Happy Wednesday!  Phew… what a day!  We will get on that in a minute.  I have been working on house decisions what feels like all day yesterday as the builders had made some great progress and had lots of questions as the floor system got underway today.  House Update Below!!!!

On to the carrots!  These babies were amazing.  As part of the huge barbecue feast from yesterday we had some fresh garden carrots that were just aching to be kicked up with some Canadian Maple Syrup.  Now not that this carrot recipe is low in fat… but I really enjoyed them.

Here are the simple step by step instructions on how to spin these carrots for your next dinner.

Ingredients

• Carrots
• 1 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Wash carrots and cut ends off.



2. Cut into pieces and place in pot and cover with water.
3. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
4. Drain water, turn off heat and place pot back on the burner.



5. Season immediately while hot, add butter, thyme and maple syrup.





6. Stir and serve.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I like to slightly under cook vegetables as I find they taste better than when they are mushy.  So I like to keep a close eye and try to cut them similar in size so they cook evenly.

House Update

So there you have it! Some kicked up carrots and a zesty house update. Have yourself a great Wednesday and I will see you all tomorrow for a very “Beantown” menu choice.

Take care

zesty

Happy Thursday!  The grill gets the call again.  This time I went with the versatile pork loin and dressed it full of flavor.  The pork tenderloin was definitely the star of the show.  I am a huge fan of pork tenderloin due to a few reasons.

1. It takes on flavor easily
2. It cooks very quickly and
3. It is always tender.

For the Pork and Glaze

• 2 Tbsp. mustard
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary sprigs

Method

1. Preheat the barbecue to high heat.
2. Rub pork loin with oil, salt and pepper.
3. Sear pork on all sides on high heat; reduce heat to medium.
4. With 5 minutes left in the cooking process, add the glaze all over the pork and move the pork off the direct heat. Let rest 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and tent with tin foil for 10 minutes; then slice.
6. ENJOY!

Pear Bacon Chutney

• 3 Bartlett pears
• 1 Sweet Onion
• 8 Slices of Bacon (chopped)
• Salt and Pepper
• Sprinkle of white sugar

Method

1. Brown bacon, drain and remove from sauce pan.
2. Chop onion and pears and begin to slowly cook the onion.
3. Add the pear, and sugar and cook over low heat 10 minutes.
4. Add apple juice and continue to reduce.
5. Add bacon back and cook together on simmer for 30 minutes.
6. ENJOY!

One the Side

• Fresh Garden Carrots
• Rosemary
• Snap Peas
• Balsamic Reduction
• Butter
• Jasmine Rice

Zesty Tip: When cooking meat on the barbecue be sure to use the tent technique as mentioned above.  This will allow the juices to travel back to the center of the meat and not dry out.  The meat will continue to cook while tenting so I like to take it off a few minutes before the meat is fully cooked to your desired temperature.

Wow that felt like it took me forever to write all about this meal.  I must say the meal was very tasty with all the different flavors and textures. As well, I enjoyed using the rosemary on the meat, the vegetables and infused in the rice. Well I think that is all I have for today.  Let me know if you have any questions regarding today’s meal plan and I hope you have a great Thursday.

Take care

zesty