Basil Pesto Stuffed Tenderloin and Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

As promised...

I saw this tenderloin recipe on "Easy Entertaining" the other day and per request, I am sharing. I will do my best to explain how to cut the tenderloin, but if all else fails and you are completely confused...look it up on Foodnetwork. The taters are Giada De Laurentiis' recipe. I don't usually stick ABSOLTUELY to their recipes. I've learned that most of us Southerners need more seasoning or spice in our meals as opposed to the Yanks. So, I will tell you where I deviated, but you be the judge. You know what flavors you like, so add them! :0)

Basil Pesto Tenderloin:

1 Beef or pork tenderloin (I used a deer backstrap)
1 jar of Basil Pesto ( I use Classico's Traditional)
Kosher salt (iodized can be substituted)
Black Pepper

Here we go...Cutting the tenderloin.

Basically, you are cutting this round tube of meat into a flat plane, creating a jelly roll. Cutting lengthwise and about a 1/2" from the top, cut a flap so that it looks like you are pulling a book page back. Once you do that, turn the meat so that the flap is facing your right side...like you are opening a book backwards. Cut lengthwise exactly the way you did before. If you succeeded, you should have a large flat piece of meat. lol Now, take either the heel of your hand or a meat mallet and lightly flatten the meat until it is pretty uniform on all sides. Don't go crazy, you want the meat to be anywhere from 1/2" to 1" thick. Now, take and season both sides with salt and pepper. Make sure you rub the salt and pepper into the meat.

Basil Pesto-You will have to gauge how much you will need. It will depend on the size of the tenderloin and how much stuffing you want. First, you will need to thicken up the pesto. You can either add breadcrumbs (plain or seasoned) or parmesan to the pesto. You want to use this to soak up some of the oil. If not, it will all run out and well, that will just suck! Once you have as much as you need and have it to a paste consistency, spread evenly on the tenderloin. No worries if you have more than you needed. Either store in another container and save for another use or smear it on top of the meat when serving. Roll the tenderloin back into it's original shape-a tube or jellyroll. Secure with toothpicks. I usually wrap the tenderloin in saran wrap and stick in the frig for an hour to marinate. You could probably let it set overnight if you wanted. It would just make it that more delicious! When you get ready to cook it, take it out and let the meat come to room temp. Fire up the grill and get after it!
Remember to always let the meat rest for at least 10-15 minutes before you cut it or the yummy juices will run out.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes-

3 lbs. Red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered*
2/3 C. Parmesan cheese (I use the grated kind, not powdered like you use on top of pizza)
1/2 C. Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in a covered pot until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the potato water. Return potatoes to the pot and coarsely mash with a fork, adding enough of the potato water to moisten. Stir in the olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Season with slat and pepper.

*Again, there is no way I need to cook 3 POUNDS of potatoes, so I cut the recipe down to however many people I am serving. You can also just make these like regular mashed potatoes. I would recommend that if you decide to use butter, which I do, I would omit the olive oil. Also, you can use the reserved potato water in place of cream or milk.

Nothing Like a Slice of Pie

It's pretty UN-Southern and UN-Louisianaian to not know how to make an awesome pecan pie, so I am here to give you a reason to not be UN-anything.

PECAN PIE

Pie Shell: (of course, you can buy a premade one)

1 C. All purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/3 C. Shortening
3 TBS. Water
Sugar

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Cut shortening in with a fork until it clumps together. Make a dough ball and turn out on floured surface. Roll out. Place shell in a greased pie pan. Sprinkle shell with sugar. Prick with fork. Set aside.

Pie:

3 Eggs, slightly beaten
1 C. White Karo syrup
1 C. Sugar, mixed with 2 TBS. flour
1/8 tsp. Salt
2 TBS. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 C. Whole pecans

*Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

*Mix eggs, Karo, sugar, flour, vanilla, salt and butter and beat until smooth. Stir in chopped pecans and pour into pie shell. Place whole pecans on top.

*Bake for 1 hour or until pie is firm and won't jiggle when slightly shook.

This pie freezes well, but who are we kidding...it won't last that long! ;0)

It's All About the Cookin'

It's no secret I LOVE to cook! Us southern ladies know our men love some good cookin', so I am always on the hunt for new awesome recipes. I know how hard it can be to not run out of ideas at some point,so I thought I would share a new recipe that I have tried and found to be delicious with you each week. Below is a recipe from the FAMOUS Louisiana restaurant, Prejean's in Lafayette. I have altered it to my taste and meal size...2-3 cornish hens. This will actually serve anywhere from 4-6 people if hens are cut in half. What hens I don't half, I freeze for another night when I don't want to cook. :0) I hope you enjoy my recipes and make sure to lick your fingers and savor every bite!

