When life hands you lemons…

…you get too stressed out to make lemonade or really anything in the kitchen, if you’re anything like me.  Our household has been busy dealing with some pretty big and crappy job related lemons lately…hence the lack of blog updates.  I’m the type of person that loses my appetite when life gets super stressful, so nothing other than cereal and bags of soy crisps for dinner have been appearing in my kitchen lately.  I finally went grocery shopping this weekend and got a little bit of my chutzpah back to get me back in the kitchen, as I just love cooking too much and realized that Gus certainly needs more than just Cheerios for dinner.  So I am back in action on the blog and not only with some new and delicious recipes that will be coming your way soon, but now I’ll have plenty of budget friendly recipes to share.  Did you know you can make a delicious roast chicken dinner with all the fixins’ for less than $2.50 a serving!?  And it will feed your hungry husband lunch AND dinner for 2 days?!  So even if I was too stressed out to make lemonade in the past couple weeks, at least now I’m back to make budget friendly lemonade out of those darn stinkin’ lemons.

Before I share an actual recipe, I have to share a funny and budget friendly tip…Amazon.com sells groceries!  And they carry those hard to find items!  And they arrive in less than 3 days! And best of all, they’re cheaper than your local market!  You already know about my addiction to Robert’s Creamy Ranch Soy Crisps, so when my local market stopped carrying my favorite flavor (BBQ is not an acceptable replacement…yuck), I started looking online to see where I could track down my favorite salty snack.  Lo and behold, I found a case of them on Amazon and even with shipping, they still cost $1.50 less per bag than at my local store!   And now I don’t have to be embarrassed to go through the check out line with a cart full of 37 bags of soy crisps.  Although, Gus sure got a good laugh at me when we came home to find a box that could hold a small toddler sitting on our door step…full of soy crisps…but I got a darn good deal, so no shame here…only lots and lots of delicious and budget friendly Creamy Ranch Soy Crisps. 

The Two Little Pigs…the other brother is in the freezer for next weekend.

Not only is pork the other white meat, but it’s also such an easy meat to entertain with…plus it can be “Daniella-ified” into a heart healthy meal and we’re still on the healthy train so that’s important.  As much as I’d love to post about bacon wrapped pork chops, I’m keeping things relatively healthy around here so I usually stick with a lean pork tenderloin, as it has the least amount of fat on it and it definitely feeds a crowd.  As long as you have at trusty meat thermometer, it’s pretty hard to screw up and once it’s sliced, it looks oh-so-pretty in those cute little medallions.  And if you really want to wow your guests with some pork variety, pull out the ole “Filet de Porc Deux Voies”…that’s fancy talk for ”Pork Tenderloin Two Ways”.  These two recipes have very different flavors, yet both are so easy to throw together that you might even be a little embarrassed when all the compliments start rolling in about the fancy pants meal you just created…when it’s not really fancy pants at all…it’s more like I-made-it-in-my-flannel-pajama-pants-and-just-put-on-my-fancy-pants-before-my-guests-arrived.   Don’t tell anyone though. 

 

Parmesan-Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

 

• 1 (1-pound) Pork Tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated + a handful of shaved slices for the top
• 1/4 cup fresh Flat-leaf Parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp.  fresh Thyme, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/8 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 clove of Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the parsley, thyme, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.  Season the pork with the salt and pepper, then rub all sides of the tenderloin with the cheese and herb coating. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  Sear the tenderloin on all sides, for about 1 minute each side.  Place the tenderloin on a baking sheet and top with Parmesan slices. 
3. Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes, or until the thermometer reaches 160 degrees (slightly pink).  Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing.  (If you ignore me, then your meat will lose all it’s delicious juices and dry pork is no one’s friend.)

 

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with a Spicy Dry Rub

 

• 1 (1-pound) Pork Tenderloin, trimmed
• 1 tbsp. Cumin
• 1 tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 2 tsp. Paprika
• 2 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

 

1. Heat a gas grill, turning all burners to high until the grill is fully heated (about 10-15 minutes).
2. Combine all the spices in a small bowl.  Brush the tenderloin with olive oil and then coat it with the dry rub. 
3. Place the tenderloin on the hot grill gates, close the lid, and cook for 8 minutes.  Turn the pork over and close the lid to cook for another 7 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook the pork with the lid closed for 6 additional minutes.  At this point, an instant-read theromometer should read 150 degrees.  If not, close the grill lid and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until temp reaches 150.  Remove the pork from the grill and allow it to rest for 10 minutes before slicing (another friendly reminder…don’t forget about those juices!)

