Honorable Memorial Day

Here's to you:

I will be off to the:

Looking for my missing blogging mojo…

Have a safe, happy holiday!

Honey-Dijon Pork Tenderloin

This is where piquant meets sweet…

Juicy pork tenderloin drizzled with a sweet and savory sauce was delectable for dinner last night.

Pork is way up there on my list of favorites and it doesn’t get much easier than this tenderloin with its few basic ingredients ~ a little honey, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and tarragon.  It’s quick and easy to throw together for dinner tonight.

This recipe is a keeper and it will have a repeat performance here ~ cooked on the grill, whenever it warms up!

Honey-Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking pan with foil, place meat in pan.
In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients, brush over pork.
Bake 25-30 minutes, basting with sauce every 10 minutes.
Cook until pork has slight blush of pink in center and meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.
Let stand 5 minutes.
Cut diagonally into slices.

ENJOY!

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi

Scampi is the Italian word for “prawn.”  It’s also the name for an Italian-American dish called Shrimp Scampi, referring to shrimp that has been cooked in garlic butter or oil, plus a splash of wine.  It’s topped over pasta, which soaks up the delicious sauce.  

This is a lighter version that is every bit as good, substituting chicken stock and lemon juice for wine, and cutting out the butter and back on the oil. 

If you keep a bag of shrimp in the freezer, and broccoli as well, like I do; then, you have the ingredients on-hand for a quick dish for dinner to go along with a green salad and hot garlic bread!

Shrimp and Broccoli Scampi

Ingredients: 
8 ounces thin spaghetti

12 ounces broccoli florets
Cooking spray
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt.
Add broccoli in the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain well.
Heat large skillet over high heat and coat pan with cooking spray.
Add shrimp, cook 2 minutes on each side; remove from pan.
Heat butter and oil in pan over medium-low heat.
Add garlic, sauté 1 minute.
Add stock, bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.
Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Stir cornstarch mixture into stock mixture, cook 1 minute.
Stir in shrimp, pasta mixture, parsley, juice, salt and pepper.
Cook 1 minute, tossing to coat.
Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Serves 4 

ENJOY!

Oven-fried Cornmeal Battered Catfish

No grilling in the rain here ~ oven-fried catfish is the way to go ~ it saves calories, plus there’s no need for a deep fryer, which leaves you with a messy kitchen.

Cornmeal is the secret to a crisp baked coating for this delicious catfish. 

It’s a moist baked catfish with great seasonings:  celery seed, paprika, thyme and garlic and onion powders.  

Crispy crust on the outside and tender catfish on the inside, this catfish is guaranteed to give you a scrumptious meal!

Oven-fried Cornmeal Battered Catfish

Ingredients:

½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon seasoned pepper
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 catfish fillets
Cooking spray

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat a large nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

On a plate, combine cornmeal, paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, celery seeds, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, covering both sides.
Place on baking sheet.
Lightly spray each fillet with cooking spray.
Bake until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes, depending upon thickness of fish.
Serve with tartar sauce and/or lemon slices. 

ENJOY!