Well, I guess if I am going to live in South Georgia and deal with icky weather for 9 months of the year, I’m going to post pretty pictures of the thermometer and our back patio on days when it is -4 in Detroit.

On the mend, we are. Well, Karol is still sick, Benedict has a runny nose, I am just a bit congested and the girls are fine. (well except Caecilia has been screaming to get attention lately.)

I made these brownies, after letting the recipe sit open on my browser for two weeks. They look good, smell great, and have to wait for 8:00pm for me to cut.

Not perfect, but dishes are washed, clutter is mostly put away, and there is dough rising for bread, not bad since I am still exhausted and would like to take a nice long nap!

When I was younger my grandmother would make a dinner of pork roast, sauerkraut, and kanadles (sp?). The kanadles were potato dumplings. I’ve been wanting them for a while, but I have a fear of pork (if I is not cooked right I just cannot stomach the taste) so I’ve been holding off on making them. However, I had a pork loin in the freezer and decided to go for it.

In the end, dinner consisted of the pork roast (with a caraway mustard coating), potato dumplings, green beans with a onion bacon-fat glaze, and sauerkraut with the same glaze. The bread I was going to serve didn’t make it out of the kitchen. (it wasn’t even sliced!)  It was such a great dinner, I wanted to share the recipes with you all. (I didn’t get any pictures, because I was too busy enjoying the goodness on my plate.)

Pork Roast

5 pound pork loin
1 onion, sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp mustard (I used Dijon)
2 tbsp  crushed caraway seeds
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp oregano
salt to taste

1. Place the pork loin in to a roasting pan. Place the sliced onion around the roast.

2. In a small bowl mix the remaining ingredients and smear over the roast (use your hands here, they are the perfect tool for the job.)

3. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan (I used about 1/4 cup), cover and place in a 350 degree oven and roast for about an hour and a half, or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.

4. Allow the roast to rest for about 15 minutes after taking it out of the oven. (Use this time to make the gravy.)

Gravy

Dripping from the pan (about 2 cups)
2 tbsp arrowroot (or cornstarch)
2 tbsp cool water

1. In a saucepan, pour the drippings from the roasting pan (straining out the onions).

2. In a small cup, dissolve the arrowroot in the cool water.

3. Mix the arrowroot with the drippings in the saucepan and stir to combine. Heat over med heat until it thickens. (Keep an eye on this because it can happen pretty quickly!)

Serve the gravy over the meat and dumplings.

Potato Dumplings 

(makes about 12)

1 large russet potatoes (or 1.5 cups of left over mashed potatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or more)
1/8 cup cornstarch (I used arrowroot)
1 large egg

1. Peel and cut the potatoes, then place them in a pot with water and set to boil over medium heat. When they are tender, drain, mash, and set them aside to cool.

2. Add salt, flour, and cornstarch, then mix. (again your hands are the best here). When the dough is no longer sticky, add the egg and continue mixing (I know, strange, I think next time I’ll just mix it all at once.)

3. Drop by rounded teaspoons (I used a cookie disher) into boiling water, making sure not to crowd the pan. (I used a huge stock pan I have. so I was able to do this all at once.)  Let the dumplings cook for about 10 minutes, then remove using a slotted spoon. Place in a bowl and cover until all batches are done or until ready to serve.

 Green Beans with Bacon-Onion Glaze

3-4 tbsp bacon fat (I keep bacon fat in a jar in the fridge)
1/2 onion, sliced
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp molasses
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tsp arrowroot (or cornstarch) dissolved in a bit of cool water)
1 lb cut green beans (I used frozen, if you use fresh blanch them first.)

Melt the bacon fat in a frying pan over medium high heat, when liquefied (not hot), add the onions  and cook until translucent.  Reduce heat to low, then mix in the sugar, molasses, and  apple cider vinegar. When sugar is dissolved,  add cornstarch to thicken. When thickened, add  green beans and stir to coat. Heat until warmed/cooked as desired. Remove beans with a slotted spoon and place in a serving bowl. Add a little of the glaze as desired to the beans in the serving bowl.

Sauerkraut with Bacon-Onion Glaze 

(Uses the remaining glaze from above, you will need to trust me on this one, it’s really good!)

1 cup (or more) of jarred sauerkraut

Place sauerkraut in the pan with remaining bacon glaze and stir to coat, then heat until warmed.  Remove to a serving bowl and pour glaze over as desired.

The table set for dinner. We brined then grilled our turkey this year. I will brine every turkey from here on out! 🙂 It was great. We also grilled our bird last year and loved it, no better way to cook it.

Here is an up close of the bird. It looks a bit pale in the picture, but I promise it was nicely roasted.

We started grinding our own flour over the summer and some of the things I’ve made have been pretty miss, while some have been really good. Today I struck gold with this recipe for Challah bread/rolls. The rolls were soft and moist and well received at the table! Slathered with butter,  yummy.

I love cinnamon rolls. I love almost all things cinnamon, actually. Some mornings I wake up and want a nice cinnamon roll with butter, but don’t have the time to make them before breakfast time, so make due without. I stumbled across the idea of a No Rise Cinnamon Roll a few months ago and let me tell you, these are great! I worked on a recipe of my own, and today I think I perfected it!

No Rise Cinnamon Rolls

Time:

Prep – 10 minutes

Bake – 17 minutes

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1 cup milk

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4-5 tablespoons of cinnamon (or to taste)

Directions

1. Grease an 8×8 pan.

2. Turn oven on to 400 degrees

Filling:

1.  Place butter into a microwaveable bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, to melt the butter. (Keep an eye on it, so that it doesn’t burn, it doesn’t have to be totally melted).

2. Add the sugar and cinnamon to the melted butter, stir. Set aside.

Dough:

1. Place the flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and add to the bowl. Cut the butter in to the flour mixture until it looks like crumbs.

2. Making a well in the center, place the milk and stir until incorporated. This dough will be very sticky.

3. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead a few times, to incorporate more flour (but don’t over do it). When the dough no longer sticks to your hands or the board, roll it out to be 10-12 inches wide and 15-18 inches long. Make sure that it is not sticking to your board or counter as you roll it out. If it seems to be sticking, lift up and add flour underneath.

4. Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture onto rolled out dough, leaving a 1/2 inch margin on one side of the long edge.

5.Starting with the long end that has the cinnamon mixture on it, slowly roll the dough, in a semi-tight roll.

6. When finished rolling, pinch the seam together and lay seam down. Using a sharp knife or a board scraper, cut into one inch pieces.

7. Place cut side down, side by side, in your greased pan.

8. Bake at 400 degrees for 17 minutes.

9. Test for doneness (Temp around 190 degrees or lightly golden)

Serve with butter and coffee.