I know most people want something that does not take much effort on a weeknight. You’re tired after a long day at work and the last thing you want to, especially in the summertime, is spend a long time in the kitchen in front of the stove making dinner. I feel the same way; there are just some nights where you don’t want to do it. The great thing is that there are so many good recipes out there that you can do in under 30 minutes and have a really nice meal on the table without working up a big sweat in the kitchen. All it takes is a little bit of planning on your part each day or at the start of each week so you can be sure you have all of the ingredients on hand. Then you can crank out your dinner and have it on the table fast. A great example of a dinner that looks fancy but takes no time at all is this one from Food Republic for pork tenderloin with balsamic raspberries. It is an elegant looking dish that you can have on the table in about 30 minutes.

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Raspberries

2 pork tenderloins (about 3/4 pound each)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, with a rack in the middle position. Rub the pork tenderloins with the olive oil and sprinkle each tenderloin with salt and pepper.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet and brown the pork on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan and roast it for about 10 to 12 minutes; an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees. Remove the tenderloins from the oven and let the meat rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat and cook the shallots, stirring, until they are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes.Stir in the balsamic vinegar, the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.

Season the sauce with pepper, add the raspberries, and heat the sauce until the raspberries are just warm.

Cut the meat into slices and serve with the warm balsamic raspberries.

It is a very simple dinner to make but it looks pretty fancy when you get it all on the plate. You get a really nice sauce with the vinegar and raspberries and we all loved the flavor the sauce provided to the pork. You could use the sauce pretty successfully with other cuts of pork if you prefer, like boneless cutlets or chops or even bone-in chops. I served the pork with some Brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes, but you can make it really easy on yourself and just put it together with some rice and a salad or a baked potato and salad and have everything ready to go. Anytime you can get a main dish done in about 25 minutes and have it look fancy and taste awesome is a pretty good deal to me.

That’s all I have for today. Check back next time for another recipe. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day and enjoy your meal!