Easter Dinner (recipes for Cranberry Apricot Roast Pork Loin and Cauliflower Gratin)

I had an absolutely lovely Easter luncheon this afternoon. A small, quiet group of six with a wonderful friends with way too much delicious food.

Easter Luncheon Menu

Appetizer Tray: Deviled eggs, Olives, Pickles, and Carrots

First Course: Strawberry, Beet Salad with Feta and Pecans

Second Course: Cranberry Apricot Roast Pork Loin, Cauliflower Gratin, Roast Asparagus, Peas with Bacon, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, Cranberry Sauce, and one friend brought a rich Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Macaroni and Cheese made with Smokey Gouda (it was very good)

Dessert: Lemon Cream Pie

Cranberry Apricot Roast Pork Loin 

(Adapted from "Quick Savory Cranberry Glazed Pork Loin Roast on allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
4 lb pork loin roast (I couldn't find a 
                     whole one so I had to 
                     buy three portions 
                     that totaled four 
                     pounds.)
1 14 oz can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup apricot jelly (I didn't have enough 
                    so I used half apricot 
                    jelly and half 
                    applesauce.)
1 T Dijon mustard 
1 T horseradish
2 t garlic powder
2 T fresh thyme, minced
4 chicken bouillon cubes
Salt and pepper
Non-stick cooking spray

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Rinse and dry the pork loin roast. Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray.
3) In a small sauce pan, mix all of the remaining ingredients.  (In place of two of the bouillon cubes, I used some chicken thigh pan drippings saved from the previous evening's dinner. Very yummy.) Cook sauce over medium heat until the bouillon cubes have dissolved. 

4) Spoon sauce over pork loin. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour or until the internal temperature reads 145 on a meat thermometer. 
5) Let the roast rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. It's moist, juicy and delicious.

Cauliflower Gratin

INGREDIENTS

1 large head of cauliflower cut into small florets 

8 oz Mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 fresh sage, minced

1/4 t nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Parmesano Reggiano cheese
Non-stick cooking spray

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) Blanch the cauliflower florets in boiling water for about 5 minutes until tender. Drain thoroughly and pour into a 9x13 pan coated with cooking spray.
3) Place Mascarpone cheese, heavy whipping cream, sage, and nutmeg in a medium-sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over cauliflower florets.
4) Sprinkle Parmesano Reggiano cheese over top. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the cheese is all melted and starting to brown.

Creamy and mild-flavored. Went really well with the peas and bacon. (I mixed them together. Quiet excellent. Maybe the start to a new recipe.)

Sauteed Peas with Bacon

Roasted Asparagus

Passing of time

My family has just wrapped up the estate sale at my grandparents' house. It was a very odd experience start to end. Being asked if there are any items I would like, anything I had had my eye on. My mind just doesn't think that way. I don't look at someone else's things and think, "I would sure like that." But as it went, I selected a couple of things; some with memories, some that I thought were pretty, and some that were just useful.

When my family had all selected their sentimental and useful objects, we held four days of estate sale. That was odder still. People walking through the house my grandparents had lived in since my mother was 8, haggling over the price of my grandmother's Tupperware. Some people were very kind, offered their condolences even though they didn't know us. Some people needed to remember this was an estate sale; we were selling off my grandparents' personal possessions. Is there really any cause to be rude about the prices? Maybe they should remember we have memories of those dish towels, decorative plates, and coffee creamers. 

My great-grandparents wedding photo

My grandparents in their younger years

My grandmother passed away on the evening of Valentine's Day this year. She was 96 years old. A good long life by all standards. My grandfather preceded her two and a half years ago. He was 95.

Oh, how time slips by

It's been nearly a month since I last posted. I know, bad me. It has been one crazy month. I haven't really had a weekend at home in forever (or a month, really). Things look like they may be calming down. I am hoping I will be able to get back to regular posting soon. Also, spring break is just around the corner.That offers all kinds of cooking time. Can't wait.

