Bacon-wrapped Pork Tenderloin...YUM!

I found a great new recipe I wanted to share with you all!
And it's got BACON in it!

I am a firm believer that bacon makes everything better...well, almost anything...
But that aroma!  It just makes me happy...and hungry!  It does the same for my husband, so it works well for us to add it whenever we can to whatever we are making!  I just recently found a new cracker that has a great bacon flavor as well - It's Ritz crips & thins. They have several flavors - plus bacon, which is my very favorite.  I love it for lunch with hummus or an avocado - or just plain.

You know, when you are married for awhile you can tend to get in a rut...well, we've been married for over 43 years and we have gotten into LOTS of ruts!  One of them is that we always - always have bacon and eggs for lunch on Sundays after church.  But I must say - for us this is not a "bad" rut.  We look forward to it and it never gets old!  Sometimes we even change up how we cook our eggs! Imagine that!!!  We scramble or fry them or make omelets.  Pretty imaginative, don't you think?

Anyway...back to the pork tenderloin...

You've got your basic piece of pork loin...probably a little over a pound or so. 

Personally, I don't think that piece of meat looks very appetizing, but it gets better...I promise.. :)

 First, you need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Then place heavy duty aluminum foil on a large cookie sheet & spray it with cooking spray.

 Next you place bacon between 2 microwave safe paper towels on a plate and cook for about 2 minutes.  You'll need about 6 strips or so.

Salt & pepper your pork, then wrap the bacon around it, tucking ends underneath.

Mix together your favorite bbq sauce, mixed with chipotle and cumin in a small bowl.  Brush it all over the pork and try to put some under the pork loin as well.


Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes, checking after about 25 minutes because oven temps can vary and you don't want it to overcook and become dry.  Cook to a temp of 145-150.  Let sit for 5 minutes or so after you take it out to set the juices.

Serve with additional bbq sauce, if desired.
Enjoy!
Recipe to follow...

Bacon-wrapped Pork Loin

1 pork tenderloin 1 -2 lbs
6-8 strips of bacon
salt & pepper
1/3 cup bbq sauce
1 1/2 tsp chipotle seasoning
1/4 tsp cumin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare large cookie sheet by covering with heavy duty aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray like Pam.
Lightly salt & pepper the pork loin.  Place bacon strips between paper towels on plate in microwave. Cook bacon for 2 minutes in microwave.  When cooled a little, wrap around the pork & tuck it under.
Spread the bbq sauce mixture all over & put some underneath the pork as well.
Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until it gets to 145-150 degrees internal temp with meat thermometer.
Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Slice & serve with additional bbq sauce, if desired.

Quote of the day:
"Bacon: It's like a high five for your mouth" :)

and a quote by Francis Bacon: "Money is a good servant and a bad master"

Potato Soup for a chilly day meal

Potato soup has always been a favorite at our house.  Raising 4 hungry boys on a budget was never easy - but a challenge that I embraced!  Soup fit the bill perfectly, and I often baked corn bread to go along with it.  As you can see there are bacon bits in this soup, but that's not necessary.  If you are on a vegetarian diet you can easily change this recipe to suit you.










Let the creating begin!


I start out by peeling and chopping into cubes about 5-6 medium potatoes. Then I add a carrot or several baby carrots and chop them into 1/2" pieces.  I also add 1 rib of celery usually, but it's not necessary.  I pour water over them in the saucepan - just enough to cover - and bring it to a boil.  I usually add 2-3 chicken bouilon cubes to the water for extra flavor.  You can also use vegetable broth instead of water for flavor and to eliminate meat.

It takes about 15 minutes.  If you like chunky soup you don't have to boil them as long. We like ours to have some chunks, but I also mash them to make it thicker.

 When they are finished boiling I just get out my trusty potato masher and mash the whole thing together.  The carrots mash a little - but not too much.  You can still have nice-sized pieces....Meanwhile in a large saucepan I melt 3-4 Tablespoons butter (real) and saute 1 large onion.

  If you want bacon, skip the butter, then chop 3-4 slices of bacon first and cook it in the pan. Remove bacon and keep 3-4 tablespoons of the bacon grease to saute your onions in....yum!  Now sprinkle 3 Tablespoons flour over the bacon grease (or butter with the onions, depending on what you used) and stir well. Let it cook for a minute on medium heat.  If it's too dry, it's ok to add a little more butter or grease. 

Slowly add 2 cups of milk (I use 2 % but you can use whole milk, too) to the roux you've made with the flour mixture and stir until it begins to thicken and bubble just a little.  Keep stirring!  And now you can add the potato mixture and stir some more.  After this all heats together well and is thickened nicely I usually add my favorite cheese.  We like American or Cheddar...mostly cheddar.  But you can also make this soup without any cheese and it's more like a chowder.  You can also add ham chunks.  It's very flexible - you really can't hardly mess it up...add more cheese to thicken it more or add more milk to thin it out.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  I think you're really gonna love this soup!

Potato Soup recipe:

4-6 medium potatoes (I like Yukon Gold)

1 large carrot, sliced or 1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced

water to cover or vegetable broth

3-4 slices bacon, chopped, or 3-4 tablespoons real butter

1 large onion

1 rib celery

2 cups milk

3 Tablespoons flour

American or Cheddar cheese (1/2 - 1 cup)

1/2-3/4 cup chopped ham, optional

salt & pepper to taste

Peel and chop potatoes. Chop carrots & celery. Place all in medium saucepan and cover with water or vegetable broth. (can add 2-3 chicken bouillon cubes when water boils). Bring to boil, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes or till veg are tender.  Mash with potato masher till consistency you like....less for more chunks.

Meanwhile, brown bacon in large saucepan.  Remove bacon to be added at end and leave bacon grease in pan. (If using butter, then put it in the saucepan to melt on medium heat.) Chop onion and add to hot butter or grease & saute till tender (5-7 minutes) on medium heat... Do NOT let butter burn....you will not like the flavor, trust me! :)  Sprinkle flour over onion mixture and stir well. Let cook for only a minute, then slowly - very slowly! pour the milk into the pan and keep on a-stirring! Cook till thickens, then once again - very slowly pour the potato mixture into this pan and stir some more!  Heat well & add cheese till melted.  Add bacon bits and ham just till heated.  Serve!  Sprinkle more cheese & bacon over the top of each bowl.  Enjoy!

Quote of the day: “After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.” 

― Oscar Wilde, in the book "A Woman of No Importance"