT ALL), had FIVE helpings of this chicken. I don't think she's eaten that much meat in her entire life, LOL. So this was a definite hit.

But the Double Mash Potatoes...well, those were enjoyed by two of the five people at the table. The rest weren't wild about them, diehard mashed potato fans that they are.

So here I was, stuck with a ton of leftover mashed potatoes. I had to figure out something to do with them. I wasn't going to throw them away, so I ended up (a couple days later), mixing them with a cup or a cup and a half of flour, then forming them into little pancakes and frying them in a little butter. Then I served the sweet potato pancakes (as I called them :-) with sour cream with diced scallions mixed into it.

The potato pancakes -- those WERE a hit. Everyone loved those, and the sour cream/scallion topping. So I know what to do with leftover sweet potatoes now :-)

Shirley

The Thanksgiving Plan

Tomorrow's the big day. For a home cook, it's that make-or-break show, KWIM? You can truly screw up Thanksgiving, or you can do it and do it well. No pressure ;-)

This year's plan is a little healthy cooking, a little traditional. The Today Show scared the pants off me when that toothpick thin nutritionist chick said the average Thanksgiving Day dinner has 4000 calories in it (IMHO, that woman is way too thin and could use more than one helping of T-Day dinner, but hey, that's just the opinion of someone who has to convince her jeans that they'll fit her thighs today).

So, here's the plan for the big bird day. We have about 14 or so people coming:

A 21-pound turkey. I like leftovers. Sue me.
Mashed Potatoes (the ones I keep warm in the Crock-Pot)
Healthy Green Beans--I just got the Food Network magazine and they had a recipe for healthy green beans. None of that soup stuff in there. I figure I save 3999 calories with these ;-)
Sausage and Cranberry stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Gratin--if I have time. This is one of those don't-have-to-have-it sides
Glazed Carrots
Gravy--Homemade; none of that canned stuff here
This Poinsettia Punch I came across on Fine Living.com

The guests are bringing dessert, so that's off my plate this year. For appetizers, I have cheese and crackers. Hey, enough cooking there already. We got new great room furniture delivered today, and I am brining the turkey for the first time ever. I sure hope that works out well because if you screw up the turkey...

Well, you've pretty much ruined everything.

All the reports I read about brining say it rocks, though, so I have high hopes :-)

Shirley

Guest Author Gail Barrett with a Potato Recipe!

Today I have guest author Gail Barrett stopping by. She's got a great new book out this month, and a yummy, easy recipe to share!

To Protect a Princess
Gail Barrett
November 2008
Silhouette Romantic Suspense
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-27608-0
ISBN-10: 0-373-27608-7
Book Two of THE CRUSADERS: Chasing legends, capturing hearts.

Logan Burke is no hero, but princess Dara Adams needs the legendary guide to help her restore an ancient artifact to her people. Logan has vowed never again to take a woman across the treacherous Andes. But with a sniper on Dara's trail, the sexy loner has no choice but to sweep her from harm's way. Searching for the lost Inca city, they journey deeper into the heart of danger -- and discover a passion even more perilous...

"Filled with nonstop action and adventure." Romantic Times - 4-1/2 Stars TOP PICK!!!



You'll find To Protect a Princess in stores nationwide and online. And if you make Gail's potato recipe for dinner, you'll have even more reading time ;-)

Gail Barrett's Easy Potatoes



1-1/4 cups milk (I use nonfat)
3 TB butter
2 cups water
1-1/2 tsp salt

1. Bring that to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Remove from the heat and add the following, stirring until everything is melted:

3 cups potato flakes (they come in a box)
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped chives (dried are okay)

3. Put the mixture in a greased casserole dish. Dot with butter and paprika.

4. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees. Serve! :-)

Visit Gail's website to read more about her latest releases, and get some behind the scenes looks at her books!

Shirley

Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Ginger-Honey Carrots

Just typing that subject headline made me hungry again. :-). I wish I had enough leftovers from this meal to have had it more than once, that's for sure. Although if I do it again, I think I might add just a bit of a kick to the chicken. Maybe a teeny bit of cayenne pepper, just to take it up a notch.

The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Piccata was a little bit of work (and don't get me started on how one of my dogs stole two pieces after I was done cooking it. If he was going to pick a meal to do that to, choose one that isn't that much work, for Pete's sake).

Now, according to Rachael Ray, this is a 30-minute meal. Uh, not exactly. It took me about 45 minutes. And I needed more like 3 cups of finely grated Parmesan (I used fresh, BTW) not, 1 1/4 cups. I did the Rachael trick for pounding the breasts thin--put them between two pieces of wax paper and whack the heck out of them with a heavy pan (I had a small cast iron pan for the task). MUCH faster than a meat pounder. So here's the recipe, if you want to try it. It was very yummy. :-)

I served it with Carrots with Ginger-Honey Glaze, which were insanely easy and VERY good. I'm not a big fan of carrots in their natural state. You know, just steamed. I like them sweetened up. Usually I cook them with butter, a bit of brown sugar, some cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. But this was a nice change.

