Honey Chipotle Pork Tenderloin

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. I am, now that my MAT test is over! I guess I did ok, but I'm just glad it's over :) Now I'm getting my pool table fixed, then later going to dinner at Benihana with family for my brother's birthday. And tomorrow PJ and I are going kayaking; that's always so much fun! I'd say the weekend is rounding out pretty well after that dreadful test!

This recipe is supposed to be for a tenderloin, but I'm pretty sure this huge hunk of meat that I cooked up was a pork loin. But I thought I bought a tenderloin. Why would I have bought it if it said 'pork loin' on it? This just seems too big to be a tenderloin, which is a lot more slender.

So yeah, this could be a tenderloin, or it could be a pork loin. To be honest I don't freakin know at this point and I made this so long ago, but either way the meat was still tender and delicious. But definitely use tenderloin, because that's what the original recipe calls for!

Honey Chipotle Pork Tenderloin 
from Mostly Food and Crafts

• 3 tablespoons of honey
• 2 chipotle chilies in adobo and a bit of the adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 pork tenderloins
• 1 -2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Heat oven to 350.   Combine the honey, chipotles, adobo, cilantro and garlic and set aside.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Trim fat from tenderloins and season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Sear in olive oil browning all the sides.  Transfer to a lightly oiled baking pan (or leave in skillet if it's oven proof.)   Roast for about 15 minutes and brush with the chipotle mixture. Continue roasting fro another 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Printable Recipe

We loved the blend of sweet and spicy against the tenderness of the meat. The basting sauce packs alot of heat and kicks it up a bit, so if you aren't so fond of spicy foods then use less chipotle chiles and juice. We will definitely be making this again soon, just not when it's 100 degrees outside!

P.S.  I'm aware that I've been posting about hot recipes lately, and no one wants to make anything involving heat right now! I hope to have some cool, summery recipes for you soon :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce

How can you make beef infused with parmesan and garlic even better? By drenching it in alfredo sauce, that's how! That's also how you can add an outrageous amount of calories. I don't think that would be anyone's goal, but if you don't mind the added calories then definitely make it like this!  :)

 

Is it bad when I have more sauce on my plate than anything else?

I combined two different recipes to make this dish - Laurie's Parmesan Meatballs, and Jenn's Alfredo Sauce. As soon as I saw that meat-a-ball (in my fake Italian accent) recipe, with only four ingredients, I knew I had to make it! And I was also instantly drawn to Jenn's alfredo sauce because, to put it simply, I love any kind of sauce. While we did make her whole recipe for the Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce once before, I wasn't too successful with the stuffed chicken part. While it tasted good, it definitely didn't look like it was supposed to. But that's another story. However, I knew that I would be making that alfredo sauce again and again. And these meatballs seemed like the perfect opportunity to use that sauce again.

 

So I figured that meatballs go well with pasta, and we had some fettuccine in the cabinet, and fettuccine is often used with alfredo sauce. So there we had it. Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce.

I wish I had more of a clever name for this. Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine Alfredo? Parmesan Meatball Afredo? Alfredo Parmesan Meatballs? Parmesan Alfredo Meatballs? It could be called so many things, but scrumptious is definitely one of them.

This homemade alfredo sauce puts the store-bought jarred to shame. And I know because I cooked another casserole last night that called for jarred alfredo sauce and it's just not the same. I just kept thinking the whole time how a homemade alfredo would have knocked it outta the park! Particularly this alfredo sauce! And it's not even difficult to make.

 

As you can see, we served this with some garlic bread for a quick and easy side.

Parmesan Meatballs with Fettuccine and Alfredo Sauce

• 1/2 a package of fettuccine, cooked according to instructions on package

for the meatballs - adapted from Cookin Up North

• 3/4 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Mix and shape into 10 meatballs. Spray a greased pan with cooking spray and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

for the alfredo sauce - adapted from Jenn's Food Journey

• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the flour and stir to combine. Let cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle in cheese a bit at a time until melted and smooth. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Let simmer on very low heat until thickened. Do not let it boil!

To serve, put some cooked fettuccine on a plate, top with meatballs, and then pour sauce over top. Or you can mix some sauce in with the pasta first then top with meatballs and pour more sauce over top.

Printable Recipe

And it's been way too long since I've linked up at any parties lately, so I'm back to it!

 
Linking to:

What's Cooking Wednesday 

Recipes I Can't Wait to Try

Show Off Your Stuff
Real Food Wednesday 
What's On The Menu Wednesday
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Cast Party Wednesday
Foodie Wednesday

Wow Me Wednesday 

Drooling yet?


Peace, and bacon grease!

Blogger, what's up?!

For some strange and very annoying reason, Blogger has been deleting part of my posts. Has this been happening to anyone else? It has happened twice now. Once after I edited my post, when I went to look at it, half of the post was missing! Lucky enough, I was able to press the back button several times to redeem the original post I had written.

Now it's happened again, except now I can't press the back button. So now I just have to try to remember everything I wrote on the last half of my Parmesan Meatballs post. I just don't get it.

Blogger really needs to get it together. These kinds of issues make me question using something else like Wordpress. Ugh, get it together!

So if you are reading my Parmesan Meatballs post, right now, half of it is missing. I'll have to fix it later tonight. I just don't have time now.