Red Velvet: Some facts to set you straight.

A couple weeks ago I was asked by 3 different people on 3 separate occasions what exactly is Red Velvet cake…what flavor is it, how does it get red, what does it taste like, and on and on and on.  I know that Red Velvet cake is a Southern thang, but since it’s been gaining popularity lately, I just figured that everyone was up to date on their baked good knowledge…because Lord knows I am.  So if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who has yet to discover Red Velvet, let me help you out with the facts:

• Red Velvet is a mild chocolate cake…not as rich as Devil’s Food cake, but definitely not a Vanilla cake.  It’s somewhere in between, but with a lil bit of tang…you can thank the yummy buttermilk for that delish tangy flavor. 
• It MUST be covered with Cream Cheese frosting.  Some crazy Southerners also insist on topping it with chopped PEE-cans, but not this one.  Save those nuts for a PEE-can pie because they have no place in my Red Velvet cake. 
• It’s red because you dye it red with a whole lotta red food coloring.  It’s not due to some scientific baking reaction, as cool as that would be…it’s just red dye.  I’ve heard that the same group of crazy Southerners will sometimes use beet juice to dye their cake, but again, not this one.  I’m not putting beet anything in any kind of cake.  Ick. 
• It’s delicious.  Yes, that’s a fact and once you try it, you’ll understand.

I have an old stand-by recipe for Red Velvet that I’ve used for awhile and liked, but didn’t love, so I switched things up and think I really have found a winner this time.  The cake is super moist with just the right amount of chocolate and tangy flavor…and the frosting…don’t even get me started on the frosting.  I could eat it with a spoon, but I won’t so I can still fit into my jeans.  This will definitely be my go-to Cream Cheese frosting recipe from now on, but beware that it makes a TON of frosting, so if you’re like me then you better use it all up and get it out of your house because that stuff is like crack.  And I won’t be held responsible for your addiction. 

 

 *These regular size cupcakes were for my ravenous co-workers…next time I think I’ll have to bust out my jumbo cupcake pan for their hearty appetites.  Apparently they are also into hoarding my baked goods in the office refrigerator now, as I saw someone just this past Friday eating one…and I brought these in 2 weeks ago.  That my friends, is dedication.

 

*These darling mini cupcakes were for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower, as ladies always love desserts in mini form.  Why, you ask?  Well, 1). because they’re just so darn cute, and 2). because they can eat a bunch of them and tell themselves that since they’re so small, they must not be bad for you.  Oh and not only are they topped with matching red sugar, but yes, that is edible glitter you see sparkling on those babies…the ladies also love the bling. 

 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

For the Cake Batter:

• 15 1/2 ounces All-Purpose Flour (this is the first recipe I’ve used that required me to weigh the flour and sugar, but I’m a believer now… so do it and don’t complain)
• 1 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (I upped the cocoa powder to this amount because it was originally just 2 tsp. and I like my red velvet to actually taste chocolatey and not just a hint of chocolate…you might have to use some extra red dye though because of the added cocoa, but I think it tastes better this way)
• 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
• 13 ounces Sugar
• 1 1/4 cups Buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Red Food Coloring (I just used one entire bottle of red food coloring to cover up my addition of the extra cocoa powder)
• 1 1/4 tsp. Vinegar (white or apple cider can both work)
• 1 1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 cup Water

For the Crack, aka, Cream Cheese frosting:

• 1 1/2 pounds Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound Butter, room temperature
• 2 pounds Powdered Sugar, sifted
• 1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract

 

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees F.  Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.
2. In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix oil, sugar, and buttermilk until combined. Add eggs, food coloring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well.
3. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low, scraping down sides occasionally, and mix until just combined. Be sure not to over mix, or the batter will come out tough.
4. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners, scoop the batter into the liners and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
5. For the cream cheese frosting: Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed. Gradually add powdered sugar to the mixture and scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. The frosting can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator up to a week (this could potentially be very dangerous to late-night frosting spoon dippers like myself, so this is your warning). Frost cooled cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting.