I am living the life of the lady in the movie Under The Tuscan Sun…where she ends up filling up her home and table with people from all walks of life…I LOVE it! I always have extra people here on Sunday for dinner and recently it has been 4 or 5 big strapping young men! They can seriously put away the food! I thought a 5lb pork loin roast would be plenty for 7 of us and it was but….with only a few pieces left over!! I feel like these boys are like my own sons…. I love to have them over ….we talk about what’s going on in their lives..jobs, dating and mostly we talk about spiritual things as we sit around the dinner table. It is a beautiful thing to see these young men want to do great things with their lives. It is humbling to hear them express their love for their Heavenly Father. These young men all in the early 20’s have a desire to be God fearing men and want to serve others! One young man who moved here from Chile (who by the way studied cooking for 3 years) and struggles a bit to speak English… loves to help in the kitchen…no surprise there!.. he made the amazing sautéed sugared onions that we served on top of the pork roast oooohhhh my heavens it tasted so goooood!! The two side dishes were simplistic and delicious too..candied yams and stirfried fresh green beans and grape tomatoes from my garden along with some fresh corn on the cob cut off the cob.
Step 1 – I think the secret to the 5lb pork loin roast is searing it on all sides to keep it moist and delicious. I rubbed it with kosher salt, pepper and the organic no salt seasoning from Costco. I got the oil hot in a large frying pan (the roast was so big I had to curl it in the pan to make it fit) then I seared it for a total of about 8 min. Once a side is browned you need to turn the roast over to get each side and even stand it on end to make sure it is all browned.
Step 2- Place roast in roasting pan that has a rack so it is not sitting on the bottom of the pan. I roasted it at 350 until the middle of the roast reached 145 degrees…about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. Then you take it out of the oven and let it rest for 20-25 min before you slice it. It continues to cook but won’t dry out.
Step 3- Carmalized onions take 4 small onions and very thinly slice them…Ivan, the guy from Chile is masterful with the knife! Then melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large frying pan, add onions and a little salt, once they start to soften add in sugar a little at a time using about 1/2 cup. Continue to stir or be fancy like Ivan and flip the food in the frying pan! Let cook until golden brown….the goodness is amazing! I think he could make dirt taste good!
Step 4- For the string beans and broccoli- I par boiled them for about 6 min and then plunged them under cold water with ice cubes to stop the cooking and keep the bright green color, dry them off with paper towel. Then heat olive oil in a large frying pan or wok add the beans, broccoli and corn cut off 3 cobs and sauté until heated through. Then add in sliced grape tomatoes and sautée for another few min. Add salt, pepper to taste.
Step 5- Candied yams- we used about 8 small yams, peeled and cut into small chunks and boiled until poked with a fork and it easily goes in. Then put potatoes into a bowl, add 1/4 cup milk, 1 stick of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Beat until soft and fluffy. Put potatoes into a oven proof dish and place mini marshmallows all over the top. Keep warm in low oven and a few minutes before serving turn oven to broil and broil until browned. Be careful they burn fast!
For dessert my daughter made these amazing pumpkin pie cupcakes topped with fresh whipped cream..the recipe is HERE
Seriously easy and sooo delicious…no fail recipes!

Karins Kottage

Welcome to Karins Kottage! There is always something fun going on! You would think after becoming an empty nester couple that our nest would be very quiet and empty but our Kottage nest is usually more full than what we started out with! You might find me hosting a birthday party or graduation party and a baby shower on the same weekend or a big outdoor get together with 25 of our friends and family in the backyard or maybe I might be in the kitchen trying out a new recipe for my hubby and I to grill on the BBQ for a quiet night for the two of us. I am passionate about entertaining and setting a beautiful table! I may or may not have an addiction to cloth napkins and fun salad plates oh and goblets too! I think I will always have a home decorating DIY project in the works as long as my hubby is on board with me haha. We have painted A LOT in the 6 homes we have owned in the 35 years that we have been married as well as re-done multiple pieces of furniture, added wall and ceiling treatments, replaced lights, bathroom fixtures and even tiled floors! I have sewn what seems like a million window treatments for our home as well as for family, made slipcovers, and duvets and even a formal dress or two!

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