Glazed Cornish Hens

HENS

2-3 Cornish hens

1 TBS. of salt

1 tsp. of cayenne pepper

1/8 C. of sugar

1 tsp. black pepper

3/4 C. of syrup ( I use biscuit syrup, dark karo and molasses broken into 1/4 C. each)

1/8 C. of water

*Mix salt, cayenne, sugar,and black pepper. Rub hens with seasoning inside and out; use all of the seasoning!

*Put hens into gallon size ziplock bags (2 can fit in one bag). Combine syrup and water to make marinade. Pour marinade into bags over hens. Squeeze out as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Marinate hens for 2 hours at room temp. Turn hens every 15 mins. ( I turn when I think about it...lol)

*Now make the stuffing...

STUFFING

1/2 C. of butter

1/8 C. finely diced onions

1/8 C. finely diced celery ( I sub with a little sage since Chad doesn't like celery)

1 TBS. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 C. chicken broth or bouillon

2 C. baked and crumbled cornbread ( I make white cornbread and use buttermilk in mine.)

2/3 C. Water

* In a small saucepan over high heat, melt butter. Add onion, celery,parsley, salt, and garlic powder. Saute' until soft. Add water and chicken broth and stir well. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

* Mix in cornbread to make a sticky consistent stuffing. Chill mixture in refrigerator for 45 minutes or until cold and firm.

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Drain hens, reserving marinade. Stuff marinaded hens and place in a greased baking pan ( I use a ceramic dish). Pour reserved marinade over hens.

* Bake ,covered for 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes longer or until golden brown on the outside.

I serve it with wild rice, but Prejean's suggest grilled veggies and a rice pilaf.

Home Sweet Home

An update on Dixie from her new Mom in CT:

Hello,

Dixie has settled in wonderfully. She is great with the crate when we go to work and I only get up once in the middle of the night. Today she visited the Vet and weighed in at 42.5lbs. She went to the groomers and had a bath and blowdry. She also had a manicure. Today was the first time we let her interact with other dogs. I wanted to make sure she didn't get anything on the trip up. She had a lot of fun playing with my girlfriend three Westies.

Dawn

Double Your Fun

My daughter and I went to the Ouachita Parish Animal Shelter two weekends ago to help brush, bathe and play with some of the pups that were there. While there, I passed by this lovely old gal...who happened to be named, you guessed it...Dixie!

Her story is sad, but not the worst I've heard. Her family was an elderly couple who tried to take care of her, but alas, the wife had Alzhiemer's and the husband could no longer care for both of them. He was sad to bring her to the shelter, but look who found her....ME!

I immediately sent a request to PAWS of Nela asking if I could foster her...I think I bugged the crap out of Christy...lol Christy gave me the go-ahead and I approached Chad with the idea. My plea was this...."just think, if you let me foster her, YOU will not only be saving ONE life, but TWO!" He looked at me with his, "You're so full of it" look and I said, "Seriously...we foster her, that opens one of the spaces in the adoption area, THAT makes room for one dog in the back to be pulled to the adoption area...TWO lives."

Of course, you can see what he said. So, now I have another Dixie and am absolutely in love with the old girl.

Time Heals a Broken Heart

It just occured to me that this is the first year that I actually didn't think of June 28th as being any different from any other day. You see, on June 28, 2002, I lost my Grandma to luekemia. Every year since then, June 28th has hung heavy on my mind. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of her and some nights I dream of her.

It's been 7 years and there are still times I find myself in a fix and she is the first person who pops into my mind. Grandma always knew how to make it better. She was my haven and along with GOD, my saving grace. In honor of her memory, I found something I had written last year about her passing...

The low growl of thunder pierces my soul and reminds me of that day and the days prior to her passing. The moment that I got the phone call and heard the word, "cancer", the mass delirium of my family being shattered hit instantly. Tomorrow, June 28th, will mark the 6th year anniversary of my Grandmother's passing.

I always have wondered if I was the type of person that would immediately break upon receiving tragic news, simply because I think I am tough and resilient. I found out that day, that I'm not as tough as I think.

I remember the pain in my aunt's voice, the feeling of imaginary ropes pulling tightly around my chest, causing me to catch my breath. The nausea that swept over me was immediate. The swimming of my thoughts as my brain tried to force the words away from my ears. I was in such denial that I couldn't bring myself to go to the hospital immediately. My mind told me that if I didn't see it, it wasn't real.

