Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Peaches and Green Beans

Sorry again for the absence. No excuse. I am just too hot to cook. However, this dish was refreshing during our latest run of 100 plus temperatures! So...as it is supposed to be 100 plus for the next couple of days, I thought I would share this refreshing summery dish! There is something very old fashioned about this recipe to me as well. I cannot put my finger on it, but it just seems like something people would have had in the past for summertime Sunday suppers after sitting on the front porch drinking ice cold lemonade all afternoon. 

Puppies on the back porch.

Enjoy this tasty and rather easy meal in the heat of summer when peaches reach the peak of peachiness!     

Shafer sunbathing!

Cort looking as royal as ever!

This recipe is from Epicurious, and I have made only a few changes, most noteworthy being I use pork tenderloin versus their pork chops, and I cut the oil in half. 

Shafer clearly has this lazy hot Sunday thing down. This is her favorite relaxing pose!

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Ingredients:
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
Freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
2-4 teaspoons of Kosher salt (to taste)
1 pork tenderloin
1 pound of fresh haricots verts or green beans
3-4 peaches, cut in half and pitted


Steps:

1. Gather your ingredients.

2. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, garlic and vinegar.
3. Slowly add the olive oil to the mustard mixture, whisking to combine. Whisk until mixture becomes creamy.

4. Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup of the mixture into a small bowl. Cover and place in the fridge.

6. Season the pork loin with the salt and pepper.
7. Pour the remaining olive oil and mustard mixture (the part that you did not place in the fridge) over the pork either in a shallow dish or in a plastic resealable bag. Place in the fridge and let marinate for 4 to 24 hours. I barely got to the 4 hour mark as I did not plan ahead!

8. Meanwhile; cook the bean by boiling them in a large pot of salted boiling water for about 3-5 minutes.

9. Once boiled, immediately strain and place the beans in a large bowl of iced water to stop the cooking.

10. Drain the beans and pat them dry.
11. Place the beans in a large bowl and toss to coat with the reserved olive oil and mustard mixture that you had placed in the fridge. Set aside, as these are ready for the table when the rest of the meal is ready!
12. Prepare your grill or heavy skillet of choice. We used the inside grill for the peaches on our stove top and a heavy skillet for the pork loin. Did I mention it hit 107 degrees Saturday?
13. In your skillet for the pork, add a nice amount of olive oil to prevent sticking, and sear all sides of the loin on a higher temperature. Lower the temperature to medium and cover and cook for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally. I really really really recommend using a meat thermometer to make sure the pork is actually done. All ovens and stove tops are different. You want an internal temperature of 160 degrees. You could also place the pork in the oven to finish cooking after you have seared all of the sides. Discard the marinade that was not cooked with the pork.

14. Place your peach halves in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat.

15. On your hot grill, place the peaches cut side down and grill for about 4-6 minutes, until the peaches begin to soften. They will also attain beautiful char markings.

16. Slice both the peaches and the pork and transfer everything to serving platters and enjoy this fresh summer dinner!

I am going to go snuggle with her right now. 

Steak, Mushroom, and Asparagus Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Robert and I have been using our Big Green Egg Smoker Grill practically every night since we moved in to our new apartment. When we end up with leftovers, I like to get creative with the reheating so as to avoid getting bored. My most recent attempts was using some leftover steak fillets to make this delicious pasta.

I found the recipe for the sauce on a blog and new I had to give it a try. Then I decided to add mushrooms and asparagus, two of my favorite sides when it comes to steak. This pasta was absolutely delicious, albeit very rich. It's a great way to reuse leftover steaks (especially those on the rare side).

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Steak, Mushroom, and Asparagus Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leftover steak
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup beef broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
6 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Instructions
Place the asparagus pieces in a steamer and cook until just done but still crisp.

 While the asparagus is steaming, chop the leftover steak into cubes.

 Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat and add the green onions and mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are soft and have released most of their liquid.

 Add the steak and stir to warm through.

 Pour in the wine

 and beef broth.

 Bring to a slight boil then pour in the heavy cream.

 Stir to fully combine.

 Stir in the gorgonzola until fully melted.

 Toss in the asparagus.

Serve over whole wheat penne pasta and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Pretty Peas

Pesto Pasta: Perfect for the hot Texas summer!

When I think of summer food, I cannot help but think of pesto. I grew up eating pesto pasta every summer. Never in restaurants, actually, I do not really like pesto in restaurants. I really only like homemade pesto, especially the pesto that my mom makes from her own fresh basil, grown in the backyard. Although I do not grow my own basil (I have tried....but our two pups had too much fun with the basil...the basil did not have much fun), I can still make and share this tasty recipe with you.

Hanging out in her jungle...the backyard!

Cort is ready for the 4th of July!

You can also use this pesto as a spread on sandwiches, pizzas, meats or veggies. Be creative!

This is very much by feel and preference. If you prefer a different nut, use a different nut. If you think it needs a bit more olive oil, splash some more into the mixture. A word of caution: always add less at first. You can always add more, but you cannot remove what you have added.

Snuggle puppy Shafer. 

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Ingredients for the pesto:
2 tablespoons of almonds
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper
(Bunker added red pepper flakes for a kick)
1/2 a lemon

Ingredients to finish the pasta dish:
2 fully cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half
1/2 pound cooked penne pasta (I used a pasta with added nutrient goodies)

Steps:
1. Get out your food processor and gather all of your ingredients.

2. Add the almonds to the processor and process until minced.
3. Add the oil, garlic, basil and salt and pepper to the almonds. Process until finely minced. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor.

You can stop here if you want and add just the pesto to meats, veggies, sandwiches, little bagel chips....lots of options!

4. Return the cooked and drained pasta to the pot in which it was cooked and add about 3 tablespoons of the pesto, the chopped chicken and the sliced cherry tomatoes. Toss to combine and let everything become warm throughout.

5. Squeeze half of the lemon over the pasta and toss. This brightens the whole dish.

You could also add some cheese at this point. Perhaps some mozzarella or parmigiana. 

6. Enjoy on a hot summer evening! The leftovers make a wonderful cold lunch the next day!