Success

Well just to follow up, dinner the other night was a success. Good food with great company.

I was especially proud of the roast leg of pork that we made. It was supposed to be a stuffed pork loin, which I've made once before last Easter, but there was no pork loin available at the store. So instead I bought a couple of pork legs for roasting, modified the original recipe, and got some additional guidance from a good old-fashioned Google search.

I even mastered making "crackling" with the rind. Mmmmm.

The pork was truly delicious -- crispy, flavorful skin and moist, juicy inside. I stuffed it with dried cranberries, apples, prunes, golden raisins, garlic cloves, some brown sugar, and finely chopped rosemary from the garden.

Neil did the honors.

These pictures do it an injustice. 

I made a gravy, too, from pan drippings mixed with apricot juice. Soooo good. A perfect special winter meal. We started with a broccoli/cauliflower/cheese soup that I made entirely in the VitaMix blender! Very easy and tasty!

 

Anyway, despite the scary-looking BlackBerry pictures, it was beautiful and tasted awesome. Although I don't find or make a lot of time to cook, I find enjoyment and usually success in cooking fun challenges like this. I may have to make a hobby out of cooking new things once in awhile. Beats the restaurant scene and gives me something to do.