this time of year it's what you do.

so as i had mentioned before we went apple picking. why? why do we do this? it's crowded. it's a lot of waiting. it's a lot of scavenging. it's a lot of are we done yet? it's  lot of lines. and then we end up with more apples then we know what to do with.

Ouiser - "Because I'm an old Southern woman and we're supposed to wear funny looking hats and ugly clothes and grow vegetables in the dirt. Don't ask me those questions. I don't know why, I don't make the rules!" ~steel magnolias.

we do it because it's what you do. it's especially what you do when you live in the suburban area that is surrounded by numerous orchards and farms. it's what you do when you get caught up in the moment of seeing the long lines weaving their way down the highway of other families who have made the pilgrimage out here from the big city for this very reason. it's what you do when you think of all the wonderful yummy things you can create with this. it's what you do as a family in the fall.

so we did it. and we found out that the eating apples we picked were not really for us {good to know} and out of that trip came this and other things. also out of that bounty was this little chutney-type savory meat accompaniment that anyone would be proud to display on their table amongst the dinner spread.

the inspiration focused itself out of the rosemary and thyme i have growing all around and the want to incorporate that. then the thought of applesauce for the meal entered my mind. then the thought of cranberry sauce sneaked in there as well to completely confuse the palette. as i shooed him out of there my eyes rested on the apples and a light-bulb went off. something sweet. something savory. something apples. something extraordinary.

as a lover of condiments and their effect to alter a meal from one step to the next - the husband mentioned the other day he has never seen a fridge so full of condiments ever - i gathered all my starting characters and was off to the races. what i turned out was so heavenly that i was actually eating it straight out of the pan and forgetting to slather it all over my pork {which was heavenly in it's own right}. the burst of all the fresh herbs against the sweet apples, savory onions added the right notes i was hoping the achieve and was absolutely brilliant. perfectly fall. perfectly perfect. take advantage of this time of year with a pork loin, some fresh rosemary & thyme, and the fresh harvest of apples - i'm sure glad i did.

savoury apple chunk

peel, core and chop 3 apples (you want to end up with 3/4 lb of apple). set aside. heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. dice half a medium onion and add to pan. season with salt and pepper. sautee a bit until translucent about 4 minutes. add 1 tsp of cinnamon and a generous pinch of nutmeg. cook for one minute. add apples and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. sautee for about 3 minutes. add 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary and the same of thyme {i added a bit more cause i really like that taste - adjust your quantities accordingly; also reserve some thyme leaves for garnish at the end, just makes it extra pretty}. sautee for about 2-3 minutes to release the flavours from the herbs. add 1/4 cup of apple juice and squeeze a half a lemon over the top, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, allow to bubble away and reduce for about 15 minutes - taste halfway through and adjust your seasoning. allow to cool slightly and serve along side any savoury meat. bon appetite!  

i took a loin of pork and slathered it in a mixture of whole-grain mustard, some extra-virgin {always} olive oil, diced garlic, minced fresh rosemary & thyme and salt/pepper. baked it in the oven, let rest for 10 minutes, sliced up and served with chutney. yum!

from the archives: sweet and spicy pork chops.

last night i made my signature pork chops. they are so good. spicy. sweet. moist and amazingly tasty. i decided then and there that these have to be shared with all of you. as i was writing my witty and humorous post to all of you in me head i realized that i had written about these beauties before. back at the beginning of the summer of 2009 i decided to start a blog in conjunction with starting my baking business. it chronicled our summer that year, the rise of our success at the farmer's market, the eventual decision to open a gourmet food shop out of said success, the growth and comedy styling's of our kids and the opening & running of our bakery. i sold the blog with our bakery as i had turned it into the website for the joint. the bakery is still running but they have let the blog go and i thought it was a shame because as it was filled with so many wonderful recipes as well as memories. so to right this wrong i have decided to dip into the archives and share these with you along with the thoughts, hopes and dreams of that times as well.  hope you enjoy. xoxo.

6.03.2009
on saturday's at the market my stall is across from gelderman farms. they are pig farmers here in the valley and sell all kinds of wonderful pork products. i got some beautiful chops from them today, jazzed them up with my recipe and oh yummy yummy yummy!!!we haven't had a lot of pork around here lately because of the husband's health and we have been craving them for a while. the chops were delicious. spicy, sweet, tender, white and juicy. just how we like them!

i marinated it earlier in the day {although all you need is 5 minutes for this recipe} and the husband grilled them. he mentioned a beer in hand would have made the whole experience a lot better!! {i'm still wondering why he didn't?} served with steamed asparagus and a side summer salad it was the perfect weekend dinner!

sweet and spicy pork chops

adapted from rachael ray.
*this can be used on pork roasts and tenderloins as well.

4 pork chops - standard size
3 tablespoons of montreal steak spice
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
**if you have a lime on hand the zest and juice of a lime adds something special to this.

add all ingredients to a baking pan big enough to hold the chops. mix together to form a paste like mix. add the chops. coat on one side with mix then flip to oat the other side. let sit for at least 5 minutes - longer if you wish. heat up the grill and toss them on!! depending on the thickness of your chops you are looking at about 15 to 20 minutes.

these can also be baked at 735 for about 35 minutes, depending on your oven. i always check them after 25 minutes to make sure. enjoy!!

**update: we enjoyed these last night with steamed brown rice and steamed broccoli but a coleslaw with toasted sesame dressing would have rounded these out quite nicely. these are perfect to serve all year round!!

appley asiany goodness.

it was so good.

this is no picture - it was that good.

years and years ago (am I now old enough i can say that?) i was graciously bestowed this recipe by a dear friend while living in our downtown vancouver pied-a-terre (how glamorous does that sound?? haha). I called her up with a need to spruce up pork tenderloin. as the words spilled out of her mouth and on to my page i knew we had a winner.

the other great part about this recipe is the generous aroma it fills the house with. the sweet honey, the crisp apple, then comes the garlic and last but not least the star - the fresh ginger. this is the taste part of the recipe i anticipate the most. 

as we sat down with steaming plates of my yummy rice, thick slices of pork, covered in the sinful sauce created at the bottom of the baking dish just as is, and steamed green peas - a humble little vegetable which rounds out this plate perfectly. i sat there for a moment and just breathed it all in. yum.

lost in flavour. transported.

(halfway through devouring and savouring my plate did i realized we had not taken a picture but i couldn't tear myself away to make the exception. it's that good.)

pork tenderloin with apple and honey

one good size or two smaller pork tenderloin (i doubled this recipe and marinaded a 3-4 pound pork sirloin rib roast)

1/3 cup of apple juice
1/4 cup of honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp dijon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger - grated

combine together and marinade pork no less than one hour, can be done overnight as well.

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. place marinade & pork in a baking dish and bake for 40 to 50 minutes depending on oven (large pork roast took me 3 hours). once done let rest for 10 minutes and enjoy.
serve with rice. pour "sauce" gathered at bottom of dish over pork and rice - probably totally and completely bad for you but totally and completely yummy!