I believe I have mentioned that I am a sucker for Balsamic reductions, glazes, dressings, etc.  This recipe was one of my first attempts at a balsamic glaze and I love it, love it, love it!  It’s a fairly easy meal since the bulk of the work is done in the slow cooker.  I paired it with skillet rosemary potatoes and the boys were very happy with the results, as was I.  I usually double the glaze recipe because we like to pour it over our pork servings and smother our plates in it as well.

I’m sitting here ready to continue telling you how much I love this recipe, but suddenly the featured image is distracting me.  On one hand, I want to run and heat up the little bit I have left and eat it for lunch immediately because it was so yummy.  On the other hand, when I look away, out of the corner of my eye the picture looks a little scary.  Almost like…that is to say…I mean, I have 4 dogs and it’s generally time to run, not walk, to the vet when…Ok, trust me, the tenderloin tastes good.  Moving on.

Nope, I can’t.  The old 1974 Weight Watchers recipe cards keep coming to mind, Rosy Perfection in particular.  Why did I choose this as the featured image?  I can’t change it now since that would be cowardly.  Right?  I mean, half of the post is trying to decide if all of you might see vague images of…No!  This is my favorite tenderloin recipe.  It’s not just good, it’s fan-freaking-tastic!  Fran Tarkington amazing and the picture stays!

So, yeah.  Try to find one giant tenderloin, rather than two little guys, which will shrivel and look like…

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze

Prep Time: 15-20 min          Cook Time: about 6.5 hours (mostly, slow cooker)           Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1 – 1 & 1/2 TBSP garlic powder or paste
• 1 tsp sea salt, or other
• 2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup water

The glaze

• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBSP soy sauce

Directions

1. Lay your dry tenderloin(s) out on a clean, dry surface (wax paper is a great idea) and sprinkle the side facing up with half of the garlic, salt, sage and pepper.  Rub the spice into the meat, flip the loin over and repeat.
2. Place 1/2 cup water in the bottom of your slow cooker, then place the tenderloins into it.  Cover and cook on low for 6 hours (if you haven’t tried slow cooker liners, you need to).
3. When the 6 hours is almost up, in a small saucepan, mix the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup of water until dissolved.  Add the remaining glaze ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer gently, cooking until thick and whisking often, about 3-5 minutes.  Set aside.
   1. DO NOT LEAVE THE SCENE.  Just saying, bubbly glaze in your stove is a bit of a drag. Do not run to the lavatory, water the garden or start chopping broccoli, while singing the song, with your back to the glaze.
4. Preheat your broiler to high and line a broiler tray with foil or use a disposable tray.  Remove the pork from the slow cooker, pat dry (without burning off your finger prints) and place into the broiler pan.  Brush with the glaze and broil for 2-3 minutes until it starts to bubble.  Remove and flip, brushing with glaze again, then return to broiler.  Repeat until you have a nice, caramelized crust.
5. Take a photo before applying extra glaze, then pour that saucy goodness over everything!   Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

I cannot get enough

Good morning, everybody!  It’s another beautiful spring day in Louisiana and, although I know the humidity is creeping up and the temperatures will soon rival the surface of the sun, I am loving every minute of it.

We have more company staying with us, our friend Frank from Wisconsin, so we are men about town, so to speak, and today we head back into the Atchafalaya Basin.  Before we go, I have to share the delicious magic we made with leftover crawfish tails last night.

Jamie boiled another amazing batch on Saturday and somehow we managed to polish off almost an entire sack (about 40 lbs) between 3 adults and 2 children.  I admit that the 4 trays I managed to put away may have had something to do with this.  Anyway, we had a few left, so we peeled the tails and saved the meat for po boys.  I am so glad we did!

You can use shrimp, fish, alligator (my boys’ favorite) or almost any other meat for po boys, but I’ll give directions for crawfish or shrimp.  Sadly, the grocery store was out of the larger po boy buns, so we went with hot dog buns, but no complaints from the masses over here.  We used the leftover dip from out crawfish boil (see “dipping sauce”), but you can also use mayo, miracle whip, ketchup, mustard, etc.  Get creative.

Crawfish or Shrimp Po Boys

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 lb cleaned crawfish tail meat or shrimp
• 1 & 1/2-2 cups flour
• 2-4 TBSP Tony Chachere’s (or other) Creole Seasoning (you can also use a combination of garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, etc. if you don’t have Creole seasoning)
• 1-2 eggs, beaten
• 1 TBSP prepared yellow mustard
• Large Po Boy, Hoagie or hot dog buns
• Peanut oil for frying
• Lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, dipping sauce, etc., for dressing

Directions

1. In an electric skillet, or a regular skillet with a thermometer, heat the peanut oil to 350°.
2. In a bowl, beat the egg with the 1 TBSP prepared mustard.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour and Creole seasoning, or other spices.
3. Dry and then coat each crawfish tail or shrimp in the egg mixture, and then dredge with the flour mixture.
4. Fry the coated meat in the peanut oil for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown, taking care not to over cook.  Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with additional Tony’s or salt and pepper, if desired.
5. Serve on a bun with desired condiments, lettuce and tomato.