Carrots with Ginger-Honey Glaze

1 pound baby carrots
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped and peeled fresh ginger (and it makes a difference, so buy this and use it)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook carrots until just tender, either in the microwave or in boiling water. Drain. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, then add the honey, fresh ginger and ground ginger. Stir in carrots. Cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat, until the glaze coats the carrots. Serve.

I served this with Crisp Garlic Oven Fries, a recipe I found over on SparkPeople. My husband really liked these, so did the kids. I thought they were pretty good, but I wasn't as raving about them as the rest of the family. Maybe it was just me. Or my mood that day. :-)

And yes, those are new plates in the photo. I was so tired of the ones I had bought like 15 years ago that I went and bought the new Food Network ones they have at Kohls. They're pretty cool, and nice and white. So far, I really like them--and love how deep the bowls are. Now to get the rest of the accessory pieces :-)

Shirley

Unique Barbecue Dinner and a Dessert to Die For

Last night, we had some friends over, and since I already had this dinner in the works, they were part of my new dinner experiment. :-) (no pictures today, sorry! I was too busy eating and talking).

Bon Appetit's July 2008 issue is the Barbecue issue and they had some rather unique things to barbecue. Coleslaw for one. A whole chicken for another. I started with the whole chicken and loved most of the recipe (I didn't do one half of it).

Sicilian Grill-Roasted Chicken, Shirley Style (since I didn't follow theirs the whole way; and here it is, cut in half, though since we had company, I doubled it and did two chickens...and this is one I really do wish I took a picture of because MAN did it look good when it was done cooking)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/8 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 3 1/2 to 4-pound roaster fryer chicken

Time involved: one hour for marinade, one hour for grilling.

Whisk together lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a zip-top gallon size storage bag, then pour marinade over chicken and refrigerate one hour (or more if you want to do this in the morning), turning every once in a while.

Preheat grill. Mine is old, so I ended up having to turn it to high, even though BA said medium was good. When it's time to put the chicken on, TURN OFF THE SIDE THE CHICKEN IS ON, so the chicken doesn't cook too much on the bottom, and keep the other half of the grill on so that the grill inside stays at 350-400 degrees F. I used a digital meat thermometer (these are GREAT; I highly recommend them. They're the kind you can stick in the meat, and the digital thing stays on the outside of the oven or grill and keeps track of the meat's temperature). Anyway, cook until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees F. Just leave it be; no need to baste or anything.

Now, BA had also had this recipe for this mediterranean drizzle that went with the chicken that had garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil. But when I made it, and tasted it, it was...salty and oily. Ugh. So I didn't do that part.

But the chicken itself was AWESOME. I'd love to try this lots of other ways, with a little kicked up spices, rotissiere-style spices, etc. It was quick and easy and VERY juicy. And you can make like four or five chickens at a time on the grill, just cook them and strip them and freeze the meat for later meals. So if chickens go on sale, that's just what I'm going to do. If summer doesn't just go south on me here . Or my grill doesn't give up the ghost (it's been fighting me lately).

I also made a grilled cole slaw. I know, it sounds weird. But it was kinda cool. Very different and totally healthy. It made a LOT. Way too much, LOL, for one family or even two. I am not a fan of the mayo-based cole slaw at all, but I liked this because it was so light. I adapted this too after tasting it because it needed "something."

Grilled Red and Green Cabbage Slaw with Apples

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus extra for grilling
2 tablespoons Honey Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper
1 medium head red cabbage, quartered through core
1 medium head green cabbage, quartered through core
6 green onions
4-5 apples (I used Galas), cut in half

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard and tarragon and set aside. Preheat grill to medium. Brush cabbage with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on grill, turning every three to four minutes, until grill marks form and it's slightly wilted. Grill green onions (one minute). Spray apple halves with vegetable spray and grill for three minutes.

Remove all. Chop onions and cabbages (you probably won't need all the cabbage; I used all but two of the quarters), slice apples. Toss in a large bowl with dressing. Serve warm or cold; I served it warm.

I also made these FABULOUS Roasted Red Potatoes wtih Bacon and Cheese from the Kraft Food and Family magazine (a tip: save some bacon and some cheese, and throw those on the top in the last five minutes, then roast a bit more).

And for dessert, OMG, you TOTALLY HAVE TO MAKE THIS ONE...so easy and SO good.

Easy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Eclair Dessert. It couldn't be easier if you had the Keebler elves themselves in your kitchen. And it was SO STINKIN' good. It says to refrigerate eight hours. Uh, some people don't plan that far ahead ;-). I can tell you on good authority that freezing for one hour also works (and then defrost while you eat dinner).

So Far So Good!

