Pork Tenderloin for Supper

During the school year, it's always a mad rush to get supper on the table at a decent time. By decent, I mean 6 to 7 pm, otherwise the males in my house would eat all the junk food available in the pantry just waiting for the main course.

With scouting and swimming and general running around in the evenings, it can be a challenge to accomplish supper at a reasonable hour. If you're a mama, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.

I have about three weeks' worth of tried-and-true recipes I almost can make in my sleep...very expediently...and which are generally nutritious. Whew. I'm tired already just thinking about it. Did I mention sleep?

I always love to hear other mothers' tricks for tasty main dishes for the weekdays, so I'll share mine. Please snag it for the times you're in a super rush. This one's a breeze. You won't believe the simplicity of this dish can equal such great flavor.

Quick & Delicious Pork Tenderloin

One pork loin (Aldi has them shrink wrapped at a low price)
Bottle of Kraft Roasted Red Pepper salad dressing

Place the entire pork loin into a plastic storage bag in the morning and pour in enough dressing to cover it. (Hint: Take note of the weight of the pork tenderloin on the package before disposing of it. You'll need this tidbit of information later.)

Wa-la! Your marinade is done.

Pop it into the refrigerator to sit for the day.

When you're ready to begin supper, remove the bag from the refrigerator about 20 minutes prior to cooking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork loin on a foil lined and sprayed shallow roasting pan. (Who wants to wash dishes later?) Cook 20-30 minutes per pound. (I usually cook it 30 minutes per pound because I like the meat done to at least medium well.)

When done, let it "rest" in the pan on the counter for about 10 minutes. Then carve it into slices. So tender and moist!

It's great with quick-cooking brown rice and broccoli spears. The entire meal takes about 30-45 minutes to prepare and cook, depending on the size of your tenderloin. There's little prep work and you have all the time the pork is in the oven to whip up quick side dishes.

Happy week!
TCB

Related Posts:

Delicious Chicken Casserole
Pan-Seared Salmon Fillets with Sweet Fruit Salsa

Souper Dooper Project

My son and his friend embarked on a little project when they were bored over the holidays. Really, boys? I  was very happy with my TV-induced coma over the holidays. You weren't?

The project morphed into something a little bit larger.

First, they wrote a letter to 60 police departments requesting uniform patches. In exchange for each patch they received, they said in the letter they would buy and deliver one can of food to our local food pantry.

They got together and opened the letters.

Boy, I bet it was hard to wait two weeks to open all the packages at once!

Some of the loot!

True to their word, they visited the local grocery store and bought at least one can of food for each patch they received. Because of the nice police departments that sent two patches, they increased their purchase a little over the 60 expected patches. They ended up with 77 cans of food. I got the full, exact report on that number.

I am proud they followed through. Here's another tidbit: They spent their own money buying the food.

They are just waiting on Mamas to drive them to the food pantry. As soon as life gets out of the way, we're going to do it next week.

Way to go, boys!

In the spirit of giving & love,
TCB
P.S. Happy Valentine's Day! Kiss someone.

How I'm Saving Money this Month

Saving money is always important, but especially right now for my family.

In the last 30 days, we have: installed a new well pump, replaced a no-go refrigerator/freezer, and paid for major repairs on my SUV.

I'm feeling poor.

But I always say a little creativity goes a super long way.

So this month, I'm saving money at the store by not buying any beauty products.

But I won't be ugly in February. I promise.

If you're like me, you've collected quite a few versions of wrinkle creams, serums, and lotions in your bathroom cabinet. Did I mention eye cream?

So this month, I'm burying my brand loyalty and using up everything I have. I won't spend a dime, and I'll clean out the cabinets at the same time. Sounds like a plan, right?

If I have to sneak, I can always pick up my trusty Aldi brand facial cleanser (hey, it's European!!) at the store for a little more than $2.

Using what you already have is economical and always eco-friendly!

Love,
TCB

A little correction

It appears this morning's post included a strange, blurry photo of my dog at the end. This is actually a video that apparently didn't come through! I won't win any photography awards, but I can take better photos than that! If you want to see the real action, here's a link to the actual blog page that displays (and plays) the video correctly.

http://thecountrybelle.blogspot.com/2013/02/make-your-own-fun-in-country.html

Have a great day!
TCB

Make Your Own Fun in the Country

Sometimes it gets a little quiet in the country.

That what I love about it.

But sometimes it gets a little boring. That is, if you ignore the weeding, feeding, housekeeping, painting, and general fixing that needs to go on every day.

Sometimes the animals make their own fun.

And sometimes they get a little help.

We call this "Laser Light Show Extraordinaire."

Wonder when Happy will figure out we're playing her?

Happy day!
TCB

How to Keep Deer from Eating Your Plants

In the spring, we hear a lot about keeping deer away from our landscape plants; however, it is in the winter we need to be extra alert to deer strikes. Foraging for food in the forest is not as profitable this time of the year. When it gets extra cold for a long period of time, the deer sprint up the hill from the river to see what delicacies are available to eat in my backyard. And of course, they never come during the daytime when I can shoo them away. They come when I am snoozing away. (Although sometimes I am dragging opossums out of the hen house).

There is a list one of my local gardening centers has pulled together of plants typically found in Southern gardens that deer like LOVE to eat. Several of these are in my garden right now and nary a deer has tasted them.

These include:

Fatsia Japonica - Planted near my house - so near, in fact, it is touching brick columns - is too close for comfort for a deer to attempt a nibble.

Pansies - I tried planting these at the front steps. A nasty varmint (that's what we call deer who eat landscape plants and not woodland fodder) plowed through 10 plats of pansies in one night. Do you know how much 10 flats of pansies cost and how much time it takes to plant them? Never again. I have found planting them in a basket that swings on a hanger is a good deterrent. Which is also good for putting a little color at eye level to see through the kitchen window.

Hosta - A candy-lickin' treat for deer, this beauty is best saved by putting them under a motion light and dousing them with deer-off repellent found at garden stores. Sorry, but this one is a struggle to maintain. Most years I do, but sometimes I lose to the deer.

Camellia - Every good Southern garden has one of these shrubs. I have been fortunate. I think my leaves are tough enough and the plants so close to the house, the deer decide to look for better options. Older is better. Young leaves are what deer like to eat best.

Keep an eye out. Baby, it's cold out there!

Love,

TCB

Related information:

List of Deer Resistant Plants

Wedge Pillow: Useful at Any Age, Stage

I love my wedge bed pillow. Never mind it is 11 years old.

It has been used multiple times for multiple purposes by more than one person.

For example, I first used it (and bought it) when I was pregnant with my son and could not take anti-reflux medication. It kept the heartburn at bay.

It next went to work when I had a sinus infection. It helped me breathe at night.

Then, my son used it when he started coughing all night with a cold.

Next, I used it to help relieve the pressure from lying down at night when I suffered a bout of TMJ.

I've tried to get Mr. Country Belle to try it out. He has yet to take me up on the offer.

I encourage you to try it. If you already have, leave me a comment below and let me know when it was most useful to you. I'm always looking for good tips to share!

Love,
TCB