Southern Pork Tenderloin with Chow Chow, Beans and Greens

For the pork:
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. each kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

For the Chow Chow:
1/2 c. yellow mustard
1/4 c. onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish (I think sweet relish is nasty so I opted for dill relish)
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

For the beans and greens:
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 c. onion, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. chicken broth (I used 1/4 c. water and one bouillon cube)
1 bunch mustard greens (I used turnip greens)
2 tsp. cider vinegar

For the pork:
Preheat grill
Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in oil. Rub mixture over pork tenderloin.
Grill pork, covered, turning every 3 minutes until cooked through. Remove pork from grill and tent with foil. Serve sliced and with chow chow sauce.

For the Chow Chow:
Simmer all ingredients for chow chow in a small saucepan over medium low heat for 3-4 minutes.

For the beans and greens:
Heat oil in saute pan add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Deglaze with sherry. Simmer until sherry has evaporated, about 1 minute.
Stir in black eyed peas and broth and bring to a simmer. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add mustard greens and cook until wilted 2-3 minutes. Stir in vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes 4. Total time 30 minutes

Verdict:
This was good. I have had a lot of pork that is like this with the spices all a little different. So it was nothing super special but it was good. The mustard sauce was good. Better than the mustard sauce that went with Cubano chicken. I liked the beans and green the best. What can I say I am a fan of the black eyed peas (musically and for eating.) Laney ate the beans and Gavin ate some pork after much persuasion. Blake didn't say he loved it but also didn't say that he didn't like it. That is really no help is it? Just try it. I am sure you won't dislike it.

Fajitas

These are a staple at our house so you will see them intermixed every now and again.

For the fajitas:

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 onion, halved and sliced thinly

1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 yellow pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 packet of McCormick or Lawerys seasoning

Cook chicken in a little bit of vegetable oil and brown. Add seasoning and veggies and cook until the vegetables are crisp tender. Warm tortillas over a gas stove top (if you have it). Turning and browning around edges.

Makes about 8 tortillas full. Total time: 20 min.

Verdict:We always love fajitas.

Cubano Chicken with Mustard Sauce and Hot Mangos and Peppers

For the Marinade:
1/4 c. lime juice
1/3 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. red onion, minced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 boneless chicken breasts

For the Chicken & Sauce:
4 pieces of thinly sliced ham
1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese (I can't eat Swiss so I used extra sharp cheddar cheese)
1/4 c. milk
3 Tbsp. mustard
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
4 slices of french bread
2 Tbsp. olive oil

For the hot mangos and peppers:
2 mangos, peeled and halved
1 each red, yellow and green peppers, halved, stemmed and seeded

For the marinade:
Whisk together lime juice, 1/3 c. oil, honey, onion, garlic, and 1 tsp. salt in a bowl. Set aside marinade reserving half for hot mangos and peppers.

For chicken:
Pound Chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Place chicken in bowl and cover with half the marinade. Refrigerate for 15 min.
Preheat grill.
Grill chicken, for 4 min. Flip chicken and top all chicken with piece of ham and cheese. Grill for 4 more minutes so chicken is cooked through.

For sauce:
Whisk together milk, mustard, mayo, and pickle relish for sauce. Cook over low heat while chicken grills.

For hot mangos and peppers:
Toss mangos with reserved marinade. Place on grill and cook until softened and have grill marks.
Remove from grill when cooked and slice to eat with chicken.

Makes 4. Total time 30 min.

Verdict:
I really liked this. A lot. I think the extra sharp cheddar was a good trade off for the Swiss. I made some rice to go along with this which I think was a good mix. The peppers and mangos were good. I don't necessarily think that you have to grill them although it did add a good smoky flavor. This mustard sauce is alright but I would just pass on it. Blake quickly put the left overs in a Tupperware to take to work the next day. Laney ate a lot of the chicken and Gavin liked the mangos and rice.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Weekly Menu

