Friday Dinner with Uncle David

Josh and I are on our way to Nantucket!!!! And hopefully, our tradition (meeting up with dad at the airport and finding lobster rolls waiting in the car) will continue. Dad are you reading this?? 

Anyways, I am trying to prepare for vacation so to thank Uncle David,  I made dinner for my Uncle David. He is house sitting for my parents and is also watching my cats while I'm in Nantucket. So I made a relatively healthy meal, however the vanilla frozen custard with chocolate sauce kind of counteracted that healthy-ish meal. The pork tenderloin was cooked with very little oil and the potatoes were just roasted with PAM.  Oh well. 

These carrots are one of my favorite side dishes, ok yes, sometimes they are just dinner.  I can eat a whole batch in one sitting. These carrots are sweet and savory. The carrots don't absorb the spices or the honey, so they are just carrots but the combination of butter and  honey coat the carrots and carry the spices to your mouth. The currents are sweet and work beautifully  with the the sweet carrots and the crunchy almonds. I think you will really like this dish. Even my friend who doesn't like carrots can not get enough of this delicious dish.

Honey Roasted Carrots with Currents a Calamity Kate Original 

1 pound carrots, approximately 7 medium or 5 large 

1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tea pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tea nutmeg
1/8 cup currents
1/8 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup room temperature water


Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2. Then continue to slice the carrots into wedges. Melt the butter in a large pan on medium heat and add in the carrots and nutmeg. Swirl the carrots to coat with butter and  nutmeg. Pour in 1/2 of the honey and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the pan has a golden syrup like coating.Turn the heat up to high and add in 1/2 cup of water and cover. Cook until the water has mostly disappeared and turn the heat down to medium. Add in the remaining  honey and currents, cook for 2 minutes uncovered and remove pan from heat. Serve warm and  tossed with almonds. 

Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Rosemary & Lemon Pork Tenderloin

1 lemon, zest grated
1 lemon juiced
Good olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
1 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound)
Freshly ground black pepper


Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn and smoosh to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.


Preheat the oven to 400˚F.


Remove the tenderloin from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper.Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins, about 40 minutes. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and drizzle 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. T. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter. Chop up rosemary and top the roasted pork with sprinkles of rosemary. Delicious!