Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Berry Balsamic Sauce

Here's another elegant but easy pork
tenderloin recipes.
 It's always one of my favorite dinners to
prepare. There's no waste and it's the
perfect size for the two of us or a small family.
There are so many ways to cook it and it's done
in less than 30 minutes. This one is so easy
 because it only uses few simple ingredients
that you probably have in your pantry.
It will create a fast and fantastic 

balsamic infused berry sauce.This sauce has a 

delicious tang condiment for the cumin grilled 

pork tenderloin.

To serve: Slice the grilled tenderloin and
 drizzle with the berry sauce sauce.

Rub tenderloin with olive oil and salt, pepper
and cumin. Let rest for 15-30 minutes. Grill,
 covered just until done-about 16 minutes.
That keeps it moist and juicy-tender.
 Prepare the berry
balsamic sauce. Keep warm.

Tonight I served it with acorn squash and a 

green vegetable. It's a  pretty and colorful 

combination that's also healthy and on the table

 in less than 30 minutes. For the squash I just 

pierced it a few times with the tip of a paring

 knife and microwaved for about 4-5 minutes 

until tender. Then just cut it in half and scoop out 

the seeds. To serve, add butter and season with 

salt and pepper. So easy that way. The vegetable

 was also just microwaved for a few minutes.
Keep this recipe on your list for fall menus. 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin 

with Berry Balsamic Sauce

1 lb pork tenderloin

olive oil

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Sauce

1/3 C berry preserves 

(blackberry, boysenberry, raspberry)

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 T Worcestershire sauce

pinch red pepper flakes

2 T green onions or chives for garnish

Rub pork all over with olive oil and sprinkle 

with the seasonings. Let rest for 15-30

 minutes. Grill on a cover grill for 14-16 

minutes, turning occasionally just until the

 rareness is gone. It will continue to cook once

removed to a cutting  board. Let rest for 

5 minutes before  slicing on an angle.

Meanwhile make the sauce in a small skillet. 

Combine: preserves, vinegar, Worcestershire 

sauce and a pinch of crushed red pepper.

 Bring to a gentle boil for 2 minutes to

 slightly thicken. Serve sauce over pork 

and sprinkle with green onion. 

2-4 servings

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
Dwellings, Coastal Charm, facebook, 

Tomato Basil Chicken

This easy recipe is done in 20 minutes and uses

 fresh garden ingredients that I usually have
in the house. So it's just - defrost 2 chicken
breasts and the "what's for dinner?" 

question is answered. I use my large black
cast iron skillet for this., which I love.

 It browns the chicken nicely and I can cut 

the chicken  right in the skillet when it's done. 

Get out all the ingredients; it goes fast. 

1. Start your water boiling for the pasta. 

2. Prep/chop your ingredients.

3. Boil the fettucini, drain and 

reserved a little pasta water.

 4. While the pasta is cooking brown the chicken.

5.  Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil, and butter.

Season with more salt and pepper.

 6. The chicken is cooked in a matter of minutes
and the ingredients create a nice sauce.
Add a little reserved pasta water if
needed to increase the sauce.

 This is a Pinterest recipe. I've had it

pinned for a while and made it some time

ago but never posted it myself because I

thought it was everywhere. My daughter Kim

made it last week after work and loved it.

My granddaughter Kristina took it to

work the next day for a yummy lunch.

 7.  Cut the chicken into diagonal slices.
Serve over fettucini and enjoy!

Tomato Basil Chicken

2 chicken breasts

2 T olive oil

2 C chopped fresh tomatoes

2 t minced garlic

4 T butter

1/2 C fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated

Pasta, cooked for serving

Pat the chicken dry with paper towel

and season with salt and pepper. Heat

the oil in a skillet and add the chicken.

Let brown for 4-5 minutes, then turn and

brown the other side for another 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil, and butter.

Season with more salt and pepper. When the 

chicken is done, turn the heat down to lowest

setting to keep warm. Cut the chicken

into diagonal slices. Serve over fettucini 

and sprinkle with parmesan. 

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Grilled Salmon with Spinach, Blue Cheese and Lemon Cream Sauce

This is good. Very good. I got the idea from a menu 

item advertised on the Bonefish Grill website. 

