4th of July Cook Out

My sister Alison and her husband TJ were visiting over the 4th of July (yes, I am aware that the 4th of July was over five weeks ago) from Atlanta. We had a great weekend hanging out in Iowa City at jazz fest, and heading around town for wine tastings, fossil searching, and window shopping in the Amana Colonies. On the 4th, I made a big dinner for Alison, TJ, Tim, and my Dad who came up from the Quad Cities. I failed to take photos of the food, but it was pretty tasty!

Pork Tenderloin 2 ways-

For both of these, I grilled them on medium for about 40 minutes, turning throughout. Then, I let them rest under a loose foil tent for ten minutes. This is the most important step when it comes to having juicy pork!

1. Cajun -- I just mixed cajun spices and dried parsley and put the dry rub on the meat right before grilling.
2. Orange and fennel -- I put 2 TBSP of olive oil, the zest and juice of an orange, 1 TBSP of honey, a tsp of whole fennel seeds, a tsp of ground fennel, and a roughly chopped sprig of tarragon into a big zip lock and threw the pork in with it. After a quick "massage", I let it rest in the fridge for several hours to let the marinade really soak in.

Warm Acini di Pepe and Corn Salad  -- see previous entry for recipe.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Spinach Salad: 
Spinach + strawberries + goat cheese + pecan + red onion + poppyseed dressing. YUM!

Easy Grilled Potatoes:
These are a summer staple. I simply slice red or yukon gold potatoes thinly (using a food processor is a snap) and combine with sliced onions or minced garlic, a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Then, I take a large piece of aluminum foil, spray the bottom with Pam, and put the taters right on. I seal up the packet and throw it on the grill for 20-25 minutes. The potatoes on the bottom char, but the ones on the top just steam, and when you toss it all together it's perfection! The garlic and onions just melt into it. I make these at least once a week using different combinations of herbs and seasonings and I have never had a bad batch.


Seared Greens with Golden Raisins:
Oh man, I don't even remember what I did here... But it involved sauteing an onion in some olive oil, and then searing the greens and pouring vinegar and raisins in right at the last second. It was good.