Month: April 2010

Main Course

Cooking Light Thyme Coated Pork

by Wendi7 Comments on Cooking Light Thyme Coated Pork

Pork and Beans

Cooking Light called this a simple recipe, and I agree.  But I can’t quite figure how they based it on a one pound pork tenderloin.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a one pound tenderloin and the packages I buy always have two pieces packaged together.  So instead of cussing out Cooking Light and going hungry, I decided to roll with it and scaled the recipe a bit to work with what I had.

What you see in that photo may not be your grandmother’s breaded pork with green beans, and it certainly isn’t my grandmother’s, but I like the retro vibe that my kitchen is giving off these days.  Sometimes old school simplicity is what it’s all about.

Thyme Coated Pork Tenderloin

Adapted from Cooking Light

BAH Note: I really don’t recommend using bread crumbs from a can for this recipe.  I think their texture is too fine for the coating.  I break up a loaf of sourdough into chunks and blitz them in the food processor until they are coarse crumbs.  These breadcrumbs can be stored in a zip top bag in the freezer.  Just let them warm up to room temperature before using them.  Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your tenderloins.  Mine ran kind of large and took about an hour to reach an internal temperature of 155 degrees.  I recommend that you check yours starting after about 30 minutes or use an oven safe instant thermometer with a temperature alarm.

  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 3 large egg whites, beaten
  • 1 package pork tenderloin, halves tied together with kitchen string
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees, line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, and place an oven safe cooling rack inside the pan.

Combine thyme, onion flakes, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.  Place egg whites in a second shallow dish and beat lightly, adding about a tablespoon of water if necessary.

Dry pork with paper towels and dip into the egg whites.  When completely coated, dredge the pork in the breadcrumbs, patting them on firmly.

Place the pork on the rack set inside the sheet pan and cook until the pork registers 155 degrees on an instant read thermometer.

{printable recipe}

Random

Flashback Friday – Thing Globally, Act Locally

by WendiLeave a Comment on Flashback Friday – Thing Globally, Act Locally

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 10/25/07 at Exit 51

Thing Globally, Act Locally

I spent a few hours the other day on the hunt. The hunt for a solution to my lighting troubles. And in the end, I was reminded of the value of acting locally and how customer service really makes a difference. Continue reading “Flashback Friday – Thing Globally, Act Locally” →

Uncategorized

April Food Day 2010

by Wendi4 Comments on April Food Day 2010

In 2009 Pigtown Design and Easy and Elegant Life teamed up to raise awareness of the challenges faced by food banks across the nation in these challenging economic times.  They called their mission April Food Day.  365 days later, the need is still great.  People are still unemployed, underemployed, and financially overwhelmed.  Food banks are a lifeline for a growing percentage of the population.

It’s been a year since I wrote my post for AFD2009.  In that time, The Mistah and I became intimately acquainted with the recession and unemployment.  We looked for ways to save money.  And honestly, one of the first things to get cut was the food budget.  It was  a challenge.  It was psychologically bruising to go from grocery shopping at Harris Teeter, Safeway, and (sometimes) Wegman’s to food shopping at Target and Walmart.  But when your income is cut by 60%, you do what you have to do.

It’s about survival.  And for some people, grocery shopping at Walmart, or Target, or at the local off brand grocery store is a luxury.  While I know that eating can be luxurious, it should never be considered a luxury.  Here are a few things to chew on:

  • Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children.
  • That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.
  • Feeding America ‘s nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than they did in 2006.
  • Thirty-six percent of the households served have at least one person working.
  • More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.
  • Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters.

If you are able to, I hope you will consider making a donation to Feeding America through the link that has been set up for April Food Day.  Even if you can’t make a donation, I hope you will participate in AFD by spreading the word.

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Retro Recipes

by Wendi7 Comments on Retro Recipes

Retro Recipe Study 4

As I may have mentioned once or twice, my grandmother embraced convenience foods.  TV dinners, box cake mixes, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese…these were foods I grew up with.  But she had a secret.  She had been sitting on a gold mine of retro recipes from random cookbooks.  One day, long before I developed an interest in cooking, she handed them over to me.  Maybe she knew that eventually I would embark on my own adventures in the kitchen.  Or maybe she thought these might spark an interest in me to stop eating out of boxes.  Whatever the reason may have been, those pages got tucked away in my three ring binder as more of a curiosity than anything.  Many years, and several moves later, I finally took a look at them and realized that I had been given a window into the past. Continue reading “Retro Recipes” →