My friend knows how to collect good recipes. When my kitchen is on the brink of a lull, all I need to do is call her up for an injection of inspiration. In fact, it was through her that I finally found a chicken curry I could trust. And now, this. She has done it again: supplied me with a blue ribbon recipe, another recipe that my family will adopt, adapt and come to adore.

Now as much as I am a sucker for high quality and time considerate recipes, I will gladly take a fabulous recipe and try my hand at cutting down on the extras (like trimming a budget of unnecessary glut). Bring me an impressive recipe with a long list of ingredients and an even longer lister of ‘to-do’s’ and I will roll up my sleeves, grab my delete key and get to work. I enjoy the challenge of keeping the preparation and ingredients as simple as possible—without, of course, sacrificing the final outcome.

So in the case of this pork, with what seemed a lengthy coconut rice recipe, I decided to make a reduction sauce from the pan drippings with coconut milk. I made sticky rice, and the pork, then we poured the sauce over (fyi: this is especially handy when one of the kiddos isn’t into coconut or sauce and is more than happy with ‘plain’ meat and ‘plain’ rice).

Island Pork Tenderloin
2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp coarse pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pork tenderloin (for family of four, I use a 1 - 1 1/2 pound loin, if I have guests I use 2 loins)

optional:
2 T brown sugar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp cardamom
2 tsp Tabasco

Jasmine or sticky rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 T flour
1/2 cup coconut milk

Heat oven to 400. Combine first five seasonings; rub all over pork. Brown pork in skillet over medium high heat (in 1 T olive oil, 1 T butter). Optional: combine brown sugar, cardamom, garlic and tabasco and rub over top of pork just before inserting into oven. It isn’t necessary but really punches up the flavors. In same skillet, add chicken stock, 2 T flour and coconut milk, let simmer. Make sticky rice. Roast loin in oven for 20-25 minutes; remove, drain drippings into saucepan. Let meat sit 10-15 minutes before serving (I cover the meat with a foil tent; also this is the perfect amount of time for your sauce to finish simmering).

You caught me, my family enjoys pork (and I like how easy it is to prepare, with great results). Here are two other pork recipes my family loves:

• Honey Garlic Pork (plus thyme, cream, dijon…)
• Soy Braised Pork
  • • Brandon Eats offers Roast Pork and Sage
    • Kalyn’s Kitchen brings Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze
    • Karen from FamilyStyle Food shows us how easy it is to make Tuscan Style Pork
    • FoodBlogga nails the season and give us Persimmons 101 with her Pork Chops, Persimmons and Pomegranate
    • Find Mandarin Pork & Rice on Kristen’s Dine and Dish

  Fellow bloggers have made these:

It’s easy. I promise.

I borrowed this recipe from Jess over at hogwash. As has been established, I am always on the lookout for any entree—or side dish, appetizer, dessert, etc.—that can be claimed for my default dinner list. I look for easy, delicious recipes. The more ingredients I likely have on hand, the better. The quicker to assemble, the more appealing. The bigger the praise from the taste buds at the table, the more likely it will make a regular appearance.And this lamb did just that:

Pecan & Sage Crusted Lamb
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 T finely chopped fresh sage
2 1/2 T olive oil (plus more for lamb)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
1 - 1 1/2 pound rack of lamb

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all in bowl, except lamb. Rub lamb all over with 1/2 T olive oil, some more salt and pepper. Place fat side up on baking sheet or roasting pan; press crumb mix onto top of lamb. Roast for 35-40 minutes; remove from oven and let rest 5-10 minutes, then slice into chops and serve with the yummy crumbs left in the pan.

And tomatoes of coarse!

I was browsing through my category of default dinners, and realized that this token fall, hearty and warm recipe was missing. Sure, you can eat it any time of year but truth be told, this is the time when we bring out the blankets, crank up the heat and draw the curtains. We love being warm and cozy inside while it is blustery, wet and dark outside.

This year, my whole family is into it. We turn on some nice jazz music, light a few candles and heat up the stove. When schedules are busy, it is a treat to be at home, together, with a bowl full of pasta… And then you sautee garlic, the aroma sneaks through the whole house, and everyone’s mood is elevated.

