Meals Under $10: Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Here is the recipe you have all been waiting for...or, at least you WOULD have been waiting for it if you had ever tasted it before.  I'm here to tell you that this recipe will change the way you think of pork.  I, for one, am not a huge fan of pork.  I rarely, if ever, eat it.  I do make an exception for this particular pork.  It is so yummy that I could eat an entire loin!

Here is the cast of ingredients:

Marinade:

2 cups oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

I like to marinade my pork in a heavy-duty ziplock baggie (that I put in a bowl before putting in the fridge.) I think this pork needs a couple of hours to marinade...but a minimum of 30-minutes.

And WHAT kind of meat would be complete without an amazing, yet deceptively easy, sauce to accompany it?  No respectable meat would be without it!

Sauce:

1/2 cup mayo
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Mix these ingredients up and stick it in the fridge to let the flavors marry...and let me tell ya, marriage never tasted so good!

When you are about ready to cook the pork, take it out of the marinade and sprinkle with Lawry's Season Salt and some pepper.  Put that baby on the grill and cook until done, about 20-minutes.  Because of the honey, you get a nice, yummy caramelization on your pork. Mmmmmm....

Let the pork rest for abut 10-minutes before you cut into it.  Serve it with a nice dollop of sauce on the side to dip your meat in.

I'm making my pork tonight with oniony potatoes and carrots.

I cut up about 3 potatoes, washed with skins on, and about 3 carrots, peeled.  I cut the potatoes into fairly small dices and the carrots into medium-ish dices.  I put them in a bowl and pour a little bit of oil onto them.  I typically use olive oil, but ran out of it yesterday.  Then I pour on a packet of onion soup mix and mix it all together.  I pour it into a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the veggies are soft.

Time to tally up the cost of this meal:

• Pork, $2.82, (on sale at HyVee until Wednesday), I used 1 1/2 pounds of it.
• I already had all of the other ingredients for the marinade in my fridge or pantry...and I'm assuming most people have these as well.  But if I had to guess how much it cost me for them, based on how much I actually used, I'd say about $1
• I also had all of the sauce ingredients on hand, but I'd guess about $2
• Carrots, on sale last week for .99 and I used 1/4 of them, so .25
• Potatoes, on sale last week for .99, so .25
• Onion Soup Mix, $1

The grand total is...about $7.50 for a meal to feed 4-5 people.  Add a green salad for about $2 more, and you are still in under $10.  

I would love to hear what you think of the pork!  If you try it, let me know...but just so you are aware, if you don't like it, I will think you are crazy and that you just might need to be committed.

$10 and Under Meals: Chicken Pillows

I love to cook.  It is a huge stress reliever for me to create something new and yummy.  I especially love it when I get to share my cooking with other people.  Nothing quite like the high you get from someone raving over whatever it is you have just prepared.  Unfortunately, cooking can be a fairly expensive habit.  I can't always make something over the top...my budget just won't allow it.  So, I've made it a kind of game to see how little I can spend while still making a yummy dinner for my family.  These are the recipes I will share on this blog.  Today's recipe is a family favorite: Chicken Pillows served with Caesar salad and sweet basil carrots.

Grocery List:

Crescent Rolls, $1.50 (Hen House w/this coupon)
Chicken, $1.49 lb (Hen House)
Cream Cheese, abt $1.50 at Walmart
Green Onions, abt .80
Bread Crumbs, use a couple of slices of bread you already have
Carrots, .99 (HyVee or Hen House)
Dole Caesar Salad Kit $1.66 (HyVee)

Total meal for 4 (or 5) people: $7.05

Chicken Pillows

1-lbs cooked and shredded chicken
8-oz softened cream cheese
1 stalk (not one bunch, but one bulb) green onion, chopped
pinch garlic powder
pinch paprika

Mix these ingredients all together.  The open up your crescent rolls and pull the dough apart into individual pieces.  Place a good spoonful of chicken mixture into center of roll and roll up like you would if you were making a crescent roll.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.

For your breadcrumbs, crumble up your slices of bread into find crumbs.  Season with a little bit of Italian Seasoning herbs.  Put into a bowl.  Press the tops of each chicken pillow into the bread crumbs and place back on to the cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, or until browned on top.

Sweet Basil Carrots

Slice carrots and either put them into a steamer or just boil them.  Once they are tender, drain and return to the pot.  Put in a little bit of butter and melt to cover carrots.  Add a pinch of salt, some sugar and some dried basil.  Stir until everything is evenly distributed.