Getting Festive

This may surprise you, but I haven't decorated for Halloween in any way shape or form. I bought a pumpkin about 2 weeks ago and that is it. I like to think I am saving all of my efforts for Christmas. I finally decided to carve our lonely little pumpkin last night and had so much fun that I am thinking of carving another tonight. I can't wait to roast the seeds today just like my mom used to do when we were little.

E is for Edwards!

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

With the chill in the air, my favorite ingredient is taking center stage in recipes and eateries everywhere. If there's pumpkin in it, I'm sold. Pumpkin Spice Latte's from Starbucks are delightful, Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts from Gibson's are heavenly, but NOTHING beats Pumpkin frozen yogurt from TCBY.

I have been a TCBY fiend for quite some time now. I have the rewards card, I know all the locations in Memphis, I have memorized their hours. I lived without a close TCBY during my college years and have found that absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder. Ever since October 1st, I have actually taken up stalking our TCBY locations in an effort to obtain this holy grail of fall flavored froyo. I confess, I have the store numbers in my phone and call daily.

Well, this past weekend while I was at Homecoming I gathered a search party (my mother) to stay on the lookout for me. Well... she found it and had a pint waiting for me in her freezer. Though a yogurt this tasty needs no additional adornments, I decided to make ours extra special by topping it with cinnamon and marshmallows that I toasted in the oven. YUM-O!!!! Enjoying it cuddled up in a blanket with fall scented candles surrounding you takes the experience to an even higher level. It's only on the menu for a little while, so go out and buy some today!!!!

Feel free to share your favorite pumpkin recipes or menu items. I would love to have a reason to try them!

My Dutch Lover

I have a new best friend. It is big, blue, made of cast enamel, and too heavy for me to lift from its spot on the top shelf (enter, strong tall husband)… My LeCreuset Dutch Oven.

I received this mother of all pots as a graduation gift from my Aunt. I don’t think I knew what its function was when I registered for it at Williams-Sonoma. Just thought it was pretty. To be honest, until yesterday, it has been sitting in the same place in our kitchen for the past two months adding a splash of color and silently intimidating me. Well, this weekend I took that oven down and put it to work. The results were very encouraging.

The function of a dutch oven is kind of like a crock pot, without the cords etc. You can throw a bunch of random things in it, put the lid on, stick it in the oven for a few hours and let your meat and veggies cook to a tender goodness. You can use a dutch oven both on top of the stove and in the oven, which I did for this recipe. I didn’t really follow a recipe, so hopefully next time I will be able to recreate it. Our dinner last night was fantastic, but I can’t take any of the credit… magical things happened in my big blue pot.  

Pork Tenderloin With Fall Veggies

-       1 pork tenderloin

-       2 small sweet potatoes, cut into chunks

-       6 small red potatoes, quartered

-       3 large carrots, sliced into large pieces

-       1 onion, cut into chunks

-       olive oil

-       fresh rosemary

-       Worcestershire sauce

-       Salt

-       Pepper

Cut up all your veggies, and place them in a large sauté pot with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Saute over medium heat until slightly browned on outside (about 5-10 min.) Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in dutch oven over the stovetop (medium heat.) Add pork tenderloin and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary. I also drizzled a bit of Worcestershire sauce at this point. Sear tenderloin about 8 min, turning every 2 minutes to make sure all sides are seared. Turn off heat, add veggies to dutch oven and pork, and season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and any other herbs or spices you fancy (I used a little cinnamon and nutmeg.) Cover Dutch Oven with lid and place in oven, preheated to 350 for about an hour or so. About halfway through I drizzled a little more Worcestershire. 

After I took the tenderloin and veggies out of the oven, I deglazed the pan (removed the brown bits) by adding ½ cup chicken broth, ¾ cup white wine, and 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard to the pot over medium heat. Let the sauce come to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens a bit. Serve this sauce over the pork.

ENJOY!