Summer is coming to an end and while not everything was a success over at my little community garden plot, the basil thrived. Never mind that I didn’t even plant basil. Hey, if it shows up in my 10 ft. sq. plot, it’s fair game.
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Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Strawberry Mango Salsa
Now that I’m a mom I look forward to Mother’s day. This year the boys and my husband went all out to make sure I was taken care of on the special day. It began with a leisurely stroll on our local greenway. I enjoyed the pitch perfect weather and my boys (with the exception of Alex) enjoyed the fact that the cicadas have pretty much taken claim over the entire city. It’s a once every thirteen year phenomenon and we’re smack in the middle of it. Nick, being all boy, found joy in grabbing them by the wings and letting them go to fly away once again. Drew just chased them up and down the walking bridge laughing the entire time. Only Alex had no desire to jump into the bug fray. In fact, I think he was a little “bugged out” by the time we finished the adventure. That’s my boy.
We followed up the walk with a stop at the local yogurt shop and an afternoon nap for me. That’s right a nap. I don’t think I’ve had one of those since I was three years old and it.felt.great. When I got back up and joined the land of the living, this is what I came down to witness:
My husband, who hasn’t set foot in the kitchen more than twice in our married lives to cook a full on meal, was doing just that. I tell ya, I could get used to this. It’s too bad Mother’s day is only once a year.
It’s back to normal life today and back to the dinner grind. If you’d like to get your husband cooking, this meal is a great segway into the kitchen. It involves the grill (the manly aspect of the meal) and a simple yet flavorful salsa that seriously makes the dish (the almighty segway).
To whip up the marinade, you’ll grab up a gallon sized ziplock and add in some balsamic, olive oil, cumin, coriander, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Add in your pork, close er up, and let it rest in the fridge for a couple hours.
When you’re ready to cook up a delicious grill inspired dinner, heat it up and get that gorgeous loin cooking. And I do mean gorgeous.
Once it’s cooked through and the temperature registers 145 degrees in the thickest part of the loin, remove and cover it with foil for about 5 minutes.
Now’s the time to put together that gorgeous salsa. I’m seeing some mango, strawberries, mint, cilantro, avocado along a few other surprises in that bowl. Trust me, they all belong there.
Mix it together, slice up that tantalizing loin, and drop a heaping spoonful (or three) of that gorgeous salsa over the top. A feast fit for a kitchen loving husband. I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s day!
Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Strawberry Mango Salsa
Total Time: 2 hour 30 min
Ingredients:
For the Marinade:
1-2 Pound Pork Tenderloin
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Coriander
1 Lime, Juiced
1/2 tsp Salt
For the Salsa:
2 Cups Strawberries, Chopped
5-10 Mint Leaves, Chopped
2 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
1 Small Avocado, Chopped
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Yellow Pepper, Chopped (about 1/3 of the pepper)
1/2 Mango, Chopped
1/2 Lime, Juiced
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Honey
Directions:
Mix together all the marinade ingredients with the exception of the pork loin in a gallon sized ziploc bag.
Add the pork to the bag, seal and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
When you're ready to cook up the pork, fire up the grill on medium-high heat (around 425 degrees).
Place the pork loin on the grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes, flipping once. The pork will be done when the temperature in the thickest part of the loin reaches 145 degrees.
Remove the loin from the grill and cover with aluminum foil. Let sit for 5 minutes.
While the loin is sitting, grab up the ingredients for your salsa, drop them into a bowl and toss them up.
Slice up the finished pork and serve the strawberry mango salsa over the top.
Southwestern Stuffed Mushrooms
Kids say the darndest things. Last night we were sitting down to dinner, enjoying some quality time, when Alex made a sudden declaration that he didn’t like meat. “All meat?” I inquired. “No meat.” he replied. So I asked him the next logical question that came to my mind. “Do you think you might want be a vegetarian when you grow up?” An overly exaggerated look of utter frustration washed over his face as he rolled his eyes at me and sighed. “I thought we already discussed this. I want to be an ice cream truck driver when I grow up!” Silly, silly mommy for asking such a ridiculous question. But hey, as long as he drives his truck through my neighborhood it’s all good to me.
