Old lady tea

I guess that's me... "old lady".
This has become a daily ritual in The A. M, with honey.... then in the afternoon.. it's the grape

My ungarden so far

Hmmm... too many zuc's in the pot I'm guessing

...but that's what came in the flat, what was I supposed to do?  Select some for death???? Couldn't do it

Last week I was planning on cooking pork loin, I had two in the pkg.  I cut both almost in half length wise and then pounded both down.  I can't remember what i used to marinate them, prob some soya sauce, chili sauce, lea and perrins, grainy mustard, honey, seasame oil, garlic and ginger, would be my guess.  Then I rolled one into the other jelly roll style and tied them up into a nice long bundle.  Browned all sides then deglazed the pot with some white wine and threw the whole mess into the oven at 250 for the afternoon while I left to do a few things.  The last time I made the basic same thing about 3 weeks prior, the marinade was a little different and i stuffed them before rolling them up and cooked them at 350.  They were a little dry and overdone.  So this time I figured I'd try low heat and let it cook slow.  Well it was still a little dry.  Next time I might try the slow cooker, even though I really don't like anything from a slow cooker.

While the loin cooked I went shopping for sides.  The yams were all ginorous and yellow sweet potatoes just don't turn my crank.  I don't know who named them "sweet", but sweet they are not.  Yams....now those are sweet.  Sweet potatoes potatoes are tasteless and bland, and boring.....

I spotted some purple skinned sweet potato with a sign that promised the sweetest sweet potato.  So I bought some of the smaller ones.  What a revelation.  The g'kids normally don't take to yams, but I took the pulp out of the potatoes and masqueraded them as regular mashed potatoes.  And the g'kids looooved them and asked for 2nd and 3rd's.  It was amazing.  And full of flavour and sweetness like I've never experienced from a potato.

and I even made them in the toaster oven.  This was all that was left after cooking 8 of them.  I never got a chance to try them the next day.  But I bet they would have been good added to almost anything.  Like a pasta dish for the kids or into muffins or tartlets or anything else I tend to stuff leftovers into, to get more veg into the g'kids.

On monday I removed the leftover loin and shredded it

I got about 2 cups.

I chopped up some kale, and onions

 carrots on the mandoline and I added some leek confit I was also cooking down for something else. but added It...cause....why not?  I was using the same spoon to stir both and got some leek into the carrots anyway.  Added some spices, garlic ginger

a big glug of both of these.

And then I had to pick kids up so threw everything into the fridge and promptly forgot about it all.  Until tuesday.
I added some more flavour, and letting it all sit for a day kinda let it all maserate together and I could have just eaten the whole thing out of the bowl....but I didn't

Cause I was determined to make THIS
I mean...how hard could it be.  I precooked everything because i wanted to see if this would be a good alternative to a fridge full of leftover

 ANd they were very easy to assemble.  They may not look as fancy as everyone elses....but big deal.   They weren't in a beauty contest.  They went down the hatch very well

 ooops..first batch the oil was a little tooooo hot.

 And then I got an idea.  My mother always makes strawberry vareniki.  And I had some strawberries in the fridge.  And the likely hood that I will EVER attempt vareniki are nill to never.  So I cut up some strawberries, added sugar, and potato start and VOILA....

With some whipping cream.  HEAVEN on a plate.  But very hot...as in temp.  Must have been the sugar.  I will definitly be making more of both of these.  I can hardly wait for huckleberry season to give them a try in a potsticker.  I was amazed at how fast they went together.  And they cook up fast....and they get eaten even faster.  There were people standing by the stove ....waiting for the next batch.  Dividing them up evenly in antisipation of the next batch. Both meat ones and fruit ones.  Eating standing up between the stove and the table.  It was very funny.
At one time I mixed up leftovers into a muffin-in-a-meal thiing.  But potstickers.....are a great alternative.

I should be making potstickers, enjoying emptying the endless pile of boxes in the garage, looking for those clothes of my husband that I threw away but won't actually admit to, sorting through stuff for garage sale, setting up sewing room,....but I'm not. Enjoying the sun instead ahhhh.....the down side???? All that white skin.... the glare.

K.O. loop