In my mind, she would still be sitting in her chair, working a crossword, with a thin trail of smoke coming from the cigarette that notoriously hung from her mouth. I am ashamed that I didn't immediately drop everything and run to her side. I live with that regret everyday. It makes me doubt myself and I wonder if she thought I loved her less. It rips every bit of my soul to shreds just thinking about it.

Then I flashback to her asking me to cut her hair off because it was going to fall out from the chemo. I don't remember actually cutting it off. I do remember how upset she was when she saw how short it was. I think it hit her hard at that moment- looking at herself with hair as short as a boy. The last thing I remember was once she fell asleep, reaching down into the trash can and pulling a handful of her hair out, placing it in my pocket. It sits in a bag in my top dresser drawer to this day.

The days that followed were long ones. When the doctors told us the chemo didn't do much, she decided to go home and die with her family around her. I remember many sleepless nights and long days. My cousin and I being curled up next to her like little squirrels, fearful to leave her side. Taking in every last second that we could.

Until my Grandmother died, I always questioned the true exsitence of God and Angels. I no longer question it. I was there when she reached up, swatted at the air and said, "Shoo! Shoo!" and us asking her what she was shooing. She simply said, "they are tapping at the window and I'm not ready."

"Who", we ask.

I can't remember her exact words at this point, but she was telling us that it was the angels tapping at her window. That they had come for her; it was time to go, but she quite simply wasn't ready to go!

There is a song that she asked to hear and to this day, rarely do I hear it, but every once in awhile, it comes on the radio. I cry and smile at the same time. It hurts to remember, but I know it is her and God's way of letting me know they are walking with me.

It rained the day she passed away. Some say rain is a good sign. It washes and cleanses the dry, dusty earth so that it can bring forth the beauty that lies beneath. I believe that tears are our soul's rain. Just like the rain, they come when our souls are dry and parched. They flood over us, washing away the sorrow and bringing forth sunshine.

Bandits...

My husband called me yesterday at work to break the news that a stray dog had gotten ahold of our chickens. He said that he knew for sure that two were dead and at least one more was not going to make it.

Sadly, I made it home to find at least three of my White Leghorns torn up, one Redcap limping, one Silver Spangled Hamburg hiding in the creek culvert and my Crested Polish under the storage building.

After inspection, I determined that one of the WLs was not going to make it. We had to put him down. One WL hen is questionable. I don't believe she will recover, but I think Chad wants to give it a day or two to see. Despite being mauled by this dog, she is eating and quite active, so we will wait. We managed to get the SSH out of the culvert and CP, who I have affectionately named, Tut for his crown of feathers, out from under the storage building.

The SSH appeared to just be scared silly, but poor Tut...I can't tell if his leg is broken or not. He puts very little weight on it and kind of drags it. I hope that it is just sore and after a day or so, he will regain his strength in it. Is it possible to have a one legged chicken??

UPDATE 7/14/09: King Tut did not make it, nor did Happy Feet and three others who we had not named yet. R.I.P.

Close Up

So, this is normally what my pictures of Dixie turns out like...either blurry or an eyeball or nose. If I even try to remotely get a close up shot, she is in camera lens before I know it...silly thing.

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow...

Dixie Dawg has been adopted! She leaves on July 12th for Jackson, MS and will then head to her new home and family in Conneticut on the 15th.

Since Dixie has come to live with us, she is no longer a skinny shy dog, but a cubby and vivacious dog. No longer does she sit on her haunches if you take her through a door...now she barrels through them!

With her departure, comes a bittersweet feeling. I will miss her puppy kisses, her big brown eyes and the soft coal black hide. But more importantly, she will be leaving one loving home to go to another. I'm betting there is one anxious little boy who has asked his parents more than a dozen times, "when will she be here?"

She is on her way, sweet baby...just you wait.

UPDATE 7/12/09: I drove Dixie and Razzle (another baby rescued) to Jackson. They both will be heading to CT on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Good news, since pulling Dixie from the OPAS, she had gained 17lbs. She started out at a scrawny 24lbs and grew into a muscled 41lbs. In her wake, she took one crepe myrtle, two honeysuckle bushes and two kiddie pools, and a family (both human and animal) that will be forever touched by her.

Remember These?

Nothing like a Kool-Aid mustache says, "SUMMER!"

Here Kitty, Kitty...

