Yes, I know. It's been a hot minute since I posted on my blog, but life has just gotten in the way. Around a year ago, I realized I was spending at least half of my weekends on my Sunday Suppers blog, so I decided to take a break for a while. I got out of the habit, and life just keeps getting busier between work and my City Council service. However, I feel very fortunate to be very busy at Grant Design Collaborative, and 2018 was one of our best years ever of the past twenty two.
Make no doubt, I still love to cook, and food is still a passion. I'll be even more motivated when the Canton Farmers Market begins again in May. Until then, I guess I'll keep shopping for organic ingredients at Sprouts in Woodstock. I am now on my second week of a combination Whole30, Keto and Paleo diet. I've enjoyed cooking and eating fresh, non-processed food, even without the luxury of bread and gluten. I've also had more energy, so I hope I can stick with this for a while.
I decided to cook Sunday Supper tonight to celebrate John Clark's birthday which is coming up on Wednesday. I was inspired by watching Jamie Oliver's new PBS cooking show where he uses only five fresh ingredients without a lot of fat or gluten. I did a version of his pork tenderloin with cheddar mashed potatoes, fried sage and prosciutto. The mashed potatoes were made without butter or milk, and they were still delicious, probably the best I've ever cooked. They are made with only potatoes, one tablespoon of olive oil, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. I cooked the tenderloins and prosciutto over the top of them, so the pork fat didn't hurt! I fried some cabbage with bacon for a side, and it was great with Whim-Wham's pepper sauce. Dessert included a gluten-free blood orange tart made with ground almonds, polenta and raw honey. I made it without any sugar, but the honey and blood orange juice still made it very sweet.
We enjoyed dinner and then moved on to the Grammy Awards. The women are rocking the show, but the Dolly Parton tribute was by far the highlight of the night! As my dear friend, Carmen Slaughter texted me, "Dolly had to come out and save her own tribute" by singing with the ones honoring her. As has been said before, Dolly can sing harmony with a stump. Her voice and spirit are beyond comparison, and her exquisite voice brought tears to my eyes. I still remember watching her on the Porter Wagoner Show with my grandmother, and I was mesmerized when she sang Jolene for the first time. I'm still mesmerized every time she performs, and I've had the very good fortune to see her live a few times. I knew it was going to be a great day when I saw her interview on CBS Sunday Morning today. After all, who needs bread when you have Backwoods Barbie to feed your soul?
So, it's good to be back, but I can't promise I will be posting as regularly as I did from 2009–2017. However, when I do, you can bet I will give it my all. Here's hoping your 2019 is off to a delicious start, and until next time, I hope life will treat you kind...
The Menu:
- Pork Tenderloin with Cheddar Mashed Potatoes, Prosciutto and Fried Sage Leaves
- Fried Organic Cabbage with Bacon
- Gluten-Free Blood Orange Tart
The Recipe – Fried Cabbage with Bacon
This is a very easy, fast and tasty way to prepare cabbage!
Ingredients:
Small head of cabbage
4 slices bacon
Directions:
Place four strips of bacon in a cold pan and slowly fry to render fat. When brown and crispy, remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon fat for the cabbage.
Slice the cabbage into very thin strips and sauté it in the reserved bacon fat until tender but still slightly crispy. Serve cabbage on a platter, and crumble the bacon on top. Serve with pepper vinegar, Whim-Wham Art Farm's if you are fortunate enough to have some!
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