Blackberry-Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Just when I think having twins couldn't possibly be any more amazing, I discover something new that just makes my heart explode. Last week it was the babbling they do at each other, apparently understanding what the other is saying. The week before that it was that when one learned to climb the stairs, the other one insisted he do it too (with much less ease, grace, and a lot more grunting). And the week before that it was their love for chasing each other around in their walkers. Can you imagine anything cuter than two tiny babies chasing each other with extraordinarily fat legs? Heart explosion.  

But this week I came to an extra extra special realization.  From now until who knows how long, probably the end of time, when one gets sick - so will the other. Awesome. Sure, regular siblings have similar challenges, but twins just CONSTANTLY gravitate toward one another. They play with the same toys. In fact, the only toy they ever want is the one that the other one is currently playing with/slobbering all over. So the germ swapping is immediate, unavoidable, and miserable. And yet somehow it was so cute to watch them respond so differently to the same cold...one acted like someone amputated his leg and that there was no way he was coming out of this alive, while the other just continued smiling, squealing, and stuffing his face with McDonald's pancakes. Two very different boys, two very distinct heart explosions.

In the midst of all this sickness, I decided to make grilled marinated pork tenderloin.  Why? Because it tastes great with wine.

If you decide to make this - and you won't regret it - make sure you leave enough time for marination. Is that even a word? I doubt it. Pork is one of the few meats that really does take on a 24 hour marinade perfectly; it infuses flavor without making the meat gummy or overly saturated.  I recommend at least 8 hours, but if you can swing 24, do it. Plus, if you're making this for a summer BBQ, how great to have your main dish basically done before guests arrive? All you have to do is pop it on the grill. You will LOVE this sweet and flavorful pork.

Recipe (serves 4-6)

• 2 pork tenderloins
• 1 cup blackberry preserves
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 crushed bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large ziploc bag, add the pork and refrigerate for as long as you can, up to 24 hours. Mine was probably actually more like 27 when it was all said and done.  Then, you can grill the pork tenderloin perfectly and easily using this 7-6-5 method. It works perfectly.  Heat the grill to high. Remove the pork from the marinade (reserve the extra if you want to reduce to a sauce).  Place the pork on the grill, cover, and leave undisturbed for 7 minutes. Flip the pork over, cover and grill for 6 more minutes. Turn the grill OFF, and let sit in the covered grill for 5 minutes. The pork should register about 140, then you can remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes (it will keep cooking a bit here and raise about 10 degrees).  Our grill gets SUPER hot - like hard to keep below 500 hot - so I usually only leave it in the last phase for about 4 minutes. If your grill stays closer to 400, I would do the full 5. But even when I do the full 5, the pork is not too overcooked or dry.  Anyway, that's the way to do it. If you want, you can reserve the extra marinade and reduce down on the stove for 10 minutes or so and serve with the pork. Make sure to bring it to a boil for at least 10 minutes since it was hanging out with the raw pork.

Spicy Shrimp with Tomato Basil Risotto

Today I decided I really need to focus the majority of my parenting efforts on not letting one of them get kidnapped. Yep, it's going to be that simple for me going forward. Homemade baby food and story time - sayonara.

To break it down for you, there was one of me at the splash park yesterday with two [fast] mobile babies,  9 balls, 11 fountains, 50 screaming rambunctious kids, and 100 super friendly parents that wanted to talk about the twins. I loved all of this, every minute, until I was helping Price slap the water when I realized Bax had taken off and I couldn't see him for .7 seconds. Panic! And I realize that I only have two kids and so many people have more and I've only had mine for 9 months, but I'm telling you.  My focus has shifted to simply bringing them home with me each day. That and putting on sunscreen.

In totally unrelated news, we had one of the meals of our life this week. As usual, my husband was the brains behind the operation. He comes up with ideas, and I execute. This dinner was so good and so special tasting - it is perfect for a dinner party but easy enough for a Sunday night. Why do I always make suggestions on what day of the week you should make things? Make it any damn night you want. You'll love it. And if you're cooking for someone who doesn't like shrimp, either a spicy chicken or steak would be equally delicious. Shrimp are nice because they cook up so fast.

