Cooking up a storm.....no not Sandy!

 I started with squash seeds....no not pumpkin but squash!  You can use them just like pumpkin seeds just wash and clean off any squash material, spray a pan with some butter flavored oil, salt and bake at 300 degrees for 10-20 minutes or until golden brown.

I baked the squash after that.......at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a fork inserted pierces the skin easily.  I scrape out the flesh after cool and put in a container for using as a side dish throughout the week.

I made a recipe from a book I'm presently reading and it was perfect for a Fall dinner.  The recipe was Cider-braised pork loin with apples and onions.  I couldn't find a pork loin so I bought a pork butt roast instead and it was DELICIOUS!!!!  The best Fall dinner ever!  Here's the recipe compliments of Robin Mather, the author........

8 C cider
3 large apples
1 (3-5 pound) bone-in pork loin
2 onions, sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground)
1/4 cup cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Pour the cider into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil the cider until it reduces in volume by half, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
Core the apples, but do not peel.  Cut the apples into eighth's.  Put the pork in a Dutch oven or heavy pot.  Surround the pork with the apples and onions.  Sprinkle everything with the thyme, salt, and pepper.  Pour the reduced cider over all.
Bake the pork, uncovered, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, basting once or twice with the cider, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees F on a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast.  Transfer the pork, apples, and onions to a platter, cover and keep warm.
Place the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and bring the juices to a boil.  In a bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water and whisk the mixture into the juices in the pot.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.  Slice the roast and serve immediately, passing the sauce at the table. 

The picture above is just before I placed it in the oven.....I was so hungry when it finished cooking and salivating over the smell that I forgot to take a picture of the finished recipe!  I served it with brussles sprouts and the squash.   
This is the first time I am doing a review BEFORE I finished the book.........

Robin was living in Chicago, working for the Chicago Tribune and married but within several months her husband asked for a divorce and she lost her job.  She retreated to a cabin on a lake in Michigan and The Feast Nearby is her journey and since she was trying to be frugal she allowed herself only $40 per week for groceries.  Robin is a food writer so eating well was part of her life but her book shows how you can eat very well, healthily and locally within a budget!  She  is not only a great writer but her recipes are amazing, not complicated and not requiring complicated or hard to find ingredients.  She has recipes and instructions for making your own sauerkraut, hard cider and even roasting your own coffee beans!  I just started reading it and I look forward to it every night....I hope she keeps writing!
I will be praying for the people in the path of Sandy and blessings to all of you!  Stay safe!