Cooking From Memory

In my new normal I've started using online ordering for groceries. We have one source for this service in our county. My older daughter has been doing this for years and likes shopping that way. When Baby Girl was even smaller it was easy to pick up groceries without having to take a toddler into the store. I have not had a particular need to do so, but now it seems to be a prudent way to get my groceries. 

Using the grocery shopping app has been simple. Finding a delivery time has been harder. Looks like everyone else in our county is using this service, too. Overall I have been happy shopping this way. I haven't always gotten everything on my list. But that's okay. I did check the box to allow substitutions. And that's okay. This is not a time to be too picky. I've had different brands than my usual choice. I've used more store brands than normal. 

In this "happy to get anything" world I was delighted to see that the pork loin roast made it into my cart last week. The item description said it was 2.5 to 3 lbs. When I unpacked the groceries the pork loin looked tiny. It was less than two pounds. Again, glad to get anything. That was still plenty for the two of us.

We cook pork tenderloin all the time. A pork loin is a different cut. I looked quickly for a recipe for a glaze or a rub before I cooked it thinking it might need a flavor boost. Again, everything now is based on ingredients on hand. Earlier in the day I read one recipe that sounded like a good one. By late afternoon I couldn't remember where I found it, so I used the parts of the recipe that stuck in my brain. It was like one of those memory tests where they show you a group of items and then later ask you to write down all you remember.

The part I remembered is worth doing again. So I'm adding the "how I did it" here on the blog for the next time I cook a pork loin.

SWEET & SAVORY PORK LOIN

There are no precise measurements here because I didn't remember what they were. You really don't need them. Trust me. Trust yourself.

pork loin roast

olive oil (or other cooking oil)

salt

freshly ground black pepper 

paprika

about 2 tablespoons brown sugar

about 2 teaspoons minced garlic (I use the jarred kind)

Pat the pork loin dry. Put pork in a pan or bowl and pour a little oil oil over the roast. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Spoon a couple of tablespoons brown sugar and a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic onto the roast. Then rub this all over the roast. Transfer to a baking dish and cook, uncovered, according to the directions on the package. Let rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

My package said to cook at 375º for 27 to 32 minutes per pound, until internal temp reaches 145º to 155º. 

We really liked the hint of sweetness from the brown sugar that complemented the garlic. The paprika gave the cooked roast a beautiful color. The loin cut isn't quite as tender at the tenderloin and it takes a little longer to cook. But it was so easy. And now we have plenty of leftovers. I'll vacuum pack some slices and freeze them for later. There is an easy Lo Mein recipe that I want try soon. I'll add a little pork to that "meat optional" dish.

Life Stay-At-Home Style

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Life in this stay-at-home world hasn't stopped everything, even though it feels like it sometimes. I've had Group FaceTime visits with my book club friends. And yesterday I did a Zoom session with my knitter friends from across the country. California, New York, Tennesee, Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina, and Texas were represented. It was interesting to hear how the stay home orders were playing out in different parts of the country. We actually knitted while we chatted and even had a show and tell. That was so much fun.

I must confess that both the Group FaceTime and the Zoom sessions had some hiccups as we tried to get connected. Older adults and multiple screens and new platforms can be a funny experience. We had one session where a couple of folks could be heard but not seen. And one friend, who did manage to connect, kept the camera turned so that we mostly saw her ceiling. There has been lots of laughter as we've fumbled through. It has involved phone calls and text messages at the SAME TIME as we were trying to do a video meet up. And on my first Group FaceTime some of us had as much trouble disconnecting as we did connecting! We are all learning. But we have managed to do things that weeks ago we would have said were impossible. 

Our family has had two birthdays in the last few days, too. Jessica is grown and understands why we were not together and they had a small celebration for two after the baby was put to bed. BUT when you're turning six, it's a different matter. I'm not sure whose idea it was, but we had a formal birthday party via FaceTime. Tuxedos and formal attire. It was a real party! We were just in different places. That was so much fun. It will certainly tide us over until we can have a party with all of us in the same place.

Yesterday one of the knitters asked what I was making for supper. And at 5:00 pm I had no clue. When we finished our visit I rambled through the pantry and then it hit me...I had watched Joanna Gaines make soup on an Instagram video the day before. She has a soup recipe in her new cookbook (coming out soon) but like many of us, she didn't have the exact ingredients on hand to make it. As she made it, she told what her substitutions were. Then I made it last night and substituted for her substitutions. It's that kind of recipe.

Daddy-O is famous for not loving soup. When I told him what I was making he said he'd just have a sandwich. But I dished up a bowl of soup for him to try before I made the sandwich. Now I'm not sure you will understand the import of his reaction. "This is really good. Oh, wow, the parmesan really makes it. How did you make this?" "That sounds easy enough for me to cook when you're not here sometime." He really wants to MAKE soup??? He even went back for more. That. Is. Amazing.

Here is how I made it last night. Feel free to change it up again, depending on what's in your pantry. 

CHEESE TORTELLINI SOUP

1 small onion, diced

1 teaspoon minced jarred garlic

1 tablespoon butter or oil

6 cups chicken broth (that was 1 box and 1 can)

1 (15-oz ) can petite diced tomatoes with juice

1 (16-oz) can great northern beans, drained & rinsed

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 (12-oz) bag cheese tortellini (I probably used a little over 1/2)

fresh spinach, about 3 or 4 big handfuls 

salt & pepper to taste

grated fresh parmesan 

Saute onion and garlic in butter for a few minutes until the onion just starts to get translucent. Add broth, tomatoes, beans, Italian seasoning and basil. Bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook as per package directions. Two or three minutes before tortellini is done, stir in fresh spinach and let it wilt. Adjust seasonings. To serve, ladle it into bowls and grate fresh farm over the top. 

That's it. A quick, easy soup that's totally delicious. So could you make it with what's in your kitchen now? No broth? Maybe use chicken bouillon in hot water. No tortellini? Use another pasta. No great northern beans? Cannellini beans, butter beans, navy beans are possible subs. No diced tomatoes? If you have canned whole tomatoes, chop them up. I think stewed tomatoes would be okay, too. No spinach? Hmmm....do you have kale? I don't usually keep frozen spinach on hand but that might work.

I was lucky enough last night to have the very last of the fresh spinach that needed to be used up. Knowing that I needed to use it was what made me decide on this recipe. We are all being careful not to waste anything right now. I'm so glad I happened up on this recipe. I headed right now to pre-order Joanna's new cookbook.  It's due out in days.  

I love all the early mornings—the cloudy ones, the rainy days, the foggy ones, the cloudless ones. But this beautiful sky greeted me one morning this week. Thought you might enjoy it, too

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