Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I know...I know...I'm sorry for the hiatus...again. I've been a bad blogger. Between getting ready for Colorado (which means putting the same hours I alot for 5 days into 4 days) and helping some family members out it hasn't left me much time to blog. I haven't even seen my sweet puppy doggy in over 36 hours. Boo. But, I was thinking it was time for me to put a recipe on the blog, since it's been awhile. I made this awhile back but really liked it so thought I would share with you.


I saw a stuffed pork tenderloin on the cover of a magazine and decided to give it a try. I looked in my fridge and noticed that I had some ricotta cheese and some fresh baby spinach. I decided to improvise from there...

Start with your pork tenderloin. Don't worry...these are Mr. Herman's hands, not mine.

Butterfly your tenderloin. If you're not familiar with how to do this, look here.

Dice some onion.

Add the onion, your ricotta cheese (I also added some parm), salt and pepper, and grate some fresh garlic in a mixing bowl. (Sorry for the sideways picture)

Mix it up.

Add the mixture to the inside of the tenderloin, slightly pressing it down.

Place the fresh spinach leaves on top, then roll it on up. Brush the oustide with some olive oil then toss on the grill.

We also tossed one of our favorite side dishes (veggies with Greek seasoning) on the grill. Cook the tenderloin until the thickest part of the meat has no pink in it.

Voila. Yummy.

Close-up. Mmmmmm! Sorry for the horrible pictures...I promise I'll get better.

I really liked this recipe. Mr. Herman thought it was a bit bland. I think this is my fault, because being the health freak I sometimes am of course I used fat-free ricotta cheese (I know...I know...but that's what was in the fridge!). I think if regular fat ricotta was used it would be amazing. But, like I said...I actually loved it. This was a super fast and simple recipe perfect for a weeknight meal.

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (I think the ones I buy are just over 1 lb)

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove fresh garlic, grated

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start but butterflying your tenderloin. If you're not sure how to do it, look here. Dice your onion, and add to a mixing bowl with your cheeses, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix it up. Spoon into the tenderloin, pressing down slightly so it gets in the crevices. Lay the spinach leaves on top. Roll up the tenderloin. Bind it closed (we used bamboo skewers that we cut). Brush some olive oil on the outside of the tenderloin. Toss on the grill, medium-high heat, for about 10-15 minutes or until the thickest part is no longer pink on the inside. Pair with your favorite veggies.

There are about a million different ways you could adapt this recipe, adding and taking away as you like. I plan to try several different ways to do this, but for my first attempt, it wasn't too bad.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Dory

5 Cheers for Friday

Oops! Almost forgot my 5 Cheers for Friday (Thanks for reminding me Holly!)...here they are:

1. Definitely the best thing that happened this week was my sister came into town. It's been so long since I've seen her, and it was so great to get dinner and catch up. Although we only got to see each other for a couple of hours, it was great. She even came to my work and was amazing with my residents while I finished some things up.

Here we are...isn't she gorge?

We went to Punch pizza for some amazing food and wine. YUM.

2. Being close enough to a mini vacation to count down the days (13!). Heading to Colorado with Kev, Momma-in-law, Chris and Holly for a family friend's wedding. Cannot wait. Kevin and I are staying a couple of days after to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Estes Park, which brings me to #3...

3. Looking at our wedding photos and realizing that we are about to hit our one year anniversary (18th of June). Where did the year go? They always say the first year is the hardest, and if that's true Kevy and I are in pretty amazing shape. I love that man more than ever. Looking at pictures makes me want to do the whole thing again, it was such a blast and so beautiful.

The LC Photography





4. Knowing I have this coming Monday off. Ok, so it's only because I have a dentist appointment in the middle of the day, but still. That's two 4-day weeks in a row, and the following week will be 3 1/2 days long for me. Although this makes me a little stressed because it means I have to get the same amount of stuff done with less time at work, I'm trying to only focus on the days I won't have to be in the office.

5. FINALLY getting my flowers and goodies planted. I'm not totally done yet, but I bought tomato plants, rosemary and a good amount of flowers on Memorial Day with full intentions of planting them that day, but the dining room floor (see last post) ended up taking longer than expected. I have put in 10 to 11 hour days at work this week, so I didn't find the time to plant until tonight. Lucky for me Kevin was feeling generous enough to help me, even though it's totally not his thing. What a sweet hubby I have! I'll post some pics once my little babies start to grow a bit more! I also need to pick up some basil and different kinds of peppers, which we also grow every year.


There ya go!

What are your 5?

xoxo
Dory

Memorial Day Weekend

Hi all!

Sorry for the hiatus, we have had a BUSY last few days. Here is a re-cap of our awesome Memorial Day Weekend:

Friday we both had a long day at work so we just hung out at home and got some rest. My parents arrived Saturday late morning for a visit. We spent most of the visit playing games and catching up. The day turned into a "Boggle tournament", as Kevin called it, between my Mom and I. We always end up playing countless games of Boggle (we are both super competitive) and leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Saturday night we went out to eat per my Dad's request to Texas Roadhouse. Yummy. I always get a 6 oz. steak, veggies and sweet potato. Super tasty.

Sunday morning after a few more games of Boggle my parents headed home. After getting a few things done (including Kevin taking me to Chile's for 2-for-1 margaritas) my brother-in-law Chris, his girlfriend Holly and our nephew Miles came over. We always love spending time with them, and we spent the night hanging out with them, having a couple of drinks and playing this fun game...

