Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

I do not believe all cooking is easy. Or needs to be for that matter. But, I do believe when you find something that's easy, versatile, and tasty, it is nice to have it in your repertoire for entertaining or family dinner. That's what I love about the Barefoot Contessa. Her ingredient lists are not overwhelming and most importantly, 9 times out of 10, your food turns out like the picture in her cookbook!! Heck yes!

I like to stock my pantry with items I use frequently with many recipes and keep a few items in the freezer that are company and family friendly. Pork loin is inexpensive and so versatile. The classic mistake with pork loin is that it typically is overcooked and comes out dry and bland. Um, not good. This is an easy recipe sure to please little people, big people, and everyone in between.

Herb-marinated Loin of Pork
Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

• grated zest of 1 lemon


• 1/4 c fresh lemon juice (4-6 lemons) *In a pinch last week I used 3 limes and 4 clementines and it was great!


• 1/2 c olive oil


• 2 T minced garlic (6 cloves)


• 1 1/2 T minced fresh rosemary leaves


• 1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves


• 2 t Dijon mustard


• salt


• 3 1 lb pork tenderloins (I just buy one package with two in it)


• pepper

Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2t salt in a gallon zip loc bag. Double it up with two! Add the pork and cover in marinade. Seal bag and place in refrigerator over night or at least first thing in the morning on the day you are going to grill it.

When you are ready to grill, preheat grill, and remove meat from marinade. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Grill tenderloin over medium to medium-low heat turning a few times for 15-25 minutes until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part. Remove from grill and place on platter, cover tightly with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be pink which is fine and the thinnest part will be well done. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is a great recipe and can be mixed with anything depending on what you have in your fridge or what the season is! We had it for dinner as a family last week and I served it with julienned red bell peppers (so crunchy and good!) and brown rice. Tonight I will make it for our dinner club and with friends bringing a side and salad, and I bought crunchy sourdough to go with it as well. It's healthy, inexpensive, and delish! So grab those grill tongs and let's get grillin'!