Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

You all know I'd rather sew than cook - but since cooking was a necessity this last weekend, I found this recipe in Martha Stewart's collection online - and it was DELICIOUS!!!

Pork Loin (15 pounds)
8 to 10 cipolini or small white onions unpeeled (WHY unpeeled I wanna know!)
1 T. Extra Virgin Olive oil
Coarse Salt and feshly ground pepper

FOR THE WRAP
1 T. finely chopped freh rosemary, plus several springs (I figure out to take those spky 'leaves' off the main stalk before chopping them!)
1/4 pound pancetta (Italian bacon), or bacon, thinly sliced. We found the Pancetta - and though $$$, it sure was good!

FOR THE SAUCE (Psst - I used my turkey gravy - and they never guessed!, but here's the recipe as Martha would do it!)
1 t. unsalted butter, softened
1 t. all-purpose flour
1 C. Chicken Stock

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large cast-iron skillet over medium heat (I used my Mom's old roaster then just put it back into the roaster for the oven part). Sear pork on all sides - about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Rub pork with chopped rosemary, wrap with pancetta, overlapping strips slightly. (I had to use some toothpicks to hold it all on til I got the string all rapped avround it to hold everything int place. - Then I took out the toothpicks.) Scatter onions and rosemary springs around pork. Roast, basting occasionally with cooking juice until reaches 145 degrees on meat thermometer. 35-40 minutes. I did 20' per pound - as my roast was much, much larger. Also - there sure wasn't much juices to baste - but I did what I could - and I was also sure to place the roast fat side up - so those juices went down into the roast as well.

Transfer to platter, cover with foil.

3. Make gravy - in small bowl combine butter and four. Pour off fat from baking dish, place over med heat. Add stock, scraping bottom of skillet to loosen browned bits. Bring to boil, reduce liquid slightly, about 2 min. Whisk in butter mixture, cook til thick. Season with salt and pepper.

MISCELLANEOUS GOOD STUFF

Sew much has been in my head to share...this is a real conglomeration - I hope you find it useful and a little diversion at this busy time of the year...

• Have a new HP printer here in my office - which runs out of ink constantly. Went to Walgreens to get refilled - they couldn't do this type. Gal standing there recommended Rapid Refill. GREAT place - lots of them around country in this chain...you exchange your empties for new ones immediately - and they recycle/refill the ones you brought in. Were a fraction of the cost of new ones. Chatting with the owner, asked him for printer recommendations. He said NOT to get a Lexmark. DID recommend the Brother for about $100. Cartridges cost just $7.99!!!! Sounds good to me. Also - for info: the manufacturers are now 'splitting' the ink colors - a cartridge for black, for red, for blue, for yellow. AND - if one is empty - makes your printer not work at all. I thought I would print photos when I got this printer - NOT! Cheaper to 'order'online from WalMart at $.07 each!
  

• Since I write the annual Christmas letter to go with the cards, I decided to just do it in reality - as I'm writing it - not my hubby and I! Giving credit where credit is due...

• Working like mad on my computer these days - lots of editing, website work, etc... so forced myself to get organized, cleaned the office...which led to the basement. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those Guerilla Shelves we got for the basement. WHY didn't we do that years ago??? Anyway - for satisfying my 'munchies' I 'feast' on Celery, Cucumbers, and hot water with lemon. Doing the trick so far...though those cookies in the FREEZER keep calling my name...
• Speaking of CUCUMBERS... just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1,B2, B3, B5, B6, C, Folic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Zinc...so WHY do I still want a cookie???? Also - the photochemical in a cucumber causes the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite - so if you're a lucky one going to a sunny place over Christmas holiday, remember that!
  
• I LOVE being a size 1.5 at Chico's.....what marketing THAT is!

Standing in the PO yesterday - a LONG line, the postmistress tells us of an elderly woman who said she wanted a religious Christmas Stamp - and so she said, "Sure - Here's Madonna and Child". To that, the lady said "No, she's nasty, I sure don't want HER!"

How to Bake Cookies and NOT Eat the Dough

OK - started the cookie baking tradition today...our family has carried on the "Date Nut Pinwheels" from my husband's family for many years. Despite the 'danger' of uncooked eggs in cookie dough, it 'beckons' me EVERY TIME I allow myself to bake some - regardless of the season.

Sew...Today, I 'armed' myself with Iced Tea, Carrots, and Pecans. See photo....

Now, I can't say it totally worked, but it certainly DID help! I'm sure I only 'snitched' ONE time! then again...I'm afraid I perhaps let myself have a few extra once baked...

Here's the recipe...I hope you'll like it. They DO take a bit of work, but seem worth it. I also would have to say that I think these are special for us - because we only have them at Christmastime. My mother-in-law's recipe, as shared in a PTA cookbook dated 1955-1956!
I DOUBLE this recipe!
1 C Butter, 1 C sugar, 1 C brown sugar, 3 eggs, - cream all together.
Add 4C flour, 1 t. soda, 1 t. cinnamon, 1/4t salt. Mix all up. Chill a bit to make rolling easier.

Date Filling: Mix 1 lb seeded, chopped dates (I buy then that way!), 1/2 C water, 1/2 C sugar, 1 C fine chopped nutmeats in sauce pan and cook a bit.

Roll dough to about 1/4" thick on a well-FLOURED surface. Spread with filling. Roll up. Chill.
Slice - bake on greased sheet 375 degrees 10-15 minutes.
YES - I ate one while writing this!