Dijon and Dill Pork-splosion!!!

This was so easy to make and so good.  It started when I remembered that I've forgotten all about using fresh dill in my cooking.  I used to use dill to make a lemon-dill chicken recipe found here:

http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/cookbook-of-the-month-recipe-roast-dill-scented-chicken-with-leeks-and-potatoes/

When I tried to find the recipe I remembered originally getting it from the PBS show New Scandinavian Cooking with everyone's favorite host Andreas Viestad (kind of a cutie!)  I made the chicken recipe many times and it was always perfect and buttery.  You have to put the dill butter under the skin of the chicken, it's SOOO good!

So back to the pork.  What I made was a variation on a recipe I found here online:

http://www.angiesbigloveoffood.com/2011/09/mustard-dill-pork-tenderloin.html

The way I made it was with the butter added, like I used to do with the chicken.  I baked it with some veggies, here's what you need:

• generous amount of fresh dill
• pork tenderloin 
• lemon
• onion
• Adobo
• black pepper
• garlic powder
• dijon mustard, from the jar is what I used
• celery
• bok choy
• red potatoes
• BUTTER

So to get the pork ready I mixed together dijon mustard, butter and dill in a bowl.  Then I put some salt, pepper and garlic powder on the meat, followed by the delicious messy buttery dill and onion slices.  Set that aside and chop your veggies for the mix.  Here's the pork in the marinade mode, it was awesome!

Chop up the potatoes, celery, onion and bok choy and put some Adobo on there.  Then you add slices of lemon to the mix with dill.  Butter on top of the veggies too!  Put your pork pieces on last, over the veggies, cover and put this in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.  Then uncover it and cook it until your potatoes are soft and the meat is cooked throughly.  Squeeze some more lemon over everything when you take it out of the oven.

The key is to use tons of lemon and dill and it turns out great...  mmm

I have to MEOW about this other gal's blog.  She's all about locally grown food and fancy Southern cuisine!  It's got professional grade recipes that you won't find here.  It's very inspiring.

http://www.angiesbigloveoffood.com/

Meow MEOWS Angie!!!

Chillin' and Grillin' - Veggie Edition

Quick and Easy Veggies, No Prep Needed!

Corn-  there is a debate about husk on or off, and the use of foil.  I remove the husk and just throw the ears on there.  Getting some browning makes it good, I don't see the need to keep the husk on or use foil as if you need the corn to steam.  You can eat corn raw, like many other foods people don't think of.  Put it on there this way and it'll turn out nice.

Portabella Mushrooms-  just like the corn, all you have to do is put it on there.  Mushrooms really soak up the smoke on the grill.  A little cracked pepper is all you need if you feel compelled to put something on them.

Mixed Veggies-  I have a pan that I use on the grill.  It's scorched all over on the outside, I got it at the dollar store.  You can put any assortment of veggies you want in a pan like that and cover with foil so they steam in there.  Most recently I made bok choy this way.  Friday night I put a mix of chopped white mushrooms, onion, celery, green pepper and broccoli In my pan with some olive oil and butter.  I also used a small amount of the Aldi Poultry Grinder spice which has peppers and salt in it.  Uncovering them for a period of time to get the smoke is tasty!  (ok, there was a little prep on this one)

Roasted Garlic-  take a clove of garlic and put it on the grill until it gets mushy inside.  This goes great as a condiment.  To use just squeeze the cloves and the garlic is yummy gooey and comes right out.

Baba Ghanouj

Here’s what you’ll need to make your delicious eggplant dip:

• 2 medium or large eggplants, about 1 pound
• 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons tahini  or sesame seed paste
• olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
• parsley (optional)

Grill the eggplants RIGHT ON THE COALS for about 15 or 20 minutes, turning then over until they are charred and slightly wrinkled. You can have wood chips smoking on the coals with them to get that flavor too!  They're going to look burned, but that's ok. Let the eggplants cool so you can work with them.

Next, split the eggplants and scoop out the inside part, separating it from the burned up skin. Using a fork, squeeze out excess moisture from the eggplants and drain the bitter liquid.

Mash the eggplants with a fork until creamy. Add the finely minced garlic, tahini, and lemon juice while mixing it together. Season with salt and add the ground cumin (if you want). Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Wait, back up...  what is tahini and where can I get it?  Tahini is a vegan sesame seed paste that contains  the seeds and the oil of the seeds.  Some brands may have other ingredients, shop around for one you like.  You can get it at the healthy grocery or neighborhood grocery if yours caters to Middle Eastern shoppers.

Dip chips, pita or veggies into your home made baba ghanouj.  Some veggie grilling links in another post...

Trader Joe's Cabernet Beef Dinner

Yes, this starts with Trader Joe's Cabernet Beef.  It's a neat little ready marinated beef roast at a great price.  You don't need to do anything to the beef roast unless you want to.  I think I may have tossed a little bit of garlic and onion powder on it, but nothing is needed unless you feel like experimenting.

You need these to go with it:

• portabella mushrooms sliced
• carrots peeled and sliced or cheat with a bag of baby ones
• white onion roughly chopped
• chopped celery
• bok choy
• Franzia box of Cabernet Sauvignon

Ok, it's been a minute since the bitchez made this, so I might be forgetting the process.  I'll try my best.  The scrap of paper with this recipe on it is scribbled with lots of typos next to a courthouse address, but we're not going to talk about that.  Anyway, there aren't any directions so here's how I think it went.

Throw your onions, celery and mushrooms in a pan with a little bit of oil to sauté them.  In doing this you have to get your box of wine and make a reduction with your box wine.  The box of wine is best because if you're entertaining friends you should have enough wine to go around.  This might have something to do with the transcription problems of the hand written recipe.

Oh, I think you're going to braise your meat in the pan, then add the onions etc. and then make your reduction.  As I remember this all ends up in a baking pan, with the reduction poured over it.  You can add potatoes to your pan, easy enough.  What you don't want to do is add the bok choy to the pan too early.  It's delicate and cooks fast so put it in towards the end of the cook time.

To cook the meat simply follow the instructions on the package.  It will be in a baking pan along with the other things you prepared on the stove top and the carrots and bok choy.  This is pretty simple, maybe a little more labor intensive because of the braising and sauté process.  It's a meal all by itself, although you could add mashed potatoes or garlic bread as a side.

Enjoy MEOW!