And now for something completely different...

Ok, it's like we're all busy or something. No one has time to take a picture of their beautiful food before putting it on the table. So, on to idea number 2. Just post what you are having for dinner that night (or that week). I'm sure we have things on our rotation that another one may not. And it might encourage me to know that you guys also had pizza 4 times in a week just like we did last week...gross.

We should, of course, still post other recipes that might not fall in the made-for-dinner-tonight category...like the cookies I made the other day...

I'll start.

Maple-Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Dear Mommy and Sisters,
I was bold the other day and tried something new, something that wasn't... CHICKEN. Crazy, I know! Anyway, this was really good and easy! You should try it! I smell tonight's dinner... chicken enchiladas, better go...Love you all!
Alissa

Maple-Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Maple-Garlic-Marinated-Pork-Tenderloin/Detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (I used olive oil)
  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

Directions

1. Combine mustard, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, and maple syrup. Place pork in a shallow dish and coat thoroughly with marinade. Cover, then chill in the refrigerator at least eight hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven for 375.
3. Remove pork from marinade, and set aside. Transfer remaining marinade to a small saucepan, and cook on the stove over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Bake for 45 minutes basting with reserved marinade or until interior is no longer pink. Cook pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 155. Let sit for 10 minutes and it will achieve the desired 160 degrees. Serve with left over heated marinade drizzled over it.
   

Kale and Kielbasa Soup

Dear Mommy and sisters,
What a way to (re)kick off the blog with this beautiful picture of Kale and Kielbasa soup! Maybe no one else will like this but me, but at least this way I'll have the recipe handy. ;-) I made some great bread to go with it too...posting that recipe soon. After I clean my house. While holding my fussy Elijah. Good thing he's so cute.

16 oz kielbasa sausage sliced

1 c. sliced carrot

2 leeks sliced

1/2 onion chopped

4 russet potatoes

3 c. chopped kale

6 c. chicken stock

seasoning of your choice (I just used a little bit of ground thyme)

freshly ground pepper

salt

Saute the onions in a little butter. Add the leeks, carrots, and sausage. Add the potatoes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add herbs to taste, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil and then let simmer 15-20min (or until potatoes are tender). Add kale and cook for an additional 3-5min. Grind a little pepper over each bowl and you're set!

Farfalle with Augula, Sausage, and Garlic

1 pound arugula (I always use spinach)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 ounces sausage
1/4 teaspoon cheyene
1 pound pasta
1/2 cup parmesan
salt to taste

Cook the onion over medium heat. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add sausage and cheyene and cook. Add spinach in four or five additions, stirring until each batch wilts until adding another. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low until spinach is tender.
Meanwhile, bring water to boil and cook pasta. Scoup out about 1/2 cup of cooking water then drain pasta. Combine pasta with spinach/sausage mixture and add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mix well. Add parmesan and toss, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to moisten the pasta if need. Season with salt.

It's Fall!

Yummy Apple-Cinnamon Strudel

I took it to church and it was almost gone within minutes.

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=51569b04d1f8b110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default

Breakfast cookie

Mom, isn't the breakfast cookie recipe in that great recipe book I made for you years ago?!? Surely it's in there... ;-)

I thought I still had that recipe. In fact, I really feel like I just saw it. But, maybe I saw it at your house when I was going through the basket of recipes on the fridge?? Anyway, I can't seem to find it now. I looked a little online and this recipe looks the most similar, but I can't even remember if the one I made had some sort of cereal in it or not...I just remember the applesauce. And I know I used at least some, if not all, whole wheat flour.

BREAKFAST COOKIES

1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 c. applesauce
1 c. raisins
1 c. Bran Buds cereal
1 c. oatmeal

Cream shortening, add sugar. Continue to cream. Add egg. Combine soda and applesauce. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with dry ingredients. Add raisins, bran and oatmeal. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Great Turkey Burgers!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Actually-Delicious-Turkey-Burgers/Detail.aspx

I didn't follow to the T but they are good with "a little of this and a little of that"....I added the soy sauce but not the egg.