Homemade

3:30 pm Saturday Afternoon: I return home from Culinary school, hug my parents and proceed to unload my over-stuffed car.

4:30pm Mom tells me that she has roasted chicken planned for dinner.

4:31pm I offer to clean and prep the chicken…and make dinner.

So much for unpacking.

On Saturday morning I slept in (for once in my life). I showered and was greeted to fluffy, warm pancakes a-la-dad! My dad is the best! He only believes in real maple syrup, so I doused my cakes with the good stuff and topped them with some sugary banana slices and walnuts.

Seriously…can you think of a more perfect way to start a late day?

My Papa (name for my grandfather) was coming over for dinner that night and I wanted to make him something special. My dad sent me an article about a local restaurant that had pork medallions on their menu, and wanted me to make them while I was home. I portioned a pork tenderloin, shaped each slice with cheese cloth into rounds and marinated them in a mixture of olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper for about 20/30 minutes. I heated a skillet and seared each piece until golden and crispy. I finished my medallions in the oven until they reached the internal temperature of 145. To finish, I served them topped with apple cider sauce (apple cider, apple cider vinegar, pan drippings from pork and butter), roasted butternut squash-maple puree and roasted Brussels sprouts.

For dessert, my mom made warm apple crumbles with vanilla ice cream. My Papa loves all things apple, and it was a great way to end our hearty winter supper.

I miss my Papa terribly and it meant a lot for me to prepare a special dinner for him while I was home. I’ve never lived more than 4 hours from home–now that I am in California, I’m not sure when I will see my family next. It has made me appreciate out phone calls and time together even more than ever.

Like I said before, packing/unpacking/moving isn’t really my thing. I procrastinate and get frustrated. I am lucky to have friends and family–I could never do this alone. The day before my big move, I fell into a funk. After breakfast, I decided that if I started making lunch, it would give me something to look forward to….It would also give me an excuse to leave packing every 5 minutes to check on its progress.

I snacked throughout the morning and by the time lunch rolled around, I wasn’t even hungry. (I tend to do this while packing.) I enjoyed a light lunch of carrot and ginger soup, topped with Greek yogurt, almonds and honey. I gave myself a pat on the back for a lunch well made. Warm, hearty and packed with flavor. Twas good.

For my final meal home, I combined my two favorites into one dish: Seared Scallops and Risotto. I made a mushroom risotto with Cremini, Shiitake and Oyster Mushrooms. To increase texture/mushroom flavor, I took half of the mushrooms I sauteed and pureed them with homemade chicken stock to add back into the risotto at the end. I also roasted a few handfuls of the mushroom mix for a crispy garnish. I finished the dish with Truffle Oil and Parsley Oil, and served asparagus to have a green vegetable.

California Pinot…why not? A perfect farewell.

Home Girl,

Nora