Can You Taste Love Tonight?

 Whenever I have watched any of those cooking shows, I've always been confused when the judges say that they can taste the love/passion/desire (or any other emotion)  in the dish that they're eating. How can you taste love? Or passion? Or desire? Are you sure it just isn't just the combination of flavors that come together to create a perfect symphony of delight? (Or something metaphorical like that). Well, after making this dish last night, I could taste a little something extra. Maybe it was the time I took to season everything just right, or let the apples simmer for the perfect amount of time? I don't know. Maybe it was love, or fun, or excitement, but whatever it was, it was delicious!
 

First I cut up a large crisp Fuji apple (my favorite). In a bowl, I mixed together pinches of brown sugar, white granulated sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon and swirled the apples around in that dry mixture of deliciousness so they were coated on all sides. Meanwhile, I heated a pan with a 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Then I threw the apple slices in. What I wanted was for all of the juices to run out and thicken (I think this is called reducing?) and the apples to tenderize and caramelize. All of those things happened. Hallelujah! Eventually, I noticed that the juice was beginning to evaporate too much, so I added about a 1/4 cup of water, turned the heat down to medium/low and covered the pan to let the magic happen, meaning I let the apples simmer for about 30 mins.

Here are the apples simmering. This is the largest lid I have. Classy, huh?

While the apples were simmering, I seasoned the chops. I sprinkled them with salt, pepper, a teeny tiny bit of cinnamon, and finally, cayenne pepper. Surprised? It was a last second decision that I definitely did not regret. I'll tell you why in a minute

Here are the softening apples in the juice. After they were done cooking, I took out the apple slices and thickened the juice with a tiny bit of flour and heat. I poured the rest of the reduction into a bowl, scraping the edges for any dried bits of apple or leftover spice. I was going to put the chops in this pan next, so I didn't want much liquid or chunks leftover.

Before putting the chops into the pan, I dried them on a paper towel, so they would brown properly.

They browned up nicely. 

I let the meat rest for a few moments after plating them. Then I added some apples and some of the juice on top.

After cooking the pork chops, the drippings from the pan were so flavorful! When I mixed a bit of the drippings with the apple reduction, it was like I hit the jackpot! The combination of salty pork and sweet apples, mixed with a tiny bit of cayenne pepper was to die for. The mashed potatoes would have been insulted to have been called a side dish with that combination of juices drizzled on top.

I am so exited to eat the leftovers! I was sure to save myself a perfect lunch-sized portion. 

This is Day One of my Thanksgiving-themed meals. I hope to show you one or two more before T-Day. Tonight I'm making my special pre-Thanksgiving meal. (The one I've never tried before). Tomorrow, my main focus is making an apple pie. It is my first one of the season, so I hope it turns out alright! Thanks for reading my thoughts about food!



P.S. Here's a random side note that has nothing to do with food, but a lot to do with love and happy Thanksgiving-ish- type feelings...Check out this cute video by a band called Real Estate. I was about 45 seconds in when I realized that the band name is Real Estate and that this is not a commercial for a Realtor or home owners insurance... Dog Lovers Enjoy!

What I've Been Up To

Here's what I've been up to this fall so far.

 Cutting mums from my garden to brighten up the house.

Celebrating our 2nd anniversary with homemade dinner and hydrangeas, the flowers we had at our wedding. 

 Going on a DC date with the hubs to see a great friend.

Putting together fall-inspired arrangements using scrapbook paper in some frames, putting oats (actually oatmeal if we're keeping it real here) in a little jar, and lighting pumpkin spice candles. 

 

 

Setting up fall place-settings with overpriced (but kinda worth it) napkin rings from Pottery Barn. Spray-painting pumpkins white and blue to match my color-scheme and displaying them on a cake plate.

 
 

Hiking with the family on a Friday off.  (Poor Rylee)

Eating a ton of hot crunchy bread, making butternut squash soup, and baking soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies. 

Celebrating Halloween.

And lastly, making up my own recipe (which I'll post sometime in the near-future).

What a fun and yummy fall! I can't wait to make a few pre-Thanksgiving meals this week, one of which I have never tried and will be sure to show you (either with failure or success). For Turkey-day Greg's parents invited my entire family to their house for a huge dinner. I'm so excited to see everyone together (except mom, who has to work, boo!) We'll be sure to make her a plate with lots of goodies. I am most excited for Greg's mom's pumpkin chiffon pie and for cranberry sauce. I love the kind that comes out in the shape of a can! Is that weird?

Thanks for reading my thoughts about food and fun this fall!

FALL in love

Fall really hit us today, so what better to come home to than a hot pot roast, already cooked and waiting for me! As of today I have officially fall-en in love with my slow cooker. It cooked me a nice hearty meal while I was away at work, so all I had to do was come home and enjoy. This recipe is so delicious. (I keep sneaking back into the kitchen to have another bite!) Greg doesn't get home until 6:30-7ish, so I'm trying to save an appetite so I can eat with him when he gets home. I don't know if Im going to make it though!

To make this pot roast I just cut up my potatoes and carrots the night before. I also defrosted, patted dry, seasoned with salt and pepper, and seared the roast (which took about 4 minutes after my pan was hot). Next, I put the meat in the ceramic pot that goes in the slow cooker. Then I spread the potatoes and carrots around it. I put the whole ceramic pot into the fridge to wait until morning. Then I made the seasoning/juice. Into a Tupperware bowl, I mixed 1 tablespoon of canola oil, 3/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon of beef bouillon granules, 1 teaspoon dried and crushed basil, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Those ingredients again

•  1 Tbsp cooking oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1tsp beef bouillon granules
• 1 tsp dried and crushed basil
• 1/2 tsp salt

This morning, I took the meat, potatoes, and carrots out of the fridge and poured the seasoning over the top.

Then I put it on low for 8 hours. Luckily this worked out. I didn't check to see how long you should cook a pound of meat. I also didn't look up how many potatoes or carrots to put in. This is the epitome of wingin-it Allison-style and, surprisingly, it worked!

(I used 5 medium-sized red potatoes cut in half, and 5 carrots cut in half, by the way)


Here I am putting the lid on and setting the time this morning. You can just barely see the sky lightening up through our tree in the front yard at 6:30 AM.

I was almost giddy when I came through the front door tonight. It smelled like I had hired a little old grandmother to come in and cook for me. The house felt warm and cozy right away!

This was the sight that awaited me. You can see where I pulled a chunk of meat off. Actually pulled isn't the right verb because it was like slicing through warm butter. It slid right off and was juicy and not dry or overcooked at all! 8 hours on low, 8 hours on low....this is my new mantra.

Here I am digging in.

Do you cook pot roast? How do you do it? My mom always made it in the oven in a roasting bag and it was delicious! It's so easy and so worth it to put in a few minutes of prep the night before to come home and not have to worry about preparing a meal.

I'm starting to think about Thanksgiving this week since it's now only 2 weeks away. I am in charge of making an apple pie, green bean casserole, sauerkraut, and corn (and maybe candied yams).  In the spirit of remembering to stay thankful...Thanks for reading my thoughts about food and happy November!