Mon: Cubano Chicken with Grilled Mangos and Peppers

Tue: Fajitas

Wed: Southern Pork Tenderloin with Chow Chow, Beans and Greens

Thur: Huli Huli Pork With Pineapple and Peppers

Fri: Meat Lovers Pizza Burgers with Provolone

Greek Salad with Shrimp and Edamame

For the salad:
2 lb. edamame (soy beans. I bought them frozen and then steamed them in the bag.)
1/2 c. parsley, chopped
1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
1/4 c. mint, chopped
1/4 c. red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. feta
2 Tbsp. kalamata olives, chopped
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preheat grill.
Steam edamame and remove them from shell.
Stir together edamame, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, onion, feta, and olives in large bowl. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. olive oil over salad and toss.
Toss shrimp with remaining lemon juice and olive oil. Grill shrimp uncovered until cooked.
Add shrimp to salad mixture and serve.

Makes 4. Total time 20 min.

Verdict:
Let me preface this by saying that I love Greek tasting food. So I thought for sure that I was going to like this and that Blake wouldn't. He is not huge on chopped up green things. (I am wearing him down though.) I was right, mostly. I liked it. It was light and flavorful and very summery. What I didn't expect was that Blake really liked it too. The kids picked out the edamame and ate that and the feta. Laney liked the cucumbers but didn't want any little green things to be on them. Gavin asked for some more feta. What can I say, our kids like feta.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Breakfast Pizza

For the pizza:
8 large eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. chopped ham
1 c. picante sauce
1 c. shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese
pizza crust
(you can use Boboli pizza crust or you can use a frozen raw dough bread loaf that has been thawed and rolled out. I used the dough.)

Preheat oven to 425
Roll out dough and place on pizza pan.
Cook dough until it is a light brown color and looks to be cooked through all the way.
Whisk together eggs and milk in bowl. Melt butter in large skillet and saute ham for 3-4 min. Add egg mixture and let set until you can pull the eggs away from the sides of pan. Using a spatula pull all sides into the middle. Do not mix. Then as the eggs cook some more pull sides in again. Continue to do this until you have a big egg pile in the middle of the pan. Some of the eggs will still be a little under cooked. Remove from heat.
Spread picante sauce on cooked crust. (We used pace.)
Top pizza with egg and ham mixture and then cheese.
Cook pizza in oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is the color that you like it.

Makes 1 pizza. Total time 20 min.

Verdict:
Eggs on pizza? That was my first thought. I have seen a recipe like this in a couple of different places so I thought, why not try it? It was good. Really good. It was like breakfast burritos except instead of the tortilla you have yummy pizza crust. I also liked that most of these ingredients I have on hand almost all the time. Blake loved it too and we both had leftovers the next day. Laney and Gavin both picked theirs apart and ate it separately. Baby steps.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Sweet and Hot Pepper Chicken with Salsa Mashed Potatoes

For the Chicken:
1/4 c. barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. hot pepper spread
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 c. shredded pepper jack cheese

For the Potatoes:
1 1/2 lb. small red potatoes, halved
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 one inch thick slices red onion
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. each ground cumin and coriander
salt and pepper to taste

For the Chicken:
Preheat grill.
Combine barbecue sauce and pepper spread in small saucepan cook until warmed threw and spread is melted.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. (I pounded the chicken flat but you don't have too.) Brush sauce on chicken.
Grill chicken turning and basting every 2 minutes. Cook chicken until done.
Top each piece of chicken with shredded cheese and allow to melt.

For the Potatoes:
Boil potatoes in water. (the recipe does not call for this but I have never had good luck with just cooking potatoes on the grill. They never seem to cook threw all the way so I boil them first.) After they are cooked about half way drain the water and then toss them with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill potatoes turning as needed until they are tender about 20 min. Grill onion until slightly caramelized. Remove from grill and dice.
Mash potatoes with remaining ingredients and serve.

