Tips from Leftover Night

My husband got called in to work today and is going off to play WarMachine this afternoon so it's just me and the baby today, and that means it's leftover night. I could easily make a delightful sandwich using a whole grain oatmeal bread, mayonnaise, the pork and apples from last night, and some lettuce and maybe whole-berry cranberry sauce. However, since the pork loin tasted so wonderful last night I'll probably just fill a plate and microwave it.
A tip I can give you though, for the pork loin, is if you do end up buying 2 pounds like I did you may want to use 3 apples in your sweet apple side, and just add a bit more butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar. That way you can have apples with your leftovers the next night or two.

I will therefore leave today's blog entry with a few tips for those of you who may not be so confident about your cooking skills or who may think these recipes too difficult.

1.) Know your stove. Learn its nuances; if you have an electric range top, know that every stove is different and you will have to play with the settings. USUALLY it is not a good idea to put anything on High on an electric burner. If your dial goes up to 9, stay around 6 or 7 to play it safe. If you aren't sure and you are not deep frying anything, just cook on a low-medium setting and you can't really fail. Sure, it'll take longer, but you won't burn your food!

2.) Follow the recipe until you trust your skill. I follow recipes all the time, pretty much to the letter. Only if I am sure that I know certain flavors will mesh well together do I begin to experiment with adding spices or ingredients that a recipe does not call for.

3.) To make your meat have a nice crispy outside but juicy, soft inside, cook on a higher temperature for the first 15-30 minutes (depending on weight), then about a hundred or so degrees below that for the remaining 30-60 minutes.

Please feel free to comment on my blog or contact me with suggestions for recipes or questions about how to cook something. If you want some ideas for how to cook a certain type of meat, please ask and I'll see what I can come up with!