Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa

Summerish weather has finally hit here in Not-So-Sunny San Diego!  Fog still blankets us in the morning, but thank goodness the sun gods have seen fit to let the sun shine on us during the day.  I can't tell you what a difference a good day of sun makes on one's outlook!

With energy to burn we filled our day with "summerish" events (beach and shopping!) and came home to plan an evening meal in the gorgeous, sunny outdoors.  With a fresh pork tenderloin in the fridge and perfectly ripe mangoes on the counter we opted one of our all time summer favorites.  Spices from our pantry mixed together to create a slightly spicy and extraordinarily flavorful rub for the meat, and fresh mangoes, jalapeños, onion, a touch of lime and cilantro quickly combined for our delightfully contrasting sweet salsa.

The spice rub is one we have been using for a few years and has become our "go-to" rub when time is a bit short.  I mix up a batch and found some cute little storage bottles at an outlet store to keep whatever I have remaining so that I always have some on hand.  The bottled rub also works wonderfully for a cute hostess gift!

This is one of those meals that all comes together on the grill for those hot (or just plain nice) days when you don't want to cook inside.  Corn from the market and a buttered baguette joined the pork on the grill and with the addition of a side salad our meal was complete. 

Pizza Pretzels

I've recently discovered that writing a food blog can lead to tighter jeans... either that or the heat on our dryer is definitely too high!  With my recent plethora of carb loaded recipes I decided that today was the day that I was going to go back to my low carb, lean protein diet for a few days, no cookies, no chocolate cakes and no breads.  However... Liv had other plans.

After her successful day at our local Junior Lifeguard Competition where she place 2nd in the Beach Flag event, she woke up this morning with aching heels and a craving for the Pizza Pretzels that we have been planning to make since school got out.  She and her dance friends frequently get pizza pretzels at our local smoothie shop, Beach City Smoothies, here in downtown Carlsbad and we thought we'd give them a try at home.

Shaping the pretzels seemed to be the most difficult part of this recipe for us, as making the dough and topping the formed pretzels is just like making a pizza.  Our recipe recommended making the dough the night before baking and giving it a good night's rest in the fridge.  Adding the spices directly to the dough gave the pretzels a full depth of flavor that we have found lacking in other pretzels that only have spices on top of a plain pretzel. 

The baking soda/water bath was a bit nerve wracking for us, but proved to be a piece of cake.  Placing the baking soda into the hot water and dissolving is recommended just before you dip your pretzels for a few seconds into the water bath.  The baking soda/water bath allows the pretzels to gain a shiny, brown crust with a light interior.  Unfortunately, I think our measurements were a bit off and we hadn't realized that the baking soda should be added to the bath and dissolved immediately before dipping.  As such, our pretzels were a bit more breadlike, but I can see how this will work for our future batches. 

Coconut Biscotti

Swaying palms, soft air, warm turquoise waters... ahh... this is my happy place.  I go there on occasion when things get just a little too crazy around here.  I just close my eyes, take a few deep breaths and for a few glorious moments I am sitting on a white sand beach wriggling my toes in the warm, soft sand.

6 months ago, I went there with my husband... in real life!  Our household had been a bit hectic (that comment is actually the worlds largest understatement!) and Mommy was close to "the edge".  5 days before our departure my amazing husband suggested a trip to the South Pacific for a 12 day cruise including 6 different islands on a small ship sailing out of Papeete, Tahiti.  I looked at him like he was crazy... as if I could get all my duties covered, pack my bags, throw a Super Bowl party for 50 and get out of here in 5 day.  Well, thanks to my mom and a small village of wonderful girlfriends, we did it!!  And I'm here to attest that I had the much needed, well deserved, and fully enjoyed, tropical vacation of a lifetime.  (You can actually read my review and see pics on Cruise Critic here). 

Brilliant, warm turquoise waters combined with soaring majestic peaks.  Lush emerald vegetation met up with  dazzling blue skies filled with pillows of white clouds.  And there I was, sailing through it all.  For twelve gorgeous days we sailed the South Pacific with our fellow guests, getting to know many of them during our travels.  We particularly enjoyed a couple we met at the airport on our departure from LAX who hail from Palm Desert, just a few hours from us.  

Bob and Susie truly exemplify what Liv Life stands for... they genuinely live everyday and have gleaned more from life than many of us ever will.  Dinners on our voyage were filled with stories from before we were born taking us to distant lands, romantic ski trips and lives that are full and memorable. 

Yesterday we had the pleasure of visiting Bob and Susie again and in honor of our recent tropical voyage I brought some of my favorite Coconut Biscotti.  This crisp cookie, adapted from Cooking Light, is enhanced with a teaspoon of coconut oil and a dash of nutmeg.  The flaked coconut adds a touch of texture  and gives a wonderful, light coconut flavor - reminiscent of the South Pacific.

So kick off your shoes, close your eyes and come with me to Bora Bora!  With our Coconut Biscotti in hand we can all enjoy a moment of blissful peace in the midst of our busy, overfilled, hectic lives and enjoy a touch of tropical balance for the rest of the day.