Makes 4. Total time for Chicken 15-20 min. Total time for Potatoes 40 min. (with boiling)

Verdict:
Both Blake and I thought that this was OK. It is nothing to write home about but it was still good. The chicken wasn't too spicy it just had a little kick. I am not a big fan of mashed potatoes in general and neither is Blake. I thought that these were good as far as mashed potatoes go but I did have to add more salt. Laney seemed to like the mashed potatoes more than the chicken which is different for her. Gavin didn't like either but that is no big surprise considering that he really only likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Steak House Mushroom Burgers with Creamed Spinach Sauce

For the Burgers:
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. each kosher salt and pepper
4 slices french bread toasted

For the Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. minced onion
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. half and half
1/2 c. chicken broth
kosher salt, cayenne, and nutmeg to taste
4 c. chopped fresh spinach
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

For the burgers:
Preheat grill.
Saute mushrooms in 1 Tbsp. oil in pan over med-high heat. Cook until mushrooms start to brown. Stir in garlic and cook 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper. Let mushrooms cool.
Combine burger, 1 Tbsp. oil, soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and mushrooms.
Shape into patties and place on grill. While patties are cooking make sauce.

For the sauce:
Melt butter in saucepan.
Add onion and cook until translucent about 3-4 min.
Stir in flour. Cook 1 min.
Whisk in half and half, broth, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 2 min.
Add spinach and stir until wilted. Mix in Parmesan and lemon juice.

Serve burgers open faced on toasted french bread. Top with creamed spinach sauce and sprinkle with more Parmesan.

This makes 4. Total time 40 min.

Verdict:
These were so good. I do realize that not everyone is a fan of mushrooms but...yum. The sauce is super good just by itself. I would also eat the sauce with some noodles or with some grilled pork. Blake really liked this too. He is kinda wishy washy when it comes to mushrooms but he said that he would definitely want this again. Laney ate a plain patty with no sauce and Gavin ate only one bite (he is a vegetarian of sorts.) We had one patty left over so I ate it the next day...cold. It was still so good.

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados With Citrus Aioli

For the avocados:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. each garlic powder, and red pepper flakes
12 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 avocados, halved and pitted
1 1/2 inch thick slice of red onion
1/3 c. halved grape tomatoes

For the citrus aioli:
1/4 c. mayonnaise
4 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Preheat grill.

Combine all ingredients for Aioli in small bowl and refrigerate.

Mix 2 Tbsp. oil with parsley, 1 Tbsp. lime juice, garlic powder and pepper flakes in bowl add shrimp and toss. Brush remaining olive oil and lime juice on halved avocados.

Grill shrimp, avocados, and onion all uncovered over direct heat. Grill until shrimp is pink and grill marks are on avocados. Grill onion until soft. All of this should take about 5 minutes.

Scoop out and dice top two third of flesh in each avocado, leaving some at the bottom so that they hold up. Dice grilled onion. Gently stir together avocado, onion, shrimp and tomatoes in bowl. Spoon mixture back into avocado shells and serve with Aioli.

Makes 4. Total time: about 30 min.

Verdict:
I love shrimp and I love avocados. I wasn't sure if I would love them together but this turned out to be a nice quick meal. I liked the Aioli OK. I could definitely taste the mayo which I am not a huge fan of. Blake didn't eat hardly any of the sauce but that is just because sauce in general is not his thing. The kids ate a bit of shrimp and a bite of avocado (but only because we made them.)

Picture and recipe from Cuisine at Home grilling

Monday: Shrimp Stuffed Avocados with Citrus Aioli

Tuesday: Steak House Mushroom Burgers

Wednesday: Sweet and Hot Pepper Chicken with Salsa Mash

Thursday: Breakfast Pizza

Friday: Greek Salad with Shrimp

Why Do I Torture Myself?

I have been wanting to do this for a while. I like to cook and I like to try new things. Most people wouldn't think that this is conducive to a family with three little kids but we make it work. I want our kids to be open to trying new things.

I normally plan our menus in two week intervals. It makes it so I only have to go to the grocery store once a week. We have found that this saves us money. If we are not going to the store to pick up stuff for dinner than we are also not buying that bag of chips that look good, and those rolls that look so soft, and that candy bar that would make an awesome treat for later...you get the point. I also like to plan so that we don't eat the same thing over and over again. No one likes scrambling at the last minute to figure out what is for dinner. Boiled hot dogs are fast but lets face it, it will be no ones first pick. I don't claim to be an expert and I don't make up my own recipes. I read some good cook books and follow directions.

So here goes. Enjoy.