Grilled Chipotle Pork Loin with Chipotle Black Beans

I don't know about you, but I like to eat a nice piece of pork loin, pork chops, pork ribs, pork roast, and of course...pork bacon every now-and-then! I'm not going to 'beat around the bush' about this...guilty; if that's the case. Most of the time, I just don't mention, or post about 'pork'...but this is the kind of pork that they call 'the other white meat:)

This one happens to be 100% natural...no hormones...organic?...that I assume it would be! I purchased a package of this 'beauty' at Walmart Super Store...3 double thick pieces...one, which I grilled for myself, and the 2 other pieces, I  tenderized, and pounded it 'paper thin'...breaded it, to make Wiener Schnitzel' (no photo) out of it to make it for my son, and my two granddaughters. One thought it was chicken...my son thought it was veal...and for me...'mums the word'....guilty? ...nahhh!...don't think so!...Cost was a mere $6.17 and I had a fabulous dinner one night for myself, and another dinner the next day for the 4 of us! Bought 4 beautiful plantains, for 25 cents each, to fry along with the chops, as well!...and the black beans were amazing! Had 2 meals out of 2 cans...with rice!

Very simple to make...just marinade your pork loin, or chop by using a dry rub of your choice...in my case, I used chipotle powder, chili powder, Hungarian hot paprika, cumin powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, rub it in real well, pierce fork and let it marinade at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 

Being that your pork loin is so lean, just before grilling it on your electric grill...in my case; a small George Foreman that you pre-heat, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on it, and grill for about 5 min. on each side..criss-crossing it to make a pretty pattern. With the George Foreman, you cut your grilling time in half, because it grills you meat on both sides with the top and bottom at the same time...that's the beauty of a George Foreman, which I love so much...you can buy a 'dime a dozen' at any of the Goodwill Thrift stores for $5.99...practically NEW!

As for the Chipotle Black Beans, I used 2-oz. can of Walmart brand black beans (excellent quality)...1-15oz. can of Red Gold diced tomatoes. I sauteed some onion, garlic, and added my tomatoes, cooked it for about 20 minutes...adding the same spices as in the rub for the pork chops...added 1 bay leaf, and a few dashes of hot sauce. At the very end, as you can see, I drizzled some more olive oil, to give it a pretty shine, and added 1 teaspoon white vinegar to 'kick it up' a little. Served it over white rice, and the pork loin chops...So amazingly delicious meal for 1 person, with plenty leftover for the next meal!

I have something else to share with you...linking this super yummy chicken wings...I did not cut between the joints, because this way you get more meat out of it!  Check this out....and no slow cooker either...could not wait for it to get done, so I made it in my electric skillet!

Last but not 'least' is my delicious 'Honey-Garlic Wings'...slightly adapted from my dear Floridian friend Claudia, who has the wonderful What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine. She called it Sweet Wings, and she cooked it in the Crock Pot/Slow Cooker...but I could not wait that long, and made it in my electric skillet. Also did not split the wings in two, to get more meat out of them this way. For more tips on sauces for wings...do check out Claudia's amazing blog, and I promise that you will love each and every recipe and tips from Claudia, who is a Store Manager by day, and food blogger by night...with 2 successful blogs, and a third which she is also the administration of! Her handsome son Curt @ Curt's Delectable Vlog, after his beautiful mom in his talented cooking skills!

Instead of the 1 cup honey, I used 1/2 cup, increased the garlic cloves to 3, and added 2 more Tbsp. of the ketchup instead of (2)...added 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, and juice of 1/2 lemon. I fried the wings first, in a heavy duty ...cast iron skillet, and then I made the sauce separately, cooking all the sauce ingredients together...poured it over the wings set up in my electric skillet, and just let them simmer...and kept them warm...I made this for 'Sophia's birthday'...and let me tell you, it was gone within a few minutes...that good!...so thank you Claudia for your inspiration, and countless more of your easy, and delicious recipes that brings back so many wonderful memories from our Italian kitchen, as well!

