Grilled Pork Tenderloin

This is a great grilled pork tenderloin recipe that feeds a crowd. Marinate, grill and slice into thin medallions. I marinate the pork and then freeze it in a Ziploc until I need it! Kroger has their pork tenderloins on sale this week for $1.99/lb so stock up and freeze them!

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. sherry
1 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 (3/4 lb) pork tenderloins

Marinate 6-12 hours. Grill for 20 minutes.


photo by tiny bites

Roasted Potatoes

We love potatoes. They are inexpensive, filling, and extremely versatile. And with our busy lives and crazy economy, those are great attributes to have! Potatoes can easily be your main dish when baked and served with lots o' toppings....or as a hearty side dish...and it's really hard to mess these guys up.

Our long time favorite way of eating potatoes is to roast them. My sister got me hooked on these about 15 years ago. Back then we just quartered red potatoes, put them in a 9x13 pan, drizzled a stick of butter over them, sprinkled some poultry seasoning, and then baked at 450 for an hour.

These days I do the same exact thing...I just substitute delicious lime-pepper seasoning for the poultry seasoning. Delish... and a staple with our cheeseburgers.

Another recipe that I tried this evening is for Garlic Red Potatoes. These were more "elegant" and would be wonderful paired with sauteed chicken breasts.

4 lbs. red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. and 1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. salt
2 lemons, juiced
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place potatoes in a 9x13 pan. In a small bowl combine butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice. Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake COVERED 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. (I actually had to add another 10-12 minutes to that.)

Serve!

Cutting A Red Pepper

You must run over to this blog and see how to cut a red pepper so that no pesky seeds are on your knife, cutting board, or pepper pieces.

Don't you just love clever cooking tips?

Taco Soup

This is an old stand-by for the fall and winter. It's great when you can buy canned veggies on sale or buy-one-get-one free. It serves a crowd and is quite filling. We eat half and I freeze the rest!

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn
1 can black beans
1 can diced green chilies
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

Brown beef and onion in large pot. Drain. Add everything else (I drain the corn and rinse the black beans first)...heat through!

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, and if you have some, a sprinkling of cilantro!

Taco Chicken Wraps

Today I pulled out my Crockpot for the first time since winter. I am slowly moving away from my summer grill-dependence and towards the Slow Cooker to get autumn dinners prepared early in the day.

This recipe is one that I received at a Freezer Cooking seminar a few years ago. I had never tried it until today, but it's tasty and filling so it'll be a keeper for sure.

1 lb. frozen corn
3-4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning mix
16 oz. salsa
2 cans black beans

Tortillas, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce.

Layer all ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Stir at 4 hours. Stir again at the end...when you stir this time, the chicken will break apart/shred and the mixture will thicken.

Serve with whole-grain tortillas and all the fixin's!


photo by MariSheibley

Vegetable Chowder

My tummy has been under-the-weather this week and everything I eat seems to make me feel bad. So as I was debating my lunch choices today, I thought:

"a bowl of simple soup is just what I need!"

So I reached for my More-with-Less Cookbook because I thought it would give me the best chance of a recipe with the ingredients I have on hand. And it delivered, as usual. This is a simple vegetable chowder that is easy to throw together for a warm, nourishing lunch.

1/2 cup rice, uncooked
3 chicken bouillon cubes
5 cups water
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced potatoes
1 minced onion
1/2 cup finely cut celery
1 cup canned tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes. Add when ready to serve:
1 cup milk
Heat almost to boiling and serve immediately.

No frills, just soupy comfort.


photo by peskymac

Cantaloupe Soup

I found this recipe in a Susan Branch Summer Cookbook today and since I have tons of cantaloupe on hand that needed to be consumed, I tried this! And we found it very refreshing!

1 large ripe cantaloupe
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Cut cantaloupe in half, remove seeds, scoop out flesh and put it into the blender with all other ingredients. Blend until smooth. Chill well and garnish with flowers.

Tastes like sherbet!