Mongolian Pork Tenderloin

Cuttin’ The Mustard
We have our cookbook club dinner this weekend, and I have to admit, I have yet to sample many of the recipes from our book. It happens. Sometimes there’s just no time to actually cook, so I end up rolling the dice on a few recipes which I initially thought looked appetizing. (Well, that’s not totally true. I did make a few things…) The good news is our book is full of tasty bites. You might ask, how I can be so sure about the food, if I haven’t been cooking from the book? The answer is that I know it’s good, because the recipes are from Cindy Pawlcyn and Mustard’s Grill.

Known as a Truckstop Deluxe, Mustards Grill has been a Napa Valley landmark for the past 30 years, and no trip to Napa would be complete without eating there at least once. It has always been a favorite of my mother’s, and I remember as a kid being jealous of her going to lunch there with the rest of the Ya-Yas for birthday celebrations. Doesn’t get any better than a good lunch and some wine tasting with the girls!

One recipe I did make is the famous Mongolian Pork Chops, though I did it with pork tenderloins, because it was easier—and I’m a rebel. The ruling from my family was whether I use tenderloin or pork chops, the marinade is a definite keeper, and I plan on putting it into the summer grilling rotation. There is a lot of sugar in the marinade, so be careful when you grill…

Mongolian Pork Tenderloin Read more…

Sutter’s Fort Gingersnaps

Holdin’ Down The Fort

Sometimes you don’t realize how good you have it until you don’t. Yesterday my daughter and I participated in a program that 4th graders at her school get a chance to do every year. We were part of the Suttter’s Fort ELP program, which basically means we become the museum.

For almost 3 months, the kids have been studying the history of the fort and its occupants. Each child is given their own identity and is required to research that person’s history at the fort. The kids wear costumes the whole time and participate in activities that would have normally happened at the fort: like weaving, candle making, and cooking.

In order for the kids to do all this great stuff, a parent has to volunteer to help out and/or run one of the activities—and be in period costume as well. I chose to run the bakery. (I figured I’d stick with my strengths.) Baking bread in a beehive oven is no easy task. It’s an all-day affair, and I have had a new appreciation for my oven and my dishwasher, and let’s not forget the washing machine…

I can’t even imagine the amount of back-breaking work required just to survive as a settler at that time. If just baking the bread took all day, how long would it take to do everything else? And don’t get me started on laundry. I get why bathing and clothes washing only happened monthly. Yes. Monthly.

Our pioneers did know how to enjoy life, and all of the hard work made for some great get-togethers with music and neighbors. They danced, they laughed and they ate tasty treats like these gingersnap cookies we made in the oven yesterday after the bread was done.

Sutter’s Fort Gingersnaps
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Carrot Cake Cheesecake

The (Cream) Cheese Stands Alone

If it’s Easter Sunday, you can pretty much count on there being a carrot cake on our table…which is a good thing. I am pretty sure it’s not the cake I love so much (though that it pretty tasty) but rather, the cream cheese frosting. If I am being honest with myself, the carrot cake is just the socially accepted vessel for the creamy goodness that is cream cheese frosting. Eating the entire bowl with a spoon is, apparently frowned upon. If I could, I would put cream cheese frosting on everything.

Over the years our carrot cakes have come in many forms: cupcakes, sheet cakes even trifles, but I saw a recipe this year that has me intrigued…This Carrot Cake Cheesecake gives cream cheese frosting a twist. Though I may be giving up my precious frosting, I am still getting that sweet cheese flavor, and it is in a layer that is as thick as I wish I could spread the frosting on without people thinking I’m nuts. (Which I am by the way.)

If you’re looking for tradition with a twist this Easter, give this Carrot Cake Cheesecake a try!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake
Adapted from the Food Network

You need to get a jump on this recipe, as the carrot cake should be made a day in advance, and the cheesecake needs time in the fridge to set.

The reviews mentioned that this cake was too dry. We increased the oil by 2 tablespoons from the original recipe. Also mind your oven temperature, you might want to decrease it to bake more slowly. Or you can use your own recipe as long as it’s not too moist, since the cheese cake has to be supported.

There are video instructions at this link. Read more…

Classic Cheese Fondue

Downhill Racer

When I was in grade school, we always got a week off in February. The school called it Presidents Week but we called it what it really was, Ski Week.

The concept of Ski Week brings to mind a lovely European scene complete with tall snow covered mountains, quaint Alpine lodge, mulled wine, schnitzel, cheese fondue and the always faithful St. Bernard. Reality is quite different.

I had the opportunity to ski a lot as a kid, and I have no idea how my mother did it. It’s one thing if you are an adult who presumably can manage to haul your gear and get yourself on the mountain. It is a very different (read: painful) thing entirely when you are dragging your children up the mountain, But Mom did it, often, and it was awesome. I have been semi-successful at getting my kids to ski. The biggest obstacle, of course, has been the lack of snow. This year was better, but our one outing was not that enjoyable do to blizzard-like conditions. Who knows when we’ll go back…

The best I can do is recreate that blissful scene from the Alps. As hard as it is to get in the mood with this unseasonably warm weather, it’s harder to pass up the opportunity for melted cheese.

Classic Cheese Fondue
Fondue possibilities are endless, and you can get pretty creative, so mix your cheeses and dippers. Try a gorgonzola fondue with cut up pears—the bomb!

Although it is great to have a traditional fondue pot, don’t let that stop you! What you need is a pot with a source of heat underneath so the fondue stays melted. You can even use a cast iron pot with sterno or a tea light underneath. Read more…