Herbed Pork Tenderloin

So I bought a pork tenderloin this weekend, thinking I could stuff it or butterfly it, well come to find out I bought the wrong kind, I needed to buy a roast, not a tenderloin. Oh well...when the cook makes a mistake it is an opportunity to show your true skill.


1 package of pork tenderloin, this package usually contains two small tenderloins
6 slices of thin prosciutto
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bunch of parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons of  fresh basil, chopped
2 table spoons of fresh oregano, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


First thing I did was take the pork out of the package, I trimmed the ends taking about a half of an inch off each end. Then I butterflied each loin. If you don't know how to do this, use You Tube, type in the search "butterfly pork tenderloin". These have many helpful videos. I will start doing mine as soon as I get a stand for my camera. After you do this, salt and pepper the inside of the pork. Arrange the pork end to end, then spread out the prosciutto to connect the two flat pieces of pork. Chop all the other ingredients, the fresh really work here and substituting may change the flavor. After the herbs are chopped down, put in a bowl and add olive oil, stir together then spread out over the pork, coating evenly. Now here comes the tricky part, you are going to make a roll out of this, so just be careful when you come to the second flat piece to continue to roll and it will flow into each other. Your next job is to truss the pork, meaning tying the pork so that it stays in the nice roll you have made, your going to want to tie at least 5 pieces of string up and down the pork. cut all excess string off and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, while this is coming to temperature  in a medium sauce pan at medium high heat, put a little oil down and sear all sides of the pork for at least 3 minutes each side. You want a nice caramelization on all sides. Put in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. Take out and let rest for 5-7 minutes.

Chimichurri Sauce

So to wrap this meal up we made a Chimichurri sauce for the steak...

1 tightly packed cup of parsley, just the leaves
2 tablespoons of fresh oregano
8 cloves of garlic
2/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of red onion
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
large pinch of red pepper flake
half a lemon or less to taste

Put the parsley, oregano and about half the oil in a food processor or blender and spin. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend briefly. Keep adding the rest of the olive oil slowly and blend until you get to the consistency you like. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as you like. You may omit the lemon juice if you would like a little less tart flavor.

Spanish Rice

This was amazing, my first attempt at Spanish rice that did not come from a box.

2 cups of Basmati rice (any rice can be used, this just happens to be my favorite)
1 small green poblano pepper, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped (any red pepper, or pepper will do make sure it is not too hot in heat)
1/2 white onion, diced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

So rice sometimes escapes me in how to cook it perfectly, so I am not going to give instructions  just follow the package and it should be just fine. The only advice I can give you is substitute chicken or beef broth for water to give the rice some flavor. While your rice is cooking you can prep all your ingredients, chopping all the peppers, garlic and onions. Put oil in a medium sauce pan and add all the veggies except the garlic and tomatoes. Saute on medium heat for 8 minutes then add garlic, saute for another 4 minutes and reduce heat to low add rice, then tomatoes. Heat through and stir constantly as to not burn the rice.

My favorite time a year

Comfort foods come to mind when this season comes around. I see stews, soups, roasts, and meatloaf in my future....i would like to give people healthy options this fall season and will do my best to make some really fantastic dishes. Of course there will be my occasional meal that your going to just want to have it the way it is suppose to be, fat and all. This weekend I am going to make stew. This is my second favorite, pot roast is my absolute top comfort food. Stay tuned I have some great food coming your way this weekend, time to turn in my BBQ tongs for the slow cooker!!

Not Your Mother's Brussel Sprout's

Brussel sprouts.... believe me, if you would have said to me 4 years ago... "Angie, you are going to love brussel sprouts, I promise" I would have laughed!! 

1 pound of brussel sprouts, cut in half
5 slices of prosciutto, diced
2 table spoons of  olive oil
1 lemon
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste


In a medium sauce pan add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan , turn heat to medium high, add the prosciutto. If you bought thin cut, this will take about 5 minutes, for thicker cuts cook for a bit longer. The prosciutto needs to be crispy, regardless of the cut...take out of the pan set on a paper towel to drain... Cut the Sprouts in half while waiting for the crispy goodness to happen with the prosciutto. Take the crusty bottoms of as well. Add the other tablespoon of oil to the pan, medium high heat... add the sprout halves....turn them cut side down to get a good caramelization on them, after 8 minutes of heat stir the sprouts around a bit and hold for 2 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and lemon and turn the cut side down on all of them, cook for 2 more minutes, pull off the heat, top the sprouts with the prosciutto and serve...Delicious!!

Cold and Flu Season Soup

The change of the weather always brings about colds and the flu. My favorite soup when I am sick is broth, chicken or beef. It is a blank canvas, you can add just about anything to it and have it be delicious.

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 package of gluten free noodles (optional)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon of Tumeric
2 clove garlic
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon gluten free soy sauce (substitute with a teaspoon of miso)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Siriacha sauce) The hotter the better!!
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan bring broth up to low boil. You can put all the ingredients in the broth except for the noodles have the flavors mingle a bit and let the mushrooms cook. In 7-8 minutes add the noodles and follow the package instructions. There you have it, a quick and easy broth to make when your feeling a bit under the weather.

