I love it when a plan comes together!

Seriously, readers... I was in the weeds on Sunday in the kitchen with the eggplant and chicken parm. There were several moments where I would walk over to somewhere and stand there for a couple moments, just wondering what the heck I wandered over there for.

That made tonight in the kitchen so much more enjoyable.

After I learned a secret about breaded pork tenderloin - letting the meat rest after you've coated it - it was something I needed to try out. I looooooove fried pork tenderloin. We never ate it in sandwich form growing up (well, not as the initial meal, sometimes we'd luck out and there would be leftovers for lunch the next day if my dad didn't have pork tenderloin sandwiches for breakfast that morning). But it was always one of my favorite meals.

For some reason, maybe because my mom was trying to make space in the fridge, my family recipe involves marinating the pork tenderloin in Italian dressing. It works for us.

I also use pork tenderloin... slice up the tenderloing into about 4-5 equal sized pieces, and pound out those... um... how the heck do you describe it? Well, you put it on your board like you'd be dealing with it as a medallion, and what would be the "top" and "bottom" is what you consider the "top" and "bottom" of what you are pounding out. Pork tenderloin is not something that has much texture to begin with, and it just seems more tender after it's pounded out this way. Again, works for us.

Did my favorite new breading/baking method.... toast some panko in a skillet over medium heat with a couple teaspoons of olive oil, breaded as usual (flour/eggs/crumbs).

But back to the point... tried the "bread and let it set" method. Pork went to wait in the fridge for a half hour. Also wanted to do some stewed apples, so I peeled and sliced four apple, threw them in a skillet with some butter and sugar and let that go to work. Also started some water for some blue-box mac 'n' cheese (always a go-to when I suspect the hubby might turn up his nose at the rest of the meal). Chopped some broccoli, put that in the mircowave steamer.

Threw the breaded tenderloins into a 400 degree oven and continued on.

Burned myself taking the tenderloins out of the oven (yeah... grabbed the pan with the hand that did NOT have the oven mit on it) and threw some butter into my finished noodles before the cheese packet was added. No milk. Hubby prefers a "stiff" Kraft Mac 'N' Cheese.

Mac 'N' Cheese was actually a tad salty. Usually I use margarine, but I already had the butter out, so that went in. In another way the hubby and I have a very mixed marriage is the whole "butter vs. margarine" thing. I grew up in a butter house. Margarine was something you found at other people's houses. The first time we went shopping to stock the fridge in our new apartment, I think I had doubts when I learned the hubby was a margarine guy. Just... no. Butter or nothing!

I have given in a bit to the margarine. It is just easier. And I do have a guilty weak spot for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter which tastes NOTHING like butter but is better than other margarines.

I have to wonder if the butter made the blue box stuff salty.... I always buy salted butter, even for baking. It's just easier... no dealing with ununsed unsalted butter, or worrying when you only have salted butter on hand. Ah well.

But it was all timed perfectly, and was all really good. The hubby happily ate his chop and loved the apples. Woo hoo! I love it when the time in the kitchen works so well....