I thought "I can make that!" It's very similar to

one of my other salmon recipes. My 2012 post

Salmon with Spinach in a Blue Cheese Cream Sauce

A little internet research found the Bonefish 

recipe and I adapted and merged the two.

Start with a good fresh piece of salmon. 

This is wild Alaskan salmon that's been available

at my Publix lately. 

Season with your favorites. I did this.

Start with the sauce. It needs to simmer
 and reduce.

I made the bacon, just because it was the garnish
 on the Bonefish dish. It's a nice compliment to
the blue cheese, but it's not necessary. 

Add the cream to the sauce reduction.

Put your salmon on the grill.

Saute the spinach in a little olive oil. Salt
and pepper. You'll need lots of spinach because
 it cooks down to

this!

Whisk in the butter, cut up.

Keep on low heat until ready to serve.

Once you've turned the salmon on the grill, top
with spinach and blue cheese. Cover the grill again
and cook until the cheese begins to melt.

Carefully remove to a plate and drizzle with the 

lemon cream sauce. OK, that's more of a puddle
than a drizzle because the sauce is so good
and we love sauce here. I even dipped my mashed
 potatoes in the sauce...and the vegetable. 

Grilled Salmon with Spinach, 
Blue Cheese and Lemon Cream Sauce
Lemon Butter Sauce
1/2 C white wine
3 T lemon juice
1/4 C heavy cream
1/4-1/2 t salt
10 T butter (1 stick + 2 T)
Simmer wine and lemon juice for
15 minutes to reduce. Add cream and
cook until slightly thick. Slowly whisk in
butter until the sauce emulsifies.

Salmon, Spinach, Cheese
4 portions of salmon filets
4 C fresh spinach, packed
4 slices of bacon, cooked and diced
(1 T per fish portion)
 8oz blue cheese (2 oz per fish portion)
olive oil, salt and pepper
Saute the spinach in a little olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper.
Season salmon and grill just until almost done.
After flipping, top the salmon with sauteed
spinach and crumbled blue cheese. Cover and
allow the cheese to melt. Pull salmon off the
grill and onto a warm plate. Top with lemon butter
sauce and crumbed bacon.

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
Dwellings, The Scoop, 

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

This tender and flavorful pork tenderloin 

roast is made even more delicious with a 

simple pan sauce. Just marinade and roast. 

 Add all the marinade ingredients to a
zip bag and smoosh to mix. Add the pork and
smoosh to coat it all over. Press out the air and
 close the bag. Refrigerate for a few hours.

 Remove the pork from the bag and
save the remaining marinade. Roast @400º
for about 30 minutes. I like to use my
cast iron skillet. It gives it a good sear.

 There are always 2 tenderloins in a package and
one is always bigger than the other, so if yours is
the smaller one, just roast for a little less time.
Once it's nice and browned, remove it to a warm
platter. Let it rest while you make the pan sauce.

Place the skillet on medium heat; add the broth

and whisk to scrape up all the browned pieces. 

Add the reserved marinade and bring to a 

 simmer and let reduce for 2-3 minutes.  

 Whisk in the  butter and keep warm on low.

 Slice the tenderloin and spoon on the sauce.

Be sure to spoon extra sauce on each serving.

I served this with sweet potatoes and
oven-roasted brussel sprouts.

For the sweet potatoes I just microwaved
them for 4-6 minutes until tender. Then
I topped with  butter and brown sugar.
The brussel sprouts  were tossed with a little
olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted along with
 the tenderloin for the last 20  minutes,
shake the pan halfway to toss.

I used my cast iron pans for the tenderloin and
the brussel sprouts. 

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

 1-lb pork tenderloin

2 T olive oil

2 T soy sauce

1 T brown sugar

1 T red wine vinegar

1 T lemon juice

1 T Worcestershire saauce

1 t dried parsley flakes

1 t dry mustard

1 t garlic powder

1/4 t pepper

Add all the marinade ingredients to a Ziplock bag. 

Add the pork tenderloin and toss to coat. Seal 

and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. Remove the pork 

from the bag and reserve the marinade. Roast in
 a large skillet @400º oven for 25-30 minutes.
Remove and let rest 5-10 minutes while you
 make pan sauce. Slice the roast and put
 on a platter. Spoon on sauce.

