Pork Tenderloin

Nothing could be easier... well, sure, a drive through is easier, but if you want some real food, this is pretty darn easy.

Makes TWO servings.  Double for four.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup very dry bread crumbs*
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 pound pork tenderloin**
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon butter

Directions

Slice tenderloin into 1/2 thick rounds.  Squish them flat with your hand, just a little bit.

Stir  bread crumbs, salt, parsley flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper together in a bowl.

Dip tenderloin slices in the crumb mixture to coat both sides.

Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in a skillet.  Add the the pork and cook until the crumb coating is browned and the pork is no longer pink inside, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

NOTES:

* One slice of bread whirled up in the food chopper or processor and left out to dry for 24 hours, or you can use Panko.

** They don't come this small, I usually get a 1 pounder and put half in the freezer for later.

Taco Pasta

My free advice follows the recipe:

Taco Pasta in the Instant Pot

Ingredients

   ½ pound ground beef , lean
    1 teaspoon(s) taco seasoning*
    4 fl oz tomato sauce (½ cup)
    1 cups beef broth
    4 oz (dry weight) small pasta (medium shells or radiatore)
    ¾ cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend or cheddar jack)
    Sour Cream and cilantro

Set Instant Pot to saute. When hot, add meat.  Break it up as it browns.


Once ground beef is browned, stir in taco seasoning, tomato sauce, beef broth and then pasta.  Be sure the pasta is completely covered.

Cover and seal lid. Change setting to manual/pressure cook and cook on high pressure for half the time needed to cook the pasta, according to the pasta package.  For this radiatore, I cooked it 5 minutes.

Do a quick release.

Open the pot and taste it... add salt if needed.

It gets better looking...

Stir in the cheese.

Serve with sour cream, or whatever floats your boat.  Sprinkle on some cilantro if you like.

*  If you want it spicier, add more. 1 tsp. was about Taco Bell level of spice. 

Now... for the FREE ADVICE

This makes two servings, and it was nasty when reheated, sticky icky because of the cheese.  I suggest stirring cheese into it after you've put it into your bowl, then when you refrigerate the rest, it won't glue itself together.

Be sure to get lean ground beef, or you'll have grease in the bottom and that's icky.

The best way to do a quick release on the Instant Pot is to whack the knob (gently of course) with something long, like wooden tongs, so the first burst of steam doesn't burn your hand.

Taco Seasoning

No story behind this... other than a packet of taco seasoning costs over a dollar, and this is cheap to make.

If you're cooking small amounts of food you might not even want an entire packet.  I don't really know, because I've never used any, since I don't make tacos at home... not since Taco Bell got drive- throughs...

This is from The Pioneer Woman, and it's supposed to be equal to one packet  (Your mileage may vary).

TACO SEASONING

    2 teaspoons chili powder
    1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/2 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
    1/4 teaspoon black pepper



NOTE: granulated garlic and onion is the same as powder, or so close that it works.


Stay tuned for Taco Pasta in the Instant Pot!

Chocolate Covered Bacon

It's the perfect pairing for Valentine's Day!










CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON


You will need:

large cookie sheet
cooling/baking rack
pastry brush
microwave safe bowl or double boiler
skewers

Ingredients:

1 package (12-16 ounces) thick-cut bacon
1 cup (6 ounces by weight) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon shortening

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 F.

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 10 minutes or so.

Place the rack on the cookie sheet.

Thread each slice of bacon on a skewer, place on the rack.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bacon is crispy.






As soon as you put the pan in the oven, turn on your exhaust fan, then go around to every room and open all the windows... check your smoke detector...

When bacon is crisp, remove from oven.  Handle the cookie sheet carefully!  Let the bacon cool completely.

Place the chocolate and shortening in a Pyrex bowl, and microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until the chips are mostly melted.  About a minute or less. 

Stir until completely melted and smooth.  These can also be melted in a double boiler, or by putting the Pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water (but don't let any water touch the chocolate!).

Using the pastry brush, coat the bacon strips generously with chocolate.  Place on waxed paper and let cool completely.

Cool and store these in the refrigerator, unless your kitchen is in the arctic.

Want it sweeter? Use milk chocolate for all or part of the chocolate chips.

Janeane's Cranberry - Orange Compote

I never liked cranberry relish/sauce, whatever it is... too bitter.   But this is SO GOOD!

It's AMAZINGLY good!

12-16 ounces of cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 orange or 1 tsp. orange extract (Optional)

Mix the juice, sugar, and zest together in a sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolved.  Add cranberries and simmer until they burst open.  Try not to let it boil.