Actually, the garlic is optional. When I make this sauce, the ingredient list ranges happily between 4 and 9. The key is to let is simmer long so the flavors marry and develop. Here is the recipe topped out at all 9 ingredients:

Sausage Pasta
2-3 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 2/3 cup chopped onion (I have used sweet yellow and red onion, both are great)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, plus (go for the more expensive brand here, with fancy Italian labels. In the end it is only a $4 splurge, and it IS your whole meal)
1/2 cup red wine
2 T balsamic vinegar
2 T tomato paste
Italian herbs

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium. Add garlic and onions and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sausage and cook until browned. Add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add wine and vinegar, continue to simmer for another 30 minutes (or longer!). Add tomato paste if you want to thicken the sauce, or skip it. Add herbs, simmer on low another 10-15 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta.

Note: my bare minimum version is: skip the garlic & onions, and just sautee sausage in olive oil, add tomatoes, wine (skip vinegar, paste, herbs). I simmer for 30-45 minutes and serve. BTW if I were inclined to add just 2 more ingredients it would likely be the onions and herbs. Good luck!

Note: this is lovely warmed up for lunch the next day. Just because of that: when I want it to stretch a bit further, I am generous with all the ingredients and add another 1/2 can of tomatoes.

The truth is, I make a lot of default dinners.

We are a busy family, with school and extracurricular, sports, music and you name it pulling us in a million different directions. Though my pie in the sky would be to cook an elaborate meal with new recipes every evening, it just isn’t practical. Instead, I aim to add maybe 1-2 new recipes in a given week, hoping that one will be a ‘keeper.’

When I am not trying a new recipe, I am grabbing, tossing and otherwise throwing together a meal for my family. My priorities in the midst of fashioning a family meal are 1. well-balanced and 2. quick. So, with no room for thought I start making ‘the usual.’ Though if you know me, I take great pride in my list of usuals and have even given these fall-back recipes the token term Default Dinners. This week I leaned on some old favorites:

• Roasted Fennel
• Roasted Peppers and Sausages
• Sausage Cream Pasta
• Buttermilk Chicken
• …and for the kids’ lunches: Ginger Sugar Pecans

AND I have to admit, when time is screaming in my face, I even reach for meals from my freezer. Battered cod was baked this week; my contribution was tartar sauce. I confess it is hard for me to use jarred tartar sauce (or salad dressing for that matter). So while the oven bakes the ‘it’ll do’ meal in 18 minutes or so, I grab my little blender and make a nice tartar sauce from scratch.

This little recipe has traveled with me for years; I have almost lost it numerous times (which nearly caused me to panic). But alas, it is still lovingly tucked in my semi-organized but adequately disheveled recipe binder. And now, you too can have it to use and to lose:

Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon mustard
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 T minced shallots
1/4 cup dill pickles
pinch cayenne pepper

I know: lose it? With this short ingredient list, you would think I had this one committed to memory. I figure I will memorize it right around the time my memory begins to slip. Timing is everything, right? The instructions, however, I can remember: place all in blender and blend. And this tartar sauce is also great on a salmon burger with big leaves of basil… yet another easy meal…

Bacon and Tomatoes? Of course this sauce is divine.

I have a special category [on this site] for tomatoes, you know. It is the only ingredient that has a special category—its own fame—and it has the name of this blog to thank (click here to find out why I called this blog talk of tomatoes). IF I had to pick out another ingredient, one that weaves in and out of my life, our table and is apparently magnetized to my palate, it would have to be bacon… or pancetta… or prosciutto (smoked, salty Italian ham). This pasta sauce is the best of both my worlds:

Tomato Bacon Pasta
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T Italian seasoning
large pinch red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic
1/2 pound prosciutto, finely diced (or pancetta)
1 1/2 cups white wine
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
pinch coarse salt

Heat large skillet to medium, add oil, seasoning, red pepper and garlic. Stir garlic so it doesn’t brown; 2-3 minutes. Add prosciutto and sautee another 1-2 minutes. Add wine and simmer a good 10 minutes; Add tomatoes and simmer 20 more minutes. Add salt and stir. Serve over pasta.