Dear Martha

I've always loved to cook, but I've loved to learn more than anything.  Recipes are one thing, but the ability to create on my own is something altogether different.  And usually elusive.  So when I saw Martha Stewart's Cooking School on sale at Marshalls, I just knew we had to have it.  And like true culinary nerds, Meg and I dove in, and on a recent road trip, I read to her all the delightfully fascinating minutiae of the cooking world. 
Example:  did you know that when you sear meat in a pan, and it seems to carmenlize, it's actually called the  "Maillard reaction"? 
Admittedly, I don't want a degree in this, but I do want to know the 'whys' of cooking, not just the whats.   So Meg and I are endeavoring to learn together.  Inspired by our weekly ritual of "Good Eats" on the Food Network, and the occasional food flick like "Julie & Julia", we aim to make 2010 a year of learning, experimenting, and freedom from the oppression of the recipe card!

So tonight I tried something new.  With limited aid of a recipe, I made "seared pork medallions" with a pan sauce.  In keeping with my new years resolution, I won't give you the recipe, but the ingredients, then a few simple observations:

Ingredients:
8 oz pork loin, thin cut, salt pepper
shallots, apples, raisins, butter
heavy cream, brandy

Observations:  
1.   Hot pan = great sear.  Great sear = great bits stuck to the pan for the sauce.   Juicy bits of carmemized meat make an awesome sauce.
2.  Good alcohol is a must.   For those of you spying on me at Albertsons, YES, i was in the liquor aisle, and YES, I did buy sherry and a Argentinian shiraz.  I've decided something:  no more cooking with "cooking wine".  It's absolute rubbish, and doesn't help the flavor one bit.
3.  Heavy cream and butter are irreplaceable for a good pan sauce.  I tried subsituting milk.  No luck.

The grade?  Probably a C+.  Tasted okay, but would have been better had I used cream and brandy, instead of sherry.

Let's try this again....

Ok, so this time last year I tried this idea. Let's write about our favorite foods... it didn't work so well. Mostly because, well, I didn't write! So, B and I have decided that we are going to again try to tackle this idea.

Mostly we will write about what we cook. Whether we like it or not is a different story. B gave Me a set of wonderful books for Christmas. The theme this year was to be Christmas in the Kitchen - Easley style! So, Ms. K (K. Cook) feel free to join in at any time! First he found a wonderful HUGE Martha Stewart cooking book. WOW.

Of course he found this at our favorite getting place - TJMAXXXXX so, I would suggest you run out and find it there!  Then he turned around and the new one was there too!   Now... you must go see if you can get that one too!!! Of course, as he was leaving he found the best one of all!!!

Martha Stewart Cooking School Cook Book!!!!

OH MY Little Heart!!!!

Happyness abounds!

So, starting on page 256....

So, tonight we started in.... B took tonight's cooking and he prepared the Sauteed Pork Medallions.  WOW!  He had to make several adjustments, it called for a bit of heavy cream - we didn't have that, so he used Emma's 2% milk.  He used dried sage version fresh because it is winter.  Also, didn't have true Brandy, so B used something else... I think perhaps Sherry.  ANYWAY, regardless, I can't imagine how wonderful the true recipe would taste because B's version was true bliss.  We agreed that there would be some true reasons for trying the the actual recipe.  The cream would make the sauce "stick" a bit more, probably hold a bit more flavor also.  I don't know enough about the Brandy vs. Sherry, but that might significantly change the flavor.

IF you find this book, I hightly suggest this recipe!!  Well, now I need to refill my coffee and find a tidd bit of something sweet tasting.  Probably another cup of my apple cider vinegar/lemon juice/ stevia/ hot h2o and don't forget that 1/8 tsp of baking soda to cut the acidity!!  That way those pretty toothies are not hurt!

Good Night world!