Well, folks, our second round of company is here and we have hit the Louisiana night life for the first time in a long time.  This blogger is moving a little more slowly than normal thanks to the Parks Cracklin Cookoff and my cousin’s (ok, my step cousin’s husband’s) band, Nick-L-Beer.

Frank, our friend from Wisconsin had never tried beignets, but I am not quite up to rolling my own dough today, so to the fridge I went.  This is so simple and easy, but so delicious.  They taste better than many real beignets I’ve had and I’m sure you’ll love them.  It’s a great way to get the flavor and a fraction of the work.

I used to only use the smaller refrigerator tube biscuits, but I found out today that the big boys are the way to go.

Busy Day Beignets

Prep time: 10 seconds                    Cook Time: About 4 minutes                    Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tube refrigerated biscuits
• Peanut oil for frying
• About 2 cups powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Heat the oil to 350° and separate the biscuits, slightly flattening in your palms.  Drop flattened biscuits into oil and fry approximately 2 minutes per side, until golden.
2. Remove to a paper towel to drain and dust with powdered sugar on both sides.  Enjoy.

The depression over the departure of our wonderful company still isn’t fading, but we press on.  At least we still have some of the fantastic food they left us to keep the memories fresh…and someone’s dirty boxer shorts.

Anyway, last night the boys and I realized, with horror, that we only had 4 of Chad’s amazing Sheboygan bratwurst left.  As it registered that some of us would only be able to eat 1, while some lucky person would have 2, a stare-down ensued, the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the climactic final moments of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  I had to think fast lest shots start firing.

See, our company also smoked a ham and we had intended to use the 48 slider buns we purchased to civilly eat said ham.  Sadly, the ham was also so delicious that something of a feeding frenzy erupted.  Buns and manners forgotten, we tore into the ham and that was that.

As I stared at my children, wondering how to end the standoff, I spotted the slider buns on the counter behind Daniel and inspiration struck.  What follows is a way to stretch those precious Chad brats, or an easy and delicious meal to end a long day.  The Good and Bad were quite satisfied and cleaned their plates with grins and ketchup on their faces.

The best part?  I have leftovers!

Brat Sliders

Prep & cook time: 5-10 minutes           Serves: 3-6

Ingredients

• 4 large, or 6 small brats, cooked and cut into quarter rounds or bite sized pieces
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 2-4 TBSP butter, or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dill, fresh or dried
• 12+ slider buns

Optional

• 1/4 cup sauerkraut
• 1/4-1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. In a 10-12 inch skillet, saute the onion in the butter or oil on medium high until clear, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add the brats and dill and heat until warm, about 2 minutes.  Add small bits of butter or oil, as needed, to keep moist.
3. Add the sauerkraut and heat until warm, stirring to prevent sticking.
4. Sprinkle with mozzarella and serve on slider buns topped with ketchup, mustard, etc.

As I mentioned in Thursday’s post, you can’t do gumbo without potato salad, so I aim to keep my promise and share this tasty side.  This is a recipe I picked up from my cousin, Lore, and ran with.  I’ve never had anything as good as hers, but we’re getting closer.

I know the pickle juice sounds strange, but you can substitute with 1 TBSP of white vinegar, if needed.  We “import” the best pickles from Wisconsin and I use every drop of the jar I can.  Actually, our friend Frank brings them down by the case whenever he visits.  God bless him!

I love this potato salad warm, but it’s also wonderful chilled.  This is another recipe I’ve never tried to write down, so play with it as needed.  Just remember that the egg mixture will be greatly toned down when mixed with the potatoes, so don’t be scared of bold flavor.

I am constantly adding to and playing with this recipe.  Luckily, potato salad is very forgiving, so have yourself a little fun.

Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 8 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 6-7 medium/large eggs, just hard boiled
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
• 1 & 1/2 TBSP prepared mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp or more Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
• 1 & 1/2 TBSP dill pickle juice
• dash of dill
• a few drops of vinegar
• 1/2-1 dill pickle, minced

Directions

1. Boil the potatoes until just soft, 12-15 minutes, drain and set aside, keep warm.
2. Cut your hard boiled eggs in half and place the yolks in a medium mixing bowl,

   

   setting the whites aside.  Add the Miracle whip or mayo, mustard, salt, black pepper, Tony’s, pickle juice, dill and vinegar to the yolks and beat with an electric mixer until creamy.  Season to taste, if needed and add the minced dill pickle.

3. Dice or mince the egg whites, putting half in with the potatoes and half into a bowl for later garnish.
4. With a wooden spoon or soft spatula, mix half of the whites and the yolk mixture with the potatoes and stir to coat all potatoes evenly.  Top with extra whites, chopped green onion, yellow onion, chives, paprika, etc.