It's not THAT bad...

Turns out, I had MOST of my blog photos saved either on iphoto, my phone or in my email.  I am dilligently re-adding pictures to my posts.  My OCD has instructed me to begin from the beginning, so if you read my blog, or refer to it....all pictures should will be returning in the order they were originally posted.  It just makes more sense that way, doesn't it?

If you don't read it or refer to it...then what are you doing reading this?!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY!

How come no one told me that if I delete a picture from my google+ account that they would DISAPPEAR from my blog?!

Yeah!  That would explain the sea of BLACK BOXES where my pictures were....I'm going to go throw up now.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Following food blogs is a favorite past time/time waster for me.  Recently, my favorite one is Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  She's got some great meal ideas and 9 times out of 10, they are easy to make and taste as good as her pictures.  

When I saw this recipe for grilled pork tenderloin, I wanted to try it because her picture makes it looks so appetizing.  Also, I'd never cooked (or eaten) a pork tenderloin. 

At the store when I went to get the pork there is a selection of pre-marinated tenderloins you can buy.  They looked tempting, but I was eager to try out Mel's marinade.  It was worth the effort. And I think grilling gave it the nudge it needed to be a "repeatable" meal. 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds pork tenderloin

3/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons Worchestersire sauce

1 Tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients except the pork and whisk together, until well combined.  Pour the marinade into a ziploc bag and add the pork tenderloin.  Make sure the marinade covers the pork completely and squeeze all the air out of the bag.  Marinade for 8-10 hours. 

Preheat an outdoor grill.  Grill the pork about 3-4 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature is about 155º.  

Remove from grill and place on a plate, tenting with foil.  Allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving. 

*Tastes great over rice.  I used Basmati rice.  

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

If you ask me, sweet potatoes are gross.  I just can't bring myself to eat them.  They LOOK good, and I wish I liked them.  So the only reason I decided to make these was for my husband.  He loves sweet potatoes.  

See how much I love him?

So as we are eating dinner, I am looking at these orange potato chunks and encouraging my 5 year old to eat them.  I realize that I can't talk to him about trying out the food that was prepared for dinner if I'm not willing to do it myself.  

I take a few pieces and put them on my plate.  I pick one up.  I take a moment to prepare myself for the yuck I'm about to eat.  I pop it in and chew.  And chew.  And chew.  Swallow.  

Surprise!  These babies aren't bad!  In fact, I enjoyed how they tasted so much I ate 2 more skewers full of sweet potatoes!  I felt like such a big girl, trying out new food!  

Glad I did!

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2-4 medium sweet potatoes

olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel each potato and cut into chunks.  Place all the chunks in a microwaveable bowl and cover with plastic or a ziplock bag if the bowl will fit inside.  Microwave for 3 minutes, stir, recover and microwave again for another few minutes.  You want the chucks to be tender enough to put on a skewer, but not cooked all the way through.

Place 5-6 pieces on a skewer.  Lay all the loaded skewers on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Use a brush to coat all sides of the potatoes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Preheat the outdoor grill and grill the potato skewers for about 5 minutes on each side.  Cooking time may vary, so just grill until the potatoes are cooked through.  

Fruit or Dessert Dip

"What should I take to the BBQ?"  That's the question!  Recently I attended a family BBQ and my mom had 90% of the meal already covered.  I wanted to contribute something so this is what I decided to take.  

It worked great becuase it's such a sweet topping.  Pefect for my older brother who doesn't eat fruit.  He created a brownie dessert topped with this dip and some Almond Joy drops.  

Yum!

Fruit or Dessert Dip

Tasty on fruit or brownies!

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

7 ounces sweetened, condensed milk

8 ounces cool whip

Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the milk and mix until there are no lumps.  Lastly, beat in the cool whip until well blended. 

Chill and serve with your favorite treat!

*You could easily add a few drops of red food coloring to make it pretty!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Talk about a crowd pleaser!  I don't know anyone who doesn't like a twice baked potato! I may or may not have eaten one of the leftover potatoes for breakfast the day after I made these.  

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4-6 medium russett potatoes

1/2 c sour cream

1/4 c butter, melted

2 c shredded cheese

1/4 c bacon bits

To bake potatoes:

olive oil

sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º.

Coat potatoes with oil and cover with salt.  Poke 3 holes on each side of each potato with a steak knife.  Place directly on oven rack with a cookie sheet below to catch any drippings.  Bake potatoes for 1 hour.  

When potatoes or cool, cut in half lengthwise.  With a spoon, scoop out most of the potato, leaving about 1/4 and inch of the potato inside the skin.  

Set the scooped out potatoes aside. 

Brush each potato skin inside and out with butter.  Place skins on a cookie sheet, face up and broil for about 6-8 minutes.  

Use a potato masher to mix the remaining potato, sour cream, cheese and bacon bits and scoop into the skins.  Sprinkle shredded cheese and extra bacon bits over the tops. 

Broil for about 2 more minutes. 

EAT EAT EAT!

Thai Chicken Wraps with Peanut Sauce

It's a risky move to try a new dish and invite someone over for dinner all in the same night.  I can't imagine anything worse than having hungry houseguests and ruining dinner.  Talk about anxiety!  Good thing Chipotle is down the street, just in case.

Knowing that, you would think I would avoid the stress.  But not me!  I live on the wild side!  Luckily, the other night, I invited guests over AND tried a new dish...miraculousely the stars aligned and my first attempt at this dish turned out great and I was able to avoid a quick dash down the street for some last minute burritos! 

Whew!

Thai Chicken Wraps with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

Chicken:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Veggies:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup green cabbage, shredded

1 cup carrots, shredded

1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, minced

Peanut Sauce:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

4 Tablespoons peanut or canola oil

4 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

4 garlic cloves, minced

2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Wrap:

12-inch flour tortillas

3 cups jasmine rice, cooked

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup peanuts, roasted and salted

Directions:

Chicken:

Combine garlic, pepper, salt and sugar in a small bowl.  Rub onto both sides of the chicken breasts.  You can cook the chicken in a variety of ways, but I used my cast iron stovetop grill to cook.  Cook over medium heat (about 5-6 minutes on each side) until cooked through.  Remove, put on a plate and tent with foil.  Slice into pieces right before serving. 

Peanut Sauce:

Combine all the peanut sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Set aside. 

Veggies:

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add onion, cabbage, carrots, ginger and garlic.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often.  You want the veggies to be crisp and tender. 

To Serve:

Warm tortillas and scoop warm rice in cener.  Top with chicken, veggies and sauce.  Sprinkle green onions and peauts.  Roll up tightly and eat, eat, eat!