Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Proscuitto Asparagus Bundles

I meant to post this recipe a while ago.  I honestly don't remember when it was made or what the occasion was.  Whatever.  Doesn't matter.  The dinner was good.  And simple!  I like simple.  I know I posted pork yesterday too but again, so what?  When something's good, it's good.

Oh and guess what?  M finished his MBA program so he is officially a graduate!  And he got an A on his thesis. *Smile*  We are going into the North End tonight to celebrate.  I will let you know how the meal was.  We might head over to Mike's Pastry too which everyone knows is the best bakery in the North End.  The line is always out the door.  Mmm, pastry.  We Bostonians know where it's at.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

A recipe by Noelle at A Homemade Kitchen

This really isn't a recipe.  It was just so easy.  Feel free to use whatever seasonings you like.

1 pork tenderloin

garlic powder

salt

pepper

fresh thyme

fresh basil, torn or chopped

Preheat oven to 350.  Season the pork with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Sprinkle the fresh thyme and basil over the top.  Place tenderloin into a roasting pan.  Put into the oven and roast for about 40-45 minutes until the pork is about 155-160 degrees internal temperature.  Remove from oven and let rest for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Bonus Recipe: Proscuitto Asparagus Bundles

A recipe by Noelle at A Homemade Kitchen

M and I love this side dish.  It can go with any meal really.  We have also done these bundles on the grill and that was awesome too.

1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed

salt

pepper

olive oil

8 slices of procscuitto

Place the trimmed asparagus in a bowl.  Season with some salt and pepper and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  Toss together.  Gather 4-5 asparagus spears into your hand and wrap the bundle with a slice of proscuitto.  Place onto a baking sheet and put into the oven with the pork when there is about 12-15 minutes remaining.  Remove from oven when proscuitto looks crispy.

Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein

Don't you just love the word noodle?  I think it is a funny word.  I actually call Maddux a little noodle face.  Why?  I don't know.  It just came out of my mouth one day.  You know what I like to put in my mouth?  Noodles.  Back in high school, I did the typical teenage thing and ate bowls and bowls of Ramen noodles.  Those dehydrated bricks of noodles were fascinating to me.  I would drain off some of the broth so it wasn't quite so liquidy and I had a super awesome noodle bowl.  So I thought.  Now there are all kinds of amazing noodle bowls and I should eat them more.  Noodle bowls are cool.  I like stir frys too and Lo Mein.  When I have made stir frys in the past, I always used rice.  This time, I wanted noodles and noodles I got.

This was a super quick and easy dinner and only dirtied one pan which is key.  I love one pot dinners.  I also didn't want the standard old chicken so I used boneless pork chops instead.  It's the other white meat! It was yummy in my mouth (as opposed to yummy in my tummy which doesn't make sense to me because you don't taste yumminess in your tummy). 

Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein

A recipe by Noelle at A Homemade Kitchen

2 boneless pork chops, sliced into strips

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 carrots, sliced into disks

2 celery stalks, sliced into half moons

1 medium onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 or so button mushrooms, sliced

1 small broccoli crown, chopped into florets

Stir fry sauce, any kind

2 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper

Lo Mein noodles, I used Hokkien noodles (you could also use cooked spaghetti or vermicelli)

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.  Add the pork strips and cook until no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes.  Stir them around often.  Be careful of spattering.  Hot oil hurts!  Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mushrooms and broccoli.  Stir fry for about 2 minutes.  Add the stir fry sauce and soy sauce.  Season with salt and pepper, if you like.  Add the noodles.  Toss everything together and heat the noodles through.  Serve immediately.

High Hopes

When I first started this blog, it was intended to be a place where I would keep track of recipes I have tried and enjoyed.  I wanted a place where I could look back and remember those meals or the times in which these meals were served and eaten.  It was to be a place of memories and reflection on food.  Don't know if that is what it has become though.  I wanted this blog to inspire me in the kitchen, to try new things.  While I figured that this would only be me who ever logged onto this blog, I thought maybe, just maybe others would find it and read it.  Maybe I would be discovered and become this famous food blogger!  Ha!  I think I had high hopes. :)  But hey, I'm still new at this. 