Pear Broccoli Slaw

Ok, i don't have a picture of this but I made it last weekend and thought it was a great twist on an old favorite. It is super simple and goes good with any BBQ.

1 semi ripe pear (not to squishy, but not as hard as a rock)
1 package of broccoli colslaw mix. (can usually find this in the produce section)
2 tablespoons of greek yougurt, plain
1 tablespoon of celery seeds
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of spicy mustard
1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, always do this to your taste


Super easy!!! Cut the pear in lengthwise slices, then cut those in half, add all the igredients to the bowl and mix. I like my slaw more dry then sloppy. Let this sit for 15 minutes in the fidge, nothing more then that or the pears will start to turn brown. If you want to make his ahead, soak the pear in a leamon water bath before adding it to the salad. You can more yogurt, or a lttle mayonaise for a punch of flavor. Have this as a side, or use it fo pulled pork or chicken topping.

Pretzle Rolls

Pretzel Rolls!!

1 packet of active dry yeast
1 cup of hot water, at least 120 degrees
4 1/2  cups of flour, all purpose
4 tablespoons of butter, salted
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 table spoon of salt, course ground for the top of the rolls

So these are my new favorite to use as buns, I even experimented with shaping it into a hot dog bun.

Empty packet of yeast into a large mixing bowl, pour hot water into bowl, at least 120 degrees with the sugar and let sit until the yeast becomes active. Usually takes 4-5 minutes. While your waiting for the yeast to work, in a small sauce pan melt butter on a low heat, be careful not to burn the butter. Once the yeast has become active you can add the flour, salt and melted butter. Mix dough till smooth, if your dough is too wet add flour. I find it easier to knead the dough on a smooth surface like the counter or a cutting board, make sure you sprinkle flour on the surface so the dough doesn't stick. In a bowl put the olive oil in and spread around with a paper towel. Put the dough in the bowl and cover with a thin kitchen towel. The dough needs to rise for 1 hour in a warm area. I usually put it in my oven, I don't turn it on, it is just a climate that works for breads.
After the hour is up, punch dough down, sprinkle flour on the same surface you used in the beginning and let dough rest for a few minutes. Letting the dough rest makes it easier to shape and knead. Once the dough has rested, knead all the air out of it. Start making any size ball you would like, it all depends on what your making these for. I vary the size from small to large. If I am just making a roll, i make the balls a bit smaller, if I am looking for a bun I make them a bit bigger. After you have made the balls put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover them with a towel and stick them in the oven, still in the off position. They need to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
Take rolls out and turn oven on to preheat at 425 degrees. In a medium sauce pan add 5 cups of water, bring to a low boil add baking soda before you get it to boil... doing it after proves to be very messy. while the water is coming to boil, whip egg in a small bowl. Drop rolls in the water 1-2 at a time, they only need about 1 minute in the water, flip after 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to get them out and put them on the parchment paper baking sheet again. Using a sharp knife, cut a shallow X on the top of the roll. Brush roll with the egg wash and sprinkle salt on top. Put in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes. The tops should be a deep golden brown, you will want to watch them as to not burn them. You will love these as anything, we generally don't wait for a burger or sandwich meat to eat them, we just grab the mustard out of the fridge and scarf them down.

Spicy Turkey Burgers

These were delicious!!!

1 Pound of lean ground Turkey
1 Pablano pepper, chopped
1 Medium shallot diced
1 Clove of garlic minced
4 Slices of your favorite white cheese
4 Hamburger buns (get creative, find out which ones you like the best)
1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 Teaspoon of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Put ground Turkey into a bowl and combine all the other ingredients. Mix ingredients gently, over mixing will cause the burger to fall apart. Keep the burgers cold as well, the colder they are the more you have time to shape them. I usually toss the ingredients together then let them hang out in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes let them firm a bit. Pull them out and form them gently into patties, don't pack them down, they just need a bit of forming, put a little finger print in the middle so they don't shrink. Turkey generally does not shrink, but I do it anyway. In a large frying pan on medium high heat cook for 7 minutes each side, after the first flip, add cheese. I use a white cheese, it is a healthier option and melts better. I like Pepper Jack, Montery Jack...or Mozzarella.  This is great paired with a pasta salad or a regular salad. Lisa made a simple salad with Romaine , corn, tomato from our garden and avocado  she topped it with an little bit of ranch, cut with 1 tablespoon of olive oil....Light and healthy, good meal for the start of a long week of work!

Getting back to cooking

After tking some time off from blogging I am ready to resume with cooking and sharing my recipes, life was a bit complicated for awhile and there is no time like the present to get back to what I love. Hopefully in 30 days I will be in my new home cooking from my new kitchen, typing my blogs in my new office :) Tommorrow I will kick things off with my one of my favorite Turkey Burgers!! I know, I went from fried chicken to Turkey burgers. Don't worry, I will have comfort food and healthy food, I will also be doing some health alternative tips to some of my more calorie busting meals. I hope everyone had a great summer of fun, sun and BBQ.