Show us your Life Friday - Favorite Blogs

This week over at Kelly's Korner the theme for Show us Your Life Friday is . .. Favorite Blogs!  I thought I would pick 2 or 3 from each of my blog lists and let you know why I love them :-)

1. Pumpkin Pie Painter is written by a college friend of mine.  She is a great writer and a fantastic artist.  She really is an artist with words - I'm always amazed by what she writes; her creativity is endless plus she posts some of her talent as well.  I never realized in college how talented she really is!

2. Eclipsed is the story of a weight loss journey.  I have been intrigued and encouraged by her writings and her journey. 

 

3. Confessions of a Homeschooler is a fantastic resource for teaching your kids.  I am using a lot of her ideas/printables for teaching my oldest preschool this year.  She also gives other ideas as well and it ias always well written.

4. Mel's Kitchen Cafe is where I get a lot of recipes that we love and use a lot.  Her site is well organized and she isn't afraid to admit a flop :-)

 

5. The Better Mom is a site I've just recently found but have been encouraged and challenged already. 

6. Women Living Well is a fantastic blog for spiritual leading.  Courtney's post are uplifting and thought provoking.  She is also part of the Good Morning Girls group as well which is another great resource for accountability in your daily walk with God.

 

For more great blogs, check out my left sidebar for Buttons for such sites as Oopsey Daisy and Craft-O-Maniac and read through the lists on the right sidebar for tons more!  I love to have lots of blogs to check up on, as you can tell! 

Recipe Friday! Citrus and Soy-Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Chicken Fried Steak

Welcome to Recipe Friday!  It is the time that I share recipes with you.  Lets set the record straight . . every recipe I have comes from someone else.  I seldom create something of my own but I like to try what others share and tweak it to fit my family :-)  I realized that when I posted "What to expect from this blog" a few days ago that I said each recipe would have its own post . . .that could get long.  So instead, I will include them in one post but they will have their own links on my Recipe Tab at the top of the page.  (Ummm . . .I try to update that every few weeks, it doesn't happen right away).  These recipes will be things I have (usually) made recently and are often featured on my Weekly Menu posts.  Not always - sometimes there are too many good ideas so I may be quite a bit behind my weekly menu posts :-)


Citrus and Soy-Marinate Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Adapted from : Mel's Kitchen Cafe

This is a fabulous marinade!  We cooked it on a charcoal grill and it took a little longer to cook all they way through but it was so yummy it was worth it.  I usually like to share what sides I made with the main dish (since that is one area I always struggle with - creative sides!) but, for the life of me, I can't remember what we had with it!   I also can't find the picture I was SURE I took of this recipe so this picture is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

*Serves 6

2-3 pounds pork tenderloin
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

Combine all the ingredients except the pork and mix well. Pour the marinade into a ziploc bag or baking dish and add the pork tenderloin, making sure the marinade completely covers the pork. Marinade for 8-10 hours.

Preheat an outdoor grill (charcoal or gas). Grill the pork tenderloin about 3-4 minutes on each of its four sides (the exact time will depend on the temperature of your grill) or the internal temperature is about 150 to 155 degrees. Remove from the grill, tent with foil, and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving


This second recipe is actually one I found months and months ago and can't believe I have posted it yet!  It has become a family favorite - true Home Cooking at its finest!

Chicken Fried Steak with Parsley Cream Gravy and Fried Corn
Adapted from: Paula Deen Recipes; found at Jenna's Journey

This caught my attention more so because it is a Paula Deen recipe :-)  I knew my husband liked Chicken Fried Steak but I had never made it  . . until now.  Yummy!  I also like it because the meat used is quite inexpensive making this an easy recipe to throw in on those "lean" weeks. 

Again, I have no picture of my own so this picture comes from Jenna's Journey. Next time I make it, I'll have to snap my own photo and replace it :-)

Vegetable oil for frying

6 cubed steaks (I usually just buy one package which is only 2 large steaks.)  

2 t steak seasoning

1 t garlic powder

1 C flour

1/2 t baking powder

Heat oil. Sprinkle steaks with seasoning, garlic and, I added S&P. In a shallow bowl, mix flour and baking powder. Dredge steaks and shake off excess. Fry 3-4 minutes per side. Put in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while making the gravy.

Parsleyed Cream Gravy:

2 C whole milk (I use what ever I have on hand - either whole or skim!)

1/4 C flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Reserved drippings and brown bits from the Chicken Fried Steak

1/4 C Parsley (fresh parsley gives the gravy the most flavor but you can use dried or leave it out and add more salt/pepper to give flavoring)

Whisk milk, flour, S&P into drippings & brown bits. Cook for 6-8 minutes (mine cooked in about 4) whisking constantly until thickened. Add in parsley. Serve.  I usually make up a small batch of Mashed Potatoes to serve with the gravy too.

Fried Corn:

4 slices of bacon

3 C fresh corn kernels (I use either 1 bag of frozen corn or 1-2 cans of corn)

1/2 C water

1 t salt

1 t pepper (Ummm . . this is ALOT of pepper . . .)

1 t sugar

Cook bacon until crispy. Remove and drain. Add corn and water to drippings. Cook over med high heat for 6-8 minutes stirring often. Stir in salt, pepper and sugar. Cooke for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Top with crumbled bacon

Aren't those ymmy sounding???  I hope you enjoy! 

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