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"

Shepherd's Pie

So Shepherd's Pie was on the menu for tonight's dinner....and here's what happened..
(By the way, you will NOT find perfection on my website....I will daringly show my mistakes as well as my victories in both cooking and sewing so that you know we are all learning together!)  ;0

So this was looking pretty good, right?  I thought so!  However...I deviated from the recipe just a tad...
I tend to think most recipes for Shepherd's pie leave a lot to be desired where the sauce/gravy is concerned.
So I experimented.  Not always a good idea to deviate too far, you know...
I added the beef broth as instructed but wanted more "beefy" flavor so I also added a pkg of dry gravy mix....then I figured it would be too thick, so I added more beef broth.




This is the result....the gravy came over the top onto the cheesy part!  Didn't look pretty, but I must say - it was delicious!

So next time I just need to add less liquid and it'll be perfect, right?  

I won't hold my breath...

Here is the recipe:

Shepherd's Pie Mary Lou's way

4 large potatoes, peeled, cubed

3 Tbsp butter

3-4 Tbsp milk

1 1/4 lbs ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup or so of frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon ketchup

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup beef broth

1 pkg brown gravy

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp water

1 - 1/4 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions: (Preheat oven to 325)

Bring a large pot of water  to boil. Add cubed potatoes, cook till soft - 15-20 min.  Drain & add butter (to taste) and milk - adding a little at a time to get thick consistency...don't add all at once or it may be too thin.

Brown ground beef and then add onion, celery, carrots and saute till veg are tender, but not too soft. (7-10 min). Add garlic, peas, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and gravy mix. Simmer 3-5 minutes. If it's too thin add the corn starch/water mixture and simmer 3-4 more minutes. 

Carefully pour the ground beef/veg mixture into a  2-Quart casserole dish or a 9 X 13 pan and spread evenly.  Smooth mashed potatoes over the top. Cover with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, adding the rest of the cheddar about 10 minutes before removing from oven.  Bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes till bubbly and golden brown.

Hope your's turns out delicious, too!  I welcome comments...but please be kind...I'm sortof new at this!

Quote of the day: "Go and be as the butterfly!" (from Jan Karon's books)