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Buttermilk Apple Coffee Cake

If you ever have the fortunate chance to be invited to my house (or happen to invite yourself which is OK too) for an evening... one of two things will happen. I will immediately start cleaning (a challenge to succeed in with 2 small children) and I will begin thinking about what I will make you to eat. This is the way my brain works. It's a fortunate side effect for all who enter my home.

If I feel comfortable enough, I will likely test out a new recipe on you... few have gotten poor reviews. So my friend Lauren was the lucky tester of this sweet and delicious coffee cake. I reached for a random (OK, not all that random, I made sure it was Cooking Light) cookbook off my shelf, flipped through and found a yummy sounding recipe that I had all the ingredients on hand for. This moist and scrumptious coffee cake was the result.

Caramel Pork with Radish-Squash Slaw

Despite its name, this dish tasted nothing like caramel but everything like a delicious pork dish should. The flavors were wonderful and the kids cleaned their plates. Two criteria for an extra successful dish in my house!

If you think you don't like anchovies, chances are you've never cooked with them before. If you can get beyond the look when you're chopping them up, they lend a nice flavor to the dish without being obvious that they're even there. Try it... you'll see...

For Radish-Squash Slaw: Combine 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons honey in a medium bowl. Add 3/4 cup each of julienne-cut carrot, daikon radish, and yellow squash; toss to coat and serve with pork and rice.

2 12-16-ounce pork tenderloins

1/4 cup chopped golden raisins

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup mango chutney

1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

Trim fat from tenderloins. Make a lengthwise cut down the center of each tenderloin, cutting almost to, but not through, the opposite side. Spread meat open.

For stuffing, in a small bowl, combine raisins, green onion, sweet onion, shallot and thyme. Spread stuffing over meat. Fold each tenderloin back together. To secure, tie at 1-inch intervals with kitchen twine; brush with oil. For rub, in a small bowl, stir together salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly over meat; rub in with your fingers.

For a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium-hot heat above pan. Place meat on grill rack above pan. Cover and grill for 30-35 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 155 degrees. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce to medium heat and adjust for indirect cooking. Grill as above, except place meat on a rack in a roasting pan; place pan on grill rack.)

Remove meat from grill. Cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small bowl, stir together chutney and mustard. Warm in microwave for 20 seconds; stir. Slice meat and serve with sauce.

As many of you may know, I am a huge fan of the grill and the excitement starts brewing as soon as the weather starts to clear. I've dedicated myself to branching out and trying some new things this year and although I've tried a beer can chicken before, it's been years. So I was ecstatic to try this out. Only afterwards did I see a nifty "beer can chicken" holder at Target which I swiftly purchased for the NEXT beer can chicken because there will definitely be more to come... Joe and I sampled a few bites straight off the grill as we tore off the skin and sliced the bird. Mouthwatering goodness... totally worth the effort!

Beer Can Chicken
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 12-oz can of beer (I used Coors)
1 3.5-4 pound whole chicken
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 lemon quarter

For rub, in a small bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Discard about half of the beer from can. Add 1 teaspoon of the rub to the half-empty beer can (beer will foam up.)

Remove neck and giblets from chicken. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the rub inside body cavity. Use fingers to gently separate skin from breast, thighs and legs of chicken, leaving skin intact. Rub butter and remaining rub between meat and skin.

Hold chicken upright with the opening of the body cavity at the bottom and lower the chicken so the beer can fits into the cavity (this is where the beer can chicken holder would have come in handy!) Pull chicken legs forward so the bird makes a tri-pod, resting on its legs and the can. Twist wing tips behind the back. Stuff lemon quarter in neck cavity to seal in steam and flavor.
For a charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around a drip pan. Test for medium heat above pan. Stand the chicken upright on grill rack over drip pan. Cover and grill for 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours or until chicken is no longer pink (180 degrees in thigh muscle.) If necessary, loosely cover chicken with foil to prevent over browning. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect cooking - turning off one burner and placing chicken over unused burner while other burners remain on. Grill as above.)

Holding chicken by the can, carefully remove it from the grill. Cover chicken with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Carefully remove hot can with hot pads.