My herbs, my gadgets, my fast food dinner

Spring is being very good to our garden. I have to give kudos to my husband, who really does have a green thumb. I've got parsley, cilantro, oregano, marjoram, thyme and..

I planted "Chervil" this spring. Why? I have no idea. I can't say I've ever used it, but it's something I thought I'd add to my kitchen herbs. It's thriving and I have a LOT of it! I did a little research on how to use it, so I have plans-- eggs, compound butter and fish. If anyone uses this herb, I'd be so thankful for suggestions. Please!

It's been a rough week, at work. That's when I make fast food. Nope, not processed food...not fast food from the drive-thru. I reach for pork tenderloin, whatever veggies I have and some kind of potatoes.

"The Scoop Away" bucket has tomatoes growing in them. My husband likes to make use of all containers.

My chives are growing like gangbusters! Love it! The large bunch is my perennial that comes back year after year. The smaller ones are garlic chives. Who knew? We shall see how well these do, because we just planted them. Baked potatoes with some butter (not a lot), low-fat sour cream and fresh chives sounded great.

The pork tenderloin was seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning (super fast) and seared and roasted in the oven.

Ah, a new gadget-- A "wavy Knife" $2.95 and it's fun. It cuts veggies into "waves". I'd easily amused, you know. I like how "fancy" this makes the veggies look. I had zucchini that I seasoned with a little salt & pepper, and herbs de provence. I was going to cook them on the stove, but I decided to roast them with my pork tenderloin.

Another favorite kitchen gadget-- My thermapen. Cook's Illustrated raves about this, so I thought long and hard about buying one. At first, I winced at the price-- I think I paid $90.00 for this thermometer. I don't regret it. It's super fast, super accurate and it's saved me from overcooking my meats.

Humbly said, I'm pretty fast with making delicious pan sauces. I like to deglaze the pan with white wine, add a little chicken stock and then whatever hits my fancy. Tonight, I used leftover orange marmalade and reduced that while the pork rested. Off heat, a pat of unsalted butter is whisked in...and dinner's ready.


So, there you have it-- a Wednesday night meal in about 40 minutes, from start to finish...all in a day's work.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. I've got lots of recipes I've made but need to post, and so many other recipes I'm anxious to read from my favorite food bloggers. Hurry up, weekend!