Back by Popular Demand...

So I got this idea in my head that I needed to streamline. I felt like I was doing too  much stuff and I needed everything to fit into one brand, one name, one look...and I was driving myself insane doing it.

I started the Etsy store, which I love, and started a tumblr and became obsessed with making everything work together, and I cut out this blog and stopped having fun blogging and cooking and taking pictures. People kept asking me when I was going to post to this blog again, and I realized how I miss it!

So, here I am, new layout, new recipes and soon...a new kitchen. Not so tiny anymore!!!

The lesson from all this...don't stop doing things you enjoy just because you think something else makes more "sense".  Seriously.



We did another dinner party!

Easter. Belated Easter. Whatever. Big menu. Super yummy. 

Chaco made deviled eggs...he's super.

The big win of the event was the apricot jam stuffed pork roast. We ate it too quickly to even get any real pictures other then the one above of the meat brining. The brine is the trick. The brine is the genius of the dish. I used Thomas Keller's pork brine from his Ad Hoc at Home book. It's unreal. Make it. Brine stuff. BRINE NOW!!!!!

Apricot Jam Stuffed Pork Roast

You'll Need

Pork loin or tenderloin, we were cooking for 11 so we used a 6.5lb hunk of meat! 3 lbs is probably perfect

1 cup apricot jam, store bought or homemade

Pork Brine (Recipe to follow)

2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the pork in the brine for about 10 hours (really no more then that or it could turn out too salty). Rinse under cold water. 

Using a long knife, slice halfway through the meat across the length of the roast. Use a spoon (and your fingers) to stuff the jam into the slit. Using kitchen twine, truss the meat to keep the jam inside. There's a great instructional video about trussing meat here.

In a large sauce pan, heat the olive oil. Sear the meat on all sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side. On a large roasting pan, place the roast and cook it for about an hour or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees. Remove from oven and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove the twine and slice into 1" pieces. Serve with extra jam on the side!