I must admit, I’ve become a pro at putting together homemade Friday night suppers at my house. It’s become a tradition. I put together an idea of a menu, inform my friend (and master sous chef) Margo of the meal and a recommended side, assign wine to my friend Andrew and invite a special wild card guest. With little effort, we all end up stumbling into my kitchen after a long week for much wine, whine, gossip and a delicious homemade meal.

This Friday, after a minor grant writing disaster, I arrived home at 6:15pm with a plan in my head for dinner…. and Margaret and Eric scheduled to arrive at 6:30! Luckily, my house was mostly clean and my friends are low in judgement! Here was my drill for a speedy Friday night dinner by the fire.

On Thursday night, I marinated two pork tenderloin pieces in Plum Hot Chutney from Beth’s Farm Kitchen over night. You can use any hot chutney but this was a delicious gift from my friend Nancy.

On Friday night when arriving home (hunched over with a slight feeling of karpaltunnel from typing all week), preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place marinated pork tenderloin on a roasting pan and roast for about 25 minutes – or until an internal temp registers 140 degrees. Allow to rest.

Meanwhile, cook quick grits according to instructions until creamy. Add goat cheese, to taste, and a good sprinkle of smoked hot paprika. Season with salt and pepper. You might want to add more cheese…this is up to your stress level.

Slice pork and serve over grits with your favorite side or salad. Margaret brought brined and roasted cremini mushrooms with pine nuts and a spinach salad. Enjoy by a fire (made by the friend who isn’t cooking) and a good wine. We enjoyed Rios de Chile wine. Cheers to Friday night suppers with friends.