Tandoori Pork Tenderloin

 

2 one pound pork tenderloins, butterflied

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons Garam Masala

And on cooking day you will need 2 large onions

FREEZER STEP: Whisk all ingredients together in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade in another Ziploc. You will use this with the onions on cooking day.  Add pork tenderloins to gallon size bag and freeze.

TO PREPARE: Thaw and remove from fridge about 30 minutes before grilling. Grill until internal temperature is 150 degrees. Let it rest about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Sauté onions in reserved marinade until golden.(or grill)

Serve meat over onions.

TIPS: My husband works with an Indian gentleman and he gave us a large supply of Garam Masala. You can find it at an Indian grocery.  I served this with flatbread and applesauce for the "cool" part of the meal. A yogurt dish would have gone well to balance out the spice. This was the first time I made this recipe and we loved it! It will be added into our favorites.

Adapted from The Complete Meat Cookbook

A day at the park

Summertime. The weather is hot, the sun is bright, and the water is cool. Perfect conditions for a trip to our favorite park. First a picnic lunch, then some play, and finish it all off with a wade in the creek. Then fall into bed without a complaint! A bunch of very tired children!

Camping in the rain

Between Mammoth Caves and Fort Boonesborough State park it rained. And rained, and rained. This was not just a soft gentle rain, no, it was a downpour that lasted all. day. long. We steadily drove east in hopes that it would be over when we got there. We had a wet tent, and hoped that it would be dry enough to set it back up for two more nights. We even thought about driving straight home. But, no Fiona was counting on seeing the Kentucky horse park and had waited the whole vacation for it. We had to stay.

As you can see it did stop. At least for a while. There were huge puddles everywhere, and so much damage from the flooding. This area had had enough rain. Parts of the campground were still closed from the damage.We managed to get our tent up and a dinner made when the rain came again. I washed the dishes in the rain and then we went to Wal-Mart for a while. Our tent never leaked so we were able to sleep. It was muggy and hot but we were so tired it didn't matter.

While we set up the tent the children found the puddles. Who can resist the mud when there is nothing else to do? Eating desert and trying to keep dry.  This is the stuff memories are made of. 

Thai Peanut Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped ginger root

3/4 cup chopped green onions

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1/3 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

FREEZER STEP: Cut chicken into thin strips, mince garlic and dice ginger. combine into freezer bag and freeze flat. Dice green onions and prepare broccoli, freeze flat in another bag.

TO PREPARE: In a small bowl combine soy sauce, peanut butter, white wine vinegar, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add chicken mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken in golden on the outside, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, and add green onion, broccoli, peanuts, and the peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, until broccoli is tender and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.

TIPS: Many times I just have the chicken prepared ahead of time and do the rest on cooking day. Either way its a quick meal to prepare.

A finished project

What a week this has been! With my husband out of town I decided to tackle a few projects. Out of the 6 I started I only completed one and am still finishing up the others. Due to a gas leak in the house my husband had to come home early and that threw off my whole schedule! Oh well it was nice to have him back a day early!

One of the projects on my list is this old door I found on the side of the road. It was lying in freshly cut grass when I found it and the finish was ruined. It also smelled like musty old basement.  So I painted it, distressed it, and glazed it. I wanted it to look old.

So much better! it really lightens up this little corner of the master bedroom. One more project checked off the list. Now to work on the other five I started…

Sharing this with Donna at funky junk interiors.

Ice Cream for dinner

Being the first night my husband is off on his business trip I thought something needed to be done during the hour he is usually arriving home. Distraction always works wonders at these moments and the first night is the worst. So we went to the dairy and had ice cream for dinner. Yes, this practical eat your vegetables, we only have desert once a week Momma took my children on the best unexpected outing. They had a blast picking out their favorite flavor, and eating ice cream while watching the cows in the barn. It took the sadness away a bit and they have something exciting to tell their Poppa when he gets home.

Although my practical eat your vegetables, sugar is bad for you son insisted on toast and apples for a bedtime snack. :) I read the last chapters in Little House On the Prairie while they ate and bed time went smoothly. I am off to get something accomplished!

Weekend recap and planning

I spent the day yesterday weeding the herb garden. I was working hard to get it done before my husband left for his business trip. I wanted all the outside work caught up as much as possible so I can work on inside projects while he is gone. While we miss him when he is not here and count the days until her returns, I don’t have to cook dinner in the evenings freeing up my time for projects!. The children and I will eat dinner at noon and then have a light supper of sandwiches or soup. Something easy to clean up. I have so many things I want to get done in the next 4 days! I have a door to paint, a craft room to clean, art work to frame, a hutch to paint, and a garage to clean. I know there is no possible way I will get it all done but I will try! Especially the things in the Master bedroom since I can make all the noise I want and not disturb my husband’s sleep. There has to be some benefit to these business trips. Thankfully he only takes one or two a year. If it was more I am sure I would feel differently about them.

Today for father’s day everyone took a nap or read quietly and then I make my husband’s requested dinner of meatloaf, home canned green beans, fresh onions, and cornbread. I normally don’t cook on Sunday’s so that made it extra special. He received his present of a new ax and hatchet on Friday since two of the children told him about his gifts. Little stinkers, they were just to excited to wait.

I am so thankful my children have such a good Poppa!