A Miraculous Meatless Meal

I was raised in cattle country so naturally, I like meat. Mr. H is certainly not a vegetarian and I don't think he'd ever become one because he likes his steak too much. Now, I'm not going to get into how we like it cooked because I might gross some people out and that is not my intention here, but my point is we are carnivorous beings and like it like that. We seldom eat a meatless meal, but when I came across this Rustic Tomato Tart on Baking and Creating with Avril, I was intrigued.

The tart remained in the back of my mind but I was a tad bit apprehensive about it because I knew Mr. H would miss his protein. Then I saw it again a couple weeks later on Maranda's Jolts & Jollies and it sealed the deal. I was definitely making this tart! It was fairly simple and it was really tasty. And the best part is, with a side salad, this makes the perfect meal.

Mr. H didn't complain once about the missing steak on his plate, which was a relief to me. But if you have a die hard meat lover in your household, some crumbled Italian sausage, salami or sliced pepperoni would be delicious in this. Or you could try making two smaller tarts, one with meat and one without and do a little taste test to see which you prefer. The crust is flaky and the filling has a kick from the garlic and mustard, while the cheese is ooey, gooey, stretchy and delicious. Don't wait as long as I did to make this.

Rustic Tomato Tart adapted from Avril and Maranda

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For The Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 4 Tablespoons butter, cold and cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 2-3 Tablespoons cold water

For The Filling:

• 3 Tablespoons Dijon or whole-grain mustard
• 2-3 large fresh tomatoes 0r 5 Roma tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried herbs (I used basil, parsley and oregano)
• kosher salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

For crust: Mix salt and flour in medium bowl. With pastry cutter cut in chilled butter until mixture has a cornmeal consistency.

In separate bowl, lightly beat egg; add 2 Tablespoons water.

Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour egg mixture in the well; mix until well incorporated and a non-sticky dough forms. If dough is still too dry, add third Tablespoon of water.

Knead dough into a ball, transfer to parchment paper or a Silpat; roll out into a 14 inch circle. Transfer parchment paper or Silpat and dough to a rimmed baking sheet.

For Filling: Spread mustard over the unbaked crust until well covered, leaving about an 1 1/2-inch border.

Slice tomatoes and arrange in a single layer in the center of crust. Scatter freshly minced garlic over tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt, red pepper flakes and dried herbs.

Top with sliced mozzarella; sprinkle with a bit more salt, pepper flakes and basil.

Bring edges of crust up over the edges of tomato and cheese.

Bake in oven for 30 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is brown and bubbly.

Allow to cool about 10 minutes, slice into wedges with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

oh, Lordy!

Sliders and Pops: A Labor Day Two-fer

It's finally September and cooler weather is here! I feel like half of America wants Fall to be here already and the other half is wishing Summer would stick aound just a little longer. I fall somewhere in between. Autumn is my favorite season (and dog!) so I wish it for it year-round but I'm not quite ready for Summer to be over. I just wish we had cooler temps. I'm not a fan of 105 degree days, where are the 80's? Heck the other day it was after 9pm and still in the 90's- that's crazy!

This menu reminds me of Summer. It's simple and fuss free and can be eaten with your hands. Both can be made ahead of time and require very little time to get them on in your belly. Of course they can be prepared and eaten any time of year but I think they're perfect for rounding out the last few days of Summer. They can be eaten as snacks or as a full meal and kids love them as much as the adults do too. The nice thing about these recipes is you can make as many or as few you need.

I made these ham and swiss sliders on sweet Hawaiian bread, but any soft white dinner roll will do. There's not one element that stands out above the other, but it's the buttery poppyseed mustard sauce that tops it all off that makes it unique. These popsicles taste like a slice of fresh pineapple. The original recipe called for milk but I did an experiment and made half with pineapple juice and those turned out to be better looking and tasting. And you don't need any fancy molds to make them, just fill up paper cups and put a stick in them. Make enough to feed your family or a crowd this Labor Day!

Ham and Swiss Sliders adapted from Christy

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• 12 good white dinner rolls (I used Hawaiian rolls)
• 12 pieces good honey ham
• 12 small slices Swiss cheese
• 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp. miracle whip

Poppy seed sauce:

• 1 1/2 tsp. poppyseeds
• 2 tsp. yellow mustard
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. dried minced onion or 1 1/2 tsp. fresh minced onion
• 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Cut the rolls in half and place cut side up. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes. Serve warm.

NOTE: Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.

Pineapple Pops adapted from Everyday Food

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• 3 cups fresh pineapple chunks (or one 14.5-ounce can chunks packed in juice, drained)
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice or milk
• ¼ cup sugar

In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, juice or milk, and sugar; pulse until almost smooth, with some chunks of pineapple remaining.

Pour half the mixture into a medium bowl (or a glass measuring cup for easy pouring). Pulse remaining mixture until completely smooth; add to mixture in bowl.

