Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Homemade Apple Sauce!

Ok guys, not to toot my own horn buuut this was seriously, as my boyfriend would put it, 

"The Dank." 

In other words, it was really, really good.

Growing up, pork and apple sauce was one of my favorites. My dad used to make my brothers and I pork chops once a week and I always had to have a more than necessary amount of apple sauce with mine, some things never change ;) So this dish has a special place in my heart. I thought I could make it a little more "grown up" with similar flavors and ingredients.

I purchased 2 lbs of pork tenderloin, in this case it came as two 1 lb tenderloins. I "butterflied" each tenderloin, cut in half but not all the way through, leave the tenderloin connected. This will create a boat to hold the stuffing in. If your loin comes in 1 piece, you can butterfly it and wrap it without an additional tenderloin or top piece of meat.

Tip!: you can ask your butcher to butterfly, tenderize, you name it! for you. In most cases they are more than happy to do it!

Rub the pork with sage, a mixture of spices by Rachel Ray (it comes in a grinder that you can find at the grocery store, its an all purpose spice mix), salt, and pepper.

For the stuffing dice 1 gala apple (I left the skin on, if you prefer you can remove the skin), 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, 1/2 medium onion. I kept the dice pretty small so it would be easier to keep inside the pork. Place the apple, mushroom and onion into a sauce pan heated on medium/high heat with some olive oil and butter. Saute the mixture with salt and pepper until it is about half way done cooking. Empty the mixture into one of the halves of tenderloin. Next, take the empty tenderloin and place it on top of the tenderloin with the apple mixture, the mixture will fall out, you can put it back in once you are done securing the two loins together. The most common way to keep meat together is with butchers twine, tie 3 to 5 knots down the loin to insure the two loins stay together while cooking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the loin on the middle rack for 35 minutes. Remove the loin from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Then serve!

What you'll need for the Stuffed Pork Tenderloin:

• 2 lbs Pork Tenderloin
• 1 medium Gala Apple
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs butter
• 2 tbs sage
• Rachel Ray all purpose seasoning
• Salt and pepper

Now for the Apple Sauce -

It's probably much more simple than you'd think to make your own apple sauce, and it's really good. I like making my own because I can control how much sugar goes into it, I can keep the skins on my apples (which provide more nutrients!), and I can add as much cinnamon as I want! and really, homemade apple sauce is the best :) 

Dice 3 medium gala apples and place them in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer until very tender, you'll be able to squash them with a fork or wooden spoon, usually about 15-20 minutes. Once you have smashed up your apples, stir in sugar and cinnamon. You're done! Was that surprisingly easy or what?!

What you'll need for the Apple Sauce: 

• 3 medium Gala Apples
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

This is a perfect chilly weather meal, sage always reminds me of the holidays. It's hearty feeling but light and healthy! I served this dish with some roasted vegetables. There were some very happy tummies last night!

Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did!

Simple Chicken Soup

Yesterday my mom came down with a nasty cold. I love helping people, especially through food, so I decided to head over to her house and make her some chicken soup. I mean, who doesn't want soup when they're feeling crappy?

This recipe is seriously so easy and delicious, you can add things you like or replace things you don't. Soup is so versatile, there is so much you can do with it and its so easy to tweak to make it your own.

ALSO, so many times when I have been at my moms house I find something that I can't live without, like the adorable mugs that I served the soup in. My mom is so generous, anytime I even hint at liking something she insists I take it, like her old vintage glassware that I can't wait to inherit once I have the space for it! I think it is so fun to go through old stuff, so many things are coming back into style and vintage is so popular now.. the easiest way to find "vintage" is to raid family nick-naks!
- If they are willing! -

Back to the soup - 

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 32oz can/box of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice
• Salt and pepper
• Celery salt (optional)

This recipe is so simple.

 Empty the chicken broth into a pot over medium/high heat, add the diced onion, celery, and carrot. Add salt and pepper. You can cook the chicken a million different ways but the easiest way to do it is to put the raw chicken breast into the hot broth and cook it in the broth for 15 minutes on medium heat, this keeps it nice and moist and adds flavor as well. Add salt and pepper again once you add the chicken to the soup, remember to flavor every layer of your cooking! Remove the chicken breast and shred it with a fork. Bring the broth and veggies back to a hard simmer, uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Then add the rice - I like to use the packs of brown rice that cook in the microwave in 90 seconds. They are so easy and cooking the rice separately keeps the soup nice and brothy, because the rice isn't soaking up all the liquid as it cooks. 

Place the shredded chicken back into the soup.

Serve and Enjoy!

