Master Chef Eric

Eric made the best pork tenderloin tonight! Yummy. Boy am I thankful to have a husband who is willing to step foot in the kitchen from time to time. I've found the difference between our cooking styles to be quite humorous. Eric reads manuals (in this case, recipes), he follows directions, he doesn't deviate from what is suggested. Needless to say, you want this man to be your pilot.

Cinnamon Apple Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients:
1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced (Granny Smith)
2 tablespoons drieded cranberries or raisins (Eric used raisins)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the port tenderloin in a roasting pan or casserole dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and stir. Spoon the apple mixture around the pork tenderloin. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid and spoon the apple mixture over the tenderloin. Return to the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until pork tenderloin is browned and cooked through. A meat thermometer in the center should register at least 150 to 160 degrees.

If you're not yet convinced, my two favorite Eric quotes from the meal:
"Can't talk. Shoveling."
"This may be the favorite thing I've made... EVER!"

The master chef returns for seconds:


And here is Eric's mom's recipe for Swedish Meatballs:
Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:
2 lbs. or good hamburger (like Sirloin)
1 egg (beaten)
1 medium onion (chopped- less, if you don't like that much)
1/4 cup parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, pepper, and salt
3/4 to 1 cup of plain bread crumbs

Directions:
Put 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine in fry pan. Form meatballs. Brown on all sides. (Don't make the meatballs too big- I found that smaller meatballs are easier to brown.)

Gravy:
5 beef bouillon cubes
5 cups boiling water to dissolve cubes (1 cube to 1 cup boiling water)
Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour with about 1 1/2 inches of water in small blender glass and blend (I just stirred quickly with a fork.)

Directions:
Put boiling water in fry pan first, then add flour mixture. There should be enough gravy to cover all the meatballs. (At this step, I put the meatballs and gravy into the Crock Pot, instead of the fry pan, and set on low for 3-4 hours.)