Recipe

• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (about 30 count)
• 2 teaspoons blackening seasoning (store bought or homemade)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1-1.5 teaspoons crushed red pepper, divided (.5 tsp for risotto, .5-1 tsp for shrimp)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or 1 tsp minced from jar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup white wine, divided (1/2 for risotto 1/2 for shrimp)
• 3/4 of a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (juice included)
• 1 cup risotto
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan 
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped basil

 To prepare the risotto, heat the olive oil in a large pot and add the onion and garlic. Cook several minutes until translucent, then add the butter. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of the white wine and let reduce for a few minutes over medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes (plus juice), 1/2 teaspoon of the crushed red pepper and the 1 cup risotto; keep the heat on medium-low here to avoid burning the risotto. Just let the risotto soak up most of the liquid, then continue to add the chicken broth - about one cup at a time, adding as the risotto cooks up the liquid. The risotto is done when you have used all the broth and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the parmesan, oregano, and basil.

To cook the shrimp, it's so EASY! First of all, when you go to the seafood counter there are tons of beautiful expensive shrimp that are shouting Buy me! Buy me! But you don't need to. I got medium sized shrimp for $12.99/lb and they were delicious. And better for this dish than the giant ones. Just saying.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet, until the pan is hot.  Season the shrimp with the blackening seasoning and remaining 1/2-1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (depending on your desire for heat). This definitely gives it a kick, so simply use less red pepper if heat isn't your thing. I found ~1/2 teaspoon to be plenty. Add the shrimp to the pan, let brown for 1 minutes, then flip and cook 2 more minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine to the pan, and cook until the wine is mostly reduced/gone. About 3-4 minutes. Serve the shrimp on top of the risotto, with some shaved parmesan and a glass of Rose, of course!

The Most Delicious Braised Short Ribs

**This is a terrible picture. I'm sorry, but it was New Years and I was more into the champagne.


Guys, make these. For a dinner party would be my rec, because you do most of the work the day before and they are flat out succulent. And flavorful and rich. And go ridiculously well with things like Mac 'n Cheese.

Recipe

• 10-12 beef short ribs - I always ask for the least fatty ones
• ~2 cups mirepoix (mix of finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery) 
• S&P
• 1 bottle good red wine
• ~ 6 cups beef broth
• Worcestershire
• Bay leaf
• Thyme

Preheat the oven to 350.  Heat some olive oil over medium in a big dutch oven. Working in batches, brown the short ribs on all sides. Generously season with salt & pepper while cooking.  Transfer to a plate.  Pour out the excess fat, then add in the veggies, cooking for about 5-10 minutes until soft (add more oil if necessary). Transfer veggies to a bowl. Deglaze the pan with the bottle of wine.  The wine flavor really does stand out in the end, so use a bottle that you would enjoy drinking.  Turn the heat up to high and let wine reduce by 3/4 - about 20 minutes. Add the meat back into the pan, then pour in enough beef broth to almost cover. Sprinkle in a bit of worcestershire, a bay leaf, and some fresh or dried thyme. If using low sodium beef broth, you'll need to add more salt. Don't under salt! That's the fastest way to a flavorless dinner, IMO.  Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and put in the oven for about 2.5 hours, until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the oven, let the ribs cool in the liquid, and then refrigerate (in the covered pan) overnight.

The next day, a couple hours before you want to serve dinner, take the ribs out of the fridge. And here is the magical/super gross part of this recipe. ALL of the fat will have solidified on the top - and it is A LOT - making it very easy for you to take a spoon and scoop it all out. It is a very gross yet very satisfying process. I've made short ribs before without this refrigeration/fat removal step, and have been disappointed with the fattiness of the end result. This cuts out that problem completely, allowing you to really enjoy the flavor of the meat and sauce.  Ok, so remove all the fat, then place the pan back on the stove and bring sauce to a boil. Let sauce thicken up and reduce by a lot (about 3/4), until sort of thick and glaze-like, a little over an hour. Continue to spoon sauce over the meat as it reduces down. Serve these delicious guys over something equally delectable, like creamy mashed potatoes or mac 'n cheese!

Apple & Onion Stuffed Pork Roast with Apple Butter Glaze

Pork + apples = fall to me. I understand the apple piece, but I don’t know why I feel that way about pork.  Maybe because beef is dark and makes me think of winter, and grilled chicken is light and makes me thing of summer. Pork is in between.  Now it makes perfect sense.

