Nice Buns! But don't get sloppy, Joe!

Moomie's Beautiful Burger Buns have long been a favorite around our house. I'm not sure where the recipe is from originally, but I think it might be from King Arthur Flour. I got it off the CLBB. This recipe easily lends itself to subbing healthier whole-grain flour for most, or all, of the white flour called for. (My favorite is King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour, which is lighter than regular whole wheat, but shares the same nutritional profile. It's just a different, lighter, type of whieat.) Granted, the bread is a little denser with whole-grain flour, but the addition of a heaping tablespoon of vital wheat gluten helps solve even that. I make these in the bread machine, where they truly are idiot-proof. I've also made them by hand, and even using the Kitchen Aid mixer and it's magical dough hook. As written, the recipe makes 8 really large hamburger buns. Typically, I make a dozen out of the recipe, which yields a more standard supermarket-sized bun. Frankly, I don't eat a burger patty big enough to fill these up when made to yield 8.

For dinner tonight, I made a "morph" recipe (Robin Miller's term for planned-overs) from Thursday's Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin. (Other recipes included for the planned-overs include wonton soup and pork fried rice.) I morphed the recipe a little more, adding antioxidant rich red and green bell peppers and chopped onion. While her recipe calls for a 5-minute simmer, I threw everything in the pan, covered it, and went and did other things for about 45 minutes. I didn't have to, but I couldn't figure out how to shred the pork tenderloin in it's original form, so I just sliced it really thin, then simmered it until it began to fall apart. It didn't change the taste, just made me happier. And it IS all about me! I was a little uncertain about the corn in this, but it ended up being quite good. Unlike most sloppy joe recipes, this one contains cumin and chili powder. It is also thinner than most, due to the addition of a can of diced tomatoes and their juice. I upped the ketchup a bit; I don't know how much--I just eyeballed it. I just didn't have enough liquid, and I wanted what was there to be a bit thicker.

This recipe was by no means a jaw-dropping WOW!!! But, it would definitely work for a weeknight. In fact, I've already packaged up two nights' worth of sloppy joe mixture to pull out of the freezer at a later date. All part of my move toward eating at home instead of eating out. I mean, seriously. This may not be a WOW!!! but it's gotta be better than Taco Bell! I've also packaged up diced pork for the Pork Fried Rice, and sliced pork for a morph from another recipe. They're vacuum sealed and in the freezer, ready to pull out for some quick, easy dinners later. Another bonus--one pan dirty. That's it!

Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin

First of all, no pictures of this wonderful pork tenderloin recipe. Again. Sorry. It was late, we were starving, and the food wasn't pretty. It could've been pretty. I just didn't give a damn. It smelled good and we ate it. That's my only excuse. This is the first recipe I've made out of Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals. Don't know if you've caught her on the Food Network yet; I think she's pretty new. She's also a little perky for my taste, but at least she doesn't cook with her exposed boobies waving about over the stove like Giada and Sandra Lee.

At any rate, I really like the premise of her book. She has some really quick-fix meals, meal kits, and lots of "morph" recipes, where you cook LOTS of one thing, but there are numerous alternate recipes in which to use it. She's also big on pre-preparation of food for easy weeknight eating. All of her recipes include an "If you stop here" note, letting you know what to put together if you're not eating it the day it is originally prepped. She also has lots of variations, and doesn't get hung up on the "follow the recipe, stupid" like some others do. Not that that's a bad thing! Her recipes also include a note identifying prep time, active cooking time, and walk-away time, so you should be able to plan pretty well to make these meals fit into your life.

They certainly aren't all gourmet, but there are lots that sound promising. She also tries to focus on healthier choices and ingredients. I think this is going to be my current focus for cooking--until I get distracted by something else.

Anyway, back to tonight's dinner. One of the options she mentions is to halve or quarter some Yukon Gold or red potatoes and toss them in the roasting pan with the pork and sauce. I did, and man, were those some good eatin'. They soaked up the sweet and tangy sauce and meat drippings, but also roasted to a crispy golden brown. We ended up just having meat and potatoes, but it was enough. They were yummmmmmy!

Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Cooking spray
Two 2-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed of silverskin if necessary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Place the pork in the prepared pan and season the top and sides with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, and thyme. Spoon the mixture all over the pork, then roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads at least 160 degrees (the pork may still be pink in the center and that's OK, so long as the temperature is right), about 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes if possible.

Let the pork stand for 10 minutes before slicing 1/3 of it crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Serve the sliced pork for this meal and refrigerate the leftovers up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Quick fix it your way:

If you prefer, you can cut this recipe in half cook just one pork tenderloin) and make tonight's recipe plus just one or two of the three morph recipes with the leftovers.)

Michelle's note: Drizzle some chunked-up Yukon Gold potatoes with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Throw them into the pan with the roasting pork. They come out with the crispy, toothsome feel of roasted potatoes, and the silky, moist texture of potatoes cooked with a pot roast. Just yum!

Pork Sloppy Joes

Copyright Robin Miller, 2006: Quick Fix Meals

3 cups shredded leftover pork (from Balsamic Roasted Pork Tenderloin)
14-ounce can petite-cut diced tomatoes
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon liquid smoke seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen corn kernels
4 kaiser rolls

In a large saucepan, combine the pork, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, liquid smoke, basil, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Set the pan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the corn and simmer 5 minutes to heat through.

Spoon the mixture onto rolls and serve hot