Beef Tenderloin with Henry Bain Sauce

In case you need a good New Year's recipe to feed a crowd this recipe is a definite. You can also make it with pork tenderloin which is just as good as the beef. The sauce in this recipe is the best part! Mom found this recipe and used it for Thanksgiving and I'm so glad that she's passed it along!

Beef Tenderloin with Henry Bain Sauce

1/4 c Butter, softened

2 t Salt

1 t Freshly ground pepper

1 4 1/2 - 5 lb Beef Tenderloin, trimmed

Henry Bain Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Stir together butter, salt, and pepper; rub over tenderloin. Place tenderloin on a lightly greased wire rack in a 15x10 inch jelly-roll pan.

2. Bake at 500 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion register 145 degrees (medium-rare). Cover tenderloin loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Henry Bain Sauce

1 9 oz bottle Chutney (Major Grey's)

1 14 oz bottle Ketchup

1 12 oz bottle Chili Sauce

1 10 oz bottle Steak Sauce (A1)

1 10 oz bottle Worcestershire Sauce

1 t Hot Sauce

1. Process chutney in a food processor (or blender) until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients and process until blended. Cover and chill 2 hours or up to 1 week.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

In case you have to take something to your family's Christmas gathering and you don't yet know what you're taking this is a quick and easy recipe.  It will probably require a trip to the grocery store, but is so easy and makes so much you'll be glad you made it!

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2 18 oz jars Apricot Preserves

1 12 oz bottle Chili Sauce

3 T White Vinegar

2 T Chili-Garlic Sauce

1 c Water

1 32 oz pkg Frozen Meatballs

1. Whisk together first five ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.

2. Add meatballs and return to a boil.

3. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

4. Keep warm in a slow cooker on LOW if desired.

* This recipe is from Southern Living and is an adaptation of their Sweet and Sour Sausage Bites recipe.  You can make this with 2 16 oz packages of cocktail sized smoked sausages by omitting the water in the recipe.  Also, the chili-garlic sauce can be found in the ethnic food aisle.  It was listed as "Chili Sauce with Garlic" on the bottle that I got.

Cheesecake-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake

This cake was a huge hit at our Christmas party! I have to tell you, it might be the best tasting dessert I've ever had! It's at least close if it isn't the best!

Cheesecake-Stuffed Dark Chocolate Cake

Unsweetened Cocoa

1 18.25 oz pkg Devil's Food Cake Mix

3 large eggs

1 1/4 c Milk

1 c Canola Oil

1 T Vanilla Extract

1 t Almond Extract

3 1.55 oz Milk Chocolate Bars, chopped

3 16 oz cans Home style Cream Cheese Frosting

2 7.75 oz boxes Frozen Cheesecake Bites, coarsely chopped

1 12 oz jar Dulce de Leche Caramel Sauce

Pirouline cookies

1. Grease 2 9" round cake pans, and dust with cocoa.

2. Beat cake mix and next 7 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute; then beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Fold in chopped milk chocolate bars. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 32 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool cake in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks. Wrap and chill cake layers at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. This enables you to split the cake layers with ease.

4. Using a serrated knife, slice cake layers in half horizontally to make 4 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a cake plate. Spread with 1/2 c cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with 1/3 of cheesecake bites. Repeat procedure with remaining 3 layers, frosting, and cheesecake bites, omitting cheesecake bites on top of last layer. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting.

5. Drizzle desired amount of caramel sauce over cake, letting it drip down sides. Chill until ready to serve. Decorate cake with rolled wafer cookies (Pirouline cookies).

* This recipe is from Southern Living. I tried to find the recipe online so that I could link to it but couldn't find it.

Pineapple Casserole

Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been so busy I almost forgot that it was Wednesday! This is one of my favorite side dishes and something that I take almost every time that I need to take a side somewhere. It is really good and I don't even normally like pineapple's! I thought it might be a good recipe to share with the holiday's approaching. Enjoy!

Pineapple Casserole

1 16 oz can of Pineapple Chunks

5 T Pineapple juice

4 T Flour

1/2 c Sugar

1 c Medium Cheddar Grated Cheese

Ritz Cracker Crumbs

1 stick melted Butter

Pour into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Melt 1 stick of butter and mix with Ritz Cracker crumbs. Spread on top of dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

What's your go-to side dish? I'd love to have the recipe!

