Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Spices!

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and of course tested it out on a night when I was taking a meal to someone. Glad it was so good! I highly recommend! It's originally from here. I didn't have any Tabasco sauce, so I did a couple of drops of Liquid Smoke... so you could probably get pretty creative there and it would still be tasty! I do recommend that you brown in a skillet and then put the meat in a cast iron skillet to cook in the oven. I had to cook it for almost double time because of the cast iron skillet, but it was well worth it!

I served it with mashed red potatoes with rosemary tossed in, as well as brussel sprouts with butter, bread, and salad. Highly recommend for your next dinner party... also makes enough to keep one and take one if you have to make a meal for someone.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
For the spice rub:
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Brownies from heaven

So, I made brownies today and they were literally better than the box. I've made several different brownie recipes from scratch. Never have I ever found a recipe that I liked better than the good old boxed mix. Until today. And just you wait..... here it is..... they are made from black beans! On a whim, I decided to make these because I wanted brownies, but I'm trying to lose the pregnancy pudge, so black bean brownies sounded better than the regular deliciousness. Well, these were a treat. I even gave one to Joe before I told him they were made with black beans. And he said they were the best brownies I've ever made. SO, there you have it. The verdict.

(found on a gluten-free blog and I did it in the food processor not the blender... doubt it matters)

Lila's Black Bean Brownies
1 can, rinsed and drained black beans
1/2 cup fresh spinach (more or less) (I did almost a cup)
3 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)
1 TBSP vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground coffee (I added a tsp of Trader Joe's instant coffee)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hersheys)


so first, throw your black beans in the blender and give them a couple pulses just to break them up. then add your oil and spinach. pulse them until blended. we want this smoooooth.





you'll have to scrape down the sides...then pulse again...scrape the sides...then pulse. you want there to be no chunks or as little as possible.
add your vanilla, coffee, salt, sugar, cocoa powder... and i threw in a TBSP of choco chips too for good measure.
pulse until it's all smooth.
then add those eggs.
pulse until well blended. you don't need to over do it here. just blend it all together and then stop.



spray an 8X8 pan with pam or butter the dish. put your runny brownies in there.
throw the choco chips on top


bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
take out and let cool completely for a couple hours. Serve with ice cream and trick everyone!

A Few More Baby Musts From A

Hey CAKE's,


Per Katherine's challenge, I wanted to add a few more things that are in my "must" category.  We have lots of overlap, such as Aden and Anais blankets, Chicco carseat, activity playmat, Soothie Pacifier, Jesus Storybook Bible, and a good breast pump.  Now on to my additions....


1) Ergo Carrier and Infant Insert - if I had to pick one item that has made the biggest impact on my life as a mother, this would be it.  Living in a big city with a dog and in an apartment building that has seven stairs to climb to get to our first floor apartment, there is at least one outing a day that I load Miss May up in the carrier instead of her stroller.  It is just so much easier to put her the carrier while I am walking Bo or when we go on the subway, etc.  Not to mention that she is a heating pad and the walking usually puts her to sleep.


2) Bouncer - she loves playing with the hanging animals and it is nice to have a place to put her down that is slightly elevated...and when she was really little, she would nap in there.


3) Sleep Sack Swaddle by Halo - our little Miss likes to break her arms out of her swaddle blanket at night, so this has been a sleep saver.  The velcro flaps keep her arms tightly by her side and allows everyone to sleep soundly.


4) The Boppy - I use it every day and at pretty much every feeding...saves my shoulder muscles from tightening up.


5) Burp Cloths - May spits up all the time, so I always have a burp cloth handy (the very soft cloth diaper kind).  They are the best and are very cute with her name or initials monogrammed on there.  This would be an excellent gift to give any mom-to-be.


6) City Mini Stroller by Baby Jogger - it folds up at the pull of one handle and fits nicely in our 500 square foot apartment...and it is relatively easy for me to lug up and down the seven stairs from our apartment to the sidewalk.


7) Books, books and books - we have story time every day, so having a good selection keeps me from going crazy reading the same books over and over and over again.


8) Whitenoise App - we have this on our phones and the iPad. She sleeps to the rain sound every night and it definitely helps set the mood so that she knows it is sleep time.  And it helps drown out some of the loud noises of apartment living.


9) Angus and Julia Stone's "Big Jet Plane" - okay, so this one is specific to May, but we started listening to them during my third trimester.  Mitch had the album on his phone, so he would often put it up to my belly and May would move around like crazy.  Now that she is out of the womb, it is calming to her....so all I have to do is play this song and she will stop crying.  It is MAGIC!


Okay, I think that is all of my must haves for 0-3 months.  And E, I will be back this week with a picture of how I am displaying our Christmas cards.  I just decided that I like them too much, so they are all going to stay up for the rest of the year. :)

Baby Musts: 0-3 Months

Wow, two posts in two days? It must be a new year!

I thought I would chronicle my favorite baby items from these past three months, seeing as two of us will have 3 month olds soon and others of us will surely do so in the not-too-distant future! This post will be about the most helpful baby gear.... saving my favorite "don't really need it but it's the best thing ever" items for another post! I am always at a loss for what to get for baby showers, so hopefully this will help me to remember when it is gift-getting time!

1. Aden & Anais muslin swaddle blankets. Not only are these cute and soft, but they have kept this baby girl swaddled in happiness every night since she came home from the hospital. Got to keep those flailing arms and legs under control! They are also useful when out in public if you need to do a quick feeding, diaper change, or general spit up cleaning.