Coconut Biscotti

adapted from Cooking Light

¾  teaspoon  baking powder

¼  teaspoon  salt

¼  teaspoon  baking soda

⅛  teaspoon  grated whole nutmeg

¾  cup  sugar

1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

2  large eggs

1  cup  flaked sweetened coconut

1 ½  cups  all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 300°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.  Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Place sugar, vanilla, coconut extract and eggs in a large bowl;  beat with a mixer at medium speed 2 minutes or until thick.  Add flour mixture and flaked coconut, stirring to combine (dough will be very sticky).   Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface and knead lightly 7 or 8 times.  Shape the dough into a 15 x 3-inch log and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone liner.  Pat the log to 1-inch thickness and bake at 300° for 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

Move roll to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 20 (1/2-inch-thick) slices.  Return the slices to the baking sheet, standing them upright (not on either side as this allows both sides to be baked at the same time and does not require turning half way through baking).  Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake 20 minutes - note that the cookies will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool.  Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool completely on wire rack. 

Chocolate Red Wine Cake

For the last few days I've really been trying to cook and eat healthier.  Lower carbs, lean proteins and definitely no cake, cookies or chocolate chips (my daily afternoon pick me up).  Well... maybe a few chocolate chips, as we all know how good dark chocolate is for us and I don't want to deprive my heart of those healthy antioxidants.  

I had a good few days, but unfortunately I woke up yesterday with chocolate cake on my mind.  I tired to push the thought away with some hummus and broccoli, but the craving quickly returned.  My chicken lunch with those fresh, rosy peaches that I've been waiting for all season didn't do it either.  As I hesitantly approached my collection of recipes thinking "Oh... I shouldn't be doing this...", I subtly pulled out Food and Wine's Chocolate Red Wine Cake.  I happened to have an open bottle of red wine (those antioxidants again) and what a perfect pairing it would be with the cocoa!  After all, I had made this cake a couple of weeks ago hoping to post it here and didn't get any good photos.  Convincing myself to make it again just for the photos was easy.

Scanning the ingredients and noticing those two sticks of butter caused a momentary feeling of guilt... I toyed with the idea of substituting some yogurt as I do frequently to decrease oils and butters in breads, cakes or brownies.  However, in this case, I decided that I was somewhat concerned how the tang of the yogurt would work with the wine.  Next time I might give that a try, but for this version I went full fat, butter all the way.  The only other change I might make is to add a handful of chocolate chips to the batter.  I love the texture that the chips give to breads and cakes. 

The chocolate cake is moist and offers a hint of the fragrant red wine.  My husband immediately noticed the lack of sweetness in the cake, which for me was a huge plus, but was somewhat missing for him.  I did find that I prefer the cake the day after it is made as the flavors somehow become... well... for lack of a better word, better.  Perhaps it is the ever so slight increase in the intensity of the flavor or the texture that is no longer even slightly warm from the oven.  Not to say that I didn't fully enjoy this cake yesterday, but I'm eagerly awaiting my first slice this morning as I sip my coffee.

Heirloom Tomato - Watermelon Salad

Happy National Watermelon Day!!

In my short time of blogging I have come to learn that there are more National Food Days than there are days in the year.  Liv was particularly excited about January 5th, National Whipped Cream Day, and March 25th, National Waffle Day.  Unfortunately, we didn't know that yesterday was National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, but I'm right on track to celebrate National Watermelon Day today!

Watermelon has always been a summer favorite in our household.  In a prior post (Sesame-Chile Chicken with Gingered Watermelon Salsa) we discussed methods of finding the perfect melon, and I'm still holding on to the theory that no matter what your method, it involves a fair amount of luck.  Luckily, luck was with us as we chose our special Watermelon Day watermelon!

Bright red, juicy and extraordinarily flavorful, we had the perfect melon for our Heirloom Tomato-Watermelon Salad.  Also on hand, I had a one pound, beautiful, perfectly ripe, Brandywine Heirloom Tomato.  I have never combined watermelon and tomato before and was frankly surprised at how well the two ingredients complemented each together.  The original recipe from Epicurious calls for fresh herbs such as mint, basil and dill, but somehow the dill didn't sound quite right to me.  I used only the mint and basil in about equal parts and produced a light, summery side salad.  The feta cheese crumbled on top provides a welcome saltiness and the fresh arugula gives a nice contrasting texture and peppery bite.  

With our third day of mid day sun shining down on us (it's still cloudy and gray every morning...), we fully enjoyed this salad with our meal outside on the patio.  Tomorrow is National Lasagna day, but I don't think that is going to work for me.  However... I'm wondering if it would be wrong to celebrate National Drink Wine Day (Feb. 18th) in it's place?

Manchego Jalapeño Cornbread

Corn seems to be our "vegetable" of choice this summer.  As I mentioned that to my 14 year old son last night he proceeded to tell me, "Mom... everyone knows that corn is not a vegetable, it is a fruit."  I guess somewhere back in the remote regions of my mind I knew that, but it still seems to fall into the vegetable category for me when I think of meal planning.

