Roasted Bone-in Pork Loin Tenderloin w/ Whipped Citrus Sweet Potatoes

Yummmmm....it is that time of year again! Festivities galore and delicacies sure to delight your tummy! This is the time of year that I get excited and afraid at the same time. I'm excited because the holiday season officially kicks off and afraid of what can happen to my waistline if my eyes become bigger than my stomach! Say la vie! Many of you may be traveling to fellowship with family or be experiencing the frenzy of preparing your home for guests. Whichever it may be, I hope and pray each of you have a truly blessed and festive Thanksgiving! If you are in a pinch deciding what to serve those guest and family members here is a delicious Roasted Pork Tenderloin with the bone in. For a great side, try the Whipped Citrus Sweet Potatoes. J'espère que vous apprécierez! (I do hope you enjoy!)



Roasted Pork Tenderloin w/Bone In

4-6 lbs. cut Pork Tenderloin w/bone in (You should have the butcher cut the pork according to the ribs to determine how much you need, so if you are serving 4 people, have him cut four ribs.)

1 sweet onion, diced
1 cup baby portabello mushrooms, diced
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp. olive oil

2 1/2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. white balsmic vinegar
1 tbsp. white cooking wine
*Both of these can be found in with the vinegar in your grocer.
1 tbsp. Italian Herbs ( I used McCormick Italian Herbs)
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. pepper
goat cheese with herbs
Cooking twine

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

First you want to wash your meat. Then cut off any fat on the top of the pork. You should then have the exposed tenderloin and "chops". Make a slit through the tenderloin part of the pork. My slit should have been deeper and more of a downward angle. Pay attention where you cut, unlike myself who had a cranky 6 yr. old expressing he was STARVING and couldn't possibly wait a second longer for food.




Season the meat with 1/2 tbsp. of the salt and pepper. Sprinkle with some of the Italian herbs. I just used the grinder that the herbs come in and liberally spread it over the pork.

Next, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over med-high heat. Saute the onions, mushrooms and garlic until tender. Remove and drain. Set aside.


In a seperate bowl, mix together 1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar, Italian herbs and both vinegars. Using the same saucepan for you onion mixture and medium heat, pour the brown sugar mixture into the saucepan. Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from burning. It will still be thin.
Add the onion mixture to the brown sugar mixture. Cook for 3 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.


Remove the onion/brown sugar reduction. Now the fun part! Spread liberally the goat cheese into the pork where you made your slit. Spoon the onion reduction over the goat cheese. Close the pork back up and wrap the twine around it and tie it to keep from opening. Take the remaining brown sugar and any leftover "bits" of the onion reduction and spread generously over the pork, rubbing even the boned areas. Grind some more Italian herbs over it and pop that baby into the oven!



Cook for about 1 hr and 30 minutes. The pork will be juicy and tender. Don't forget to remove the twine before serving! For the side here are the Citrus Sweet Potatoes:

Whipped Citrus Sweet Potatoes:

3 Sweet potatoes, cooked til tender and peeled. (Microwave or oven, your choice)
1 1/2 tbsp. orange juice (pulp or no pulp, your choice)
1/2 tbsp. cinnammon
1/2 tsp. salt

In a mixer, combine the sweet potatoes, orange juice, cinnammon and salt. Blend until "whipped". C'est aussi simple que! ( It's that simple)
Serve along with the pork.



And here is our oldest who begged for a photo op:





* This recipe may not be published or re-printed without my consent.

Morning Smoothie

I can't speak for any of you, but I detest mornings. It just takes me too darn long to wake up! I usually have to pump about two cups of java into my bloodstream before my brain becomes a functioning organ once again. The thought of cooking a nutritious breakfast eludes me and quite frankly I do not even entertain the thought most mornings. Thankfully my husband is in charge of nutrition patrol for the boys' breakfast each morning!

Just the other day while pouring myself a cup of coffee, I was obviously still in a sleep induced state, I proceeded to return the coffee pot to the cabinet above. I didn't discover this fas paux until I went to retrieve the second cup and couldn't for the life of me find the pot of coffee! I swore my husband had to have done something with it, but seeing he was out on a run, I was unable to chastise him for it. Lucky me, I would have been eating crow!

So suffice to say, I don't do mornings! I mean, can you imagine me cooking in this state of mind?! No, No. Which brings me to this morning's simple recipe. This is one for all of you who do not like a large breakfast, are too pushed for time to prepare one, or are just in the mood for a smoothie. This smoothie is one of my absolute favs and very simple. It is a Double Chocolate Cherry Smoothie.
Yes, double chocolate. Allow those words to roll off your tongue slowly...
Sounds unhealthy, right? WRONG! This smoothie has very few ingredients and packed with protein and powerful antioxidants. You will start your day off nutrtionally right. If you suffer from any type of inflammatory disease or have trouble with imflammation in your body, this is a "good food" for you. The cherries that are in the recipe are a great anti-inflammatory food. Ok, enough waiting and reading, here is the recipe:



Double Chocolate Cherry Smoothie

1 cup Dark Chocolate Almond Milk (I use Silk)
2 tbsp. Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
1 scoop of Chocolate Protein Powder
1 cup frozen pitted Cherries

In a blender, blend all ingedients until smooth. Pour into a glass add straw and enjoy! You can even add other fruits such as bananas or add almonds for a nutty flavor. Explore any way you would like.

Handmade Fan Jewelry

I am excited to do today's blog. You see, I have this friend who is making fan jewelry. Her name is Beth Anne Arcement. I have known Beth Anne for a very long time. Her story begins pre-Katrina in New Orleans. She started making the jewelry as a hobby and quality time with her mother-in-law. After Katrina, her husband and she relocated back to the Eastern Shore. Work left little time for her hobby, as life so often does. Once her brother started playing college ball, she noticed that the stores lacked designer fan jewelry. Now Beth Anne sells her jewelry in several stores also specializing in kids jewelry. She can make any team jewelry requested. She also can repair old jewelry, restrict pearls and make a set to match any outfit! You don't have to just choose from sports jewelry!

I have already ordered my Auburn necklace and know I will be the "Belle of the Ballgame"! Take a moment to check out these pics of some of the jewlery she has done. Because she is still in the beginning stages, BethAnne does not have a website. If you would like some really unique and stylish fan jewelry or jewelry for your child, please e-mail her at: arcemente@hotmail.com
For those Tiger Fans: (Auburn, that is ;))








And for those other Tiger fans (LSU):



These are two Saints Necklaces:



For all you Alabama fans:



Or you might like this one better:



And for Christmas, here is a fabulous necklace that doesn't look like you raided grandma's closet!: