Quick weeknight pork

When the kids are hungry and you need to get dinner on the table fast, you don't need to pull out that bag of chicken nuggets from the freezer. In about the same time, you can have tender little pork medallions, seasoned both to please kids and you.

For the medallions, slice a pork tenderloin (for best results, it should be very cold, even partially frozen) into 1/4-inch rounds. If you have trouble visualizing what a quarter-inch is, you can call up a file to print out a ruler by clicking here. Lay the rounds out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with your favorite seasonings, as spicy as you like for yourself, salt only for the kids, who will probably like to dunk them in ketchup or barbecue sauce.

Get everything else you are having for dinner ready (salad, rice or potatoes, vegetable or two, condiments). About 10 minutes before you're ready to eat, simply heat a skillet on medium high heat, brush with olive oil, put in the medallions (if you're in a real hurry, just season one side and put that side down; the seasoning will seep through, although putting it on both sides makes it more intense). Cook until brown on one side, about 3 minutes, then flip over and turn off the heat after about a minute. Warm your plates in a 170-degree oven, set the table, serve up your side dishes, and the pork will be ready to plate. Enjoy!