Divide evenly among eight 3-ounce molds or paper cups, and insert wooden sticks. Freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks (cover with plastic wrap).

NOTE: The original recipe calls for milk to be added to the pops. I made half a batch with milk and the other with the reserved pineapple juice from the can. The juice was hands down more flavorful!

Hope you have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Take 2!

Last week I said I'd share with you a recipe using some of my favorite pork tenderloin. Well here it is: Cuban Sandwiches!

Have you ever had a Cuban sandwich? It's basically pressed/grilled white bread sandwich filled with pork, ham, white cheese, pickles and mustard. It's delicious! I had my first Cuban sandwich on our honeymoon. No, we didn't go to Cuba, we went to Lake Austin Spa & Resort. Oh, it was so peaceful and quiet and romantic. And we ate healthily and very well. Granted it cost a pretty shiny penny, but it was so worth it to lay in hammocks overlooking the lake and hanging out with ducks. We didn't have a care in the world. We went to the spa for a couples massage, took a cooking class and did arts and crafts. Oh, good times...(sigh).

Okay, where was I? YES! Cuban Sandwiches. At the spa we could go into the dining room anytime we wanted or order room service. We chose to eat in the dining room most of the time. Some people even showed up wearing their bath robes and slippers, that's how laid back this place was. One day for lunch we ordered the Cuban and we fell in love. Our lives were forever changed after eating this sandwich. You don't have to go to the spa or even to Cuba, you can make your own at home. And I urge you to make the pork tenderloin I posted last week just so you can make this. I hope you enjoy!

Cuban Sandwiches from Monica H

• Baguettes or 6" Sub rolls
• Pork Tenderloin
• Sliced Deli Ham
• Swiss or Provolone Cheese
• Yellow Mustard
• Dill Pickle Slices
• Butter for pan

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat.

Slice the bread lengthwise and spread the interior with yellow mustard. Top each side of the bread with a slice of cheese.

Top the bottom piece of bread with a slice or two of deli ham, pork tenderloin slices and dill pickles. Sandwich the two pieces of bread together.

Place a tablespoon of butter in pan and spread around pan. Place the sandwich in buttered hot skillet and weigh it down with another skillet. You want to press the sandwich till filling is warmed, cheese is melted and bread is golden. Flip the sandwich over and toast the other side.

Once the bread is your desired shade of golden brown and cheese is melted, place on a cutting board and allow to rest for a couple minutes before cutting in half with a serrated knife.

NOTE: This can also be made in a panini press if you have one.

Oink! Oink!

This recipe for pork tenderloin should definitely be on my favorite's list. The only reason it's not is because I hadn't blogged about it yet. I would make it #31, but it really deserves a spot in the top 10. It really is that good, granted you don't over cook it.

I used to think that I didn't like pork tenderloin because the only kind I ever had was the pre-marinated, overly salty stuff from the supermarket. And even then, the only time I had it it was dry and tough. My mother in law (bless her heart!) made it this way. Rather than putting the whole loin in the oven or searing it, then roasting it, she'd cut it into medallions and pan saute it with onions and apples. I think her thought was good, but the execution was not. She ruined pork tenderloin for me.

Then one day while strolling through Costco (I love Costco!) I spotted pork tenderloin. There were 2 loins in a pack and they came bundled in 2 packs, so there were a total of 4 loins for around $12-$14. Not a bad price if you ask me. I wasn't sure how I wanted to flavor it, but I read the cooking directions on the package and planned to follow them. I looked in my pantry and in the refrigerator for ideas, I whisked a bunch of stuff in a bowl, poured it over the tenderloins and 45 minutes later, I swooned.

I wrote down the "recipe" from memory and have been making it this way ever since. Make it, you won't be disappointed. And the best part is, you don't have to marinate it, so you can make this when you get home from work or marinate it over night if you wish and pop it in the oven when you get home. Just don't forget to invite me over because I never get tired of this!

My Favorite Pork Tenderloin from Monica H

• 1 pkg. pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins, about 2-2.5 lbs.)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 T. country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
• 4 T. honey
• 2 T. fresh orange juice
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary OR herbs de provence
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 T. olive oil

Yield: 1 cup of marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry. Place in a 9x13-inch Pyrex sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Take a paring knife and poke holes in the tenderloins (on the top side only) about an inch deep. Peel garlic cloves and quarter each clove of garlic-lengthwise. If they're really big, cut them a bit smaller- about the size of slivered almonds. Place the garlic slivers in each pocket. Set aside while making marinade.

In a measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while still whisking.

Pour the mixture over the tenderloins and put into preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting once halfway through the baking process.

Once removed from the oven, allow the tenderloins to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon the pan sauce over the tenderloin medallions and enjoy!

Stay tuned for a recipe using the pork tenderloin leftovers!