Tender & Flavorful. Notice the Small Plate!
The Bottomless Pit soon leaves for a month of summer fun, and The Northside Goddess and I are contemplating the life, albeit temporary, of empty nesters. One of the things we both agree on is that we’ll be freed from the endless monotony of dinner at 6:30 served in a kid friendly environment. No, instead we’re thinking about the free form, spontaneous adult-fest that we’ll be enjoying in the month to come. Maybe we’ll eat at 8:15. Perhaps we’ll have breakfast foods for dinner, or instead of dining at the table as a family, we’ll lounge on the couch in front of the TV while we enjoy light and healthy cuisine. Maybe we don’t even dine as a family. Perhaps she has an early salad, and I grill a late steak. Whatever the choice, we get to do whatever we want without having to provide structure and menu choices that an unsophisticated palate would consume without complaining. What the hell, maybe we’ll eat naked on the kitchen floor. We could you know. Probably won’t, but we could. Because anything goes, right?
Roasted Pork Tenderloin w/Mushroom & Shallot Demi Glace!
I’ve devised a full month menu of light and healthy dinners gleaned from recipes straight out of Cooking Light, Eating Well, and a host of other sources. They utilize a variety of grains, pastas, fish, chicken and even beef. Part of the key is the serving size. I thought some of the dishes didn’t sound particularly “lite” until I looked at the serving size. For beef, three ounces. That’s not much. The Goddess says she doesn’t want to eat at all. I’m going to cook anyway. My guess is that she’ll come around. I’ve identified great selections such as rosemary shrimp scampi skewers, curried chicken and rice soup, spicy kale & corn stuffed chicken breasts and grilled beef with green beans, tomato and chimichuri. Can’t wait to prepare them, and best of all, photograph them and impose them on you, the Dear Hungry Reader. Since I’m having grill issues, I made a pan seared and roasted pork tenderloin with mushroom and shallot sauce flavored with red wine and demi glace. It was served over quinoa studded with red bell pepper, mushroom, kale, onion, celery and shallot. Lovely. The key was serving it in three ounce portions. But even The Goddess agreed, it was great. Tender? Like buttah…..
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