Remembering the Past

When Russia first invaded Ukraine, the world held it’s breath. Similarities were drawn between images of World War II and this newest conflict. But unlike World War II, we had live-feed twenty-four hours a day streaming into our living rooms.

We were shocked and appalled and recoiled from the flickering screen yet never quite managed to turn it off. Hum, maybe we should have remembered history a bit better. The writing was always on the wall. And war is never pretty.

But for some of us, the stark reality of war puts life into perspective. Now these are just my opinions, but we seem to have become more self-centered. World War II brought people together. Personal sacrifices were seen as badges to be displayed with pride. People went without. Communities came together.

Not this time around. Here in America, we were bombarded by images of children fleeing their homeland. All the while across the bottom of the TV screen were reports that Baseball has been postponed because the million-dollar players weren’t getting paid enough or that teachers are refusing to return to in-person teaching without hazards pay. Where were the sacrifices? Play ball for the love of the game. Teach children for the sake of building the future. Need I go on?

We need to remember the past. We need to think of others. We need to stop asking what’s in it for me? If we don’t, we are bound to repeat our mistakes, only this time around we won’t recover. Our self-serving demands will be our undoing.

Today is the anniversary of D-Day. It should be remembered and honored. We have so much to learn from the Great Generation.

As we look around at all the craziness in the world, Americans need to come to the realization that we did this. This is the result of the breakdown of the family. Families need not be traditional. It’s the love, the respect, the support of family that shape us. And if you don’t have that, you will fill the void with something else – like gangs or drugs or destructive behavior.

It’s not enough to belong to a family, families need to sit down to a meal together. Unplug, and just be. When it comes to family meals, we tend to like things that are home-spun. This pork tenderloin is convenient yet has that homey feel. Enjoy!

Mesquite Pork Tenderloin
1-1/2 lb Hormel Mesquite Barbecue Pork Tenderloin
1 bottle Barbecue Sauce
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 tablespoon Mesquite Seasoning

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking pan with foil. Center a V-shaped rack the foil-lined baking pan.

Remove tenderloin from the packaging. Place tenderloin on roasting rack and let roast rest on counter for about 15 minutes to create a more evenly tempered meat for better roasting.

In the meantime, gently warm the barbecue sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat. While the sauce warms, mix chicken stock with seasoning, set aside.

Ladle some of the warmed barbecue sauce over the pork, reserving the rest for serving. A basting brush is great for spreading the barbecue all around the roast. Keep the remaining barbecue sauce warm until ready to serve.

Roast tenderloin for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add the seasoned chicken stock to the roasting pan, cover with foil and let “steam” in juices for about 10 minutes longer.

Remove roast from oven, leave covered and let rest for 5 minutes prior to slicing. Transfer to serving platter, slice into medallions. Drizzle with pan drippings. Just before serving, brush with barbecue sauce for more messy flavor.

These medallions are great with sides such as skillet potatoes and buttery corn for a complete supper.