Is it possible?

To love the Food Network Chefs any more than I already do? I don't think so.

Tonight's dinner was

Herb Marinated Loin of Pork

Courtesy of Ina Garten

(Sorry, I may have to post picture later because I accidentally took the picture on my camera's internal memory and not on my card, which I can stick directly into the computer and I don't know where the cord for my camera is since I never need it!)

Grated zest of one lemon
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil, plus extra for brushing the grill
2 tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 lb each)
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 tsp salt in a sturdy 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze the air out and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
When you're ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill. Brush the cooking grate with oil to prevent sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloins, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes (depending on the heat of the coals) until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it's just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

I made a few changes... I used dried herbs (bad selection in produce dept!) and I used a George Foreman grill because we live in a tiny apartment and have no real grill. :-(

ANYWAY... It was DELICIOUS.

For dessert (okay and an afternoon snack) I made...

Ellie Krieger's Double-Chocolate Brownies (Almost-Clean Style) From Food Network Magazine

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used dark chocolate morsels)
2 tbsp unsalted butter (I used Country Crock)
1 cup whole grain pastry flour (or 1/2 cup each of whole-wheat and all-purpose flours) *I used 3/4 cup WW and 1/4 AP because my grocery store fails...
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 large eggs (I used egg whites)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil (I used applesauce)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350* and coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally; do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.
3. Whisk flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and brown sugar until smooth, then add the yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk to combine. Whisk in the melted chocolate mixture until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened.
4. Spread the batter in prepared pan and sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in the pan or on a rack before slicing. (OR if you can't wait like ME, cut with a plastic knife... A trick my MIL taught me!)

They are pretty good for not the real thing and definitely satisfy the craving! Very moist!

Dinner RAVE and more

"What's cookin'?", you might ask... Well, I'll tell you.

Ellie Krieger's Crab Cakes and Ina Garten's Confetti Corn, that's what!

Crab Cakes

Courtesy of Ellie Krieger, The Foods You Crave

Cooking Spray

1 large egg, lightly beaten (I used Egg Whites)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Dash of hot sauce

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 scallion (white and green parts), finely chopped

1 lb lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs (I toast whole wheat bread and then blended them on "Crumb" to make my own!)

1/4 tsp sale

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400*F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon juice, hot sauce, and Old Bay. Stir in the bell pepper and scallion. Gently fold in crap, 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Put the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 mounds. Shape each mound into a round and coat evenly with bread crumbs. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and flatten the crap cake to form a patty about an inch high. Spray each crab with a little cooking spray.

Bake until golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Gently flip the crap cakes and cook until the second side is golden, 5-10 minutes longer. Serve hot.

She also included a recipe for "Smarter Tartar Sauce," but I opted to make my own sauce for the cakes... I just put equal amounts of honey mustard, dijon mustard, french mustard, and mayo in with a splash of lemon juice, parsley, and basil. It was delish.

The crab cakes did NOT want to stay together AT ALL... but they were VERY tasty anyway!

Confetti Corn

Courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics

2 tbsp good olive oil

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 small orange bell pepper, 1/2 inch diced

2 tbsp unsalted butter (I used Smart Balance with Flax Oil)

Kernels cut from 5 ears yellow or white corn (I used 2 small packages of frozen Kroger Sweet Corn)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp julienned fresh basil, minced fresh chives, and/or minced fresh parsley (I used less dried basil and parsley as the grocery store I stopped at had a bad selection of herbs on Monday)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. Stir in the bell pepper and saute for 2 more minutes.

Add the butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Over medium heat, add the corn, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the corn just loses its starchiness. Season to taste, gently stirring in the basil or other green herbs, and serve hot.

H LOVED this corn, as did I. There was a LOT of it, so we'll have it again with our pork loin and roasted potatoes and veggies tonight. :-) Yum!

Last night, two wonderful things happened.

1.) We FINALLY got cable. HELLO FOOD NETWORK, TRAVEL CHANNEL, LIFETIME, and MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. Happiness! It's a SUPER deal with HD, a gajillion channels, AND a DVR!!!!

2.) We did Week 3, Day 1 of C25k and I ran the whole way and then some. This week is: 5 minute brisk walk warmup, 90 second jog, 90 second brisk walk, three minute jog, three minute brisk walk, 90 second jog, 90 second brisk walk, three minute jog, three minute brisk walk, 5 minute brisk walk cool down. We took a wrong turn in my map, so we did an 8 minute cool down walk, and I got a horrendous cramp in my right side AND one of my toenails stabbed its neighboring toe, which was also no fun, but I made it through. No walks on the jog, and I got confused about the times, so the second 3 minute jog was more like a 5 minute jog. :-) It was fun though. I did get scared half to death about 10 minutes in when a dog jumped out of NOWHERE and started barking at us... I totally screamed because it surprised me so much. He might have been right there, but I was focusing on my jog, so I definitely didn't see him. It was actually pretty funny. :-)

TONIGHT is marinated pork loin (it's been marinating since last night at about 5... YUM), roasted potatoes, red bell pepper (left over from crab cakes), and purple onion (left over from confetti corn), and left over confetti corn. YUM. I can't wait and neither can H!