How far do you have to travel? Is there a microwave for reheating?

This is a wonderful pork dish that goes together pretty quickly. Sides could be as simple as steamed veggies (green beans, asparagus, or broccoli) seasoned with lemon zest and butter and roasted veggies like butternut squash or potatoes.

Pork Tenderloin with Dijon Cream

⨠â¨1# pork tenderloin, cut into 2" slices
⨠flour seasoned with salt & pepper
â¨2 tablespoons butter, divided
â¨1 tablespoon olive oil

â¨Sauce:
1 cup sliced mushroomsâ¨
1/3 cup white wine or dry vermouth
1/2 cup heavy cream
â¨1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
fresh thyme (about 1 teaspoon)
â¨salt and pepper to taste

â¨â¨Preheat oven to low, about 170 degrees. â¨â¨Lightly pound pork medallions to 1" thick. â¨â¨In large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil over medium high heat. â¨â¨Dredge pork in seasoned flour. Add all at once to pan and sauté 2 minutes per side. â¨â¨Remove to a plate and hold in the oven while finishing the sauce. (Pork will be a bit underdone but will finish in the oven.)

â¨â¨Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Add mushrooms, sauté for couple minutes. Add wine or vermouth; simmer until syrupy and reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Add cream, mustard, thyme, salt & pepper; simmer 6-8 minutes until thickened. â¨â¨Plate pork and spoon sauce on top.

â¨** You can double the sauce ingredients so there is enough to pour over rice or mashed potatoes.

~adapted from a recipe by weed on the GW CF

Thanks! Sounds delicious, Natal. It's about a 30 minute drive, and their microwave is....heat challenged. Sounds like that's a dish could be prepared before, and put togehter on site.
Dee

Also think of the 'comfort foods' for oldsters: macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, etc. Easy to eat with maybe not-good teeth, & usually no gas problems.

My mommy will be 90 in May and we are going to give her a BP also. Of course mother can eat like a 30 year old man. Can't wait to get some suggestions.

....Jane

Jane:
So good to see you back! I've missed your postings on here. My father's birthday was yesterday, so I was going to post a follow-up and thank you to Natal and Kathleen. I went with pork loin since I could start it on the grill at home and finish it in the oven at their house. Also added Bob Evan's mashed potatoes since I know they heat well in the microwave, along with fresh green beans. I added johnny marzetti and garlic bread for those who could eat onions and garlic. I also assembled that at home and cooked it in their oven with the pork. As an aside, I had decided not to post on GW anymore since I never seem to get many responses; I'm not sure why. I usually try to be helpful on other's posts, but it seems to be hard to break into that group who always get a lot of follow-up. I decided to take a chance on this one because it was important to me. I had seen other threads on recipes with tons of ideas. Alas, only two responses for me. You might want to try your own post since people usually respond to you. BTW, aren't we lucky to still have parents to give 90th birthday parties to? Happy early brithday to your mom.:)
Dee
Dee

Dee, sounds like a wonderful meal! I haven't had Johnny Marzetti since I was a kid. Used to love it when my mom made it!

We missed my mom's 90th, but my brother had a special cake made and took her out for a nice meal.

I didn't respond because the question was too vague for me. The whole wild world of cooking is available and I would have needed a lot more info such as: what do they like to eat? Any ethnic preferences? How good of a cook are you? How much do you want to spend? And those are just the basics.
What I like to eat, what my husband likes and what our parents like is all so completely different that it's hard for me to make suggestions.
On my 90th, bring on the sushi! Dh will want pinto beans, his mother buttermilk and cornbread and my mother, fillet mignon.

It sounds like what you made was fine and I hope everybody had a great time.

Sounds like you did a wonderful job. I am sure your Dad loved having a special meal on his b-day.

You are truly lucky to still have your Dad. I hope mine is around when he's 90!

Dee, I'm sorry--sometimes I think it's easy to forget that behind each and every post is a person sitting, wondering if what she has to say is interesting, will be responded to, will touch another person sitting in front of her or his computer somewhere.

Your post touched me. I hope you don't get discouraged, and that you keep sending out your thoughts. I for one already know something about you even if your original note didn't get a lot of response: you are a thoughtful and loving daughter who made a special day for elderly parents. Thanks for sharing that with us by asking for our opinions, even if we didn't have many to offer. This time :).

Ann

Thank you so much for your kind words, and for listening to my "whine". Bumblebeez, I was actually hoping for ideas I couldn't think of myself, that's why my question was kind of general. I can see maybe I should have been more specific. Natal, even though I didn't make the sauce in your recipe, your suggestion was great, and I intend to make the whole recipe for DH and me soon! The johnny marzetti was from the original recipe from Marzetti's restaurant, published 20 odd years ago in Women's Day in an article about most requested recipes from local newspapers. (Marzetti's was local) I make it ocassionally for the "kids" --my kids and my nephews, now all in their 20s and 30s, but we all love it. :) Work_in_progress, it feels good to still be someone's baby when you're in your 50s, so I wish you the same. And, Ann, thank you.
Dee

Dee - I was also thinking of responding to your post, and didn't. I'm sorry. I was thinking of suggesting mashed potatoes & gravy. I saw you did that.:) It would have been easier for you to take them to a restaurant, but you did the hard work & prepared a meal for them to enjoy in the comfort in their own home. You are a good daughter & God bless you!

Dee, I remember reading on some forum about the origin of Johnny Marzetti. I'm from northern Indiana, so I'm guessing that's why it was part of my mom's cooking repertoire.

dee- I've never heard of Johnny Marzetti. Would you share more info about it? I like to try new things and by the responses posted, it sounds like something worth looking into.

TIA

We used to be served a version of this in school. It was our favorite day, next to the hamburger pizza day. :) This is a real comfort food, and kids really love it.

JOHNNY MARZETTI CASSEROLE
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 C diced celery
1/2 C diced green pepper
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
2 lg. onion, chopped
1 t minced garlic
1 lb. ground beef
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 t salt
1 t pepper
8 oz cheddar cheese
8 oz macaroni

Melt butter over med heat, add celery, green pepper, mushrooms, garlic and onion. Cook until vegs are soft, about 10 minutes. Add beef, cook until no longer pink. Stir in tomato sauce, s & p. Bring to simmer, then stir in cooked macaroni and cheese. Put in 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Sear ground beef and onion in skillet. Add tomatoes and tomato juice; cook over low heat. Add soup; continue cooking 20 minutes. Add salt, hot sauce, Worcestershire, cheese and noodles. Cook until well blended; serve. Noodles may be added uncooked by using 1 quart each tomatoes and tomato juice.
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: History of Johnny Marzetti

dee- thanks for posting the recipe. Funny, my mom used to make this quite often when we were kids. Called it Goulash? Maybe its a regional thing? Any event, haven't had it since I was a kid, about time to revisit my childhood. If I remember, it didn't take long to put together. My mom worked full time so we usually had easy to assemble meals during the week.

Thanks again!

Ignore everything in the above recipe after cooking for 30 minutes. I copied and pasted from a website recipe for format, and forgot to delete the rest of the recipe. :( Sorry!
Dee

Dee, I don't usually post, although I did feel so connected to your question. My dad died at 87 and I do so wish we still had him. He would be 91 now! Anyway, I am a terrible cook, so I didn't respond. Now, tonight, I did think of my beef stroganoff, but I suspect the pork was much better. Let me know if you want the stroganoff recipe and I'll post it.

I am so glad the dinner was fun and the meal was a hit!

Cynthia