If the soup isn't looking brothy (is that a word? well it is now ;)!) enough for you, you can add more chicken stock or you can add water and season it with salt, pepper, and celery salt.

I also found this "roasted garlic" loaf of bread at the store, I toasted and buttered it to serve along with the soup. It was the perfect lunch and my mom is feeling better already!

Corned Beef Hash!

Last St. Patricks Day something happened to me. I became obsessed with corned beef. I ate leftovers for a week and then I wanted to make another one. This NEVER happens to me... in most cases, I HATE leftovers...... Then, I started ordering it everywhere. Before I'd never thought a thing of it, I didn't understand the hype. And the boiled cabbage.... ew.

 Now, I'm a corned beef eating machine.

I love cooking at home because I have control over how much salt, butter, sugar etc goes into the food I'm eating.

 So I went to the store, grabbed myself a 2.5 delicious pounds of brisket and got to work.

The corned beef (which is brisket that has been pickled or brined) normally comes with a spice packet. I dumped the spice packet along with a beer and some water to cover the brisket (fat side up!!) in a pot. I turned the stove on, brought it to a roaring boil then turned it down to simmer, covered for 2 hours. (I have found it takes about 1 hour per pound of brisket). The house smelled so good the entire time this baby was simmering away, and its so easy.

What you'll need for the corned beef:

• One 12 oz. beer
• One beef brisket (corned beef and spice packet)
• Water

Meanwhile, I started on my cabbage.

A few years ago my boyfriend and I got sick of the old boiled cabbage and decided to turn it up. We sliced it thin and sauteed the cabbage with some onions, salt, pepper and BUTTER! It turned out sooooo good. My trick with the butter is to add it at the end so you get the flavor by using less butter and you can avoid a ton of calories. Or you can use half olive oil and half butter, this also keeps the butter from burning. Cook the cabbage until its tender, about 10 minutes, after about 5 minutes I cover it to let it steam for the last 5 minutes.

What you'll need for the cabbage:

• 1 head of green cabbage (sliced medium to small)
• 1 medium onion (sliced medium to small)
• 1-2 tbs olive oil
• 1-2 tbs butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Once the corned beef comes out of the water, I cut most of the fat off the top.

If you are going to use it later, I wrap it in foil and let it cool for an hour or two on the counter then I stick it in the fridge (you can cut the fat off once its cooled, its much easier). If not, you can cut it up while its nice and hot and serve it with the cabbage! Always remember to cut AGAINST THE GRAIN!

Now, for the important part and why we are all here...... the hash:

What you'll need: 

• 2 cups of diced up corned beef
• 1 cup cooked cabbage
• 3 yukon gold potatoes
• 1 orange bell pepper (diced)
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1-2 tbs butter
• salt and pepper

I take the cooled corned beef and diced it up pretty small, the size is all about preference.

I start by warming up my iron skillet (these things seriously rock) on medium/high heat and get it nice and hot before I add my ingredients. I dice up my yukon gold potatoes pretty small, so they cook quicker, and throw it in the skillet with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Then I turn down the heat a little bit to about medium/low so it doesn't burn, remember to stir every once in a while! Then I dice up an orange bell pepper and an onion and toss it in with the potatoes after about 5 minutes. I salt and pepper every layer of my cooking, salt and pepper when the potatoes go in and again when the veggies go into the skillet, etc. Once the potatoes are nice and tender add the corned beef and some of the cooked cabbage. Stir it all up and Voila! Delicious corned beef hash!

Serve with toast and an egg.

My boyfriend likes scrambled eggs so I decided to throw his hash in with the cooking scrambled egg, toss some cheddar cheese in and he was a happy camper.

There's so many different ways you can do it, but this way is honestly so delicious!

Then if you have left over corned beef, throw it on a nice soft roll or some bread with a little mayo and some of the cabbage for a delicious sandwich! or you can make more hash ;)!

Enjoy!

Welcome!

 Well, here we are. I've been thinking I should do this for a while and I'm finally doing it.
Here's a little background: I'm a twenty-something you can almost always find in the kitchen. I love the old classics and the new and unfamiliar. I try to make my recipes as healthy as possible without taking away from texture and taste. Besides being in the kitchen I love my dogs and cats (who are basically dogs), exercising and hiking, spending time with family and the friends who might as well be. I have no culinary education except for my binge watching of the Food Network. Seriously. If I'm not in the kitchen I'm probably watching a cooking show, which I learn a ton from, or I'm lost in the woods somewhere ;)
 

Stay posted for delicious recipes!

First up -- Corned Beef Hash!