Sunday, June 03, 2007

Go ahead--you deserve it!


I heard these words, or something like them, several times today. Each time they were spoken by MizBubs, girl dynamo.

Like I said earlier this morning, the past few days have been a blur of yard work and movie rentals. The overall effect, however, was pleasing, not frantic.

MizBubs took me shopping for some new running shoes and a couple of tee shirts. Inspired by a recent post by Justacoolcat we headed to Lurvey's and bought a mock orange shrub to fill an empty spot in the back corner of the yard, and ended up with 3 Spirea shrubs and some water plants as well. Next thing I knew, we were back in the yard digging again.

When we finished I started on dinner. MizBubs decided that we needed a tasty beverage after all our hard work, and the beautiful creation you see above was the result. I asked her what it was, and she called it "A Perfect Day":

Cruzan coconut rum
Mango nectar
Lime Juice

It was perfect.

I got adventurous with a couple of pork tenderloins we had in the fridge, and decided to try a new rub. I must say, it came out wonderfully. The rub had ground coffee, brown sugar, dried chipotle, sage, garlic powder, paprika and salt. It created a damn-near perfect crust on the tenderloins, and I finished it with a sauce I made from chicken stock, chipotle, roasted red peppers and chocolate. It was mighty tasty.

Now it's time to get ready for bed, and the grind of the coming work week.

12 comments:

Mob said...

So of course I have Lou Reed doing 'Perfect Day' in the back of my head now...

Sounds like a great way to spend the weekend.

Joe said...

I actually mentioned that to my bride earlier, how I felt like singing "Perfect Day" except I'd sing it in a happy way, not an overly-orchestrated, kinda depressed, kinda menacing way.

At least I'd try, anyway.

jin said...

That cocktail is almost making me drool.

I used to consume mass quantities of coconut rum.
I <3 coconut anything.

Tenacious S said...

Yummy! I actually love pork tenderloin. It's a good carrier for all kinds of interesting sauces and rubs with the added bonus that it cooks quickly and usually remains juicy. It's one of my go-to foods for a quick meal when I get home from work because it tastes like I fussed when I didn't.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

You truly are the luckiest man in the world, and the best part is that you know it.

Dang that drink looks tasty and I was pretty much drooling reading about your dinner.

I'll bet your yard is pretty perfect now too.

justacoolcat said...

That is a great looking drink you've mixed up. What size is the mock-orange you purchased? They are kind of slow growing.

My body aches in places it shouldn't from all the gardening this weekend.

Joe said...

Coolcat, it's pretty good size. It's got some flowers coming in on it, and it's about 3' tall. The thing I like about gardening is that it's an essentially hopeful activity--you have to have some faith in the future to engage in it in the first place. And I've gobbled a bunch of ibuprofen before leaving for work this morning, I feel your pain.

Barbara, the drink was even tastier than it looked! And I have to say, the dinner came out well for something I thought up.

Jin, whenever I smell a combination of coconut and:
-vanilla
-rum
-tropical fruit
-tropical flowers
-cigarette smoke

I instantly get to pining for either the Gulf coast of Florida or a swanky Las Vegas casino.

Ten, yes! Pork tenderloins are right up there with the 6 pound bags of frozen chicken breasts from Costco. Easy protein to build a fast meal around.

Dino said...

the drink sounds like something I'd love. the dinner - i don't know aside from not eating pork chops the idea od a crust made from ground coffee, brown sugar, dried chipotle, sage, garlic powder, paprika and salt and then the sauce having chicken stock, chipotle, pepper and CHOCOLATE???? honestly my stomach is doing somersaults just reading it (and not the good kind)

Joe said...

katy, have you ever eaten Mexican food with a mole sauce? It was similar to that. The coffee sounds odd, I know, but I saw a recipe for it recently and thought it was intriguing. As for the addition of chocolate, believe it or not, it goes really well with roasted peppers and chipotle. I have a chili recipe that's pretty hot, and it has a square of bakers chocolate added to it. It adds a real rich, deep flavor to a spicy dish.

Johnny Yen said...

Kim and I met some friends last night for dinner at Sol de Mexico, a place that specializes in moles. Highly recommended!

And I second what Barbara said, about you being a lucky guy and realizing it-- I just mentioned that fact in today's blog post.

Dale said...

Mole, mole, mole...tasty stuff Johnny Yen.

I'd like the drink although I made chicken yesterday with mango and lime marinade and it really didn't do the trick. Your rub sounds much better!

Joe said...

Aye, there's the rub Dale. There's the rub...you should've skipped the marinade, added rum and made a drink of it.

Thanks Johnny. Thank you.