Pork Roast...Chop

Missy Tippens

I've shared a recipe very similar to this in 2014. It's called Harriet's Pork Tenderloin. And that was what I intended to make with a pork tenderloin I had in the fridge the other day. But then I got caught up in my work, and looked up and realized it was already past 5:30 and the roast would take an hour. (We usually eat around 6.)

Soooo... I decided to slice the roast into chops and cook them in the skillet.

First, I sliced the tenderloin into thick porkchops--maybe 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

I melted some butter in an iron skillet along with a drizzle of olive oil. Then I salted and peppered the pork and placed it in the hot skillet.

I browned the meat on one side for a couple of minutes, then turned it. I actually added some white wine to it, but may not do that again because it messed up the caramelization on the second side. I guess maybe a dash of wine would be okay. Once flipped to the second side, I put the lid on to let the meat cook for about 5-7 more minutes.

For the last couple of minutes, I took the lid off to let all the liquid cook down.

Then I decided to make a sauce that's similar to the original recipe. I added a couple of pats of butter to the skillet. Then I stirred in 2 heaping tablespoons of apricot preserves. Stir and mix until the preserves are melted and and mixed well with the melted butter.

These pork chops turned out to be melt-in-your-mouth tender! They were amazing. You can serve them over rice, which goes really well with the sauce.

I served them with sautéed portobello mushrooms and asparagus. Turned out to be a great side dish.

A very quick and delicious meal!

www.missytippens.com

Life Change = Pork Tenderloin Change

Greetings from the ranch!

Phase one of our big move is finally complete. For the most part anyway. We're still waiting on internet, which has us relying on our phones. At least until we completely lost service. 

Can you imagine? No internet, no email, no text, no phone...

Fortunately it only lasted for a day.

Yes, it's been an adjustment, but we've been so busy that you kind of don't notice. In the last two weeks I think we've only stopped long enough to eat or sleep. Because before things were totally put away at the camphouse, it was time to begin work on the big house.

Here's a glimpse of our demo projects.

Bye-bye dark wainscoting and parquet wood floor.

 And where a brick wall once made a courtyard, we now have a view.

I tell ya, you give a couple of strapping young lads some sledgehammers and it's amazing what they can do.

But all that hard work makes for some hungry workers, which means one of the workers--okay, supervisors--has to pause to fix dinner.

On this night, I was craving grilled pork tenderloin. But I wanted something different. And what better way to do that than to play with some spices.

Cumin sounded good, so that was my starting point.

Here's what I came up with.

3/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

Mix that all together.

***Note: A pork tenderloin package has two pieces of meat. Since I was experimenting, I seasoned one piece with my usual salt/pepper/garlic/paprika blend, then put the cumin mixture on the other. So if you're coating both pieces of meat, double the amounts above.***

Now just sprinkle the seasoning over the meat and give it a nice rub.

The one in front has the cumin blend.

Place seasoned meat on a heated grill.

  And cook until internal temperature reaches between 145 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

The verdict?

The new seasoning was a hit. Everyone loved it. Tender, juicy, flavorful meat.

Yum!

And if you're watching your fat, pork tenderloin is as lean as grilled chicken breast, so it's a win-win.

So...there has been one other thing keeping us busy.

 You've heard of a two-dog night. Well, this was a four-snake weekend that started with this non-venomous fella slithering across the camphouse porch.

Luckily our snake-loving son was there to save the day.

Isn't he dressed appropriately?

But I'll consider it all trade off, so long as I get to hang out here.

Now it's your turn. Do you like to play with spices? What are some of your favorites?

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and the last of her five children. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Other Wonderful Things!

I love pork.

One of my favorite, favorite dishes is pork chops and applesauce. I remember loving it when I was a little girl. My Grandpa, Jack Logan, would come by the house once a month or so. I didn't know why back then, but every now and again I'd see Grandpa's car parked on Flower City Park and my heart would race! He was so good and kind and he had big blue eyes that sparkled... but I bet they sparked with anger or disappointment a time or two, but I never saw it.

And even if I didn't see him, evidence of him would be there. A pork roast, in the fridge. A big pack of pork chops or a leg of lamb. Bananas, such a treat! Apples, in season. A jug of cider. Oh, for that glorious few days the larder was full and such delicious meals were had!

I thought he was rich. It wasn't until my mother was dying that I realized he came once a month to bring food when he received his monthly pension check. A part of that old man's reward went to feeding his grandchildren in a hovel in the 10th ward of Rochester, New York.

My father didn't like him. I found that out later, too. And when my father would get home and find the food, not a word of appreciation was said, nor was the food acknowledged. He'd stumble to bed, enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor for days, and never said as much as a thank-you.

Luckily, I learned better! From Grandpa's generous heart came my nature, and it's something I thank God for every day. What if I'd been born a selfish jerk instead of just an occasional jerk????

THE WORLD WOULD BE DENIED SWEET RUTHY STORIES BECAUSE SWEET RUTHY WOULDN'T EXIST! YIKES!!!!

So my love for pork came from those early "Grandpa" gifts, such a blessing, and this is something I tried this week because they had pork tenderloins on sale. It was easy, delicious, and we didn't find anyone who didn't love it. Even the leftovers went quickly!

Marinate the pork loin in apple cider if you have any, for 6 - 8 hours. If you don't have any, don't fret! Skip this step, I'm not sure it was all that important!

I dredged the tenderloin in a mix of seasonings:

Then I covered the base of a big frying pan (one of my favorites, the Revere Ware chicken fryer, I love this pan!!!) with olive oil, heated it and put the tenderloin in, letting it get good and brown on all sides.

Already the house smelled like HEAVEN!!!!! Oh, happy day!

While I was braising that pork, I peeled four large potatoes. I cut them into chunks and half-cooked them in the microwave to give them a head start. I would also suggest doing this to two sweet potatoes also. We didn't do it this time, but we all decided the sweet potato flavor would blend perfectly.

I didn't have fresh mushrooms on hand, but I keep canned mushrooms around for emergencies like this!


I added the can of mushrooms to the pan with the braised pork. I stirred up all those little tasty morsels on the bottom of the pan, then I added about two cups of water, maybe a little less. I didn't want the pork swimming, but I wanted a rich broth.

Then in go the potatoes, circling the pork.

I sprinkled them with granulated garlic, salt, pepper, onion and paprika.

Then I covered the whole kaboodle and tucked it into a 350° oven for about 25 minutes....

PERFECT!!!!!

Wonderful!!!!

Delicious!!!!

Now if you wanted this low-carb, skip the potatoes and use a cauliflower/broccoli mix and roast that with the pork. How could that be a bad thing, right???

Dave and I loved this, it was like 20 minute prep time, and because there are always people snacking out of our refrigerator, it was deemed a success by two others.

Quick, easy, delicious and affordable. I don't know how suppertime can get much better than that!