Crock Pot Balsamic Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is great choice when you're tired of chicken and you're not sure what else to cook. This recipe was so easy to make and didn't require a whole lot of ingredients but it was fancy enough to serve for date night. Pork tenderloin, with restaurant-style potatoes and a mixed green salad was a delicious date night meal.

Ingredients

 

1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup balsamic vinegar, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds pork tenderloin

 

Directions:

1. Mix the first five ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Rub pork tenderloin in dry seasoning mixture.
3. In a large saute pan heat oil, ¼ cup balsamic and garlic on medium heat until hot.
4. Add pork to saute pan and sear, browning meat on all sides.
5. Reduce heat to low.
6. Transfer pork to crock pot.
7. Pour remaining balsamic into saute pan continuing to stir for a few minutes to de-glaze pan.
8. Pour juices over the top of the tenderloin in crock pot.
9. Cook on high 3 hours or until meat thermometer says 170 degrees.
10. Let rest 5-10 minutes then slice.
11. Serve or return slices to crock pot and keep warm.

Sausage and Peppers in Foil

I love recipes where you can just throw a bunch of veggies and a protein in a pouch of foil, put it in the oven and viola! dinner is ready in a half hour. This is one of those recipes. It's also really adaptable, you can pretty much throw whatever you have on hand in there and it'll turn out just fine.

Ingredients:
1 Polish sausage, (or whatever sausage you prefer), sliced
1-2 Yukon potatoes, sliced thin
1 zucchini, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions 

1. Place sliced Polish sausage, potatoes, zucchini, red pepper and red onion in aluminum foil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and seal shut.
2. Cook on the oven shelf of a grill at medium-high temperature for about 30 minutes. Or bake in a 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder (With Bacon!)

E,

Another wonderful soup recipe (via Lucy's Pearls) for these long winter nights.  I was so surprised by how much I love this soup. It was a tad spicy, but had wonderful bacon flavor and was rich and creamy and the perfect meal for a snowy day!

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 medium white onion, diced
* Seasonings: adobo, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, old bay, garlic powder, lawry’s, maggi, poultry seasoning & black pepper (I used a couple dashes of each: old bay, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and seasoned salt, but add whatever you have on hand!)
2, 8 3/4 oz cans of  Del Monte Whole Kernel corn (no salt added)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pint of heavy cream
butter to saute onionns
olive oil

1. Soak the shrimp in lemon juice. Drain, then season with old bay. (Or cajun seasoning if you don't have old bay... which is a sin on the east coast)
2. Over medium heat, add your torn up pieces of bacon to the flying pan. Fry until the edges are golden. Taste test! Drain and set it aside. Save some of that fatty oil for later.
3. Pump up the heat to medium-high and add your shrimp and sear until edges are golden brown, about a minute on each side. Remove and set aide.
4. Add butter to the pan and saute your onions with all of the seasonings mentioned above for 5 minutes
5. Add your corn to the fiesta and saute for another 3 minutes.
6. Now. Game changer. Add your broth and cream into a pot. Stir while it’s heating up. Add your onion & corn mixture to the pot. Let that simmer for another 30 minutes.
7.  While that is happening, remove two cups from the pot and place it in the blender. Blend until smooth and return to the pot. Add shrimp and bacon back the pot. Simmer until heated through and enjoy!

Restaurant Style Mashed Potatoes

E,

I'm not sure where I first came across this recipe but it has become my go-to recipe for mashed potatoes. First off, it used red potatoes instead of Russet, which I like because I don't have to peel them. Peeling potatoes is a huge pain in the ass. These mashed potatoes are delicious but I'll warn you -- they aren't very healthy. Oh well.

1/2 pounds red potatoes (about 8 small), quartered, skin left on
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large pot or dutch oven. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer.
3. When potatoes pierce easily with a paring knife, remove from heat and drain. Add potatoes to the bowl with the other ingredients and mix on medium speed until mostly smooth (there may be some lumps, but we usually don't mind that). Serve.

Sesame Chicken

E,

I love Chinese food and as you know, it is near impossible to find good Chinese food in the city. Damn you, DC! Sesame chicken is my favorite so when I found this recipe I was super excited! I tried to make sesame chicken in the crockpot a few years ago and it was a total and complete disaster. When I came across this recipe, it just looked so delicious and was crockpot free so I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did, it was easy and super delicious! I served it with rice and it was a truly great dish.

For the Marinade:
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks

For the Sauce:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chili paste (can substitute a couple pinches of red pepper flakes)

For the Coating & Frying:
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Sesame seeds, to garnish
Scallions, sliced, to garnish

Directions:

1. To make the marinade, whisk the chicken stock, water, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch and sesame oil in a bowl. Of this mixture, place 6 tablespoons into a zip lock storage bag and add the chicken; seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Set aside the remaining marinade in the bowl.

2. While the chicken is chilling in the marinade, heat the 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat until simmering. Saute the garlic, ginger and chile pasta until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add 2 cups of the reserved marinade to the skillet and simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture has become a darker brown and thickened. Remove from the heat and cover.

3. To prepare the chicken for coating and frying, whisk the egg whites in a shallow dish until foamy; set aside. Combine the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and remaining marinade in a second shallow dish; mix using a fork until it resembles coarse meal.

4. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and from the marinade. Pat the marinated chicken dry with paper towels.

5. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees.

6. While the oil is heating, prepare the chicken for frying. Toss half the chicken into the foamy egg whites until well coated, then dredge the chicken in the cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer the coated chicken to plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

7. Fry half the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer the cooked chicken onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Return the oil to 350 degrees. Repeat with the remaining chicken.

8. Warm the sauce over medium heat until simmering. Turn off the heat and add the fried chicken piece. Toss to coat and serve, sprinkling with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
 

Perfect Chili

It's been super cold in the DC area for the past couple weeks and I thought a nice bowl of chili would be fabulous. It totally hit the spot :)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup masa harina ( corn flour, found in the Mexican food section of many supermarkets)
Shredded Cheddar, for serving
Chopped onions, for serving
Tortilla chips, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.

After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and /or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Serve with shredded Cheddar, chopped onions, tortilla chips and lime wedges.

Chicken with Mustard Cream Sauce

Erin,

So.... I haven't blogged in 3 months. Have you noticed? Oops! I kept meaning to but would always put it off. Anyway, I am fighting a nasty cold today and decided this would be a perfect time to catch up! So let's get started ;) I found this recipe via the Pioneer Woman (duh) and it has instantly become one of my favorites. It's easy to make and I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. The sauce is tangy but creamy and it is absolutely divine. I love to pair this chicken with steamed broccoli and pour extra sauce on top. This recipe serves 4, but I always cut it in half when it's just the two of us. 

Ingredients:
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 cup White Wine
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Mustard
1/2 Heavy Cream
1/2 Chicken Broth
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Directions: 
1. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken.
2. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken  on both sides until nice and golden brown and cooked through. Remove chicken from the skillet and keep on a plate.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the pan and saute it for a minute, stirring to make sure it won't burn.
4. Next pour in the wine being and let it bubble up and cook until it's reduced by half.
5. Throw in the mustards and stir to combine, then pour in the cream. Stir in chicken broth, adding more if the sauce seems too thick.
6. Add chicken breasts back to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Allow sauce to cook for another few minutes, shaking the pan if needed to move things around.