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Recently I was preparing a pork tenderloin for dinner and that pork tenderloin is a blank canvas.  It can be used in recipes such as stir fry, grilling, roasting or pan cooking. The recipe I recently found on www.lidiasitaly.com,  Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Onions, helps show the diversity of this cut. There’s only a handful of ingredients, besides the pork, to make this dish. You’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, yellow and red onions, shallots, fresh bay leaves and balsamic vinegar. It will take approximately 45 minutes, with slicing the onions taking the most time.
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Recently in Lidia Bastianich’s Facebook feed, a promotional video was posted for her show, “Lidia’s Kitchen.” Lidia was demonstrating the recipe Cavatappi and Asparagus with Spinach Pesto. What timing, I had extra baby spinach in my refrigerator and only needed a handful of ingredients.
 
Besides the pasta (corkscrew shape), you’ll need fresh shelled and unsalted pistachios, fresh garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, a bunch of asparagus and Pecorino Romano cheese. The item I had difficulty finding was unsalted pistachios. You can find small bags of roasted and salted, but nothing unsalted. My local ShopRite’s bulk section had unsalted pistachios.  One third of a pound was the approximate equivalent to a half cup of shelled nuts. 
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One of the last things I received in the shared portion of my Dreyer Farms CSA box, was a cheese pumpkin, which I was unsure how to cook. It has been stored in my cool, dark basement since fall. However, last week, I found the time to finally cook it with a recipe with a recipe I found from Dreyer Farms. The recipe was for Savory Stuffed Pumpkin with Sausage and Gruyère. Nealy Dozier adapted her recipe based on Dorie Greenspan’s for Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good. Overall, Ms. Greenspan’s recipe posted in the Epicurious app had great reviews so I felt Ms. Dozier’s would be just as good. Many people enjoyed this for the Thanksgiving holiday and I can see why. It has all the warm flavors of fall and makes a stunning presentation for the table. Though if you’re not willing to attempt stuffing a pumpkin, perhaps substituting spaghetti squash would more appealing.
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​Recently my husband and I were invited to friends of ours for dinner where we were served a delicious boneless pork chop entrée Baked Pork Chops with Bourbon Glaze.
 
The recipe begins by brining the pork chops from 15 minutes up to 8 hours; I did mine overnight and drained them in the morning. The simple brine is made up of water, kosher salt and 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, which is optional, however, I had some in my cold frame.
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Time is just flying by! Between babysitting, work and life, some nights I’m too tired to put my thoughts down regarding the wonderful dishes I’ve made.
 
Recently I prepared a recipe by Claire Robinson, Ginger and Lemon Roasted Chicken with Braised Fennel. Ms. Robinson is a chef and host of the Food Networks shows “Five ingredient Fix” and “Food Network Challenge. For the recipe you’ll need a roasting chicken, 6-inch piece of fresh ginger, a lemon, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, 2 fennel bulbs and water. ​
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My late father-in-law’s birthday is the 26th of this month and my husband said, “He was a man of simple tastes.” In observance of his birthday, my husband asked me to make his father’s favorite meal which was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and Le Sueur peas. For dessert, my father-in-law loved lemon meringue pie.


Now my late mother-in-law, Nancy, was not a fancy cook, neither were most mothers of her generation. My mother-in-law also had a three-pot limit in preparing a meal. Her meatloaf consisted of ground beef and a handful of ingredients such as some chopped onion, salt, pepper and 4 ounces of tomato sauce. The balance of the tomato sauce went on top of the meatloaf along with 2-3 slices of bacon. The meatloaf was cooked in a 400° oven for approximately one hour, or until the internal temperature reached 160°. 
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​Today is Belmar’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I’ve been in the house since late morning as the revelers have descended upon our town. There’s not a parking space available on my street. Therefore, it’s a good time to share some wonderful recipes that I prepared last week.
 
You know how when you make a recipe and you need that one special ingredient? Afterwards, that “special ingredient” is still in your pantry and you’re thinking what else can I make with it. Well, that’s what happened to me and a bag of pitted dates. However, recently I came across a recipe in The New York Times by David Tanis for Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Sage, Dates and Parsnips. I’ve never had parsnips so I was a bit intrigued. My husband started cutting back the herbs in the cold frame, but I did manage to pluck a few sage leaves. Best of all, a use for the dates.  For the recipe you’ll also need kosher salt, granulated sugar, bone-in pork chops, olive oil, salted butter, pitted medjool dates, freshly ground black pepper and a lemon.
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​I bake a batch, sometimes two, of cookies every week. My husband’s tolerance for sugar and chocolate has changed over the past few years. He now finds Toll House Chocolate Chips too sweet for his taste. So last week, I made him Amy’s Oh So Very Best Cookies which are oatmeal cookies minus the chocolate chips in the recipe.
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​Last Friday The New York Times posted a recipe in their “Here to Help” column for "Quick Jambalaya." Whether you’re celebrating Mardi Gras or getting ready for Lent, this recipe by Vallery Lomas is a recipe you’ll want to keep handy when you’re short on time. You can use leftover rice or prepare your own rice infused with vegetable stock and Creole seasoning. Quick Jambalaya has a nice kick of heat, but you can always enhance hot sauce. I’ll bet you can swap out the andouille (or chorizo) sausage for shrimp.
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​For Valentine’s Day I prepared a heart healthy meal for my husband and I. From the January 2022 issue of “Charleston Magazine,” there was a delicious recipe for Warm Lentil, Roasted Carrot & Herb Salad from chef Cynthia Groseclose. Ms. Groseclose is a plant-based chef and owner of Plant Pâstissiére in Charleston, SC.


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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