Apricot Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

We decided to do something a little bit different for Christmas Day at our home and put together an apricot stuffed pork tenderloin.  It was very easy and turned out so tasty.  This one might have to be repeated on the grill when it warms up this summer.

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin
Canned Apricot Halves
Raspberry Rib Slather

I butterflied the tenderloin and coated the inside with some of the Raspberry Rib Slather.  I then placed the apricot halves open side down into the opening of the tenderloin.

I then replaced the top of the tenderloin and coated the outside with the Raspberry Rib Slather.  It was then placed into a preheated oven at 350 degrees until an internal temperature of 160 was reached.  After letting it rest, it was sliced into 1/2 inch wide slices and served.  Very tasty and so simple.

APO Address Giveaway to Brighten a Soldier's Holiday

During the Holiday Season, we are going to give a gift to some deserving person in the Armed Forces.  The winner will need to have an APO Address to be eligible.  It is a way for us to say thank you for serving our country and wish them a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or whatever holiday they celebrate.

In the package, the winner will receive:

• Dad's Roadhouse Pepper Patch Salsa
• Dad's Roadhouse Pickled Carrots
• Dad's Roadhouse Apple Butter 
• Dad's Roadhouse Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce

The rules are simple, to enter you must:

•  have an APO Address 
• or nominate someone who has an APO Address

Enter the name as rank along with the last name as a comment below.   Make sure to leave your email address as a way to contact the winning entry for the complete address.  A random winner will be drawn at 6:00 pm CST on Sunday, December 19 so that the package may be shipped on Monday, December 20th.  Failure to respond to an email request for final information within 2 hours could cause me to move to an alternate winner to assure arrival near the holiday.

Note:  I have edited some of the entries to remove personal information.  I did not eliminate the entries and have retained copies of those entries, but do not want to endanger them in any way by having their personal info on a public forum.  Please leave only rank, last name and a contact email should your entry be selected.  A few have also put some spirited messages of support for their nominees.  That is awesome to see, but not required.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

While looking for a side dish to make for Thanksgiving that did not contain another starch for the meal, I came across this recipe watching Emeril Lagasse on Good Morning America.  It sounded great and looked easy enough.  As we came to learn later, both were indeed correct assumptions.

Ingredients


• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, stem ends trimmed, halved lengthwise

• 5 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (we substituted a splash of lemon juice)

• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more to taste

• Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Toss the Brussels sprouts in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season with the salt and pepper. Transfer them to a baking sheet and spread them out in one even layer.

Roast until the Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender and lightly caramelized around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Immediately transfer them to a large mixing bowl, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, and Parmesan. Toss to coat evenly, sprinkle with more Parmesan as desired, and serve.

Dad's Does Disney with a Twist

One of the Dad's Roadhouse team (me, the silent partner) went to Walt Disney World in Florida at the end of October for a work related conference. I can't think of a better place to go to for a conference. You might or might know that the silent partner was bit by The Mouse in 2003 and looks for every excuse know to The Mouse to return at least annually.

With that we have decided to add a new feature to this blog -Dad's Does Disney with a Twist - featuring Disney created recipes with Dad's Roadhouse substitutions for some ingredients. We hope you will like this addition!

This recipes comes from 'Ohana in Disney's Polynesian Resort. This was the first restaurant we ate at in 2003. We have fond memories of the lights dimming so the guest could see the fireworks over Cinderella's Castle while dining. We also have fun memories of the night. We captured on film a then 7 years old Jonathan dropping a gummy worm into Uncle Dickie's soft drink. We only guessed how that gummy worm slithered into the soft drink.

Meat Marinade White
from 'Ohana, Polynesian

2 tbs garlic, minced
¼ cup malt vinegar
¼ cup lemon juice
3 dashes tabasco - we use Dad's Roadhouse Jamaican Jerk Hot Sauce
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 cup olive oil

Place all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor. Slowly add the oil to the food processor to form an emulsion. Reserve half of the marinade for later use. Marinate the meat for two to three days in the refrigerator. Strain the reserved marinade and use to baste the meat during the cooking process.

Shepard's Pie

Shepard's Pie

I was looking for a hearty way to get some veggies into the supper.  I thought about it and decided to make Shepard's Pie.  Using a simple recipe, I browned a pound of ground beef with some garlic.  I boiled about 6 potatoes until they were soft.  I intentionally left the skins on the potatoes to give them a more rustic feel.  When cooked, I used a mixer along with some butter, milk and a few chives to make the mashed potatoes. 

Placing the ground beef into the bottom of a large casserole dish, I added a 1 pound bag of mixed frozen veggies on top of the beef.  Liberally adding some black pepper and a touch of salt I then placed the mashed potatoes on top.  Covering the dish, I placed the dish into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. 

Consider using a steak sauce as your condiment on the plate and enjoy.

Parke County Covered Bridge Festival

For the last 10 days, we have been at the Covered Bridge Festival in Mansfield, IN.  It was an opportunity to meet a lot of new people.  Some were clients, some were other vendors others were people who have never seen us before. 

We also had some outstanding food at the festival.  Beef brisket, pulled pork, steak tips with mashed potatoes and mushrooms, cinnamon rolls and much more.  A variety of foods from a variety of places.  Cecil and his crew have been at the festival for 33 consecutive years and only makes a limited number of cinnamon rolls and pecan rolls each day.  If you don't get there early, you will not get one. 

For us, we introduced a whole new area to our Salsa Grande.  A blend of habanero and jalapeno peppers with a nice mix of garlic, tomatoes and more.

We also sold an awful lot of pickled veggies.  We ran out of pickled asparagus, dilled beans, pickled carrots and sweet baby corn.  Next year, we'll pack more. 

Covered Bridge Festival Here We Come!

Old Mansfield Village in Park County Indiana will be home to Dad's Roadhouse from October 8 - 17 during the 54th annual Covered Bridge Festival. The event brings in over 2 million visitors annually to visit the historic covered bridges, dine on fabulous foods and shop, shop, shop. Our family has visited the Covered Bridge Festival on two other occasions. We enjoyed beautiful fall weekends in the country. One covered bridge is fondly know by our family as "Jackson Bricks" which was Jonathan's way of saying bridge when he was only 2! We hope this year will bring more beautiful weather and fond memories.

Please track us down if your travels take you near Old Mansfield Village in an area known as Mansfield Terrace during the Covered Bridge Festival. Mansfield Terrace is located just 50 yards from the Mansfield Covered Bridge which is open to foot traffic during the Festival and is the only connection with both sides of Raccoon Creek. It is estimated that nearly 100 thousand people cross the bridge each day. Mansfield Terrace is located in the very center of Old Mansfield Village and overlooks the Mansfield General Store (built in 1830), the Old Mansfield Village Food Center and the Mansfield Civic Center and Annex.

We will be sampling your favorite Dad's Roadhouse products as well as introducing our new butters - Peach, Pumpkin, Apple and Sweet Potato with Pecan. We hope to see you there!