Thursday, October 7, 2010

Delicious Pork Tenderloin ~ Blurring the Lines of Recipe Ownership!


Have you ever had one of those recipes that's been passed around so many times ...everyone forgets where it originated?

I've had this Pork Tenderloin in my recipe box for as long as I can remember! I've shared it with so many people over the years (who have then passed it along themselves) that even you are bound to run into this delicious dish at your next neighborhood party!

So... (after forgetting the exact ingredients) you can imagine my dismay when I went to reach for the recipe card...only to find it missing!

Who on earth would take such a thing? I'm extremely too organized to have misplaced it myself? (ha)

Then it dawned on me...I have a pint sized suspect right under my nose!


Culprit is known to illegally acquire crayons to scribble on walls, furniture, books and/or items left unattended.

Culprit is known to steal others possessions to deliberately throw them away in the trash. While this "throwing away" behavior has been deemed by some as "practicing his opening and closing skills"....mom's cute tan flats, dad's Blackberry and sister's teddy bear have all found their way into (and then thankfully out of) the family garbage.
God only knows how many other items have fallen prey to his childish antics.  ...Lego's, bills...a recipe card perhaps?!!!

I had him right at my fingertips!  But after a few minutes of hardcore questioning...his lack of attention and ignorance to the seriousness of the matter at hand... was getting us nowhere!  Having purely circumstantial evidence...I begrudgingly had no other choice, but to let the boy go. (Sigh.)  I was forced to call one of my friends... to ask for my own recipe back. 

She obliged.

But...my fear is now... my friend and I have reached a point with this recipe, where she's confused WHO gave WHO the recipe FIRST?

Will I receive a phone call from her years from now, asking for the pork marinade recipe "she gave me" ...way back when?

Will she show up at our friend's potlucks with trays of succulent pork tenderloin... so that everyone there will go on and on as to, "how amazing her recipe is?"

Will the recipe's lines become so grossly blurred to the point where even I become confused as to WHO had initial rights to the dish?

The vicious cycle will continue and continue....and continue.

So the moral of the story is twofold... keep anything of perceived value out of arms reach of sticky, curious fingers and more importantly... Own  Thy  Recipe! 

Pork Tenderloin Marinade, Unknown - Own it before your friends do!
Makes enough for two medium pork tenderloins.
Best to marinate all day.
Grill to medium.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons cilantro chopped (optional)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried mustard (you can use Dijon if you don't have dried)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil

Place both tenderloins in large Ziploc bag along with all the above ingredients. Squish all around to incorporate ingredients and distribute evenly. Refrigerate until about ready to grill! Serve hot, room temp or cold. Delicious on sandwiches, salad or with any number of sides! Wonderful!

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Yea, that little one sure does look suspicious!! LOL Great story behind the recipe, and speaking of which.. it looks and sounds incredible! I can see why people would want to claim it as their own!

Katerina said...

It was a good thing that you let the suspect go, since you had no evidence but I am afraid that even though he was not convicted his reputation was damaged already. Anyway, I would search for the least "fishy" in this story. Usually in Agatha Christi's stories he/she is the one who did it lol... Your pork is definitely worth the trouble you got in to find the recipe.

Nuts about Food said...

When a recipe is so succulent, I guess in the long run the important thing is that it circulates and not who originated it. That is what great ideas are all about. I recently read an interesting post on Yummy Mummy Cooks Gourmet about recipe ownership. Losing trace of where it originates is actually flattering because so many people have made it their own. It is a sign of excellency. So thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

I know! :) My friend and I actually joke about it b/c the funniest thing is I have NO IDEA where I even got the recipe so who am I to "claim it!"

I kid you not though...I realize this marinade is not rocket science... but if you like its flavors (and pretty much stick to the measurments) this recipe is SO, SO good!

Everyone ALWAYS loves it ...as long as the pork is cooked correctly, it's a true winner!

The Food Hound said...

HAHA! Yes, he looks tremendously guilty :) I have the same thing, but my belongings don't make it into the garbage-- rather, the jaws of my hounds :) They would love to get their teeth on a recipe card, especially if it has grease stains on it, haha! This pork recipe looks great... I do make something similar and it's delicious! Isn't pork tenderloin so versatile??

Anonymous said...

I've seen that boy all hopped up on gin martinis and I wouldn't put ANYTHING past him!

laurie said...

He's too cute to be guilty! Look at that face!!!

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

I have one of those theves around here too. Its becoming an epidemic in the under 4 yr old set - rampant thefts and denials yet all evidence points to the smallest ones of the house. :)

The pork marinate sounds really good! Brown sugar & mustard are always delicious on pork :) You better watch out I might have to claim this one myself :) LOL!

Cindy Ellison said...

How cute, I loved the "Wanted" sign. He is adorable ... and as you know, you can never put anything past them. Not long ago I laughed when I found an old Hardee's biscuit copycat recipe, my daughter had scribbled "yum yum" on it.

My tenderloins have been known to be dry, I will make a note to use your marinade next time...sounds delicious.

Jaime and Jen DISH said...

Your little one looks guilty and is SO CUTE!!!! This looks so great....We need to eat more pork in our family....might have to start after this recipe.

Thanks!

Jenifer

Karen said...

Ha. It is a vicious cycle!
But looks like a great recipe to have back in your arsenal...it sounds delicious. I love soy sauce in pork marinades. Yum!
Maybe a hostage negotiation class for handling your suspects???

chow and chatter said...

this is such a cool post love it can you do a guest post for chow and chatter one day love your style and the recipe rocks

The Arrogant Chef said...

I love pork tenderloin and will be trying out this marinade this week.

Unknown said...

Thanks all for your comments! He's cute for sure but...a total stinker! Love him and his sister more than anything in the whole world :)

@Chow and Chatter, Rebecca I would be more than honored to do a guest post one of these days...I have never done one before but would love to!

@The Arrogant Chef
I hope you like it as much as we do! It's great w/a cilantro aoili too!

Magic of Spice said...

I love this post...I knew two such culprits myself not so many years ago...And these little thieves seem to get away with a lot, considering there adorable disguises :)
Wonderful recipe and great photo :)

Anonymous said...

I tried, TWICE to send a note of compliments. Too damn many questions and a difficult process. Nice formula and to hell with the rest

Mags @ the Other Side of 50 said...

I no longer have little sticky-fingered culprits living with me to blame for my loss of anything valuable, but aging minds and memories have caused much debate between me and my best friend regarding whose story is whose and did it happen to me or her? We laugh ourselves silly sometimes when we get each other's stories mixed up.

Cute post, great recipe!