From Our Kitchen

We had a nice mellow and lazy Christmas, just the two of us ... and The Kids. Late breakfast, a few gifts exchanged. Then we cleaned out a closet, created a garbage bag of clothes to give to Goodwill, walked the dog, bathed the dog, read a little, watched an old movie and then it was time to eat.

And, since Carlos cooked most of Thanksgiving dinner, I decided to tackle Christmas. But what to serve; we didn’t want Turkey again; we’re not big fans of Prime Rib; ham didn’t seem to fit.

Then I realized we had a large Pork Tenderloin in the freezer because when we CostCo — yes, it’s a verb now — we buy a large Pork Tenderloin to cut into boneless chops because it’s cheaper and I’m all about the coins, you know. So, Pork Tenderloin it would be, but how? 

A quick Google search and I found Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce from The Pioneer Woman and here’s how it’s done.

For the Cranberry Glaze — clockwise from Top Left:

Red Wine; I used a Merlot but anything works; Chicken Stock; Cranberry Sauce — canned is fine, this is Carlos’ Homemade stuff; Butter, Olive Oil, Chopped Rosemary, Chopped Onion, Minced Garlic.

Note: The Pioneer Woman doesn’t use garlic, but I found that blasphemous so I tossed it in.

Sauté the onions in the butter and oil, add the garlic and rosemary and cook until onions are tender; add the wine and chicken stock; add cranberry sauce and cook on low flame until it reduces to a thicker consistency.

I also plagiarized the recipe by throwing in a full spring of rosemary while it simmered. Sue me!

For the Pork:

The Pioneer Women salted and peppered the pork, but, well, I like to be different. I processed some Garlic, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme and Olive Oil; then I decided it needed to be pastier so I threw in a small chunk of Fresh Parmesan and processed it again. 

Coat all sides of the tenderloin liberally with salt and pepper, and then rub the herb blend all over it as well. Heat Butter and Olive Oil in a cast iron skillet on medium-high heat and sear the pork loin on all sides.

Finally, put it in the oven — I cooked it on a rack, above a mix of Rosemary, Tarragon and Thyme, floating in some Red Wine and Cjhicken Stock — and cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160-degrees. At Casa Bob y Carlos we have a probe in our oven, so there’s no need for a timer; it just cooks until the right temperature is reached and BAM done! 

Remove from oven and let sit for fifteen minutes, then slice, place on platter and spoon over top some cranberry glaze.

Then I decided to make Ina Garten’s Leek and Artichoke BreadPudding; as Blobby, and Ina, might say, How easy is that? It’s easy; first the ingredients ...

From the bottom left: Pancetta, thin sliced and crisped for about 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven; day old White Bread — I used a loaf of French Bread, cut into cubes and dried, then toasted in the oven alongside the Pancetta; Ina says remove the crust, Bob says leave the crust on. I win.  Leeks, the whites and some of the greens, cut into ½-inch slices and washed thoroughly; 9-ounces frozen Artichoke Hearts, Salt, Pepper, Chicken Stock, White Wine, Eggs, Heavy Cream — though next time I’ll half the cream with low-fat milk; Butter, Nutmeg, Tarragon and Gruyere — though Swiss works fine, too.

Heat butter in a  skillet on medium heat; add the leeks and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally; add the wine, salt and pepper, and cook five minutes more; take off the heat and add artichokes, bread cubes, tarragon, and chives.

Whisk eggs with cream, nutmeg, chicken stock, and salt; spread half the bread mixture in a baking dish and sprinkle the top with the cheese; add a second layer of the bread mixture, followed by cream mixture, and the rest of the cheese; press down lightly so bread absorbs the cream. Then top with the diced or chopped Pancetta.

Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes — or, as I did, in the fridge overnight — to let the bread absorb flavors, and then bake 45 to 50 minutes at 350, until it’s golden and puffy.

Of course, we needed a vegetable and, well, I opted for something we’ve never had before, Roasted Winter Vegetables.

In one bowl add Beets, peeled and quartered, Carrots, peeled and cut in half lengthwise, Turnips — I couldn’t find them so I used Parsnips — peeled and quartered; Thyme sprigs. Toss with a tablespoon of Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper; place on a roasting dish.

In another bowl, add some unpeeled Garlic Cloves — as many as you like; Red Onion, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters; Fennel Bulbs, cored and cut lengthwise into quarters; Thyme sprigs. Toss with a tablespoon of Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper; place on another roasting dish.

Bake the first group of veggies — The Beets and Friends — in a 425-degree oven for about 45 minutes; when they have about 25 minutes left, rotate the pan, then slide the second pan — The Fennel Group — in the oven too, and turn that pan when there’s about ten minutes left.

Remove both pans, combine veggies, top with chopped Thyme and serve.

How easy is that? Plus it was delicious and, yeah, easy, and different, and pretty to look at, too. Martha Stewart can kiss my a**.

To top it off, we had Carlos’ Chocolate-Vanilla Cheesecake, for which I am forbidden to share his recipe; who does he think he is?

Merry Christmas

Here's a little repostage, a regift, if you will, of my annual holiday wish. It still holds true....for me: 

Christmas means a lot of different hings to a lot of different people. 

It's a religious holiday.
It's a shopping holiday.
It's a day for those who shop religiously. 
I'm not a big fan of either.  

