Recipe(tried): Tuscan Pork Loin, Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Apples, Sauteed Cabbage

Hello!

Well, I have already planned out the Christmas Breakfast and Dinner menu as well as the New Year's Day Dinner menu. The grocery list has been pinned to my bulletin board and by Wednesday I will have all the ingredients needed for some fabulous meals. I won't pick up the standing rib roast until Saturday...good thing the butcher at Publix told me about putting my order in before the rush of the maddening crowds. This will be the first year we try a standing rib roast at home so I am looking forward to it. I will post all the menus early tomorrow morning. I am so grateful to all the wonderful cooks here who have shared their family recipes...some of those recipes will be sampled by my family this Christmas season. Thank you for sharing!!!

Last night, a most peculiar thing happened...all the lights went out on the Christmas tree except the ones on the lower branches. Do you suppose one or three of my cats had something to do with this? They have been lounging under the tree ever since it has been put up. Well, needless to say, I had to take all the ornaments off, then the tree topper, and then all the lights had to be taken off and tested. They all worked fine. So back up they went along with the ornaments and the topper. It took me all of 3 hours! What would you have done? Could you have gone without lights in your tree for Christmas morning?

Tonight for dinner I have decided to make a yummy pork loin with smashed sweet potatoes and sauteed cabbage. Our local Kash n' Karry grocer was putting on a sale and I couldn't resist. I bought one for tonight's meal and another for New Year's Day.

Tuscan Pork Loin calls for dried pesto seasoning which is found in the spice aisle of the supermarket. McCormick's is the only brand I have found thus far... Do not confuse this seasoning with prepared pesto sauce, which is a refrigerated product. You may also substitute dried Italian seasonings. But, if you can't find the dried pesto seasoning, you can make it yourself:

DRIED PESTO SEASONING:
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 Tbsp. dried basil flakes
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
Mix together and store in a small glass jar.

Here are the recipes:

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TUSCAN PORK LOIN
Source: Southern Living
Servings: 8-10

1 (4 lb.) boneless pork loin roast
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened (I use Boursin Garlic & Herbs cheese spread for more flavor)
1 Tbsp. dried pesto seasoning (McCormick's brand)
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh spinach leaves
6 bacon slices, cooked and drained
1/2 (12 oz.) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pepper
fresh spinach leaves for plate garnish

Slice pork lengthwise, cutting down center, to but not through other side. Open halves, and cut down center of each half, cutting to but not through other sides. Open into a rectangle. Place plastic wrap over pork and pound to an even thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Spread cream cheese evenly down center of pork lengthwise. Sprinkle with pesto seasoning evenly. Arrange spinach over cream cheese and top with bacon and red peppers.

Roll up pork with one long side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with kitchen string. Rub pork all over with salt, paprika and pepper. Place, seam side down, on a lightly greased rack on a foiled lined pan.

Bake 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 155. Remove from oven. Let stand 10 minutes.

Remove string from pork; cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve pork slices on a bed of fresh spinach leaves.

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SMASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH APPLES
Source: Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun by Ina Garten
Servings: 6-8

6 large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, melted
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
FOR THE TOPPING:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
3 Tbsp. light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

Scrub the potatoes, prick them several times with a knife or fork and bake them for 1 hour or until very soft when pierced with a knife.

Remove them from oven and scoop out the insides as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place the sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add the OJ, cream, butter, brown sugar, spices, salt and pepper. Mix together until combined but not smooth and pour into a baking dish.

For the topping, melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the apple wedges and brown sugar and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until lightly browned on all sides. Place on top of the sweet potatoes.

Bake the potatoes and apples for 20-30 minutes.

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SAUTEED CABBAGE
Source: Barefoot Contessa Parties! Ideas and Recipes for Easy Parties That Are Really Fun by Ina Garten
Servings: 6

Ina says in her book: "Martha Stewart taught me how to cook this dish and it is the essence of her cooking. The cabbage she used came from her garden in Maine, but of course you can buy it anywhere. The cabbage takes a minutes to slice and 15 minutes to cook, and it is so delicious that you can't stop eating it. Martha served it in summer with steamed lobster, but I love to serve it with roast loin of pork".

1 small head of cabbage, including outer green leaves
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Cut the cabbage in half and, with the cut-side down, slice it as thin as possible around the core, as though you were making cole slaw. Discard the core.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the cabbage, kosher salt, and pepper and saute for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is tender and begins to brown. Finish with another sprinkling of kosher salt and serve hot.