recipe review: maple-glazed pork tenderloin

i read a cook's illustrated cookbook a few weeks ago and while i was filing away the recipes i wanted to try, i came across this one for a maple-glazed pork tenderloin. i already had all of the ingredients and decided to make it on friday as part of my meal prep.

unfortunately, i can't find a direct link to the recipe, so i'll include the ingredients and directions here.

ingredients
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup (i used some of the bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup i got for christmas)
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon bourbon
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
salt and pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 12-ounce pork tenderloin, trimmed (the tenderloin i had was a little larger, so i adjusted the cook time accordingly)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

directions
1. adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. stir 1/3 cup maple syrup, mustard, bourbon, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl.
2. combine cornstarch, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in shallow dish. pat tenderloin dry with paper towels, then roll in cornstarch mixture until evenly coated on all sides; thoroughly pat off excess cornstarch mixture.
3. heat oil in a 10-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. brown tenderloin well on all sides, 6-8 minutes; transfer to plate.
4. pour off fat from skillet and return to medium heat. add syrup mixture to now-empty skillet, bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until reduced to 1/3 cup, 30 seconds to 1 minute. return browned tenderloin to skillet and turn to coat with glaze. transfer skillet to oven and roast tenderloin until meat registers 145 degrees, 8-12 minutes.
5. remove skillet from oven. transfer tenderloin to cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. meanwhile, transfer glaze left in skillet to small bowl and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup. brush tenderloin with 1 tablespoon glaze, then slice 1/4 inch thick. serve pork, passing remaining glaze separately.

i wasn't serving the tenderloin right away, so i took the meat out of the skillet and added the tablespoon of maple syrup directly to the skillet. i returned the tenderloin to the skillet, coated it with the glaze, then let it rest. i sliced the tenderloin and poured the glaze over the slices before putting everything away.

i had a quick bite of this and thought the flavors were ok. we'll see what happens when i dive in after a day or two of the flavors coming together.

recipe review: soft green beans

saw this soft green beans recipe in the latest issue of eating well and decided to try it out as part of my meal prep.

i used 1 large yellow onion and a little less than 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. me being me, i used 3-4 cloves of garlic that i minced instead of slicing. omg y'all. the aroma of onions, garlic, and cayenne was amazing before i even added the broth and the green beans. i decided not to reduce the liquid that remained after the cooking time, since there wasn't much left and i wanted to keep the beans moist for future servings.

i would totally make this again. it kinda reminded me of the green beans i ate when i was a kid - tender if not damn near overcooked, but still delicious.

10 ingredients to always have on hand

read this week's "i love lists" post from shutterbean and came across someone's 10 ingredients that they always have on hand. i found it interesting because there are definitely staples that i keep around almost all of the time. here's my list, in no particular order:

1. rice: i'm sitting at my kitchen table and i can spy at least 2 microwavable bowls of brown rice and a couple other rice pouches as i type this. sometimes i'll decide to make a stir-fry or fried rice and it's nice to not have to worry about cooking a fresh batch of rice.
2. eggs: there are always eggs in my fridge. i'm making a variation of these frittatas as part of my meal prep for next week. on the rare occasions when i bake, i'm already set because i have eggs on hand. i don't fry foods that often, but when i do? i have eggs ready for an egg wash.
3. bacon: come on. you had to have seen this one coming. if there's not bacon in the fridge, there's definitely some in the freezer, and if i'm completely out, it means i haven't gone to the store yet to re-up. that, or i've been sick and you should probably send someone to check on me.
4. frozen vegetables: i'm particularly happy about this one at the moment, given that the produce sections have been cleaned out due to new year's resolutions and the holiday's impact on delivery schedules. 
5. wine and/or whiskey: this should be another no-brainer. i cook with liquor in the sense that i will pour myself a drink (or three) while i'm cooking. 
6. frozen chicken, turkey, and/or pork: i am my father's daughter, which means i will almost always have some sort of meat-based protein that i can thaw for the next day or a round of meal prep. jewel had pork tenderloins on sale for buy 1, get 2 free, so now i have 3 pork tenderloins in the freezer.
7. cheese: i use cheese sticks as work snacks and occasional "oh god i need to eat something before i pass out" snacks. there's usually cheese slices and/or shredded cheese around as well. 
8. chocolate: i keep a bowl of individually wrapped dove promises on the table for those times when i want something sweet but don't necessarily want dessert.
9. garlic: 2 forms of garlic, actually, if we're counting garlic powder and fresh garlic. if you've read my recipe reviews, then you know i am a proud member of #teamgarlic. 
10. various condiments: soy sauce (for the aforementioned fried rice and stir-fries). bbq sauce. mustard(s) - there's probably at least 3-4 different types around here right now. mayo. jams/jellies/preserves. worcestershire sauce. maple syrup.

honorable mentions go out to olive oil, various vinegars (cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.), and the assorted spices in the cabinet.