So for me, Christmas is a day to spend with those you hold most dear in your heart. For me, it's Carlos and my family. Of course, the family is mostly on the Left Coast and I'm over here on the right, so Christmas is me and Carlos, and Ozzo, Tuxedo, Max Goldberg, and Consuelo Roca Jones -- all our furry kids.  

It's a day of relaxation and togetherness; reflection and laughter; of a good dinner cooked and shared by the two of us. It's not a day for What did you get? or for thinking How could I have spent so much? It's a day for How lucky am I?  

How lucky indeed. 

Christmas is more than a celebration, it's a connection we all can share regardless of faith, if we look at it as a day of Peace. A day to relax; to forgive, if not forget. To be at Peace. 

Every year I get the same question from friends and strangers alike: What are you getting for Christmas? What do you want for Christmas? 

And I always say, What I get is a lovely day. What I want, and I ask for it every year, is Peace On Earth. 

So here's to Peace On Earth, and the little parts that each of us play in creating our own peace. To make amends to those we may have slighted in the past year; to those who may have slighted us. To talk with the people we love just because we love them. To be nice. 

Just to be nice. There's a concept.  

Maybe if we all took a moment to think about how we'd like to be treated, we would find ourselves treating others the same way. It's a small step, but an important one. A Please here and a Thank You there. You're Welcome is good, too, though My pleasure, is better. Hold a door open for someone; let someone with less packages get in line ahead of you. Lay off the horn. Don't speed. Smile. Be nice. 

Be at Peace.
Merry Christmas world. 
Happy Hanukkah. 
Happy Kwanzaa. 
Merry Festivus. 
Happy Holidays.
Peace.  

And so that's my wish for you and yours. Health. Happiness. Love. Peace. 

And, while I've said it over and over again, that I have my personal spiritual beliefs and they do not follow the teachings of any organized religion, every Christmas, no song makes me feel more peaceful, more happy, more at ease, more hopeful than this one. And so I'll end with O Holy Night not because I am a religious man, but because I am a hopeful man, a peaceful man, a contented man, And no one, for me, sings it better than my girl, JHud.....Jennifer Hudson. 

Make The Yuletide Gay

This song is one of my favorite Christmas tunes, so I thought I'd share it four different ways,with four different singers.

Kelly Clarkson, The Carpenters, Sam Smith, and ending with Judy, who probably sang it first, and in my mind sang it best.

Merry Christmas ...

Sunday Funnies

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like ....

... A Boatload Of Decorations.

But, hey, it's Christmas-time, we're here, we're queer, and we're putting up the lights and the trees and the ornaments and the bulbs, stars glitter and glitz.

Plus, we like shiny stuff ....

Wedding Week Repost: Make The Yuletide Gay

Yes, I know it's not Christmas yet, but since we're getting married this week, I'm gonna post one because it looks like a party.

I love a good happy jolly Christmas story and since I didn't have one I thought I'd repost this ....

Make The Yuletide Gay

So we decorated the tree last night. I had one of those days of running around, Post Office, bank, store, cook dinner, do the laundry, sweep, clean.....a real CinderFella, I am. And so the mood soured as the day went on. I hauled the box with the tree inside it — yeah,it's fake, okay, I got lots a pine trees in my yard so why do I need another one left to die in my living room?

Yeah, it's that kind of mood. Anyway, I got the tree, the ornaments, the garland, the lights, for inside and out, all out of the garage while Carlos was at work. He came home, and of course said I should have waited for him to get the tree out of the garage.

Wait for you, I sneer, Then we wouldn't have a Christmas tree up until Easter.

Man, I can be a bitch! It's like Joan Crawford and the PepsiCo Brad.

Don't fuck with me, fella. This isn't my first time at the rodeo.

So we eat dinner first, a delicious baked chicken breast, over rice with black beans, corn, tomato, poblano pepper, and a green mole. Delicoso! Then I change into my jackboots and Nazi uniform, because I am a tyrant about the tree. I don't know where it comes from, but there it is.

Put the little ones on the inside! It gives the tree more depth.

I'm Martha Freakin' Hitler. More depth? What in the hell does that even mean?

No, you have to put some on the bottom.

Go to the OTHER side.

Put 'em on the back.

Not those! Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

I goosestep around the tree, inspecting it, moving one ornament from branch to branch. We ran out of ornament hangers and Carlos walks away for a few minutes; he returns with a box of.......paper.....clips.

Paper clips! We are white trash. At last. Next year I think I'll get a stapler and a glue gun. Not for the tree, for Carlos.

Why not just string tin foil and plastic wrap around the tree, It's shiny and purty!

You put two blue ones side-by-side.

You have three on ONE branch!

You are not allowed to decorate the tree next year.

Of course Carlos, being the sweetest human being ever, simply smiles at my, well, histrionics, shall we say; my order barking. My just plain barking. My snapping. My yelling. My being a big old raging bitch. Tis the season! I need an egg nog, with extra nog, if you get my meaning.

Finally, finished. And without bloodshed. Well, Carlos bled a little when he jabbed his finger with a hanger, but I was out of the room, I swear. The cats will vouch for me! We light up the tree and sit and relax. It does look pretty but it needs more ornaments. I say that every year and every year we buy more and put them on. Pretty soon we'll do without the tree all together and just pile the ornaments in the corner and call it Christmas.

Sorry I snapped, I say.

It's okay, he mutters, his lower lip jutting out like a shelf.

Where's my gun?

That's a joke...........I don't have a gun.

Hmmmm. Maybe Santa will bring me one.