Tenderloin and Cupcakes

Recently, I've rediscovered my desire to cook as a hobby, so I filled this evening with cooking.
For dinner tonight, I fixed a recipe that my sister recommended, Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. It seemed simple, and there weren't many ingredients.

After slicing the pork tenderloin and three scallions lengthwise, the pork was opened like a book, and the scallions placed inside.

The pork was closed up, and, according to the recipe on the Internet, could be rubbed with Dijon mustard. I wasn't sure how Tom would like that, so I only rubbed half of the pork.

The pork was wrapped with bacon,

and the bacon was rubbed with a sugar and pepper mixture.

The whole thing was baked, and looked pretty terrific coming out of the oven.

To add a classy touch, I warmed up a can of green beans as an accoutrement.

Overall, I was pleased. It was simple, and Tom absolutely loved it. He wanted the bacon to be crispier, but when he warmed up the leftovers in the microwave later in the evening, he thought it was perfect. I thought the scallion flavor was a little overpowering, and that the sugar was a little too sweet. That's probably my fault, I used Splenda instead of granulated sugar, which meant there was probably more sweetener there than intended. The next time I attempt this recipe, I'll try to replace the scallions with fresh herbs and work on the sugar aspect.
After dinner, I made Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting.

They turned out well. I thought the flavors were good, but the frosting was a little too sweet for my taste. Tom said he loved them, but he likes sweet. I also made the caramel twice, thinking I messed it up the first time. The second try, which is what I used for the frosting, wasn't as dark or flavorful as the first, since I was afraid of messing it up, but after a little research on the Internet, it looks like I could have fixed the first batch. Oh well, I learned something for next time, and there definitely will be a next time!
What I thought was especially great about tonight's bout of cooking, was Tom asking what I was going to cook next. He seems more open to trying new things than I gave him credit for. Just when you think you know someone...