As my son and I continued our conversation he pulled out the lap top and proceeded to explain that my mistake was not uncommon.  For instance, tomatoes, peppers, snap peas, cucumbers and eggplants are all fruits that are commonly referred to as vegetables.  Something about the fruit having a seed, he said.   8th grade science had covered this subject, and well, I guess he was listening!

As such, I will restart my post:  Corn seems to be our "fruit" of choice this summer!  Our menus have featured it in salads, side dishes, soups and now bread.  This bread was featured on July 19th in The Cilatropist's post Cheesy Jalapeño Cornbread and immediately caught my eye.  Anything spicy and with a Mexican flair is usually a hit with my husband, and this spicy, cheesy, cornbread was no different.

Marinated Beef Fillet and an Award!

Today we had great cause for celebration!  Our elusive San Diego sun made an appearance and even as evening approaches it is still shining.  After an entire month of gray, cold, chilly (yes... I'm feeling very sorry for myself!) weather, the bright, beautiful rays of the sun boosted everyone's spirits.  Energy flowed back into my blood, my zucchini plant perked up his little leaves and the kids jumped in the pool!  Our fingers are crossed that our esteemed sun will keep his face shining on us in the days to come.

For our celebration we knew we had to be outside, grilling.  Olivia has been a rabid beef eater since she was about 2.  With her first taste of marinated flank steak, her eyes grew big and a smile spread across her face with the discovery of a new favorite food.  Since then her preference has moved to not just any old beef, but fillets, with her most memorable experience being a 21 day, dry aged fillet at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.  That same smile spread across her face as her eyes closed with sheer pleasure at her first bite.  

Unfortunately, Mommy doesn't have access to the same meat buyer as Mr. Flay, so we had to settle for Trader Joe's offerings, which in our opinion are pretty darn good.  Our marinade of choice was our "go to" marinade for just about all cuts of beef that we grill - skirt, flank, flat iron, etc.  

With a touch of cumin and brown sugar to offset the salty soy sauce, we get perfect results every time.  This is one of those marinades that even works in a quick pinch when you realize you forgot to marinate the meat and only have an hour before dinner.  While at least an hour is preferable, we have had decent results with a quick ½ hour dip before grilling.  

So here's to the glorious sun.  May it return tomorrow and the next day... let the summer weather begin!

Steak Marinade

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup soy sauce (lower in salt is fine)

½ tsp ground cumin

1 Tbs brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely diced

Mix all ingredients together and pour over beef.  Marinate for 2 hours, grill.   

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To add to my celebratory mood, I am so excited to announce that I have received an award!  Ela from Everything's Herbed has so kindly bestowed the Versatile Blogger Award to my blog.  Ela lives in the Philippines and the title photo on her blog is an amazing shot of her home and lush yard.  I am beyond speechless, and very humbled to receive such an award.  Ela, I can't thank you enough, whenever I see this award on other sites I will think of you!

In accepting the award, the receiver is to share seven unknown facts about themselves.  I don't have anything amazing to share, but here are the first few things that come to mind... 

  *   I was a Girl Scout Leader for 4 years for my daughter and 16 lovely girls who I miss seeing every week. 

  *   I don't really like Girl Scout Cookies.

  *   I passed pilot ground school and have 4 flight hours.

  *   I like to surf, but I'm not very good at it.

  *   I feel so lucky that my parents only live 5 minutes away.

  *   I love Rubio's.

  

  *   I love the tropics.

The next part of the award is to do some awarding myself.  As I am such a new blogger, I don't really feel qualified.  However, I do have a couple of bloggers that I have come across in the last few months who I feel truly deserve this award.  

Versatile:  Turning with ease from one thing to another.

As I read this definition, three blogs come immediately to mind.  In no particular order, I would like to pass this award on to:

Tiffany from I Don't Cook, But My Boyfriend Does.  I recently began reading Tiffany's blog and immediately bookmarked several recipes.  I also found a couple of recipes that I had already made and completely concur with her thoughts and impressions.  With both of us being from San Diego (we have never met), I was excited to find her two other blogs, Life in San Diego and I'll Have Another One, both of which have shown me things about my own hometown that I didn't know.  If she doesn't define versatility, I don't know anyone who does!

My second blog to recognize is Try Anything Once.  The writing here is enjoyable and her witty sense of humor often shows.  Here the versatility is evident with recipes of many different kinds, and photos and stories to go with them.  Versatility also shows up when she turns a bit of a disaster into a wonderful meal!  

And my third recognition goes to Sarah at Baking Serendipity.  Sarah's blog is a bit new as well, and her recipes show a great amount of versatility.  From her most current Blueberry Muffins to her Grilled Pizza and on to the Sangria Chicken Salad, her photos, recipes, and writing are all a joy to read and view.  I also want to thank her for welcoming me and kindly helping me out with some blogging etiquette!

Ela, I would like to thank you again for your kindness and generosity in recognizing me with this award!