Anyway, this recipe got hijacked by my husband. I wanted to make a slow roasted pork loin with apple butter glaze, and he wanted a stuffed pork with apples and onions.  Because we’re married now and it turns out you need to compromise, we did both. We stuffed a pork loin with apples and onions, and glazed it with apple butter.  YUM.  It really was quite pleasing to the palate and the eye. I would serve this at a dinner party, as long as John’s not in charge of buying the apples. My very specific request for HONEYCRISP was denied and replaced with gross green Granny Smith.  The flavor came out just the same, but red looks so much prettier with pork.

Recipe

Pork

·       2-3 lb boneless pork loin roast

·       1 tablespoon salt

·       1 tablespoon brown sugar

·       ½ teaspoon pepper

·       2 cups apple juice

Stuffing

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       2 medium onions, diced

·       3 apples, diced

·       ½ cup apple juice

·       ~1 cup cubed bread

Glaze

·       1 cup apple butter

·       ½ cup brown sugar

·       1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + pinch of ground cloves

Start by butterflying or rolling out your pork.  I can’t really explain how to do this, so you might want to find a video on youtube. That’s what I did. But basically I cut a slit lengthwise into the pork roast about one inch from the bottom, then continued to cut and roll out the pork until it was flat.  Then mix the spice seasoning of salt, brown sugar, and pepper and sprinkle on one side of the pork (that will become the inside of your roll).  Preheat the oven to 325.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing.  Cook the onions in a tablespoons of olive oil, and add the apples a couple minutes in.  Pour in the apple juice and continue to cook for 5-10 more minutes. Add the bread cubes, and stir to coat.  Spoon stuffing onto the flattened pork (you won’t be able to use it all, but you’ll want to serve it on the side – it’s delicious!).  Then, slowly roll up the pork and secure with kitchen twine.  Sprinkle more of the seasoning mixture on top. 

To make the glaze, heat the apple butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a small saucepan until smooth.

Spray a small baking dish with Pam. Place the pork roll in the dish, then pour 2 cups apple juice over and around.  Glaze the pork with the apple butter.  Cover with foil, and bake for 45 min to one hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 (time will vary depending on the thickness of your roast).  

 Serve with leftover apple butter glaze and stuffing! 

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches

Wow! Great idea John, genius husband of mine. I loved these, and will make them for a party at the next chance I get (someone please invite me to something).  Simply make PB cracker sandwiches with crunchy peanut butter and club crackers (please, do not go ‘whole grain’ on me here), then dip them in melted white chocolate (melt chocolate for 1-2 minutes, stirring after 1). Add sprinkles for some extra fun on top. Really sweet, salty, and peanut butter-y. And fun to eat.

Chicken Piccata

I’m going to make a bold statement here.  This might be (and I’m using the word might because I’m typing this rather hastily), might be, my favorite recipe on this blog.

Why?? Well, since you’re asking, because it’s:

1.     Very tasty

2.     Very easy

3.     Very fast

4.     Very accessible

5.     Very not-just-everyday-chicken

6.     Very fancy tasting

7.     Very pretty

8.     Very loved by my husband

There. 8 reasons why this is at the top of my favorites list, if not the top.  Seriously, special-tasting dinners that are so easy and fast to make are hard to come by, so everyone should have this in their repertoire.  And if you’re wondering what I mean by accessible, I mean that you probably have a lot of these ingredients in your house at any given time. I don’t, but you do if you’re the Pioneer Woman or Ina Garten.

Also I would like to add that I never thought I would fully back anything with a lemon sauce.  But, I guess times have changed.  Piccata sauce typically doesn’t have mushrooms or sour cream in it, but they both seemed like a good idea to me. And piccata sauce typically does have capers in it, but I didn’t have any.  Those silly things would make the recipe a little less accessible.

Recipe

·       2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

·       ½ cup flour

·       1 egg, beaten

·       ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs

·       2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

·       S&P

·       3-4 tablespoons oil

·       2 tablespoons butter

·       1 cup white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

·       Juice from 1 large lemon (more if you like a stronger lemon flavor)

·       ¼ teaspoon salt

·       1 cup mushrooms

·       2 tablespoons sour cream

·       Parsley (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400. 