On a side note, I've tried my hand at a new activity in the past month... pottery. Fun! I have made two small trays and a couple of decorative little tile things. I'm working on glazing them. Then next, maybe I'll get to throw some clay. Who knows, maybe this will become a hobby.

Oohhh, Hot Chocolate (recipe)

Sometimes nothing is better than hot chocolate. The weather last week was below freezing here. Surprise, surprise; California does get cold. Cold weather puts e in the mood for hot chocolate. I'm not a fan of instant hot chocolate packets, either. They're not very good, and hot chocolate is so easy to make without them.

HOT CHOCOLATE 
INGREDIENTS
4 T cocoa powder
4 T sugar
1 T corn starch
1 t cinnamon
1 dash cayenne pepper
(I used 1/16 teaspoon)
2 cup milk
1/2 T vanilla

In a small sauce pot, whisk together first five ingredients. Place over medium heat. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue to stir until completely incorporated and frothy. Heat until milk starts to steam but not simmer or boil. Whisk well scraping the bottom and sides. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

Voila! Rich, creamy, chocolaty. Really good with a warm blankie and a good book.

Pozole recipe

I have been craving pozole for a few weeks now. I love the rich stem with the zingy lime and the fresh toppings. I know several people who make really good pozole. But since no one has made any I could partake in in months, I decided to try my hand at it. I made a batch years ago, worked on it all day long. It turned out wonderfully. I haven't been able to duplicate that since. I've spent a good deal of internet browsing time looking at pozole recipes, but none seemed to duplicate my one successful pot of pozole.

So today, I just went to the store and bought a variety of ingredients I thought might make the rich, deep red chili-based broth that is the heart of a really good pozole. Then it has to have both pork and chicken, cooked for a long time to be tender but also make the flavors rich. Lastly, of course, if the hominy. I love hominy. There aren't enough uses for it in my opinion.

The wonderful concoction I created satisfied all of my pozole cravings. So good. So warming. A wide melding of lovely flavors.

POSOLE
INGREDIENTS

Note: I did not use all of the ingredients
pictured. Use the ingredient list for what
I actually did use.

four bone-in chicken thighs (I threw in 
     a little leftover grocery store 
     rotisserie chicken, too. I'm all 
     about using up leftovers.)
1 pound pork roast such as shoulder or    
     butt, I used a boneless leg roast
1-2 T canola oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 t cumin
1 onion, sliced
1 T crushed garlic
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped cilantro
sauce from one can of adobo chilis
4 oz can mild green chilis
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup red taco sauce, medium heat
11 oz can tomatillos, quartered
29 oz can hominy

TOPPINGS: shredded cabbage, lime, cilantro, diced onion, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese

1) Remove skin, if any, from the thighs. Cut pork into similar sized chunks.



2) Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add meat. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper. Sear.

3) As meat sears, add onion and garlic.


4) When meat has browned and onions have softened, add chicken broth, parsley, cilantro, adobo sauce, green chilis, tomato sauce, and taco sauce.



5) Bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for one hour.

6) Remove chicken and pork from broth. Set aside and let cool. Meanwhile, add tomatillos and hominy. Continue cooking with lid on over medium-low heat.
7) Once the meat has cool, remove chicken from the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut pork into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to the stew. Cook for another 30 minutes.

8) Serve with choices of toppings. Standard toppings include shredded cabbage, lime, cilantro, diced onion, salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Could go with tortilla chips and guacamole or diced avocado, as well.

I like mine with cabbage, lime, cilantro, salsa, and cilantro. A little diced mild onion is always good too.

Santa Barbara

We also took a day trip to Santa Barbara over Winter Break. Another beautiful day.

Santa Barbara Mission

Santa Barbara Courthouse; it's still a real, working court house!

Me at the bottom of the tower

View of the coast from the top of the tower

View of the mission from the top of the tower

San Diego

The Boy and I took a short vacation to sunny San Diego over New Years. We had a great time.

Himalayan dinner

Balboa Park

Shrunk heads at the Museum of Man in Balboa Park

Museum of Natural History in Balboa Park

Greek dinner

Old Town San Diego

General Store in Old Town San Diego