Is this happening to anyone else? Or does blogger just hate me?

Peace, and bacon grease!

Menu Planning - Week of 7/25/11

Happy Monday, my friends! I'm back with another menu plan.

But darn it, we still didn't make that grilled chicken with white bbq sauce. We were supposed to have it Sunday according to my menu plan, but we ended up having dinner - Dusmesh to be exact - at PJ's mom's house instead. We may make it this Sunday if we don't go kayaking all day.

Monday 7/25/11:  Pork Tenderloin with Honey, Mustard, and Rosemary

Tuesday 7/26/11:  Easy Philly Cheesesteaks

Wednesday 7/27/11:  dinner at Sue's house

Thursday 7/28/11:  Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Friday 7/29/11:  Oven Barbequed Chicken

Saturday 7/30/11:  my brother's birthday, may make some Zuppa Toscana for us and him.... (and the day I take my MAT test, not food related, but still wish me luck!! I haven't taken a test in 4 years!!)

Sunday 7/31/11:  kayaking? if not then we will make that grilled chicken with white bbq sauce



Have a great week :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

White Chicken Chili

Where I'm at, I'm not even THINKING about chili. Like that is the last thing I want right now, because it's so hot out. But I did just post about that Monterey Ranch Bread a little whiles back, and figured since I served this chili with it that I may as well post about it too. Plus it was next up in line of photos to edit in my camera :) 

So here I bring you a tasty white chicken chili recipe, in the dead of summer, yes, but wait until a chilly day to make this comforting chili. The original recipe called for alot more beans, but looking at other recipes and using my own discretion, I decided to use only 2 cans of beans. The only thing was, that it got kind of mushy after cooking it for so long. Maybe next time I will cook it for less time. The original recipe calls for an hour, or until it is hot all the way through and the beans and meat are tender. But really it could be considered hot all the way through after way less time, and also the chicken is already cooked so... I'm not sure how long is needed. But next time I would probably start at 30 minutes then check how it's doing, but also may turn down the temperature to low or at a small simmer so that the beans don't overcook and become mushy.

White Chicken Chili

adapted from Bubaboo, Mini, Mr & Me

• 2 (16 oz) cans of Great Northern beans
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup diced onions
• 2 (4 oz) cans diced green chiles
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese
• Sour cream, for topping if desired

Place the beans and chicken stock in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium once boiling and keep at a simmer.

In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and chiles and saute for about 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add the chile mixture to the large pot of beans and stock. Add in the chicken and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally for an hour (? I would probably start at 30 minutes then check after that. Or keep chili on low instead of medium, so that beans don't become mushy). Add the cheese and cilantro and stir well. Top with sour cream just before serving, if desired.

Printable Recipe

And as you already know, we served this with some Monterey Ranch Bread. Cuz chili and bread go together so well.

Peace, and bacon grease!

WWDB? Tostitos Restaurant Style with a Hint of Pepper Jack Tortilla Chips

I'm baaaaaaaaack. It's been a little while since I've suggested some foodie products for you all to buy. But I'm back. With chips. Not just any chips. Tortilla chips. Not just any tortilla chips. Flavored tortilla chips. Did you guys know they were doing this now? I sure didn't. And I'm loving it. It's pretty much like the Doritos idea of a flavored tortilla chip, except this is the Frito Lay Tostitos brand who's doing it now, and with just a hint of the flavoring as opposed to Doritos who pile on the seasoning. I'm not too big on tortilla chips as it is, so I'm looking for any way to enhance the flavor. I was diggin these new tortilla chips with a hint of pepper jack cheese in them. I also saw bags with a hint of lime. I know that would be good too. Their website says they also have ones with a hint of jalapeno. I bet all of them are tasty! But I'll be sure to test the others out soon and let you know how it goes. 

These chips work great for your usual dipping in salsa, in taco salads, or even just as a plain snack all by itself. We used them in and for dipping in a delicious taco salad that I'll be sure to share with you soon.

So next time you're throwing a party and need some tortilla chips, don't go for the plain kind, jazz it up a bit and opt for one of these bags. I bet they'll add a "hint of" tastiness.

Peace,  and bacon grease!

Restaurant Review : Bruegger's Bagels

Ok so this isn't really a restaurant, but I just had to share with you how much I love Bruegger's Bagels! I wish there was one closer to me. The closest one is Clifton, but this particular time I stopped at the one in Kenwood/Blue Ash after dropping PJ off at work.

They offer an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, as well as lunch items like paninis, sandwiches, soups and salads. But you wanna know what keeps calling me back to Bruegger's? 

This beauty....

Yes, this is my beloved Rosemary and Olive Oil bagel. Oh this bagel, this bagel. I love it toasted, with butter and a little cream cheese. I was surprised at how much I loved the rosemary flavor in this. I never get tired of this bagel.

And now I keep wanting to go back because of this...

Yes, their cheddar pesto bagel. But hurry now, because this kind is only available for a limited time! And believe me, it is totally worth it.

Oh, and while I was there I couldn't pass up on some bacon scallion cream cheese. Because everything is better with bacon.

And if you sign up for their emails then you get a free bagel with cream cheese. So how bout you guys check out their website, and see where there is one close to you! I can't comment on their sandwiches or soup, but I can vouch that these two bagels are the bomb.

Peace, and 'bacon scallion' grease :)