The key to good browned, breaded chicken is to pound it/cut it into very thin pieces. I cut my chicken in half horizontally (so it was half the thickness), then pounded it to about ¼- ½ inch thickness.  Mix the flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in one bowl, beaten egg in another, and mix the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a third. Next, dredge the chicken in flour, shaking the excess off.  Then dip it in the egg (dripping off excess), then the bread crumbs.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Once hot, brown each piece of chicken, about two minutes on each side. Place the chicken on a baking sheet, and bake the chicken for about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the sauce.  Gently wipe out the skillet you made the chicken in and keep the heat around medium. Add a touch of olive oil. Add the two tablespoons of butter and melt.  Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a low boil. Add the mushrooms and salt. Let the sauce reduce by half, about 10 minutes.  The next step is to add the sour cream, but it can be tricky to keep it from curdling (mine did a little because I was rushing, but don't worry it doesn't ruin the flavor). Remove the sauce from heat, and place the sour cream in a separate bowl. Spoon a bit of the sauce into the sour cream to temper it (so it is no longer cold).  Then whisk the sour cream/wine mixture into the sauce and keep stirring to fully incorporate (you could also do just another tablespoon of butter here, but I like the thickness the sour cream adds).  Bring it back to a low boil to thicken, then remove from heat. Add in a few tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley.

Serve the chicken over pasta, and top with sauce (I served with steamed broccoli too!).

Manchego and Sea Salt Popovers

Popovers, in my mind, are the perfect bread. Crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, and fun to look at. Add cheese, and they're even better. I just made my standard old popover recipe, but sprinkled cubes of Manchego cheese and a pinch of sea salt on them before popping them in the oven.

Recipe (serves 6)

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• ~24 small cubes of Manchego cheese (about 1/2 in each)
• Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 425. Spray a popover pan with Pam. Mix the flour, milk, eggs, and butter in a bowl. Pour the batter into 6 popover cups. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt and 4 cubes of Manchego cheese on top of each one.  Bake for about 30 minutes (check around 25).

Roasted Carrot + Avocado Salad

I loved this salad! How fun and different and lovely-looking. There are recipes all over for this salad (starting with Bon Appetit and then here and here)…I just modified based on what I had in my kitchen. There are a few too many ingredients in the original, and I can’t imagine that I really missed out on the coriander seeds.

Recipe (serves 2)

• 8-10 medium sized carrots + olive oil for roasting
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 avocado + a drizzle of lemon juice for preserving
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Juice from 1 large lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably toasted (skillet on low for 3-5 min)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrots with plenty of olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast for about 25-30 minutes, depending on your carrot size.

Mix the dressing ingredients – 1 T. olive oil, 1 T. red wine vinegar, juice from one lemon, and thyme. Slice the avocado and drizzle with any excess lemon juice. Toss the carrots, avocado, dressing, and sesame seeds in a bowl and serve.

Lemon Cake

Unfortunately, my husband chose lemon cake for his birthday. Call me selfish, but I was really hoping for chocolate. Lemon cake has always confused me a bit, but maybe as I get older and my taste buds mature I will come to appreciate the lighter and fresher taste a lemon cake has to offer.

That being said, this was definitely tasty. I would never choose it for my birthday, but this was good. I imagine making it on a crisp spring day and enjoying it with a hot cup of tea in the garden. I don't like tea, but I'm sure some day I will.

Recipe

• 1 Duncan Hines Lemon Cake Mix (18.25 oz)
• 1 Pkg Instant Lemon Pudding (4 serving)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a bundt pan. Mix all ingredients, pour into the pan, and bake for about 40-45 minutes.  Let cool for about 20 minutes before dumping it out. LESSON LEARNED: Do NOT buy the Betty Crocker cake mix. I did this the first time, and it turned out really small and really dense - it turns out the cake mix is 3 oz smaller and already includes pudding!

Frosting

• ~1/2 bag powdered sugar
• Juice from 1 large lemon or 2 small
• 2-4 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

 For the frosting, mix all ingredients with an electric hand mixer. Add only enough milk to bring it to the right consistency.  Drizzle over the cooled cake, and garnish with lemons.

Spinach Artichoke Dip (Houston's Style)

If you have never been to a Houston's restaurant (now called Hillstone in Dallas, much to my dismay), I pity you. I truly, truly, pity you. From the prime rib sandwich to the BBQ ribs to the grilled artichokes, everything on their menu is perfection. The one item that really stands out for me, however (and everyone I think) - is their spinach artichoke dip. I can really only describe it with one word: perfect.

