Now one thing you should know. These days, I am leaning more and more towards recipes that are quick and easy, but still deliver a big bang for the buck! And pork tenderloin remains one of the best ways I know to accomplish this goal. Except for the bit of silver skin, that BTW must be removed prior to cooking, there is no waste. Plus, you can flavor it up any old way you choose. So, the other evening I chose to adapt a recipe I found on the diethood.com site for our dinner repast. And I can hardly wait to share the recipe with you.

This recipe is so blinkin’ easy I’m almost embarrassed to pass it along. Almost! But I simply must provide you with this recipe because even though I’ve been retired for almost 20 years, I still remember coming home from work wanting nothing more than a nice cocktail and a bit of time to rest my weary bones. But as with all of us, there was still dinner to fix. Now that I’m a bit older, there is still dinner to be prepared, and I still want my evening cocktail. But now that same cocktail is my incentive to cook dinner! I sip away while I prepare dinner. Some might consider my evening libation a bribe to cook dinner. I consider it simply a necessary ingredient for whatever I happen to be making! (And no, I don’t have a drink every evening. But it makes for a good story.)   

Anyway, this is an entrée that can be prepared very quickly, but still taste like it was prepared by the head chef of a truly fine restaurant. And the preparation is extremely easy. Serve the medallions with mashed potatoes, rice, or even buttered noodles and a salad or green veggie, and life’s good. And thank you Katerina for this wonderful recipe.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Make good food. Laugh a lot. And be kind. Mr. C. and I just finished reading Man of Nazareth by Anthony Burgess. A beautifully written historical novel about the life of Jesus. And throughout the entire book, the theme of kindness was upper most. Kindness to others regardless of ethnicity, color, or any of the other aspects of an individual that result in distrust with no real reason. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they may have a bit yet to learn about kindness.

Peace and love to all.

scant ½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. paprika

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. granulated onion

1 (1-1½ lb.) pork tenderloin, all excess fat and silver skin removed  

2 T. avocado or vegetable oil

3 T. unsalted butter, divided

½ c. water

½ tsp. chicken base (I use Better Than Bouillon Chicken base)

1 T. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish 

Combine the salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, granulated garlic, and granulated onion in a small mixing bowl.

Cut the tenderloin into 12 equally thick medallions (rounds). Place the medallions on a small baking sheet. Sprinkle half the seasoning evenly over each medallion. Press down on the medallions to secure the seasoning and to flatten them to an even thickness.

Add the oil to a large fry pan set over medium-high heat. Add the pork medallions (seasoned side down) to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes. While the first side cooks, add the remaining seasoning to the top side of each medallion. Please note: if you don’t have a large enough frying pan so the medallions aren’t crowded in the pan, cook the medallions in 2 batches.

Flip the pork medallions and add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the pan; cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until the internal temperature of the medallions register 135-degrees. (Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the medallions.) DO NOT OVERCOOK!

Remove the medallions from the skillet and set aside on a platter.

Slowly whisk in the water and chicken base while scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. As the sauce cooks over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Gently stir until the melted butter has slightly thickened the sauce.

Return medallions to the skillet. Gently spoon the sauce over the medallions as they heat. Remember: you don’t want to cook the medallions any longer. You are simply re-heating them a bit.  

Remove from heat, garnish with parsley, and serve the medallions immediately.

When it comes to quiche, we, the residents of Chez Carr, are avid fans. And because I love to try new ways of presenting this perennial favorite, I play mix and match with ingredients as often as I make quiche. Sometimes the combination of ingredients work, sometimes, not so much. Oh, the quiches are still edible. But they simply don’t deliver the fantastic result I was striving so hard to achieve. But last night’s quiche was a winner. And therefore, worthy of this post.

But really, there is nothing new or inventive about the ingredients I chose to use. I had Jarlsberg cheese that needed to be consumed. And bacon, green onions, and baby spinach available and willing to be a part of the adventure.

So, bottom line, there are no screaming new taste sensations to be experienced when biting into this quiche. But there are old favorites in combination that make you want to stand up and shout hallelujah! (Wait, that was me who stood up and shouted hallelujah. You, I’m sure, are much more refined and dignified!) Anyway – what I’m trying to relate, in my own idiosyncratic way, is that this recipe produced a really good quiche! (I really must learn to tell a story in fewer words!)

So, if you too are a quiche lover, consider giving this recipe a try. The dish is easy to prepare, contains everyday ingredients, and everyone will love it. It contains bacon!

