Balsamic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Still hunting for some new freezer meals...

Here's another freezer meal or something you can prep and make for dinner tonight! When you find pork tenderloins on sale, stock up - they're so versatile - you can feed a crowd with a fancy platter of sliced medallions, or build sandwiches for something more casual. I steer clear of the pre-marinated ones - I like to know what the ingredients are, and control the flavors myself.

Balsamic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp of grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground)
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

Combine ingredients in a freezer storage bag and "knead" to mix. Add pork tenderloins. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight (less works, but at least 6-8 hours is preferred). If you're doing it as a freezer meal, throw it in the freezer, and when you're ready, thaw overnight in the fridge.

To prepare, preheat grill or oven to 450°. Place pork in oven safe baking dish leaving the marinade in the bag. Roast pork in oven and roast for 25 minutes, or grill until it reaches 155°. Remove from heat and tent with foil, resting about 10 minutes before slicing. Meat should be slightly pink and juicy.

If you like, you can pour the leftover marinade into a saucepan (fish out the rosemary), and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes - this will kill off any bacteria, and thicken it up a little bit.

Layered Mexican Trifle Salad

So this is awesome. It's a lot of work, but it is awesome. Feeds a crowd, looks cool, tastes great. What more can you ask for? I first had this at a party, and then tracked down the recipe - I believe it was originally from Pampered Chef. You can mix it up, but I really like this combo. It's easy to double or whatever is needed, based on the serving dish. The one pictured was MASSIVE, and was basically a triple batch - so much work, and at the last minute! Layered Mexican Trifle Salad I ngredients: Beans: drain, rinse and mix together 1 15 oz. can pinto beans and 1 15 oz. can black beans 1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained (I've also used fresh) 1 large tomato, diced (I usually use several Roma tomatoes) 2 green bell peppers, diced 3 ripe avocadoes, diced and mashed with the juice of 1 lime and salt and pepper to taste 1 large onion, diced (red or white) 2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded 2 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded

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We ALL really love this recipe. This is based on a recipe from the good people at Cooks Illustrated - I am grateful to them for getting my kids to happily eat sundried tomatoes and broccoli! I've also made this in a huge batch and served it family-style for a dinner party (and got to use my giant Pampered Chef Simple Additions square pasta bowl (it's really big), and it was AWESOME). If people could have licked the bowl clean, they might have - there was NOTHING left. Try this, and love it: Chicken, Broccoli, Penne and Asiago Cheese Skillet 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (or olive oil - just don't heat that to smoking) 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp.) 1/4 tsp. dried oregano 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes 8 oz. ziti or penne (2 /12 cups) 3 c. water 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth 3-4 c. broccoli florets 1/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and choppe

Another Take on Comfort Food

Sometimes there's nothing you can do but cook. I've had the displeasure of seeing 2 young moms in our school community recieve cancer diagnoses in the last 18 months. If you're like me, when someone you know is hurting, you want to help, but lots of times, there's not much you can do. If you can cook, you can take away some of the stress of getting the family fed and bring a meal or two. In fact, even if you can't cook, you can pick up a meal at a restaurant or a bag of groceries, or even a gift card for a local restaurant. I think it comes naturally to some - the church and school communities I grew up in always loved with food - church potlucks, school spaghetti dinners, and of course lots of meals for people who needed them. But not everyone has done this before, so it might be overwhelming. As in my "feeding a crowd" blurb, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don't try to impress - don't try new recipes. Find out if you're

A Cooking Baker

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