So, we wanted spinach artichoke dip last weekend, but have been let down time and time again by anything we've tried outside of Houston's. Luckily, I found the recipe online here.  The only changes I made were I used Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of the Romano, I used half the garlic, and I added 2 more tablespoons of sour cream. IT TASTES JUST LIKE IT.

Make this for every party you ever host, and you will become everyone's favorite person of all time. Oh! And serve it with salsa and sour cream, Houston's style.

Chicken Parmesan

Last night was a real rarity: John and I stayed in on a Saturday night. And it felt great....no heels, no uncomfortable skinny jeans, no fretting over what to wear. Oh yeah - and quality time with my husband! The Green Bay Packers were playing the Vikings so we decided to stay home and cook something scrumptious - my husband's favorite: Chicken Parmesan. I love Chicken Parmesan for its versatility - it is simple yet seems perfect for a special occasion, can be healthy or rich depending on your oil/cheese consumption...and everyone always loves it.  Here is how I make it:

Recipe

Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• Pinch minced garlic (to taste)
• 1/2 cup good/decent red wine (I used Castle Rock Pinot Noir)
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Chicken

• 2-3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cutlets work best if your butcher has them)
• 1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
• 2 eggs, beaten
• S&P 
• Mozzarella and Parmesan (for topping)
• Olive oil for pan frying

Start by pounding the chicken to 1/4 in thickness (I usually buy the chicken cutlets at the meat counter so I can avoid this). Place the chicken between two pieces of parchment paper and pound to thin out, then cut the chicken into smaller pieces if desired.  S&P the chicken. Preheat the oven to 375.

Next, make the sauce. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the wine, and let it reduce a bit. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, and herbs and bring to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to low.

Place the beaten eggs in a large shallow bowl, and mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan in another.  Dip the chicken in the eggs, letting the excess drip off, then the breadcrumbs. Use your fingers to pat the breadcrumbs onto the chicken, then spray with PAM to help them stick.

Spoon about half of the sauce into a large casserole baking dish. Heat about 1/4 cup olive oil in a large frying pan, over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken, several at a time, about 3 minutes or so on each side..until golden brown. Place the chicken in the casserole dish, over the sauce.  Once all the chicken have been browned, place the dish in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, sprinkle the chicken with Mozzarella, then broil for a few minutes until melted.  

Serve over pasta and with extra sauce (and more Parmesan!).

Grilled Filet Mignon with Mushroom Sauce

It's hard to make a good steak better, but this sauce does it. Seriously, we ate it the next day with a spoon. Next time I will make a triple batch. Serve this at your next dinner party - it's so easy!

Recipe

• 1 lb sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 sweet onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup red wine (I used Castle Rock Pinot Noir)
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• several dashes worcestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat, then add the onions and cook for several minutes. Add the red wine and let it reduce a bit, then add the mushrooms, beef broth, and worcestershire. Cook for about 10 minutes, bringing to a low simmer, letting it reduce and thicken. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the heavy cream, rosemary, and pepper. Continue simmering until the sauce thickens. Add more beef broth if you prefer a thinner sauce.

I'll leave the steak grilling up to you, I am no expert. I think we grilled our two 6 oz filets for about 4-5 minutes on each side for medium. Spoon the sauce over the steak, and serve!

Grilled Peach, Onion, and Bacon Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

Since I moved into our new home, I get a depressingly small amount of mail. I am pretty sure that I did all the proper 'mail forwarding' steps and notified all my credit cards, etc of the move - but I barely even get any junk mail anymore. It's sad. So, needless to say, I cannot explain the joy each month when my 'Bon Appetit' and 'Food and Wine' magazines show up. Not only do they fuel my passion for recipe-reading, but they also count as mail. For me.

Food and Wine has a lot of odd recipes. Many that I often want to try, but am a little too weirded out by the addition of strange things like fennel. I have never seen so many recipes that call for fennel.

This recipe also falls into the odd category. Bacon - Peaches - Onions - Mint - Buttermilk Dressing???? Weird. But, it caught my eye. It looked so amazingly delicious to me that I knew I wanted to make it the second I laid eyes on it. And boy was I glad. Serve this for a summer dinner party and your guests will be impressed by the amazing flavor and originality of this dish - and don't tell them you got the recipe from Food and Wine, so they think you're a real food pioneer. Recipe here.