I was sitting in the house talking to my husband this past Friday and out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. I did a double take and exclaimed, "What is that in the chicken coop?!"

I jumped up and ran to the window...take in mind, we have had varmits and my very own dogs kill my chickens of late. I peered out the window and watched...Yep, definitely something small and furry in there. "It's a PUPPY!" I yell and tear out the door.

Upon reaching the coop, I realize what I thought was a puppy is a white and orange kitten. 'Oh great!' runs through my head, my husband HATES cats...or so I thought. I pick her up and this poor pitiful face with green boogered eyes looks up at me and quietly meows. THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE BOYS! I sweep her up and carry her back into the house.

Since then, her eyes have cleared up, she has put on weight and has been named Rosabelle. The kids absolutely love her and she them. I caught Chad playing with her the other day and am absolutely amazed that he allows her to come into the kitchen and sleep at night in a kennel. What was even more shocking is that this morning when I went to let her out, Chad had already let her out.

So, now we are proud owners of 4 dogs, 1 foster dog, 48 chickens, 15 guineas and 1 kitty cat. Talk about a funny farm...

Too Big For Her Britches

Dixie Dawg is just shy of being a juvenile moose. Had to get her a larger crate today. I feel confident enough to say that we are potty and crate trained at this point.

She loves to be outside and run and play. I have to be mindful at times because she may be laying down one minute and jerking my arm of the next. Usually because something NEW has caught her attention.

This is a video of her and Daisy's nightly routine. They tire one another out before bed this way.

Surviving Week One

It has been one heck of a week, but I think Miss Dixie and I are finally figuring one another out. We had some set backs on the potty training, but once I figured out to take Dixie to the same spot and refuse to explore, she got the drift. She no longer waits to come back in the house and leave me presents all over my kitchen floor. Now, we can go outside, go to the same spot and she does her business.

Crate training has improved tremendously within the past two days. Now, Dixie knows when I get a treat out and say, "Kennel", it is bed time. We put a tasty morsel in the crate and in we go! I no longer have to PUSH her hind quarters in. As I was told, dogs are like kids...they prefer routines and work better according to them. So, at 9 PM, we kennel and at 3 AM and 6 AM, we go potty.

She has learned to gently maneuver her away my bigger and older dogs when playing in the back yard. They haven't quite embraced her, but have not completely shunned her either. Unfortunately as Dixie grows, she has become a bit too rambuncious for Daisy, my chiweenie. What started out as a great friendship sadly has been a little strained since this weekend. I've had to keep them separated. However, I do place their crates next to one another at night.

One of Dixie's neat little quarks is that when I am sitting in the kitchen with her, she lays right at my feet and places one paw on them. She seems to have a foot fetish...she loves to smell and lick feet...who knew?!

Dixie has also discovered the chickens. She is absolutely amazed by them. Her having the natural instinct to retrieve birds, we have to make sure she stays a good distance from them. Every night when we go out, she tries her best to pull me to the chicken coop.

Day 2

Day 2 was all about working on crate training. Miss Dixie doesn't seem to mind being in the crate, but she sure has a problem GOING INTO it. So, I looked up a few handy dandy tips on crate training yesterday and it seems that you should bribe them like a fat kid. Offer snacks and then place some closer to the crate door and then put some inside until the dog gets comfortable coming in and out.

Well, I didn't have all the time in the world, it was bed time. So we tried a few french fries. I was throwing them in the back of the crate and she would go in and come out. After about 4 times of this and running low on the fries, I threw some more in and waited until only her butt was sticking out. Then I eased her in..."eased" is probably not the best word to describe it, seeings how I am moving a moose of a dog into a small space. Either way, it was a gentle shove, because I think she has part cat in her. Somehow she can dig those paws in and barely budge.

Once inside, she settled down and I gave her more fries. I happened to have an eager observant audience member...Daisy. Needless to say, she went into her crate with no qualms. I mean, if she can get a fry, she will do anything. So, that went smoothly. I set Daisy's crate next to Dixie's so they could see one another. They seem to be big buddies. Dixie just forgets how big she is and how little Daisy is.

Ahhh...peace, or so I thought. At about 3 am, not Dixie, but Daisy starts barking, then Scarlett starts barking, then Dixie decides she needs to join in on the serenade. I get up thinking Daisy must need to potty. Soooo, I let both Dixie and Daisy out. I'm debating this debacle because...um, I know I am going to have to go through the french fry crating routine once they go out. As I chain a leash on Dixie, I realize that it is sprinkling. UGH!!! Out we go, because the ladies have to go!

