We had a big weekend down here in Birmingham. For many of us here, football = life. And for one weekend a year, I live in a house divided. My husband bleeds orange for the University of Tennessee, while I'm a fan of the Crimson Tide. We drove to Tuscaloosa for the game (what a nail-biter!).

Tailgating notwithstanding, game days are always hectic. Especially now that we must wrangle with strollers and diapers, shortcuts that lead to good food are a must for our family. If meal can do double-duty and still be delicious, even better.

Since I knew we'd be leaving early Saturday morning to beat the game-day traffic, I made a big breakfast casserole the night before. My recipe, handed down from my mother, could feed a football team (well, almost).

I've adapted it to be a little more waistline-friendly than my mother's version. It is super-easy, soaks overnight and you can pull it out to serve as at breakfast or brunch. Sunday night, I added a green salad and we had it again for dinner.

Ingredients:

I was searching for a quick and easy way to cook pork tenderloin recently when I ran across this recipe for Honey-Mustard Pork Tenderloin with Kale. I was drawn to this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, because it promised a main dish, a sauce, and a side with just seven ingredients. Second, because I had never thought to pair mustard with kale, which is one of my favorite leafy greens that I tend to cook in the same old ways.

This recipe calls for marinating a pork tenderloin in a mixture of stone-ground mustard, honey, and sherry vinegar for two hours in the fridge. I was in a rush, so I had to cut that time short, and I was surprised at how well the flavors permeated the meat. I imagine it would have been even better if I'd left it to marinate for the full two hours.

The result? This recipe made me fall in love with pork tenderloin all over again. I hadn't made it in a while, having grown bored with the same old preparations. This spicy-sweet approach was a hit with not only my husband but my 18-month-old son, who even liked the kale, despite the considerable challenge of chewing it with only five teeth.

This recipe earned a place on the weeknight go-to list in my personal recipe file, joining other favorites such as Thai Fish Sauce and Lime Chicken (a pantry recipe, since I keep fish sauce on hand), and White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini. What are your favorite weeknight stand-bys?