Cinnamon Roll Bake

My mom made this for us a few weeks ago before the Mississippi State game and it was great! A good twist on normal cinnamon rolls! She got this recipe from Southern Living's December issue. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Bake
3 egg yolks
2 large eggs
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (16-oz.) package frozen cinnamon rolls (she used Sister Schubert)
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1. Whisk together first 7 ingredients until blended.
2. Break apart cinnamon rolls, and chop. Place in a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Toss raisins with rolls in dish. Pour egg mixture over top; dot with butter. Cover and chill 4 to 24 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 325°. Bake casserole 55 minutes to 1 hour or until set and golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Reader Request - Desserts

I'm making these recipes for Thanksgiving with my family tonight.  If you're reading this and you're in my family, I hope this looks good!

Peppermint Pie

1 Pie Crust, softened and cooked as directed

3/4 c Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided

1 pkg (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened

1 container (12 oz) Frozen Cool Whip, thawed, divided

1/2 c Milk

1/2 t Peppermint Extract

3-4 drops Red Food Coloring

1 pkg (3.3 oz) White Chocolate Instant Pudding and Pie Filling

6 small Candy Canes, crushed (about 1/4 c)

1. Prepare crust as directed.

2. Melt half of chocolate in microwave, stirring every 20 seconds.  Spread over the bottom and halfway up sides of crust.

3. In large bowl, whish cream cheese until smooth.  Fill icing decoratorwith 1 cup of Cool Whip; set aside for garnish (if you don't have a icing decorator you can just reserve to garnish on your own).  Add remaining Cool Whip, milk, peppermint extract, and food coloring to cream cheese; whisk until smooth.  

4.  Add pudding mix to cream cheese mixture; wisk/mix until the mixture is blended and very thick.  Immediately spoon filling into crust; spread evenly.

5. Melt remaining chocolate in mircowave until melted; drizzle over pie.  Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes.  Pipe rosettes of Cool Whip around edge of pie.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

- Recipe from The Pampered Chef

Chocolate Velvet Cake

Cake

1/2 c Buttermilk

1 t Baking Soda

2 c All Purpose Flour

2 c Sugar

1/4 t Salt

1/2 c Margarine (1 stick)

1 c Water

4 T Cocoa

2 eggs (beaten)

1/4 t Red Food Coloring

1. Combine buttermilk and baking soda - set aside.

2. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in mixing bowl and mix well.

3. Combine margarine, water, cocoa, and red food coloring in saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour over flour mixture, mix well and let cool.

4. Add eggs and buttermilk mixture -- stir well (can use mixer but don't beat too long)

5. Pour into two 8" cake pans

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting

1 stick Margarine

4 T Cocoa

1/4 c plus 2 T Milk

1 box Powdered Sugar

1. Combine margarine, milk, and cocoa in saucepan.

2. Bring to a boai.

3. Add powdered sugar.

4. Beat with a mixer until smooth.

- Recipe from Lee Lynch's grandmother

Yummy, I can't wait until dinner tonight!

Reader Requests - Drinks

I decided to honor all requests today.  Here are a few of my favorite drink recipes!  Dessert recipes, coming up next!

Hot Spiced Tea

This is my favorite cold weather drink.  It was a winter staple at our house growing up -- at least in my mind -- and just drinking it today can make me feel so much better!  The best part is that it's super easy to make and makes a lot!

2 c Tang

1/2 c Instant Tea

2 c Sugar

1 t Cinnamon

1/2 t Cloves

Mix ingredients together.

Mix 2-4 spoonfuls (depending on how you like to drink it) into a mug of hot water.  Stir.  Enjoy!

Sparkling Punch

This is the recipe that we used at Kelly's baby shower.  The picture above is from Southern Living since we didn't get a picture of the punch at the shower.  I loved it!  For me, you can't go wrong mixing things with pink lemonade!

1 12 oz can Frozen Pink Lemonade concentrate, thawed

4 c White Cranberry Juice Cocktail

1 qt Club Soda, chilled

Stir together lemonade and juice in a large pitcher.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.  Stir in Club Soda just before serving.

Cherry Chocolate Martini's

I, obviously, couldn't make this one and try it again but this recipe is tried and true.  My Dad and I spent quite a few nights trying to recreate the recipe that we got at the country club exactly.  We were finally able to make a recipe that we both liked.  The picture above is from our wedding.  At the top of our stairs at the reception we had a table of martini's across from a table of cherry lemonade for the kids.  This is my "go-to" fun drink, when I'm not pregnant of course!

3 oz Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

2 oz Kahlua

1 oz Grenadine

2 oz Heavy Whipping Cream

Ice (enough to get it the consistency that you desire)

Pour ice into a blender (we usually start with it about half way up) and then pour the other ingredients on top of the ice.  Blend until the ice is chopped.  If you want the drink slush-ier add more ice, if you want it less slushy then add less.  

Do you have great drink recipes?? Send them my way, I'd love to try them!