The past three days have been a break from serious scrounging.  Our neighbor brought us lasagna, salad and bread for dinner Friday.  She is concerned about our lack of gainfulness and gave us some leads.  Never had to get a recommendation from our minister for a job, but here goes.  Saturday I made Mustard Glazed Pork Loin from Southern Living’s Homestyle Favorites cookbook.  Well, it wasn’t the exact recipe; it was what was on hand and the time I had to make it. More on that in a bit.  On Sunday our church celebrated Thanksgiving with all the trimmings.  We were waddling around 5 days early.  So no dinner prep Sunday night.  Tonight it was leftover pork loin, heated in a covered skillet and napped with a sauce made from the pan drippings and sherry (always keep some cheap sherry and port in the pantry).  Dinner was served with baked sweet potatoes, french bread and broccoli.  Now you may be wondering, what is scroungelady doing with pricey cuts like pork tenderloin?  The answer is salvage grocery shopping.  There is a salvage store about 9 miles from our place.  I love going there because you never know what you’ll find.  One of the great items frequently there is frozen pork tenderloins for about $1.50/pound.  Between stuff like that and dented cans you can eat very well.  Even Mr. Mike likes shopping there.  He brings home cans of Ensure half price, feeling very proud of his finds.

I went turkey shopping today.  It was a beautiful day (80 degrees) so I rode to the regular grocery store in the sidecar.  It’s great for grocery shopping.  Just make sure the ends of the bags are tucked under or they can levitate at 60 mph.  The turkey rode in the trunk.  What’s this about spending $25 on food and then getting the turkey for 88 cents per pound; otherwise pay $1.19/pound if you don’t spend $25?  Are you saving money?  The smallest turkey is 11 pounds.  Screwed either way?  Well, I’ll make sure he tastes good.

Recipe: Mustard Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1 lb pork tenderloin (1.5 pounds would be OK)

3 Tbsp dijon mustard

3 Tbsp orange juice (I used fresh LA oranges my neighbor gave us) but frozen OJ would work

1 tsp cajun seasoning (I think steak seasoning would be good too)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees.  Mix the mustard, juice, sugar, and seasonings in a bowl.  Spread over the tenderloin and place the meat in a roasting pan (I use food release spray).  Sprinkle the top of the meat with breadcrumbs.  Bake about 20 minutes until the desired degree of doneness.  We like our pork with no pink in the middle, so it temps at 160 at least.  Let set about 5 minutes before slicing.  Serves 4  Recipe is based on the Southern Living one, but uses different cooking methods.