Pork Tenderloin with sauce, Butternut Squash Risotto, and Roasted Butternut Squash

For the pork tenderloin, I heated a skillet and got it hot to sear the four sides of the pork tenderloin.  About a minute a side, then I put it in a baking dish and in the oven at 400 degF and let it cook for about 45 minutes.  With the skillet, I added half a large sweet yellow onion, chopped small, and sauteed until clear.  Once the onion was cooked I added chicken stock and left the skillet on medium to reduce into a sauce for the pork tenderloin.  For the butternut squash risotto, I sauteed half a large sweet yellow onion, chopped small, in some olive oil until clear, then added a cup of arborio rice to coat the outside of the rice in the oil.  Once coated, I added chicken stock and the small cubes of butternut squash and continued to cook like a risotto, slowly adding stock until tender and creamy.  For the roasted butternut squash, I cubed half a butternut squash into one inch by one inch pieces.  I coated the pieces in olive oil, melted butter, and melted brown sugar and tossed.  This went into the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degF.

Salmon and Asparagus

My mom's favorite dinner.  I made two different salmon fillets, one with brown sugar and one with sauteed onions.  I laid both salmon fillets in a pan and brushed them with melted butter.  One salmon I covered with brown sugar and the other I covered with sauteed onions and garlic.  Then I baked the fillets for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  I also made some steamed asparagus to go with the salmon and some sourdough garlic bread.

Tiramisu

My favorite dessert to eat and make!  The first step is to make the custard.  This is made with 6 egg yolks, 3/4 C of sugar, and 2/3 C of whole milk.  I cook this in a double boiler and once it is thick, I put this custard in the refrigerator to cool.  Once it is cool, I add one pound of mascarpone cheese to it.  Then you build the tiramisu just like a lasagna.  In a square pan, layer lady fingers covering the bottom of the pan that have been dipped in equal parts rum and coffee.  The next layer is the custard, spread smooth, and then add a layer of whip cream and sprinkle with cocoa powder.  Then repeat everything for one more layer.

Potato and Pear Soup

I had a bunch of potatoes that I needed to cook and I really felt like making a potato soup.  I cubed about 2 pounds of potatoes and then cubed 2 pears.  I added them to a stock pot and put enough chicken stock in to just cover the potatoes.  I let this cook until the potatoes were tender.  Then I added some cream and some thyme.  It was really amazing.

Bagels

The most amazing bagels I've ever had.  Made with warm water, yeast, sugar, bread flour (bread flour versus all purpose flour, very important), salt, and oil.  Once you grow the yeast, which takes about 5 minutes, you add the flour and knead for about 5 minutes.  Then you let the dough rise, I usually do this on top of the refrigerator.  I make them in 12 bagel batches, usually 4 kinds; cheddar jalapeno, asiago green chile, cinnamon raisin, and craisins.  Once you form the 12 balls of dough, you create a hole in the center and boil them for about a minute a side in almost boiling water.  Then lay them all out on a baking sheet and bake them until golden.

Banana Pudding

The most amazing banana pudding is made with a 5 oz package of banana or french vanilla pudding mix, 2 cups of milk, 8 oz package of cream cheese, 14 oz can of condensed milk, 12 oz cool whip, bananas, and nilla wafers.  First make the pudding according to the directions with the milk, whether it's instant or cook and serve pudding.  Then whip together the cream cheese and condensed milk and add to the pudding mixture.  I layer banana slices in the bottom of the pan, cover with nilla wafers, and then top with the pudding mixture.  Then I add another layer of bananas and nilla wafers and top with the cool whip.  This is usually better the second day after it's sat in the fridge overnight.

Fajitas

I love fajitas.  I bought a 1 lb flank steak and marinaded it for about an hour in lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and fajita seasoning.  Then I broiled the steak for about 30 min until there was a thin pink line on the inside.  For the toppings, I chopped a yellow sweet onion and sauteed it with olive oil while the flank steak was in the broiler.  I also cut up a few fresh Roma tomatoes and Haas avocados.  I like to serve on flour tortillas.

Bacon Wrapped Filet's with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

For the Superbowl, we grilled bacon wrapped filet's and added a creamy peppercorn sauce.  We used a hickory smoked bacon to wrap the filet's in and secured them with a metal skewer.  Then grilled them to medium rare.  While they were grilling, we were reducing the creamy peppercorn sauce.

Chicken Caesar and Southern Mashed Potatoes

Late night easy dinner.  I marinated some cubed chicken breasts in Caesar dressing and then sauteed the chicken in a skillet.  The potatoes are gold yukon and were boiled until soft and then mashed.  When I think of typical southern potatoes, I add milk, butter, salt, and pepper.

Acorn Squash Soup

I am a huge fan of squashes.  I have never had acorn squash before so I bought one to make into a soup.  I divided, seeded, peeled, and cubed one acorn squash and boiled the cubes in chicken stock.  I also added 3 cubed potatoes to the chicken stock.  I used just enough chicken stock to cover the squash and potatoes.  Once they were tender enough, I removed the squash and potatoes and left the stock in the pot to continue to reduce.  I put the squash and potatoes in my food processor to make a puree.  Once pureed, I added the mixture back into the stock and let it continue to reduce while I seasoned the soup.  For serving, I added sour cream to my soup, which made it really creamy.