Apricot Preserves Pork Marinade and Summer Vegetables Salad

Pork tenderloin, how I love you.  You're quick, easy, go with a variety of sauces, and always come out perfect.

Really. I love me some pork.  Normally I just throw my standard soy sauce marinade on it but I was in the mood for something a little lighter, more summery and citrus so I went with a gingered apricot version instead.  Also, I was feeling especially lazy so was all about the easy. (Recipes after the break)

Sweet and Spicy Marinade Part II: Fall Off the Bone Spareribs

Jo and I got talking about marinades the other day after her post.  My usual marinade is different (I'll get around to posting it one of these days) and after comparing she got me in the mood for some ribs.  BabyBella and I absolutely love, love ribs.  However, to make them truly fall-off-the-bone that takes time and preplanning (two things I'm horrible at finding and doing).  But, the stars aligned and for once I did both.  Yesterday I swung by the meat department and picked up 1 3/4 lbs of spareribs--I know that's too much for the both of us but I'm planning on having them for lunch during the week--and checked my work calendar and voila! had the time to step away from my desk for a few minutes in the middle of the day.  Happy.

Macaroni and Cheese

No photos, but a bit of a rant. We went to the store today, as I had no clue what to make for dinner. As the three of us walked through the store, we scratched our heads and Stinky saw something. He wanted Kraft macaroni and cheese. Excuse me? You want noodles with orange food coloring? Not happening. Now I don't make mac n cheese very often. Usually when I make it, it's the baked kind with the four to six different cheeses, milk and eggs, and baked. But since he was craving it, we headed over to the cheeses and grabbed a chunk of mild cheddar and monterey jack.

Macaroni and cheese is a really simple dish, why do people buy Kraft? I don't understand it. From start to finish it takes about 20 min to make it from scratch and it's comparable timing to the boxed fake stuff. Boil macaroni, while the noodles are cooking grab another small pan and heat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk with 8 oz of shredded cheese of your choice over medium low heat. When the cheese is melted, the noodles should be ready, drain then put the noodles back in the pot and pour the melted cheese over the noodles and stir to mix. Gee how hard can that be? Yea there are two pots to wash instead of one, but it's so much better this way.

Stinky was happy. Oh what did we have for dinner? Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and green beans. It was easy and didn't take a lot of thought.

Autumn Stuffed Pork Loin

This is one of my very own recipes.  Oh, I'm guessing there are plenty of recipes out there that are similar, but this one was born out of an especially nostalgic afternoon's shopping.  You see, I was raised in Upstate NY in the Hudson Valley where Autumn was my favorite season.  By mid-October everything turns a thousand shades of red and gold with amazingly crisp mornings that smell like a combination of apple cider and that utterly undefinable but unmistakable aroma of fallen leaves that is more like touch than scent. Being in the foothills of the mountains during that season is one of the most glorious experiences you could imagine.

West Bank of the Hudson River (Image courtesy The Poughkeepsie Journal)

However, when I moved south I discovered that there really isn't a such thing as Autumn.  We go pretty much from summer to winter with a brief two or three weeks where everything turns brown and drops.  And it rains. A lot. Blech.

So here I was one rainy afternoon in October being incredibly homesick for a season while grocery shopping and had the inspiration to make something decidedly "fall-like" so I grabbed cranberries, apples, and cider and went from there.  If I couldn't have golden trees and smoky leaf-scented air then I would taste it.  (Recipe after the break)

Kiddie Food--Corndogs and Mac and Cheese

As previously mentioned, BabyBella hates eating vegetables.  This is not at all unusual in children her age.  I've read countless articles and books on how to deal with this from the "try one bite" to "hiding the veggies."  My problem with these two approaches is the first won't get enough vegetables into my kid and the second is, quite frankly, lying to her.  Thus, I have gone with a blended approach.  I often serve vegetables as a side dish, have her try at least one bite (she inevitably says she hates it) and fortify the meal with vegetables I've blended into other foods.  As BabyBella is my #1 kitchen helper (menu planner and sous chef) she's fully aware of what I'm doing.

Today BabyBella chose for dinner a school cafeteria favorite--corn dogs with macaroni and cheese.  Now, before you get all "that's not a healthy meal!" on me, know that it is not the traditional carnival treats.

Recipe and more after the break...