Lifestyle

In the Kitchen: FARMER JOHN®

September 20, 20171 Comment

Thanks to all of my readers for sticking with me during the breaks in between blog posts. It’s been a very busy year with a lot of amazing changes and accomplishments! One of which is that I’ve been trying to find more of a balance between cooking at home and eating out. The boyfriend is an amazing cook, and makes facilitating this balance a heck of a lot easier! When FARMER JOHN® reached out to me about doing a collaboration with their products, it was a no-brainer! It took awhile to figure out what dish we wanted to highlight, but once football season came around, we knew exactly what we wanted to do! If you don’t eat pork, I would advise you to stop reading right about now.

Their Premium Classic Bacon is naturally hardwood smoked for full flavor. While great on its own, it’s also the perfect addition to any dish…which is why we decided to make bacon wrapped pork loins!

First, form the bacon strips into a bacon weave. There’s a ton of tutorials on how to do it if you are hesitant, or impatient, like myself. Once you have the bacon weave, roll the pork tenderloins up, cutting off any excess strips.

These are some pretty badass bacon weaves! Once the tenderloins are wrapped, season them. We use a homemade seasoning containing sugar, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper, among other secret ingredients.

Once coated, it’s time for the…

Yoder Smokers

Probing the meat with digital meat thermometers allows you to keep a pulse on the temperature, so your meat is always perfectly cooked! The tenderloins were on the smoker for around 2 hours at a temperature of 225 degrees fahrenheit. Once the meat hit 145 degrees, we took it off of the smoker, turned up the heat and crisped it up just a bit more. Keep in mind, the internal temperature of the meat is going to continue to rise after you take the meat off of the heat. It will reach the safe temperature when it’s thrown back on to crisp up the bacon.

Who’s hungry? We cut ours into slices and served it over our favorite coleslaw. The pork was perfectly cooked, and the bacon was perfectly crispy.

While, tri tips have been our Sunday BBQ go to when we don’t want to take up too much time prepping and cooking, this is a great alternative. It wasn’t time-consuming and the results were outstanding! If pork tenderloins aren’t your thing, FARMER JOHN® has an array of products and recipes perfect for the holiday season!

For more information, visit https://www.farmerjohn.com/

Fall 2016 isn’t about the Pumpkin Spice Latte

September 13, 2016September 12, 2016Leave a comment

If I’m being honest, Summer is my season. The weather is beautiful, there are food events and concerts every weekend, and everyone seems to be in a better mood. I’ve never been one to celebrate the weather cool down, impending daylight savings, or the over rated Pumpkin Spice Latte, but I must say, I am really looking forward to the Fall season this year. This is for a variety of reasons, some of which may seem basic and mundane to most, but to some of my spirit animals, fellow sufferers of Mercury in retrograde, and proud Snuggie® owners, you just might find something you like on my Fall 2016 favorites list.

Fall 2016 is all about cozy sweatshirts: Between the ‘Hocus Pocus’ design from A Beautiful Mess and Oui Fresh, Spirit Animal design from Bean Goods, and my personal favorite from Esplanade Brand Co., I’ll be comfy all season long.

2. Fall 2016 is about the Apple Sage Latte: Yes, you read that correctly. Skip the artificial pumpkin flavor in your latte this season, and visit the gram-worthy Neat Coffee in Costa Mesa. It’s in a very unassuming location, but you can’t beat the house made seasonal syrups, neighborhood feel, and personable customer service.

3. Fall 2016 is all about Mules: I am obsessed with these Steve Madden slingback mules. They are the perfect transition shoe for Fall, and on those awkward Fall/Winter warm days in SoCal, I’ll be able to rock these all year long. Try and stop me.

4. Fall 2016 is all about Gilmore Girls: Anyone else counting down the days until the reboot? Mark your calendars for November 25th, and get your coffee maker ready for the ultimate Netflix marathon.

5. Fall 2016 is all about cozy cocktails: As I was scrolling through Pinterest over the weekend, I found an Apple Cider Moscow Mule recipe, from the gals of Home Made Interest, that I am dying to try.

6. Fall 2016 is all about new food: Come on, you didn’t think I could go an entire post without talking about some of the anticipated restaurant openings coming up. Even though many of these are pending dates, I can already let you know that I am fully booked all season based on the openings of Kismet, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, and Cosa Buona.

7. Fall 2016 is all about bulking up for the Winter: Seriously though… If you are guilty of ending a stressful day with ice cream and a spoon, do yourself a favor and reach for Tillamook‘s Super Premium flavors. They are better than other name brands, and will satisfy your sweet tooth in just a few spoonfuls, not the full pint (if it still takes the full pint for you to recover from your day, I don’t judge you).

Keep in mind, Fall is more than sweaters and lattes. I will be using this season to hit the ‘reset’ button. I plan on getting a head start on my 2017 resolutions, and clearing my head before the busy holiday season. Fall is about not feeling bad about a lazy Sunday watching football, reading a new book every week, waking up early to enjoy the newly brisk mornings, and spending time with the ones you love (even if that still involved photo ops at the Pumpkin Patch or going way too early Christmas decoration shopping at Target)…

Let the countdown to September 22nd begin!

Mason Coffee: Cold Brew Specialists

August 29, 2016August 28, 2016Leave a comment

Coffee makes me feel alive. Coffee gives me life. In other words, coffee is life. So, obviously, when Mason Coffee reached out to me about doing a collaboration, I happily agreed. Little did I know, they were going to get me hooked. They sent me their collection of 4 flavors to try: Original, Vanilla, Lavender, and Mint. Their packaging is simple, but colorful which I love, and anything I can throw in my purse running out the door is extremely convenient. While all of the flavors are unique, the underlying quality of the coffee is obvious. Deriving form a sibling team who found solace in cold brew in a society drowning in traditional office pots of hot coffee, Mason Coffee is the epitome of what makes cold brew great. It’s smooth, rich, and refreshing, even more so with their unique collection of flavors. Even though the Original is still my favorite of the bunch, the Mint is a close second. It has a subtle bite in flavor, and compliments the inherent taste of the cold brew base. Their Vanilla and Lavender flavors were also very balanced and smooth. This cold brew got me through a busy day at work, a relaxing afternoon on the beach, a road trip to San Francisco, and morning running errands. Basically, this brand and beverage fits right into my lifestyle. I get my caffeine fix; it tastes great; it’s portable; and people love the way the jar looks, so you are getting quizzical stares and inquiries whilst you caffeinate. Another plus is their location! They are based in LA, and I love to support local businesses. Another plus? You can order Mason Coffee right to your door, or even start a subscription! You mean to tell me that I can live a life where there is always a jar of cold brew in my refrigerator for me to grab on my way out the door? Every morning? Sign me up! You can also find their jars at a few LA hotspots. If you are new to cold brew coffee, or you dislike hot coffee and have been looking for more options than what is available to you at a corporate chain on every street corner, check these guys out. You will never regret having a great glass of cold brew.

Pro tip: I can’t wait to get my next batch of cold brew from them. Rumor has it, if you combine half Vanilla and half Mint, you will get a taste reminiscent of the beloved Thin Mints.

For more information, visit themasoncoffee.com.