The more I cook, the more comfortable I get with making up my own recipes. Last night, for example, I had a pork tenderloin, a head of cabbage and a bag of Brussels sprouts. And from that, I whipped up a healthy, gourmet quality meal based on my own noggin and the stockings of my kitchen.

Where’s the beef? I cut a large slit down the length of the pork tenderloin. In a small bowl I mixed together balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard and rosemary (lightly adapted from one of Mary’s recipes). I poured the mixture along the slice of the tenderloin, and threw it in the oven to bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

For the next 30 minutes I walked Rocky.

Cabbage patch time. I sliced about 1/3 of the head into little shreds. I then heated up a pot with a smidge of olive oil, red wine (luckily I have a bottle in the fridge that’s expired for drinking, but still good for cooking), and some white wine vinegar. I threw the cabbage in there and let it cook for probably 15 minutes.

The sprouts. My favorite. I sliced them in half, coated them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and then threw them on a cookie sheet to cozy up with the pork in the oven. After about 10-15 mins, they were nice and golden, with a bit of crispness.

This meal was delicious, nutritious and cheap (I got the tenderloin when it was on sale for 1.99lb, or something ridiculous like that).  Booya.