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Penne alla Vodka – A guest post from Christy at Fudge Ripple
I’m thrilled to have Christy from Fudge Ripple as a guest poster for Mommie Cooks today! Her unique writing style drew me instantly into her blog and the delicious recipes keep me coming back for more. I hope you enjoy reading and tasting her delicious creations as much as I do. When you’re finished here, be sure to stop over and check out her blog. I promise you won’t be disappointed. On with the show!
when i received Julie’s kind invitation
to share a recipe with all of you
i got so excited
i had so many ideas about what i should share
and this one stuck
a recipe
that brings back memories of my wonderful
grandma
today
i share with you
spaghetti alla vodka
made with vodka soaked tomatoes
this is really simple. peel tomatoes and cram into a jar, use a skewer to secure tomatoes if they start to float to the top. fill the jar with vodka and store in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. i make several jars because i like to use the tomatoes and the vodka for my sauce. leftover vodka is really great for a bloody mary pick me up.
spaghetti alla vodka
1 lb spaghetti or pasta of choice
olive oil
1/2 of small onion–finely diced
2 garlic cloves–finely diced
6-8 basil leaves–chiffonade
1 large tin peeled whole tomatoes or combination of vodka soaked tomatoes and tinned tomatoes to equal about 4 cups whole
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup tomato soaked vodka (or other vodka you have on hand)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
cook pasta in salted water, according to package instructions. cook onions and garlic in olive oil over low heat. meanwhile, place the tomatoes in a food processor or blender and pulse until it is smooth. do not allow the onions and garlic to brown, but let them begin to soften and become translucent. at this point, add the tomatoes and vodka and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes. add the basil, red pepper flakes and heavy cream and allow to heat through. stir in parmesan, then toss drained pasta in. if the sauce seems too thick, use a bit of the pasta water. shave a bit of parmesan on top of each individual serving, along with additional crushed red pepper, if you like spicy.
Greek Inspired Slow Cooker Chicken
As my kids get older, the amount of time I have to cook dinner seems to be less and less. Ok, who am I kidding. It doesn’t seem to be less. It actually is less. A whole lot less. Between Spanish classes, Y-Guides and Faith formation, our afternoons are filled with the kids and me shuttling around in the car, racing to make the next destination on time. Dinner is a far thought in the back of my mind.
I remember the days when I had all afternoon to think about and prepare a tasty meal. I would plan and orchestrate without interruption and the result was usually a masterpiece fit for a king (or at least a family of five). Today I’m lucky if I walk in the door at 5pm and have even had the foresight to pull out a package of meat for that night’s meal. Enter in my trusty slow cooker.
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Chicka Chicka Chickpea Salad
This past weekend Scott took me out to a nice dinner, just the two of us, to celebrate my birthday. We enjoyed a thoroughly delicious Greek inspired meal, as well as each other, with no kids for the first time since our trip to New York last August.
It’s amazing how when you spend so much time being parents, once you finally are given the opportunity to be a couple again, you’re not quite sure how to handle it. Sometimes finding topics to talk about other than the kids can be a challenge. I, however, being the mom to three boys that I am, quickly remedied that problem with a drink called a cream soda; and no I’m not talking about the old time soda shop cream soda. It was a mixture of Absolut Vanilia and Ginger Ale. And let me tell ya, I’ll take that version of cream soda any day of the week. It was a bit like going back to that fated soda shop only the shop keeper decided to spike my soda with something warm and fuzzy. Thank you very much Mr. shop keeper. Not to mention how adult it is; an absolute reminder that behind that rather expansive curtain of parenthood, Scott and I are indeed still a married couple at heart.
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