Oops

So I've totally failed these past two weeks. I went to Mexico last week, and was in last-minute prep mode the week before.


I promise to make up for it this week. I think I have three blogs partially started? And I'm going to need to make salsa verde (since now I know I can freeze it!) to use the tomatillos I bought.

Gorgonzola Garlic Bread

We are all familiar, by now, with my love of coupons.

Sometimes, I go a little crazy with them. But it's fine! Because the food gets eaten. Or the items get gifted. (My Christmas shopping routinely starts in June because that's when the Main Library has their used book sale, fyi.)

Anyway, I had this coupon for Stouffer's lasanga. I knew it was good because my uncle has actually served it for Christmas dinner. And I knew there would be a day when all I felt like cooking for dinner was a side and dessert.

So I bought the smallest size allowed with my coupon (which still fed 6-8 people) and stuck it in my freezer.

Until the other week, when I decided I wanted to make gorgonzola garlic bread. I mean, really, all I needed was the bread. How could I not make it?

Cheese and butter. Nothing better.

Now, I couldn't find a loaf at my local market that was long and narrow like the picture, and I really wish I had because I think that would have made the bread to butter ration better. But the only loaf that were long and skinny were those take and bake ones, and I didn't know if I could trust that. I will next time.

Unimpressive looking loaf.

Anyway, I followed the directions exactly. Including not slicing all the way through the bread. That made it tough later, and I'll probably clise all the way through next time.

I did mix in some of that basil puree I still have, because the directions said it was optional, and I need to use up that tube.

I put the bread in the oven, but I think both the time and the temperature were off since the lasanga was in there, too.

Tasty bread.

The bread turned out well. It's hard to evenly distribute the cheese and butter mixture when the slices were still attached to the loaf, so some spots had significantly more flavor than others, but that can be fixed for the next time.

We all liked it, and it did all right when I reheated it two nights later to go with the leftover lasanga. 

Easy Lemon Sugar Snaps

I like any recipe that has the word "easy" in the title.

So of course I wanted to try this recipe.

I doens't hurt that it's a lemon cookie. I really do love all lemon desserts. Or, rather, I have yet to find one I dislike.

Pretty!

Although, this one may be a contender, unfortunately.

So, I started this cookie excursion as I start most of my kitchen excursions: with a trip to the grocery store. I needed the cake mix and corn meal.

I started with the cake mix. I figured that would be easier. There were only two options for lemon cake. However, I didn't see "with pudding in the mix" on either. So I couldn't decide if I wanted the one that claimed to be moist or that one that was cheaper.

Then I actually picked the boxes up. "With pudding in the mix" was in small print in the lower corner on just one of the boxes.

That's the one I went with.

Then I needed to figure out what the deal was with corn meal. Have you any notion of how many different options there are? It's crazy. Do I want white or yellow? Meal or mix? There might have been a bleached option. All of them seemed to be "degerminated" and I don't even know what that means, so the word made me nervous.

I picked a brand I new, and a container that easily resealed.

Then I went home and made cookies.

I followed the directions exactly, except for measure the lemon zest. Because who measures fresh zest? That seem unnecessary.

I used my small cookie scoop to make perfect dough balls, then rolled them around in regular sugar.

I baked them as directed and did move them from the baking sheet to the cooling rack to finish cooling off.

Of course, I had to try one before they were actually done cooling.

Mine.

And I didn't care for it.

It wasn't the flavor, by any stretch. I really enjoyed the flavor.

I just couldn't stand the texture.

Seriously, that corn meal killed it for me. Sure, it might not have helped that the cookie was a thick ball of dough, and maybe next time I need to squish it down a little, but I would not get past the grittiness of the corn meal.

I warned my friends and co-workers of the texture before any of them ate the cookies. No one else had the issue I had. Which verifies, to me, that it was just me, and I can totally make these cookies again, as long as I'm aware I won't be eating any.

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

While I'm usually tempted to cook for my friends a dinner of all appetizers (can I call them tapas just to sound less silly?), I do try to avoid that.

And occassionally when avoiding that, I make something that resembles a real, grown-up meal.

Last week, I made pork tenderloin.

But not just any pork tenderloin. Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin.

Mmm, pork.

I followed this recipe pretty much exactly. Although, I didn't have any honey in my place, so I used agave nectar. Because why wouldn't I have agave nectar? I mostly got a chuckle out of using a vegan substitute on meat.

So I put the tenderloin in the pan with the melted butter and agave nectar. I set the timer so I knew when to flip it, and start to set the table. I come back every other minute or so to spen the meat in the pan so the butter/nectar mixture doesn't have the opportunity to burn.

That's when I notice the loin is starting to split down the middle, length-wise.

Now, I've eat a lot of tenderloin in my day, but I've never seen one split. Perhaps it was too longer pieces cut and packaged together like that? And they were finally thawing enough to come apart? Perhaps that was a serious line of fat that melted in the heat? I really have no idea. But it just kept butterflying until it was time to actually put it in the oven, when it completely came apart.

Well, I thought, at least it'll cook faster.

I threw some carrots in the pan, too, to roast with the pork.

I brought the meat out at the suggested time, and saw it was still raw on the sides. I'm not scared of medium-cooked pork, but rare is a no.

I put the meat back in the oven. I think for another 10 minutes? I moved the pieces of pork further apart to cook faster.

When I took out the meat the second time, I busted out that nifty meat thermometer My Brother the Chef told me to buy. It said medium pork is 160 degrees, so when the thermometer wouldn't climb past 150, I put the pork back in the oven. I decided it really must be done, though, so I turned off the oven and let the meat sit until the last friend arrived for dinner.

I checked the meat again, and it came up to 158 degrees. I decided it was still time to slice the meat.

That's when the power for my entire apartment complex, and the surrounding area, went out.

So there I am, slicing meat, in the dark, hoping I don't need anything else out of the fridge.

I have an electric stove, so it's a good thing I didn't plan on doing anything with the sauce anyway. The recipe says add water, reduce and pour over meat, but I had added a little water to the pan, swirled it around to get all the honey and butter off, and poured that over the tenderloin before cooking it. And it barely reduced in the oven. There was no way I was going to add more water.

Not the prettiest slicing, but it was dark!

I didn't measure the Cajun seasoning or the pepper when I browned the meat, I just sprinkled it on. I think next time, more Cajun, less pepper. But we all really like the pork. My friend who doesn't even like pork tried a little piece.

She liked the sauce.

She still doesn't like pork.

But I will totally make this again. Making sure to thaw the meat all the way first, and then not cooking it as long.