Do you know that heifer of a Daisy Dog, just sat there on the porch and looked at me? So, I'm gonna give her kudos and pretend that she was just trying to let me know that Dixie needed to potty. We did this routine again at 5 am, but this time it was Dixie who let me know she had to go. So, over all, potty and crate training are coming along smashingly.

On a closing note, I took Dixie to the vet today to have her limp checked out. Word is that she has had a previous femur fracture that didn't heal well. So, looks like Miss Dixie will always curtsey... as any lady would do. :0)

Slobber, Slobber and MORE Slobber

So, let me first start with how I met my new dog child.

I head out to meet Christy with PAWS of NELA at the Ouachita Parish Animal Shelter. When I get there, Christy is walking this precious 24 lb. black fur ball and trying to get her to stop long enough for a few glamour shots. These will be posted on Labs4Rescue's website in hopes that her forever family will see her cute little face and just HAVE to have her.

After a short while, Christy mentioned to me that she was concerned about Dixie's gait. It seems that she is limping and when she stands (when she is still long enough) she holds both legs almost crossed. It looks like she is doing a curtsey. We both can't tell if it is her hips or a leg or foot. Christy seems really concerned that she needs to be seen by the vet, we want to rule out hip dysplaysia. Part of me starts to get bummed and all I can think is... here I have offered to help and this poor baby is going to have big problems and I am going to be sick if she is put down (my imagination gets the best of me). After Christy places a call to the vet's office who looked her over before coming to OPAS, Dixie's story starts to take shape.

According to the vet, the Sherriff's office had found her running loose and brought her in. There, she was spayed, brought up to date on shots and given a heart worm preventative. She stayed with the vet for a week in hopes that the owner would come claim her. During her stay, the Vet said that at first she wouldn't put any pressure on her back legs, but as the week rocked on, she improved. He felt that it wasn't in her hips but either her leg was sprained or the limping was from an old break. Sad to think that at 4 months old, she could have even experienced a break. So, after being loaded up with toys and a crate, me and Miss Dixie head West.

Let me tell you that if you have never had (or not in a long time) a big dog in your house, OY!

Upon entering my house, Dixie sniffs EVERYTHING! Only does she stop when she reaches my kitchen counters...right where the dirty dishes are (that Chad left for me to do-thank you!). Now, I have two small dogs in the house; one is a rat terrier who is 12 years old and isn't about to do acrobatics and a chiweenie ( I know...ridiculous) who weighs maybe 10 lbs. I don't have to worry about them dining from the kitchen counters. BUT, with a moose like Dixie....you quickly learn to either wash those dishes or they are going to be on the floor in a thousand pieces.

It is then that I start noticing that my bread basket is within reach of LEGS. I move that. Then I think about the furniture that is in my kitchen...better move that, too. Before it was over with, I felt like I had child-proofed my kitchen all over again, except my "child" has four feet and a BIG pink tongue.

Now, on to the slobber. NEVER in my life have I seen so much slobber. This crazy dog drinks like there is no tomorrow and doesn't even swallow all of it before walking/running all over the place. My daughter, Aubrey looks at me and says..."I'll get the mop"...she's SIX! lol We had slobber on the floor, slobber on our hands, slobber on our pant legs, slobber slobbing out of Dixie's mouth in a nice singular strand of drool hanging from her mouth...just SLOBBER!!!

But, all in all before the night was over, she had a bath, met the other dogs and she made a friend with Daisy (chiweenie) and loved every bit of it. She slept most of the night and only has a small problem with ENTERING the crate. It's like shoving a watermelon into a laundry shoot, except the watermelon can turn around and wiggle.

I take Dixie to the vet tomorrow to have her legs, hips and feet looked at. Hopefully we will have good news.

Adventures in Fostering...

This is my adventures in fostering a 4 month old black lab puppy named, Dixie.

I recently convinced my husband to allow me to foster a local dog in need (instead of begging for a new dog). I currently have four...Scarlett, Daisy, Birdie and Ollie. Sadly, about three weeks ago, Oscar disappeared on us. We hope and pray that he was taken home to someone who really wanted to love him.

Anyway, I help Paws of NELA with transports and wherever they need me. It just so happened that I received an email asking for assistance in fostering a few black labs this past weekend. I felt like I should wait until Monday to offer help, in hopes that some of them would find homes over the weekend. When I checked on Monday, only one of the six being available had been spoken for. I offered to take Dixie, the four month old lab.

As for Dixie's story, not much is known about her, but her adventure begins today.