Grilled Pork Tenderloin Marinade!

I have used a Southern Living marinade recipe for Pork Tenderloin for as long as I can remember... I decided to find another one to "mix it up!" This one flavors the meat so nicely! Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 2 (3/4 to 1 pound) pork tenderloins
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon minced shallots
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

Directions

Trim the tenderloins of all fat and silverskin. Place them in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them without crowding.

Combine the soy sauce, sherry, honey, vinegar, oil, and orange juice in a medium bowl, whisking until well blended. Stir in the shallots and ginger. Pour the mixture over the tenderloins. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate at room temperature for 2 hours OR in the fridge for 6+ hours.

Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan.

Remove the pork from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Place the tenderloins on the grill and cook, turning frequently, for about 18 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 155 degrees F. Transfer to a platter and allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

My New Favorite Salad

Mixed Greens, Pecans, Goat Cheese, Red Pepper with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ounces pecans, whole
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp honey mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 lb mixed salad greens, including fresh baby spinach
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-2 inch thin slices

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 300°F. Place pecans in a bowl, pour melted butter over them, sprinkle with sugar, and gently toss until the pecans are all well coated with a dusting of sugar. Place them in a single layer on a parchment paper or Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool to touch.

2 Whisk together the honey mustard, garlic, red pepper flakes, and balsamic vinegar in a medium sized bowl. Slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture, whisking constantly until completely incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3 Place lettuces and baby spinach in a large bowl. Add the goat cheese, dried cranberries, red bell pepper, and pecans. Toss with 1/4 cup of the dressing.

Roasted Cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
• Lemon juice from half a lemon
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Sprinkle lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has.

2 Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Roasted Baby Carrots

This is a Quick, Easy and Great-tasting side! I found this recipe along with a couple more I will post off of simplyrecipes.com Check it out for great recipes!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lbs of 5 inch long baby carrots, carefully washed, patted dry, greens cropped to 1 inch above top of carrot
• 1 medium red onion, peeled, cut lengthwise (root to top) into 8-12 wedges
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently toss together the carrots, red onion, rosemary to coat with the olive oil. Lay out on a rimmed baking pan, lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

2 Roast for 30 to 40 minutes on middle rack or bottom rack, until well browned.

Yellow Squash Casserole

Andrew begs for me to make this in the summertime! It takes a little time...but is worth it in the end!

Yellow Squash Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 pounds crookneck yellow squash or other yellow summer squash
• 1/4 pound zucchini or additional yellow summer squash
• 1/2 cup coarse-chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, preferably yellow, chopped
• 1 plump garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/4 cups saltine or Ritz cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated mild to medium Cheddar cheese
• Hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a medium baking dish.

Slice the yellow squash and zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Place the yellow squash, zucchini and carrots in a saucepan, barely cover with water and salt well. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium and cover. Cook about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft.

Meanwhile, warm 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion and cook slowly until very soft and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Scrape the mixture into a mixing bowl. Wipe out the skillet, return it to medium-low heat, and add to it the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs and cook briefly until the crumbs are golden. Scrape them onto a small plate and reserve them.

Drain the squash mixture, mashing the vegetables just a bit. Spoon it into the mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining 3/4 cup of cracker crumbs, cheese and a good splash or two of the pepper sauce. Salt and pepper generously to taste. Stir in the eggs and spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Scatter the toasted cracker crumbs over the top. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and lightly firm in the center. Serve hot.

Crock-pot BBQ & Chik-Fil-A Slaw

Andrew's mom made this BBQ for us one night (I think she got the recipe from Harriet) and it was DELICIOUS! Therefore... I make it all the time now! It is EASY and I usually freeze half of it to eat at a later date!

Slow Cooker BBQ

3-4 Pound Boston Butt or Pork Loin (I usually get pork loin)

2Tbsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Salt

1 C vinegar

1/2 C Ketchup

6-8Tbsp meat broth (from crockpot)

1Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Texas Pete (if desired)

Combine Sugar, Salt and Vinegar. Place pork in slow cooker and pour vinegar mixture over top of it. Cook 10-12 hours on low. Remove pork and shred. Combine Ketchup, Meat Broth, Worcestershire Sauce and texas pete. Mix with Pork & Enjoy!

If you have BBQ in the south then it is essential to also have slaw. I made a batch of BBQ to take to the beach with us last month and Andrew requested "Chik-Fil-A" Cole Slaw... I found the recipe and made it and was DELISH!

Here it is:

Chik Fil A Coleslaw

1 head of cabbage, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped

For the dressing:

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Finely chop the cabbage and carrots (I use a food processor for this)

In a large bowl, combineall of the dressing ingredients. Mix well. Stir in the cabbage and carrots. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

New Recipes! Steak Roulade

Just because I haven't been posting my recipes doesn' t mean I haven't been cooking!!

This recipe I made for my mom on Mother's Day at Topsail Island!

Mom, Dad and I devoured it... the hubby wasn't a huge fan, probably because of the red peppers but you can probably make substitutions for the "stuffing" and it will still be delicious!

Directions

For the Steak:

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 leek, white and light-green parts only, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 2 1/4-to-2 1/2-pound flank steak, trimmed (you could also use flat-iron)
• 1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese (about 8 slices)

For the Crust:

• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons drained horseradish
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 
  

Prepare the stuffing for the steak: Preheat the broiler and place the peppers cut-side down on a foil-lined broiler pan. Broil until the skin is charred, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the peppers with your fingers or a paring knife. If necessary, lightly rinse to remove any remaining skin and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Gently pound the steak with the flat side of a mallet or heavy skillet until 1/4 inch thick. Lay out on a cutting board with the long side facing you and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasted

evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Top with the cheese slices, then the leek mixture. Roll the meat away from you into a tight cylinder, tucking in the filling as you roll.

Make the crust: Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, horseradish, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until moistened. Brush the steak roll with a bit of olive oil and press the breadcrumb mixture over the top and sides. Tie the roll with twine in three or four places, making sure it's not too tight (you want the crust to stay intact).

Place the steak roll on a rack in a roasting pan and roast until the crust is golden and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes. Carefully cut off the twine, then slice the roll crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

Enjoy!