Saturday Night Pork

I have not been remiss in updating so much as there really hasn't been much progress. Saturday, I made a pork tenderloin, which I will discuss later. On Sunday, I went to my parents house, and my mom and brother BBQ ed. Monday, we went out pre Muny.

Saturday, I ate pork tenderloin at 2 in the morning. Why? Because Brad was at work until close to 1 am, and didn't get home until 2. When he did get home, he was famished. I was famished as well, because I couldn't decide what to eat. I had the four bites of leftover chicken around noon, but that didn't fill me up for very long. I had a package of creamy chicken Ramen Noodles around 6. Once again, not sure where the Ramen Noodles came from, but I have been eating them nonetheless.

Pork Tenderloin (from allrecipes.com)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion (or about 1/2 of a small onion, chopped)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins

DIRECTIONS
Place soy sauce, brown sugar, wine, dried onion, cinnamon, olive oil, and a touch of garlic powder in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal, and shake to mix. Place pork in bag with marinade, seal, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray. Place the tenderloins in the pan, so they are not touching each other. Bake for 30 - 45 minutes or until cooked completely. (165 F in the center, or until when you cut it open in the center it is all the same color and looks like something you want to eat... whichever method you prefer...) Slice into medallions and serve.

I also made some frozen peas (cooked in the microwave) and some instant mashed potatoes (prepared per the box directions). This meal used boucoup (sp?) freezer and pantry ingredients. The tenderloin and peas were in the freezer, and the instant mashed potatoes were in the pantry. I used to NEVER NEVER NEVER buy instant mashed potatoes, but I went through a phase where all I wanted to eat were potatoes, but I didn't want to expend the time or calories involved in making homemade. My friend Sarah said Betty Crocker made some decent instant, and I have to agree. Don't get me wrong, they are still instant, but they aren't bad. I doctor them up with cheese and sour cream and I'm none the wiser. (Actually, I am because I make the potatoes, but still... you get the point....)

On Sunday, I went to my 'rents, where my bro BBQ ed. He is an awesome BBQ er. He made stuffed burgers. As best as I could tell, as I was playing with my nephew while he was cooking, he made the burgers with the usual seasonings, then he made really really thin patties. Actually, I think my mom made the patties. Either way, he put some grilled onions and bacon and white cheddar cheese in the middle, then molded another patty on top and grilled. Yum! He also made me shells and cheese, which I LOVE. It was a delightful meal... and I didn't have to cook because I brought home a burger and some mac and cheese.

I contributed dessert to the meal, which is usually my contribution. This week, I brought an ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery. It had a layer of yellow cake, followed by a layer of cheesecake ice cream. Repeat. Then, there was a layer of raspberry puree around the outside of the cake, followed by a layer of raspberry frosting. On top, were frozen raspberries. There is still a piece in the freezer. I'm not sure why I have not eaten it yet. Hmm. Now I am going to be thinking about that one lonely piece of ice cream cake in the freezer. It is still in its original container, so it is taking up a lot of space. Tomorrow is trash day, so I could eat the cake today and put the big plastic, non recyclable container in the garbage. Will power. Will power. Will power.

Monday we were going to go to the Brasilian restaurant with my 'rents (restaurant.com coupon). I checked the web site to see if they were open on Monday, and it said they were open 7 days per week. We got there, and they were closed. Jerks. We went to an Italian restaurant instead. It was pretty good, though I spilled my full glass of ice water on the table. While klutzy, I demonstrated great skill in my spill, as I managed to avoid spilling it in the bread basket, on the appetizers or on myself or my family. It was a four napkin spill, though, as it took everyone's napkin to get it cleaned up.

After supper, we went to this season's final Muny performance... Fiddler on The Roof. Act I was fantastic. I'm sure Act II would've been good, too, but it was so flipping hot. We left after the PoPos broke up the wedding. Upon arriving back at the car, we were both drenched in sweat. (Yummy!) The intermission didn't even start until 10 pm, which means if we had stayed the entire time, we would've been exhausted and dripping in sweat. (again, Yummy!)

The Muny this year was great, and this last show was the only truly miserably hot day.