GIRLFRIENDS' MYSTERY TOUR.

This is my niece, Colette, in the Twins dugout.


My birthday is in October but my niece, Colette, and I finally were able to share her birthday gift to me - a "Girlfriends' Mystery Tour." The plan was to have Cole stay overnight on Friday so that we could catch the bus in Apple Valley first thing on Saturday morning. So, the fun began on Friday when she arrived. We made a simple dinner together consisting of pork tenderloin, sauteed zucchini "spaghetti", and toasted nut bread. Here's the recipe (from Lunds "Real Food") for the pork tenderloin:


GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH WORCESTERSHIRE-PECAN BUTTER. Serves 8.
Dry Rub:
* 1 tablespoon turbinado or brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
* 2 teaspoons coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
* 1 teaspoon ground pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
Stir all of the above ingredients together in a small bowl and massage mixture into:
* 2 pork tenderloins, about 14 ounces each
Let sit, covered, at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
Prepare grill.
Spray tenderloins with oil and arrange them on the grill over high initial, then medium, heat. Grill tenderloins, rolling to cook on all sides, until internal temperature reaches 155º, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, as the tenderloins are cooking, make:
Worcestershire-Pecan Butter:
In a dry skillet lightly toast
* 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, stirring continuously, about 5 minutes. Add
* 1 stick (8 tablespoons) plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in several chunks. When melted, add
* 2 tablespoons minced white onion
* Pinch of coarse salt
Cook until onion turns translucent and limp. Remove from heat and stir in
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce.
When the tenderloins are done, remove them from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes, covered with foil, before carving into thin slices. Give butter sauce a quick stir, over heat if necessary, and spoon over the tenderloin slices.

We were at the bus at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and proceeded to make six stops on the Mystery Tour.
1) The Depot in downtown Minneapolis for an historical tour followed by a delicious breakfast buffet.
2) The new Target Field (Twins Stadium) for a thorough tour of the stadium including the field, dugouts, changing rooms, boxes, etc.
3) AAA in St. Louis Park. At AAA (American Automobile Association) we went to a lecture on how to pack most efficiently.
4) OM restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. This restaurant has awesome Indian food. At this stop we got appetizers and had our "Angel Cards" read. My Angel Card was "Vibrations" and Cole's card was "Creative Power."
5) Dance Studio on Snelling in St. Paul. Here we got a 20-minute lesson on the salsa. What fun!!!
6) Mediterrean Cruise Cafe in Burnsville for dinner, complete with an '80's band and dancing. They were great!

To summarize, Cole and I both concluded we loved sharing the day in this way. What a great gift! If you want more info, check out http://www.girlfriendsmysterytours.com/

Pic of me in the dug-out.