Also, if you're thinking that photograph looks shockingly good for my blog, I didn't take it. I forgot to take one all together. But, mine looked exactly the same so I don't feel all that fraudulent.

Red Wine and Mushroom Sauce

This is an incredibly scrumptious and easy sauce that is perfect over some type of grilled meat; I served mine over Grilled Lamb Chops, but I think it might be even better on a ribeye or filet mignon. Regardless, you will want to eat this by the forkful. This was also part of the tasty and cost-effective Sam's Club Dinner

Recipe

• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. butter
• ~2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 T. corn starch

Heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms (more or less to taste, I like lots), and cook for about 5 minutes.

Pour in the wine, letting it reduce for about 5 more minutes.

Stir in the beef broth, letting it reduce a few minutes more.  Whisk together 1 tablespoon of corn starch and 1/4 cup water in a separate bowl. Add it to the mushroom mixture, stirring thoroughly, allowing the sauce to thicken. Add more corn starch or beef broth to reach the desired thickness (I might have done a lot of eye balling here). Serve over freshly grilled or roasted red meat. Doesn't it look rich and elegant?  I just love it.

Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Want to know what you should grill this weekend? Here you go:

Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin. But start now, because the longer you marinate it, the better this turns out. Yes we served ours with a side of mini grilled shrimp, because one entree is never enough.

We are really into dinner parties lately. What's better on a weekend night than having a group of good friends over for food, fun, and wine? Nothing!  I have a few rules for dinner parties that I try to adhere to:

1. Make it relatively easy. This is not the time to attempt Beef Wellington.
2. Try to choose something that allows you to do most of the prep work before guests arrive, so that you can relax and enjoy their company while they're there.
3. Serve dessert, $%mn it.
4. Don't invite boring people.

If you follow all of my golden rules, I guarantee a good time will be had by all.

So, for our dinner party we had on Memorial Day, I decided to serve marinated grilled pork tenderloin. The marinade is a recipe from my aunt, and it has become a staple for our mid-summer get-togethers in the good ol' states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. If you don't know if you like pork tenderloin, trust me, you do. Try this recipe. The key is a looooong marinating process....I highly encourage 24 hours. The other key to pork tenderloin: DON'T OVERCOOK IT. It will be dry.

Recipe

• 3 pork tenderloins
• 1 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup key lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 bay leaves, crushed

To prepare the marinade, you're going to need to start with a lot of these:

Which also means you will need one of these:

For that much lime juice, you're not going to want to juice them by hand. Trust me, I've tried that and it all ends up in your eyes.

Mix the honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, olive oil, lime juice, and bay leaves in a large ziploc bag. I am a firm believer in using bags for marinating...it does a better job of making sure the juices really get in there.

Pat the pork tenderloin dry, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Poke little holes in the pork with a knife to ensure the marinade really seeps into the tenderloin (this is my own technique, it seems like it works...though I haven't seen any hard evidence).  Place the tenderloins in the bag with the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, rotating a couple times for even distribution. Remove from the refrigerator about a half hour before grilling, and place the pork on a plate. Reserve the marinade.

Heat the grill to medium/medium-high on just one side. Prepare the other side for indirect grilling (leave the other side off). Brush a little olive oil on the grates, then place the tenderloins over direct heat. Brush some more marinade on them. Cover the grill and cook for 6 minutes. After six minutes, flip the meat over to the other side, making sure all sides are browned (brush a little more marinade on the other side) - another 5 minutes. After 11 minutes of cooking over direct heat, move them over to the indirect heat for another 5 minutes (grill covered), until meat registers 145 degrees. I would check the temperature after 15 minutes of total cooking time (11 direct, 4 indirect) - you absolutely do not want the temperature to go any higher than 145 when you take it off. For a pinker center, take it off at 140. Transfer the tenderloins to a plate and tent with aluminum foil. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing into 1-inch pieces.

I love this recipe, and every time I eat it I feel happy with life and summer. And what a perfect dinner party entree - more elegant than hamburgers or chicken, but literally all the prep work is done the day before. And like any good dinner party, I served this for dessert.

Good times, good food, good friends!