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Keep trying new recipes, but don’t forget about your old favorites.

And don’t let anyone ever tell you that real men don’t eat quiche. The men I know LOVE quiche. And they are as real as men get! And as wonderful, I might add. (You know who you are!)

Peace and love to all.

8-inch pie crust, unbaked and set in pie plate  

10 slices thick, meaty bacon, chopped and cooked until crisp

2 c. grated Jarlsberg cheese (or Swiss, Gruyère, Emmental, etc.)

⅓ c. sliced green onions

2 c. chopped baby spinach  

¾ c. milk (whole milk is best)

¼ c. half & half

4 lg. eggs

freshly ground black pepper

dash ground nutmeg

Scatter half of the cooked bacon over pie crust. Then layer half the cheese, half the greens onions, and half the spinach on top of that. Then repeat until all the bacon, cheese, green onions, and spinach are in the pie pan.

Whisk the milk, half & half, eggs, and black pepper together. Pour liquid mixture over all. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Cover edges of crust with thin strips of aluminum foil.

Bake in a pre-heated 325-degree oven until filling is set, about 45 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Whenever I want a simple main dish that requires a minimum of effort and a maximum of flavor, I think of pork tenderloin. I know I’ve said it before, but pork tenderloin is just about the perfect meat. It is tender and juicy, when treated with respect, easy on the budget, and tastes amazing when given the opportunity. And it does taste marvelous when marinated, baked, or sauced with other yummy ingredients. Because let’s be honest here. Left unadorned, pork tenderloin (or pork roast or chops) can be a bit boring. But quite often, I don’t want a heavy sauce with all the extra calories. I just want a simple piece of meat, but I want it to be flavorful. And that’s where a great marinade can come in handy. And oh my, this marinade makes for a very flavorful meat. I changed the recipe a bit from the original I found on the plainchicken.com site to better reflect our tastes, but the bones of the recipe are all on Stephanie.

And I also know what some of you are thinking. Here you go again Patti with your love/hate relationship with bourbon. And you’d be correct. I still can’t get the stuff past my lips if it is in the form of a drink. But as an ingredient, I have nothing but respect for what it lends to all kinds of dishes, from savory to sweet. In fact, if you want to see how frequently I use bourbon as an ingredient, just type bourbon in the “search” box on this site, and you will be amazed at this whiskey’s versatility. (And no, I am not on the bourbon industry’s payroll. But perhaps I should be. Of course, it would all be fun and games until they offered me a drink. Then all bets would be off! I would probably be asked to resign and that would hurt my feelings. So, I’m better off just using the product in recipes, then sharing my recipes with you, and leaving the rest in the capable hands of people who actually enjoy drinking the stuff.)  

So, bottom line, if you would like a recipe for pork tenderloin that is easy to build and tastes wonderful, give this recipe a try. And no, you don’t have to use fancy bourbon for this recipe. I use Jim Beam in every dish I make that calls for bourbon. I keep the bottle in my pantry along with other wines and spirits I use exclusively in recipes. My own stash for my own use! (OK, I do let Mr. C. use my booze if he asks very nicely.)

As always, have fun in your kitchen. Try new recipes, but cling to your favorites as well. There is just nothing better than making an old favorite that everyone adores. It’s like having a good friend over to dine. Just brings a smile to your face. Speaking of which, isn’t it wonderful to be able to once again have family and friends over for dinner. Or to go to someone else’s home for a visit.

On that happy note, I wish to propose a toast to all the medical personnel who worked on the covid-19 vaccine, who attended people who came down with the virus, or who were in any way responsible for helping us make it this far in our pandemic struggle. And to the people who taught our children via Zoom, worked in grocery stores, or in any way provided services that brought them into potential harm, my sincere thanks to each and every one of you.

And if you have yet to be vaccinated, please do so as soon as possible. We should each do our part to help conquer this horrible virus. I feel that it is not only our responsibility to help in this cause; it should also feel like our privilege to assist in putting an end to the spread of this often-fatal disease. So, please do your part. Get vaccinated!

Peace and love to all.  

¼ c. bourbon

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

1/8 tsp. granulated onion

1 pork tenderloin, silver skin removed

kosher salt

Whisk the bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and black pepper together in a covered container.

Place pork tenderloin in the marinade and refrigerate for an hour to overnight. (Overnight is best.)

Remove pork from marinade, sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and grill until internal temperature reaches 145-degrees. (about 12 minutes) 

Remove from grill, tent, and allow to sit for about 5 minutes before thinly slicing on the diagonal.