First post, three things

We’d already finished the salad by the time Gloria got her camera.

(I lean heavily on intuition while cooking so this will be relatively short on details.)

Spinach salad (aka that salad I can’t stop making):

• A whole mess of spinach
• 2-3 small mushrooms per plate or 1 medium portobello per 2-3 plates
• 2-3 strips bacon per plate (applewood-smoked or pepper-rubbed often a plus)

        The dressing:

• 1 part mustard
•  1 part miso (I’ve used aka-miso w/ dashi)
• lemon juice to taste
•  water or olive oil to thin it out

Fry bacon, chop raw mushrooms.  Toss bacon and ’shrooms with spinach.  Dressing to taste.

Apple-thyme marinade for pork:

• 1 can apple juice concentrate (thawed)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 ts dried thyme or some similar quantity fresh

Mix concentrate, vinegar, and soy sauce.  Rub down roast with thyme.  Marinate up to 8 hours and cook that pig.

This marinade has been hit or miss in my two times using it.  Could be it’s not that great or I might’ve gotten the wrong type of roast for marinating one time.

Homemade, ridiculously simple applesauce:

• about 2 apples per middling-small serving; if you can buy Pink Lady / Cripps Pink apples I highly recommend them.
• 1 tablespoon sugar per 3 apples?  Depends on taste and how sweet your apples are.
• Enough water to cover most of the apples

Core apples, chop into quarters lengthwise, and remove any remaining bits of core.  Halve those pieces widthwise.  Bring water to a boil, add apples, return to a boil, and then turn down to simmer.  Simmer around 15 minutes or until you like the consistency of the apples when prodded with fork.  Drain excess water, add sugar, and mash the apples.

If you have an urge to peel the apples, I say resist it.  Skins add a nice bit of texture.  Then again, if you want to make homogenous applesauce, go for it: peel the apples, chop the pieces smaller and/or boil longer, and mash harder.  (If I wanted homogenous applesauce, I’d buy it from the store.)