...love it!



Hello, cutest baby boy alive!

Monday morning Holly helped me put my spices into this shiny new baby...

...spice rack my Dad got me as a birthday present. Isn't it pretty?

After Chris, Holly and Miles left Kevin and I decided it was time for a home project. We had thrown around the idea of putting hard flooring in the dining room which was, at the time, carpet. We decided to just do it, putting the same laminate flooring in that we put in our kitchen/pantry/hallway/bathroom and bedroom/closet. We spent the rest of the day turning this...

...(sorry I didn't get a before pic with the carpet down, Kevin was so eager to start he just started tearing up the carpet before Chris, Holly and Miles even left)...

...into this. Ta da! Doesn't it look amazing? Just makes me so happy! So lucky to have such a handy hubby.

And of course it was most important on Monday to take time to remember Memorial Day and to remember those who have died serving our country. So appreciative to our men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, and to our past, present and future soldiers who have done, do, or will do so much for us.

How was your Memorial Day?

What did you do to remember our soldiers?

xoxo

Dory





5 Cheers for Friday

I decided that at the end of the week it would really benefit me to look back and think of 5 good things that happened that past week. Whether it be something I accomplished, something I did to make someone else's day better, or something someone did for me to brighten my day. My work life has been so crazy and stressful lately that I think looking back on the good things that happened will be the perfect way to end the week. So, here goes my first 5 cheers for Friday...

1. These beautiful tulips that were sent to me. These were from the Executive Director at another community in our company because I helped her out putting into place a best practice at her community.

2. Donald Driver winning Dancing With the Stars. He has been my favorite football player since I can remember. Since I was little mom and I ALWAYS watched the Packer games together every Sunday. I love DWTS and was SO excited when I found out he was going to be on. He has such an amazing attitude and the best smile I've ever seen. He totally deserved to win!

Source

3. At some point in the week realizing that the upcoming weekend will be 3 days long, and realizing that no matter what is going on at work you are not going to stress about it over your long weekend. Leave it for Tuesday.

4. Taking a few extra minutes to stop at Caribou for an iced coffee. YUM. Totally starts my morning off right.

5. Having one of my residents call me beautiful. Just makes my day.


I hope everyone else had a wonderful week and has a safe and happy Memorial day!

xoxo
Dory

Always remember...

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing" ~Neal A. Maxwell

I need to tell myself this more. Especially now, at this point in my life.

xoxo
Dory

Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs

I love Italian food. YUM. Unfortunately, lots of pasta and pizza don't go with my diet. Here are some spicy turkey meatball subs that are super easy to make and taste delish...and they're healthy too!
Recipe slightly adapted from here.

Start with lean ground turkey

Chop some onion

Chop some garlic

Add some bread crumbs

Some fresh ground pepper

A couple of egg yolks

A few spices

Some grated parm. Form into meatballs (I usually make pretty big ones)

Add to a hot pan (I usually do medium-high)

Flip after a minute or so (I like mine a little crispy) and cook about 10 minutes, turning occasionally

Add your marinara sauce and let simmer

Voila...grate some more parm on top. Add to a hoagie roll or a bun. We use Target brand wheat hot dog buns because they are tasty and super big. I like my bun toasted. Don't mind the unprofessional picture showing a piece of crispy bun I took off to taste...I was hungry!

YUM. Yes, I do eat these with a fork. I haven't mastered how to eat a sub like this without making a huge mess.

Enjoy!

Healthy Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs

Approx 1 lb lean ground turkey

1/4 c. bread crumbs (I use Italian style)

1-2 Tbs grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (get the block of the real stuff, it is SO worth it!)

Oregano to taste (about 1-2 tsp)

Basil to taste (about 1-2 tsp)

Cayenne Pepper to taste (about 1-2 tsp depending on how spicy you want it)

Garlic Powder (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, depending on how spicy you want it

1 clove chopped fresh garlic

1/2 of an onion, finely chopped

2 egg yolks

1 large jar Marinara Sauce

Hoagie rolls or buns of your choice (I use Target brand whole wheat hot dog buns and they taste yummy)

Mix together turkey meat, spices, cheese, egg, bread crumbs, onion and garlic just until combined.

Form meat into meatballs. Do whatever size you like, just adjust the cooking time if they are a bit smaller.

 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add meatballs and let brown, about 1-2 minutes each side.

Cook meatballs for about 10 minutes, turning down heat if necessary.

Add marinara sauce (I turn the heat way down before adding for two reasons, so the sauce doesn't splatter and so it doesn't burn).

Make sure the sauce is covering the meatballs.

Cook, covered, for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees.

Toast your rolls if you like.

Add 2-3 meatballs per roll.

Spoon some extra sauce on top.

Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

Enjoy! Yum Yum Yum...

xoxo

Dory

Sunshine

Sunshine...I love it. Sunny days just put me in a good mood. Sunny days make my commute a little more warm and cozy and bearable. Sunny days give me the energy to get home and go for a run after work. Now that the days are getting longer, and I get to see the sun more than an hour or two a day, I find that I am in a happier person in general. I love waking up in the morning with the sun streaming in. Today in Minnesota it is supposed to be around 70 degrees and sunny. Pretty perfect, and that means I am one happy girl.

Source