July 17th-18th "Welcome to the Lake House!"

A weekend at Smith Mountain Lake is always a party! It is so beautiful and relaxing in Virginia it would be a sin not to share it with others. Every meal is an opportunity to cook and gather for great food, wine or on most occasions Sangria (recipe below)! This past weekend was a rare treat with friends from college who I so rarely get to see because of jobs, significant others, and distances to far away cities! After a disappointing day of on again, off again showers the evening turned into a spectacular sunset and clear skies. Perfect for this delicious pork tenderloin spread. So easy yet delicious, it is almost impossible to ruin!

Menu:

Pork Tenderloin with Greek Salsa

Poppy seed Salad

Chicken flavored Rice

While preparing the salsa and sides the group got a little hungry. So I cut off the rind on a wedge of brie cheese and topped it with fig jam and placed this in a preheated oven at 350 degrees till the cheese melted. Adding an assortment of crackers to the plate brought most of the group in to talk and eat while the rest of the meal was being prepared (my favorite part)!

Marinade the pork in a beer (I used Michelob Ultra- who needs the extra calories) and some soy sauce.

The pint of cherry tomatoes should be diced and then put in a colander with some salt so the excess water drains out and your salsa is not to wet. The following ingredients should all be diced very small (thanks to Laura for all of her dicing!) to around the same size of the tomatoes and combine with the olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Greek Salsa:

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 small red onion, diced

One 4-inch long piece English cucumber, peeled and diced (these are the ones wrapped in plastic in the produced section)

20 Kalamata olives pitted and chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

2 Tablespoons drained bottled capers

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons shredded fresh basil leaves

To add some green to the meal I made Kathy O's Poppy seed salad, very simple and great for a summer meal.

Kathy O's Poppy seed salad:

Mixed salad greens

Chopped walnuts

Dried Cranberries

Paper-thin slices of red onion

One chopped pear

Dressing: Brianna's Poppy seed Dressing

Finally to finish the meal, quick and easy, chicken flavored Rice (follow the recipe on the back of the box).

The "Grill Masters," my Dad and Don O. took the pork tenderloin off the grill and it was the perfect light pink center and dinner was ready! Rang the bell to get the rest of the crew in from the boat house and dinner was served!

The evening was great, finishing dinner outside while the sun went down! Thanks to Luanne R. for the delicious peach cobbler. Unfortunately cooking always ends with the dishes but everyone chipped in and by the end of the night everyone was full and content and exhausted! A great night with dreams of another day on the lake! My philosophy, taught by my mother is 'The More the Merrier,' next time maybe you can join us!

As promised a great summer, Peach Sangria!

One bottle of white wine

One cup of Peach Schnapps

One concentrated frozen lemonade

Two cans of Sprite Zero or Fresca (of enough to fill up the rest of the pitcher)

Cut up some grapes and peaches to fill the bottom of the pitcher and let them soak for an hour or two! Add ice and serve!