2. The Swing. Magical sleep creator. Why would you not love that!

3. The Pump. Allowing moms everywhere to not have to whip out the boob while at Target for the thousandth time that week.

4. Soothie Pacis. Caroline doesn't LOVE the paci but when it is time for sleep, she does enjoy a little time with her soothie.

5. Baby cheeks and hands. Good for kissing and hugging. Also, the hands are good for sucking, according to Caroline.

6. Chicco car seat. Can't live without it. So glad random lady in Target talked me into buying that one. It snaps in like a breeze and is easy to get out!

7. BOB stroller. Again. So happy I have this. Gives me no excuse not to go for a walk or run. Dang.

8. Toys from Lamaze. Caroline is entranced when she sees the black and white pattern on the butterfly she got for Christmas. Lots to stick in your mouth too, which is popular with the babies.

9. Jesus Storybook Bible. THANK YOU Auntie Em, she LOVES it. It is so special to read together at night.

10. The mobile. Around 6 weeks, she started really noticing it. Really cute. And on a related note, the video monitor. SO happy I have this. It has saved me so many times getting out of bed and gives me a peace of mind.

11. Activity Play Mat. Also known as Funville (thank you Ashbrooks). We love this. She loves grabbing the toys, doing tummy time and having an all around good time kicking her legs off on this thing.

12. Baby Bjorn. This has literally been the best thing I ever purchased. She loves going anywhere in it and it allows me to cook, go for walks, do stuff around the house, play on the computer (bad mom)... all with two hands.

So these are a dozen things I've been so happy to have these past three months. Next up, all the little things that I'm glad to have with baby girl!

A, let's hear what you think on this! Maybe I'm missing something good!

A New Year, New Goals.

Well, welcome to 2012! Hard to believe it's a new year. We spent the morning of this glorious day off (Daddy home!) cleaning up Christmas and playing with our sweet baby. This afternoon we will get to celebrate my little brother's engagement! Nothing like a little New Year's Eve bling. We are excited to welcome Chelsey to our family. For the occasion, I made vanilla almond cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream. Let me tell you, these are good. And really the name is harder than they are difficult.

Source: gimmesomeoven.com via Katherine on Pinterest

More importantly, today we are setting some family and personal goals. Thought I'd share my personal goals. Wish me luck... !

1. Work on the pre-baby body! :) Yes, had to throw this one in, but seriously, I can't wait til every last thing in my closet fits again! To work on this goal, I'm using Lose It, an app where you can record what you eat and when you workout. Shockingly, eating 12 mini cupcakes adds up. Oops.

2. Read through the bible. I'm thinking I will use this plan (click on the PDF at the top of the page).

3. Read to Caroline every day. She LOVES the Jesus Storybook Bible from Auntie Em!!

4. Have a welcoming and hospitable house. Host dinners, take meals to people, and have people stay with us.

5. Be conscious about money. Ugh. Only spend on things that we need (don't pick up random crap at the grocery or at Target!)

6. Journal for Caroline.

7. Volunteer in some way at church and within our community.

The end. These are pretty broad, which is important for actual completion :)

Love and miss you all!
k

Tis the Season!

This is what I did on Sunday! Although the Halls of 1814 Piedmont are not completely decked yet, it has begun and it makes me happy. As a Work-From-Homer, I would say the Christmas lights have slightly revolutionized things for me. So cozy in this house. Do you see the little village in my book case? It's the North Pole. A little random you might say, but it is so nostalgic for me as it was my favorite part of decorating Christmas as a child. I got it out of my mom's attic. This little city has been dormant for like 15 years! Not any more--it's a bustling little village of holiday magic in here! :) Have y'all decorated your homes for Christmas yet? If so, I would love to see photo documentation. If not, I highly recommend it. Another Christmas question I have: How have you or do you plan to display Christmas cards? I got my first one in the mail yesterday ( one of my new Type A friends in Jackson... so on top of things) and I just can't decide where or how to display them for optimum cuteness and enjoyment.

What I really love about this delightful season is that all the joy and jolly is meaningful. In the midst of the dark winter and the rather dark world, we can put out little twinkle lights and proclaim He has come and He will come again! It refreshes my soul. On that note, my sister sent me a link to an Advent Guide -- a devotional to go through as a family to help you celebrate the season of waiting (slightly kid-centric at first glance but seems good, I printed off week 1). What I wanted to share with you though was this video also from the Village Church that was a beautiful reminder of what the season of Advent is all about: The Village Blog - Advent: God With Us

Back to sipping my peppermint mocha! Much love. Let us hear from you!

E

Catching Up

Dearest CAKEs,

What a delinquent I have been on our blog.

If you only knew the number of times I've wondered what fun items are on Katherine's monthly goals list, what creative projects Amanda has found online for us to tackle, what new exercise regime Emmaline would encourage us to take on ... Basically, I've missed y'all.

This post is going to be quite the hodge podge.

On the party front, I threw a baby shower for my cousin last week. She is due on Thursday! Isn't this idea from Martha Stewart for a menu amazing?

On the inspiration front, I have printed a few of these for my office and home to be good, free, daily reminders of Truth.

http://cheepideas.com/2010/11/free-thanksgiving-printable/

On the decorating front, I'm needing some feedback on my first attempt at a fall mantle. Any recommendations for additions or changes?

On the reading front, I have recently started The King's Cross by Tim Keller.

And for kicks ... Christopher and I's Halloween costume: Party + Pooper = The Party Poopers :) (yes, that is a toilet seat he is wearing...)




A and K, hope the sweet baby girls are doing well.

Much love from Tejas,
C