As you know, my entire family loves American Idol.  When Simon tells a contestant, “You need to make that song your own,” I can identify.  Almost every recipe I’ve tried I find myself making it my own.  Before this blog I rarely measured ingredients.  If I thought I could eliminate a step or exchange ingredients it was never a problem.  If the oregano in my herb garden looked better than the thyme, I’d just use the oregano.  But now that my daughter is making me accountable for accurate recipes, things have changed.   I now spend a lot of time measuring, tasting and documenting every step.   

This recipe originally came from an Emeril cookbook.  I’ve changed it up so much that Emeril would probably never recognize it but I’d feel guilty if I didn’t give him some credit.  He inspired me to cook spicy food with a kick just like Donna Summer inspired Allison Iraheta to sing the Disco song “Hot Stuff.”  Both Allison and I were out of our comfort zones but we made it our own.

  The following is a seasoning I put together for a lot of different recipes.  I measure the ingredients in a small bowl, mix it up and funnel it into a couple of empty spice jars that have been washed.  It saves money and is very convenient to use.  Rub it on chicken, fish, beef or pork and you have an instant dinner.  Experiment with the spices.  If you don’t like the kick, cut down on the cayenne, red pepper or chili powder.  

LYNDA’S SEASONING (2 Tbl. paprika, 1 Tbl. salt, 1 Tbl. garlic salt, 1 Tbl. onion salt, 1 Tbl. garlic powder, 1 Tbl. onion powder,  1 Tbl. ground black pepper, 1 Tbl. dried oregano, 1 Tbl. dried thyme, 1 tsp. cayenne, 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, 1 tsp. chili powder) Combine and funnel into a jar or Ziplock.

PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ONION APPLESAUCE

1 6-inch X 3-inch pork tenderloin

1 Tablespoon of Lynda’s seasoning

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small apple

1 small sweet onion

2 large cloves minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 turns freshly ground black pepper

2 cups chicken stock

1.  Rub pork tenderloin with Lynda’s seasoning.

2.  Heat olive oil in saucepan and brown tenderloin on all sides, about 6 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on a plate.

3.  Coarsely chop apple and onion and add to pan.  Fry for about 2 minutes.  Add garlic salt and pepper and fry for an additional minute.

4.  Add chicken stock to apple/onion mixture and bring to a boil.  Add pork tenderloin to mixture and reduce heat.  Cover and stir occasionally until stock is absorbed.  Remove pork and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Slice pork in 1/2-inch slices and serve with onion applesauce.  Add a steamed veggie and a scoop of macroni and dinner is good to go!