Pot & Cover

Southwestern Pork Tenderloin Pot Roast  The windows are open, cool breeze flowing in the air...Fall is officially here! I don't know if its because I was born in the fall or if it's just my personality, but Fall is hands down my favorite season. It's refreshing, holds the promise of celebration of the upcoming holidays, including my bday. The air today is reminiscent of the coast. I am 15 again, just waking up in my tent just off the beach in CA. I feel inspired in this weather...and relaxed. Well Scott was inspired to make a pot roast with the pork tenderloins we had in the freezer...he defrosted them yesterday and after church this AM, we came home and cooked it together. It's been a perfect day so far...waking up together after a great nights sleep...church, breakfast, shopping for groceries for dinner...cooking together, then him off to watch football, and me to write. The windows are all open, the air smells of fall...and every pleasant memory I've ever had i...

Scott was ready for a big steak...and when we cook it at home, its so much less expensive and we can share a big one.  He found a beautiful bone-in cowboy (thick) ribeye at MS...seasoned it with a salt/brown sugar spice rub...and started it on a hot grill in the cast iron skillet for about 4 or so min a side, then transferred to the oven for about 15 min.  Let it rest for 5 min under foil tent.  It was perfectly crusty, tender like butter...topped with blue cheese crumbles, which melted into a sauce.  We made crispy baked taters and our fav green salad with balsamic.  We were in such a hurry to eat it while it was hot, my two pics are all fuzzy.  Scott thought the steak was "OK" until he got to the bone, and then declared it was the best steak he'd ever had! Success!

Fish and "chips"...and salad...a regular meal in this house...at least while we're still chubby, okay, FAT. a pic of my man doing dishes, a beautiful (& common site) in our home...he's a better housekeeper than me, by far.

Decided to do the creamy chicken and shrooms again.  Scott wanted mashed taters.  It wasn't as good as last time...but still good.

Scott was inspired by the wild alaskan salmon we had in the freezer.  While I was at work he looked up a recipe by Paula Deen for a salmon salad...oh it was so good.  A great switch on how to eat salmon...so nice and cool and refreshing.  Paired with our favorite Market Street crackers, which have roasted garlic, salt, sesame seeds and more on them...YUM! One of my favorite salmon dishes. This is a copy of the recipe...Scott took out the onions (I really dislike raw onion), and we added a dash of onion powder to the dressing instead.  The cayenne pepper really took it all up a notch!  This is fabulously good.  Scott added some chopped romaine too, since we had some we needed to use.  Serve with some great crunchy crackers.  Light, but filling.

Scott made us a yummy salmon with an almond crust...fresh brocolli with a soy/sesame sauce, pilaf and tomato/avocado salad.  A great summer meal

As very happy guests of our friends the Griggs...we brought a bean salad as entry to partake in eatting Shane's award winning meat!  Oh, it was soooo good, we had mac n cheese, baked beans, and Lilly's flan! Do die for...Scott made our salad while I was painting toes...he did a great job!  But don't ask him about having to hull two cans of garbanzo beans...or as he calls them "gazambo" beans.  Oh, he always makes me laugh. Here is my Auntie's 7 Bean Salad recipe.  It was so pretty, although I don't think I took a pic... The dressing recipe on the card was way too salty......but once it was adjusted, perfect!  Scott did add the raw onion, and once it marinated in the dressing it was fine...but I still might leave it out.  Who needs a stinky armpit in their salad?  It's a beautiful salad too, and is better if left overnight, so great to bring to a party!

a bowl full of YUM We had all the ingredients in the house for risotto...one of my favorite dishes! Tonight it was with fresh roasted red bell pepper and chicken left over from a rotisserie chix. The chicken was a little too fine, and got lost a little. But the broth was delicious. I'd spent the day simmering fresh chicken broth, and every bit went into this risotto & lots of fresh parm.  I've come to realize that I like risotto best all by itself...no extra's.  But if its for Scott it's gotta have some meat...

I went to Women Of Faith over the weekend, and when I got home, Scott had made us Enchiladas...what a great surprise!

This is a meal from my childhood.  My momma makes a mean CCS...and this one is based on hers.  Crispy lettuce, a sharp vinegar dressing.  Crunchy asian noodles (mom used freshly poofed bean noodles)...slivered toasted almonds and sesame seeds... and freshly shredded rotisserie chix...this was so good it was hard to stop eating.  Served with soft, yet crispy garlic bread.

We had all the ingredients for dinner...which is so great when you don't have to go back to the grocery store!  Our favorite rice pilaf, which I've made so many times, I can do it in my sleep.  Chicken breast sliced, baby bella mushrooms, with fresh basil and a creamy, chickeny sauce. One of my fav meals.

off to Brio for the first time after work...it was a bellini martini, with strawberry slices floating in it ...so pretty.  the food was incredible too!

as usual, Grandma's notes come on notepad from the Dr's office where she's worked for many years. I haven't cooked these yet, but E2 and I have been pestering Grandma Wanda for her sister Audrey's recipe for chicken and dumplins. They are the best we've ever had...so Grandma hand wrote it for us and mailed it. The best sort of presents, a family recipe, handwritten by your Grandma! when I actually make it I'll repost it...might be hard to read here...but so cute!

 Burger nite happens often in our home...this nite it was summer burgers (no fries, too hot to turn on the stove!) I was inspired by the Acai Margarita's at Gold Class...rimmed with salt, pepper & sugar.  Don't remember what recipe I used, but prob something close to Barefoot Contessa margaritas. salt pepper and garlic powder

Madi was over for the day... and we love to cook together.  I had a "tube" of pizza dough in the fridge which was our inspiration.  It was more fun to make than eat...prettier than it was tasty.  But if we'd had fresh pizza dough it would have ROCKED!  The best part was the "makin" with Madi...we baked confetti cupcakes too:) She even picked the basil herself, knowing exactly what it was...she's my gardening buddy too. Madi even did the dishes! she really likes to help and clean...love it...as I do not. some jarred marinara and fresh mozzarella Madi sprinkling on extra "pizza" cheese She's such a great cook! our cupcakes...she helped with every stage...we frosted them with cream cheese frosting too, which she made...I'm just the helper.

I've gotten behind on bloggin...but not behind on eattin!  It's the first truly cool day of Fall...almost feels like being on the coast.  I was reminded this morning of the days of "Beach Camp" in H.S. and sleeping in tents right off the beach, waking up early to the smell of breakfast and the ocean.  The excitement of being away from home, being with friends and high school crushes.  I can feel a hint of the adrenaline now just thinking of it.  Well back in July we were eating Tilapia Po'Boys.  This sandwich was inspired by one we made after the fourth of July with the Mac's...we'd made steak sammies with the left over tenderloin.  So we decided to do the same sammie but with fried tilapia.  They were Deeeeelicious! onion rings, cut in thick rings, soaking in buttermilk and Franks Hot Sauce  then dredged in a mix of flour/cornmeal, back in butter milk, then again in the flour mix then back in fridge to set  fried in hot canola oil fre...