I had a 12 ounce bag of cranberries, and there was plenty of liquid, so you could use up to 1 pound (16 ounces).   For 8 ounces, cut the other amounts in half.

So... I have a problem with zest.  Beside the ick factor, I just can't manage to zest a orange properly.  So, I use orange extract.   1/2 teaspoon is equal to a tablespoon of zest.

This is what I planned to do, but when I mixed this up on Christmas day, my bottle of orange extract was EMPTY!!!!  OMG!!!

But it was really good without, so I'd say taste it (after it's cooked) and add some extract if it's not orangey enough for you.   I bought orange juice with pulp, which is extra orangey, so maybe that's why it was OK with out the zest...

Server warm or chilled, it's good either way.

From my late sister-in-law Janeane Cannon, who could always make yummy stuff!

Waffles - Plain or Bacon

Waffles for Two

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar*
1 ½  teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt*
1 cup s milk
2 ½ tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla*

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, stir milk, egg, oil, and vanilla together.

Add to dry ingredients, mix until smooth.

Let batter rest for 5 minutes.  Use a scant ½ cup per waffle.

Makes 3-4 waffles.

NOTES: 

* These are optional ingredients.  The sugar gives the outside a little bit more browning, and the salt and vanilla are just to enhance the flavor.   If you use a lot of butter and syrup you might not notice their absence.

INSTRUCTIONS WITH PHOTOS:

Stir the dry ingredients together.   I like to use a whisk, it breaks up any lumps and stirs it up nice and evenly.

Now, here's a trick I learned from my mom...

Measure the milk into a glass measuring cup.
Like the  Pyrex Prepware Measuring Cup

Add the egg, oil, vanilla (or any other liquid you're mixing in) and stir it up with a fork. 

 

There... you just saved yourself from washing another mixing bowl. 

Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, and beat until smooth.   A rotary egg beater works great here, and I'd use one if I knew where mine was... 

 

Let the batter rest for five (5) minutes.

Use about ½ cup per waffle.  A scant half cup.  Pour it out the cup but don't scrape the cup...

Better yet, follow the recommendations for your waffle maker.  There's no shame in reading the instructions, after all, it's not a computer...

OPTION:

Sprinkle some bacon bits on top before closing the lid.  Those are Bacon Crumbles from Costco, highly recommended...

The syrup can hardly wait...

This assumes non-fat milk, no bacon, and a total of four waffles made from the recipe.   

It also assumes you only ate one waffle!
Nutrition information from www.caloriecount.com

Gritty Waffles

Waffles in Spaaaaaace!!!!!   

You can eat them in the air, you can eat them anywhere!

OK, not really.... but as I've mentioned before, my counter tops are icky and don't make a good background.  I didn't think to put down a towel or a placemat before taking the picture, and I ate the waffle already... so, Photoshop.

I finally found a decent waffle maker.  Thin, classic waffles, not Belgian waffles.  It's a Cuisinart Round Classic Waffle Maker (Duh!)  

"Gritty Waffles" have corn meal in them.  They are really good, with just a touch of gritty corn flavor.  Serve with butter and syrup.  This recipe is for two, and makes 3-4 waffles.   You can double the amounts for a full batch.   

Be sure to smooth the batter around a little with the back of a spoon or a rubber scraper, to prevent SKIMPY WAFFLES like this one.  I did that to the first waffle of the batch, and it was lovely and round... but I didn't take a photo, and Mr. Giddy ate it, so there we all over again.

GRITTY WAFFLES FOR TWO 

½  cup all-purpose flour

½  cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

½  teaspoon baking soda

¼  teaspoon salt

2½  Tablespoons vegetable oil*

1 egg

1 cup low-fat buttermilk**

Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. 

In a separate bowl***, mix buttermilk, egg, and oil together.  Pour into the dry mixture, and stir until combined. 

Pour ½ cup batter onto the hot waffle maker.  Smooth the batter out evenly before closing the lid.    

Serve with butter and syrup. Makes 4 waffles.

NOTES:

*   The actual amount for this recipe is 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, but you can eyeball it.  If doubling, use 1/3 cup oil. 

**  I tried this with a milk+vinegar substitution, but the batter was pretty thin.  It tasted OK, but try it with regular buttermilk. 

*** To save washing another bowl, I used my mom's trick of the two-cup Pyrex measuring cup.   Measure out 1 cup of buttermilk, add the egg and oil, and mix up with a fork. 

I set my waffle maker to "high", your mileage may vary.

This assumes low-fat buttermilk and a total of four waffles made from the recipe.   

It also assumes you only ate one waffle!
Nutrition information from www.caloriecount.com