Pan Sauce:

1/2 C chicken broth

reserved marinade

A pat of butter about 1/2 T

Place the skillet on medium heat; add the broth

and scrape up all the browned pieces. Add the 

reserved marinade and bring to a simmer and let 

reduce for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the butter. 

Remove from heat. Pour over the pork 

tenderloin slices in the platter. 

Enjoy!

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Links: Between Naps On The Porch

Blue Cheese Sauce for Steak

 Whip up this simple blue cheese sauce 

the next time you are grilling steaks. 

It's so easy and takes your steak dinner to a 

new level. It's great when you're having company. 

Also keep it in  mind for one of your

holiday family dinners. Here goes...

 Mince the garlic and add to the cream.

 Let simmer on low until reduced and thickened.

This takes about 30 minutes, stir occasionally.

 Stir in the cheese, salt, pepper, and W-sauce.

 Whisk in to allow the cheese to melt slightly.

 Add chopped fresh parsley-good if you have it. 

It's so good on steaks- rib eye and filet mignon are

my favorite. I swirl my vegetables and potatoes in

the sauce that's on my plate too. It's also great on 

burgers, grilled salmon, spicy shrimp, and of 

course, a dip for  buffalo wings.

Leftover sauce is good to have for a dinner later in

the week. It's good on almost everything.

Blue Cheese Sauce

1 C heavy cream

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz (about 1/2C) crumbled blue cheese

1/4 t salt & 1/4 t pepper

1 t Worcestershire sauce- a good dash

1-2 T chopped parsley

Combine the cream and garlic in a small saucepan

and let simmer on low until thickened, about 30

minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk

to melt the cheese. Stir in the chopped parsley.

Keep warm. Serves 4-6

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
Rattlebridge Farm, My Romantic Home,
Facebook, 

Sea Scallops Piccata with Caramelized Spaghetti Squash

When you want a special dinner sea scallops are
 a nice choice. In this recipe they are served on
 top of spaghetti squash. I showed  how easy it
is to make it in my previous post.

 Break the recipe down into small steps and
it's simple, easy, and done in 20 minutes.

 First, make the squash as shown HERE
and set that aside.

 Have the other ingredients ready

because it goes quickly from here.

 Blot dry the scallops with a paper towel

and season with salt and pepper.

Next make the lemon piccata sauce.

Whisk to emulsify. 

 Add the capers and chives and

 set that aside while you cook the scallops.

 Brown the scallops on both sides in olive oil
 and remove to a heated plate and keep warm
 with the other dinner plates in a low oven.

 Now, add the butter and sage to the pan .

 Saute until the butter is a golden brown.

 Add the spaghetti squash to the pan.

Toss around in the browned butter until lightly

 golden, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, 

and lemon juice

To give it a special ta-da! presentation,

 arrange the squash in a long line

 on a heated plate and top with the 

scallops. Spoon on the reserved warm 

piccata sauce and serve.

Sea Scallops Piccata with 

Caramelized Spaghetti Squash

1 spaghetti squash cooked ~ as seen HERE.

1 lb sea scallops

2 T olive oil

1 stick butter (8 T)

2 T lemon juice

2 T capers

2 T chopped chives

10 fresh sage leaves

salt and pepper

Piccata Sauce:

In a small sauce pan bring 2 T water to a  boil.

Turn off heat and add 6 T butter, cut up. 

Whisk to incorporate into an emulsified  melted

butter sauce. Add 1 T lemon juice and 

chives. Set aside.

Scallops:

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high and

add the 2 T olive oil. Season the scallops with 

salt and pepper. Add to the hot oil and brown

for about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate

in a warm oven while you finish the squash.

Squash: 

In the same saute pan add the remaining 2 T 

butter and the sage leaves. When the butter

begins to brown add the spaghetti squash and 

toss it in the browned butter until lightly golden,

about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and

the remaining 1 T lemon juice. 

To Serve:

Arrange the squash in a straight line on the heated

plates. Place the scallops on top of the squash. 

Spoon on the reserved piccata sauce. 

Serve immediately. Serves 4

Enjoy!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch, Facebook,
Rattlebridge Farm, Common Ground,
The Charm Of Home,