Spaghetti with Calamari Sauce

Being in a mostly Italian family, we seem to eat a lot of pastas and never get tired of it. In Italy, a meal without pasta every day, is unheard of...just as in Hungary, a meal without soup every day is 'not a meal' ...as my father used to say...so, I'm 'famous' for both! I make a lot of different pastas with different sauces, and I also make a lot of soups, as well. The most popular sauce in my family is the simple 'red sauce' that you cook up in 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be with fresh tomatoes...if you have a favorite good canned tomato puree, which is the easiest way, add some seafood...as in this case calamari/squid... then you have dinner PRONTO~

Canning Tomatoes...and missing Gina!

My friend Gina, from SPCookieQueen had just announced that she will have to take a break from blogging for a while, and may not be coming back! In the meantime, she had just posted her 7 Links that I tagged her with, and it is so beautiful with all her heartfelt posts, and favorite things that she posted, that I was so pleased to see, but not so pleased to hear the news that she may not be returning to her blog...sigh!

You see, Gina was one of the first blogger that befriended me on my blog, when I first started, and I will be forever grateful for that. She is so talented, and has come such a long way with her photo props, as she has explained in the past how she is doing it with the proper lighting...etc. All her recipes are so amazing, from soups...to desserts, and the photos are superb! I will personally miss her blog, and her, mostly. I have mentioned to blog at least once a month, because of her busy work schedule, so hopefully she will do at least that. As for the recipe for the actual Marinara Sauce...canning tomatoes. just link to her site! I only made a few jars of these, and I must say, it was truly a success...so thank you Gina for all your wonderful contributions...you are truly a beautiful friend, and a fantastic blogger...please do not leave permanently, not just yet!

Here's the recipe for How to can Marinara Sauce  from fresh tomatoes!

All I did was to saute some chopped onions, and chopped garlic in olive oil, and added the jar of canned Marinara sauce...heat it up, and I arrived at having the most wonderful Marinara Sauce I had ever tasted in my entire life...seriously!

...and to make it even better, I sauteed some frozen deveined, and cleaned shrimp to add to the sauce! Yumm! ...just can't have any other sauce better, than your own canned sauce!

Red Gold Spicy Tomato Sauce...and a Winner!

Today is the first official day of spring! Although, here in South Florida, we've been experiencing our spring since about January, and we'll be going into full blown summer, by May...go figure! This it the tropical climate that we are accustomed to. Such a wonderful weekend we had, how about that bright and beautiful full moon that only comes around every 18 to 20 years? (witnessed it and took photos)...Sunday was such a relaxing day, did not have barely anything in my fridge to cook for lunch, for my family in my little beach condo, but I always have canned tomatoes on hand, and pasta...the little ones love the mezze penne, and the spaghetti. I also found some Italian sausage in the freezer which I defrosted, so lunch did not take long. A little bit too spicy, but my little grandson eats everything, and did not mind the spicy sauce. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and got to witness the gorgeous moon that was 14% larger, and 30% brighter than your average full moon...that's what I call "romance in the air...or is it "Love is in the Air?"...remember that song from the eighties?

Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing

Ever wonder why they call these hot wings Buffalo wings?...well, it sure doesn't have anything to do with buffalo meat!...oh, yuck...even the thought of it! I'm going to enlighten you with a little history of these wonderful messy, but so tasty, juicy, and tender wings oozing in a special hot sauce that you make your very own, and have it medium, or extra hot.

It has been repeated so often that these wings were invented at the Anchor Bar on Main Street in Buffalo, that pretty much everyone accepted it as the truth. There has been less consensus, however, about whether the wings were created when a mistaken delivery of wings arrived at the bar and Frank Bellisimo asked his wife, Teressa, to do something with them...or, when Dom, their son, asked his mother to concoct a late-night snack for regulars at the bar. Either way, it was Teressa, who in 1964 came up with the idea of combining spicy wings with crisp celery, and blue cheese dressing.

Buffalo wings did not become famous until 1980, and the city declared July 29..."Chicken Wings Day"...and simply left it at that!