This blog has inspired me in some ways to try new things and be more devoted to my little galley kitchen.  Some days though, not so much.  But don't we all have those days?  Where we truly enjoy something but just don't want to do it at all?  I think it's normal.  I also think it's funny that I write this blog as if someone was actually reading it.  Don't get me wrong, there are about 3 wonderful ladies who read this blog and I thank them dearly!  I guess then I could say I am having a personal conversation with each one.  That makes me smile.  Oh wait, did someone say girls night?  I love all three of them dearly for taking a few minutes out of their day to catch up on what's happening in my homemade kitchen.  Sometimes though, I do wish there were a few others who visit.  But alas, this is not the outlet for any of my woe is me moments.  This is supposed to be about food and food is love so I've heard.  So take a cue from my little love, Maddux, and find a warm spot to sit yourself down at.  He prefers the heating vent.  I recommend a cozy chair or the kitchen table and remember to bring a snack.  Think of the people in your life who make you smile.  I have lots.

Please keep reading, dear friends, and bear in mind that food can warm the heart and soul and a heating vent can warm a little bottom.

Giant Scallions

I just had to show you the giant scallions I just got at the Farm Stand.  I mean look at them.  They're huge!  I took a picture next to a book to try and scale the scallions a little and the book is dwarfed!

I have never seen scallions so big.  I dropped by the Farm Stand to pick up some salad stuff and got a beautiful head of romaine lettuce, a small cucumber, a pint of blueberries and these scallions.  They were super tasty in the salad too.  I didn't put the blueberries in the salad but will certainly enjoy them later.  They just looked so plump and delicious.  My local farm stand is run by a farm a couple of towns away called Farmer Dave's.  Their produce is delicious and I think I am going to sign up for their winter vegetable CSA.  I have actually never done a CSA before and I really want to.  I will be supporting local farmers and getting incredibly fresh produce.  That makes me happy.  It will also allow me to try vegetables I have never had before and get creative in the kitchen.  I'm excited.  Especially if I can get mutant sized vegetables like these scallions.  M is going to flip when he sees these.  They are bigger than Maddux for goodness sake!  I think I'm going to be eating scallions for a while.

Shrimp with Noodles and Warm Tomato Salad

Guess what, friends?  M has one more week of class!  He presented his thesis the other night so that's done.  I was so glad to get that thesis out of our lives.  I will be honest, I did a happy dance on Wednesday morning.  There will be another happy dance next week.  Since I am in a good mood, let's talk about shrimp. I love shrimp. Shrimp scampi is one of my favorite dishes and I like to try different variations of it so I made one.

This is a very tasty summer dish.  This one is definitely different but it was so good.  I loaded it with fresh veggies.  It has a warm tomato and onion salad on  the top.  Yum!!  I love tomato and onion salad.  And I used fresh basil from my little herb box.  Yes, I am growing herbs - basil, thyme, and parsley.  Although the parsley isn't doing very well.  Sigh.  But I am growing cherry tomatoes too and they are finally red.  Sadly, my own homegrown tomatoes were not used in this recipe but it was tasty nonetheless.

Shrimp with Noodles and Warm Tomato Salad

Adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray August 2010

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

a handful of fresh parsley, chopped

10 basil leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons

1/4 red onion, minced

extra virgin olive oil

1 lb shrimp, fresh or frozen

1 bag egg noodles or other pasta

1 garlic clove, minced

half a bag of baby spinach

grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 325.  Place the tomatoes cut side up on the baking sheet.  Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes. 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt generously and cook the noodles according to package directions.

While the noodles are cooking and the tomatoes are roasting, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat with the garlic.  Once the garlic has become fragrant, add the shrimp in a single layer.  Cook on each side until pink; about 5-6 minutes total. 