Three pounds down as of this morning! And that's even after having eight little chocolate balls and one Nestle Crunch chocolate bell last night. Chocolate...thy name is temptation ;-)

So my first week was a good one, overall, despite a couple of setbacks. Last night for dinner, I made a really good chicken recipe. Very moist, if I do say so myself! Another hit with the kids. We were supposed to go out to Applebee's, but my head still wasn't cooperating and it was raining like you wouldn't believe, so we stayed home and had chicken. Again. :-) [No points available on these ones, since I made them up. Sorry!]

Lazy Broccoli Cheese Chicken Recipe

6 chicken breasts
1 10 3/4-ounce can 98% fat-free broccoli cheese soup
1/3 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup low-fat cheese
bread crumbs
Cooking spray (i.e., Pam)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I took frozen chicken breasts (you know the kind that come in a bag? I got the ones from Wal-Mart, which were on sale, and they were actually very good). Cooked them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with foil, then put them in a baking dish. Mixed one can of 98% fat-free broccoli cheese soup with 1/3 cup low-fat milk. Poured that over the chicken. Sprinkled the whole thing with 1/2 cup low-fat cheddar cheese. Sprinkled that with some bread crumbs, then sprayed the bread crumbs with Pam (if you do it really close, they get crisp when you bake it. Don't drown them, just spray them and get 'em moist. Way less calories then tossing them with melted butter). Baked it at 350 degrees for another 30 minutes.

Lazy Roasted Red Potatoes

2 1/2 red potatoes
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon Garlic powder, california style
1 teaspoon hamburger seasoning
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

I used the leftover half a 5 pound bag from making the potato salad earlier this week, diced them up really small, like 3/4-inch pieces (left the skins on because I like red potato skin). Threw them into a Zip-Loc bag with a tablespoon of canola oil (I think it was one of those "healthy" oil blends), a teaspoon or so of this new Garlic Powder California Style from McCormick as well as a teaspoon of hamburger seasoning (I was feeling lazy and just looking for spices already put together that seemed to work and those did the trick) and a couple tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. Put it all on the roasting pan on top of foil (again, lazy trick to eliminate clean-up) and cooked it with the chicken, turning them halfway through.

Yummy all around. A hit with all kids. And DH :-)

Shirley

Recipe: Roast Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Ginger Sauce

This is a tried and true recipe from my house and one I absolutely love. I don't even have a pork roast in the fridge right now, so I think I might be stopping by the grocery store today to pick one up :-) It's really easy, but it's one of those recipes that wow guests when you make it because it looks really impressive.

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Ginger Sauce

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried ginger

2-pound pork loin roast (I don't know about you, but I love pork roast, and I use a much bigger one)

4 small sweet potatoes (if you want to roast these with it; they're optional if you don't like sweet potatoes, of course)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (buy good stuff for this--it's worth it with balsamic vinegar, IMO)

1/2 cup soy sauce

Heat oven to 475 degrees. Mix garlic with 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and ginger to form a paste. Rub on the roast, then put the roast in a roasting pan and put it in the oven. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining salt, arrange on the pan with the pork. Put in the oven and roast 20 minutes per pound, or until meat thermometer reads 155 degrees or higher in thickest part of pork.

Meanwhile, mix last four ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until thickened, about five minutes, stirring often. Keep an eye on it -- you don't want it to burn. Serve on top of the pork.

Enjoy! I'm working this morning, then off for a quick Christmas lunch with two writer friends before going back to work for a few more hours and then hopefully going to start shopping. Egads! I never start shopping this late in the year!!

Shirley

Another Recipe Favorite -- Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

I don't know about you guys but I always buy a turkey that is WAY too big and then I never have enough room in my oven for the vegetables and all the other stuff I like to make at Thanksgiving. And I always want to make EVERYTHING. Pies, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, corn casserole, biscuits. I need a double oven, or maybe a triple oven ;-) but all I have is a plain old Kenmore that I'm sure I hear groaning when I come near it :-).

So here's my recipe for Crock-Pot mashed potatoes. You make them pretty much like regular mashed potatoes, but you can make them ahead of time and keep them warm in the crock-pot, thereby keeping a burner free.

Shirley's Crock-Pot Mashed Potatoes
5 lbs. potatoes (9 large)
2 3-ounce packages of cream cheese
1 cup dairy sour cream
2 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

Cook peeled potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain. Mash
until smooth (meaning no lumps. Nobody likes lumpy mashed potatoes, right?). Add the rest of the ingredients, beating until light and fluffy. Spray non-stick spray inside your crock-pot, add the mashed potatoes and put the pot on low. They'll keep in here for a few hours. Stir every hour or so to keep them from burning along the sides. If they start to dry out, add a little butter.

Very yummy. The onion salt, IMO, adds a little extra oomph. I love these and have been known to eat a whole serving or two before they even make it to the crock-pot ;-)

Shirley