Sunday Night Dinner

With my brain obsessing over Thanksgiving treats, I had the most difficult time deciding what I wanted to make for our Sunday night meal this week. Since the summer, Brian and I have really been treating ourselves to wonderful Sunday dinners that we look forward to it each week (probably due to the nice bottle of wine we have as well). I finally decided on Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Garlic Bread, and a Simple Salad. I bought 2 1lb Pork Tenderloins for roasting, 1 for dinner on Sunday and 1 for dinner on Tuesday. Leftovers will make a great sandwich!

This meal is so easy...I started by prepping my

veggies and then prepping my pork. I put them

in the oven at the same time and while they were roasting, I prepared the bread and the salads. Also, since I seared the tenderloins in the skillet I was left with some wonderful pan drippings that were screaming at me to make a gravy, so I got out some butter, flour, chicken stock and thyme and I whisked it up quickly. Everything was done 25 minutes later and Voila...dinner is served.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

2 1 lb Pork Tenderloins, trimmed of excess fat and silverskin

Salt, Pepper, Paprika

Canola Oil

1/2 cup Water

I sprinkled Salt, Pepper, and Paprika all over each tenderloin then tied them up with kitchen twine so they would cook evenly. I drizzled some oil in my skillet and seared each side of the tenderloins and set them on a rack for roasting. (Let me just add that I had to sear them seperately because I do not have a large enough skillet to sear them both at the same time...Also, I had to make-shift a roasting pan because I do not own one. I just took a regular baking sheet and put some water in it then set a rack over it for the pork to sit on, this of course would not work for your turkey...but my pork turned out delicious!) I roasted them at 425 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes, basically until the internal temperature read 150 degrees. (mine read 149...) Then I took them out and LET THEM REST. This is very important...all those juices have to come back together. Do not slice it for 10 - 15 minutes please. It will be wonderfully juicy and slightly pink...just perfect.

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips (recipe inspired by Ina Garten, Back to Basics)

1 lb Carrots, cut diagonally in large pieces

1 lb Parsnips, cut diagonally in large pieces

1 1/2 tbls Olive Oil

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

1 tbls Fresh Parsley, chopped

Begin by peeling the carrots and parsnips and cutting them diagonally in large pieces. Place the cut pieces on a baking sheet and toss with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on 425 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes, tossing frequently. When they are soft and tender, remove them from the oven and toss with chopped parsely.