Reserve a cup of the noodle/pasta water before you drain it.  Add the noodles to the skillet with the garlic.  Add some of the reserved noodle/pasta water and toss together.  Add the spinach and wilt it in.  Add as much grated cheese as you like and toss everything together.  If it still looks a little dry to you, add some more of the reserved noodle/pasta water.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and put into a bowl.  Add the parsley, basil, and onion.  Season with salt and pepper and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.  Serve this warm tomato salad on top of the shrimp noodles.  Top with more cheese, if desired.

Chicken with Caponata Ragout

Another chicken recipe!  Bet you never guessed that was coming.  This was something very different and I loved it.  M only liked it but it still gets a place on this blog.  The original recipe called for this dish to be cooked in the oven for about 20 minutes but it has been so hot in my neck of the woods lately that there was no way I was turning the oven on in the house.  So, I adapted the recipe to have everything cook on the stovetop.  It worked out lovely.

It was kind of a sweet and sour caponata because there is vinegar and brown sugar in this recipe.  I loved the combination and it made the eggplant have an amazing flavor.  Eggplant isn't always my favorite but I enjoyed it very much in this dish.  It certainly was a flavor profile that M and I don't have very often and it was just the ticket.

Chicken with Caponata Ragout
Adapted from Every Day With Rachael Ray August 2010

6-8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small eggplant, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 ribs celery, chopped
8-10 button mushrooms, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
cooked rice

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 tbsp olive oil.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook on each side for about 5 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan to a plate and set aside.

Add 1 tbsp more of olive oil to the skillet.  Add the eggplant and cook over medium heat until softened, stirring often.  Remove eggplant from the pan to bowl and set aside.  Add the last tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and add the onion, garlic, celery, and mushrooms to the skillet.  Cook the veggies for about 3 minutes stirring often.  Add the cooked eggplant, tomato, tomato sauce, and chicken stock to the skillet.  Stir to combine.  Add the chicken back to the pan.  Let everything simmer together for about 10 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the pan and place on a plate or platter.  Add the basil, vinegar, and brown sugar.  Stir to dissolve the sugar and to combine all the flavors.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve the chicken and caponata with cooked rice.

Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad

Pasta salad has become sort of my signature which is funny because I don't make them that often.  Several years ago I made a pasta salad for a party and it was a major hit.  Now everyone loves it and wants me to make it a lot.  It was Rachael Ray's Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad and it is really awesome.  I have not changed around any of the ingredients so go check it out and make it.  My family just calls it "Noelle's Pasta Salad" but really, it's Rachael's.

For the Fourth of July, my family hosted a little gathering and shocking, I was asked to make the pasta salad.  I didn't want to do the same one so I came up with something different.  I was looking through the latest issue of Bon Appetit magazine and there was this recipe for a pasta salad with this green olive mixture, capers and anchovies.  I thought it sounded very interesting but I knew not everyone would like those flavors so I just sort of came up with my own.  I can't really say that I adapted it from the magazine because it is not even close.  The only similarity is a mustardy dressing and tomatoes so this one might actually be "Noelle's Pasta Salad." 

Tomato and Feta Pasta Salad
A recipe by Noelle at A Homemade Kitchen

1 lb short cut pasta, I used gemelli
1-2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1/4 red onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 8oz tub of feta cheese
6-8 fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water liberally and cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain well and rinse under cold water to cool the pasta down.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, add the tomatoes and cucumber to a big bowl.  I soaked the diced onion in some water for a little while before adding it to the salad so you can go ahead and do that as well.   Soaking the onion sort of tames the bite an onion can have so it is not quite as strong.  Or just add it right into the bowl with the tomatoes and cucumber.

In a small bowl add the garlic, red wine vinegar and dijon mustard.  Whisk together.  Slowly stream in the olive oil continuing to whisk until it has emulsified and all come together.

Add the pasta to the bowl with the veggies.  Also add in the feta cheese and basil.  Pour the dressing all over the salad.  Mix all the ingredients together to thoroughly combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Either serve immediately or cover and place in the refrigerator for a couple of hours for the flavors to meld.  I made this salad several hours ahead of time and it makes the flavors more pronounced. 

Note: It was fantastic the next day.  M and I brought it to work as our lunch.