auld lang syne

since i do live in the south, it is only proper that i have a semi-traditional new year's day meal.  i say semi-traditional because i'm sure i left something out.  clearly, i have the pork, the collard greens, and field peas (including black-eyed peas), but i also made a pineapple casserole.  i don't think pineapple is traditional for new year's day (at least not in the south), but i think it works well with pork.  and i'm the one eating this particular meal, so i don't need to cater to someone else's opinions regarding proper menu!

bon appetit!

all told, i'm fairly pleased.  adding a little ham and apple cider vinegar to the greens seems to make it tasty, and the pork was both tender and juicy.  i probably should have cooked some rice or something.  oh well.


for interested parties, the pineapple casserole is very simple to prepare, and it works as a dessert.  or merely as a complement to a more savory dish.  i think the recipe originated from a church cookbook, but mom's been making it for years.  and since i like it, i blatantly stole the recipe.  shame on me.

pineapple casserole

ingredients:
3/4 stick margarine
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 (20 ounce) can of crushed pineapple

preparation:
melt margarine in casserole dish (or, as i prefer, in a round pyrex dish).  i've found that about 30 seconds in the microwave works just about perfectly.  add the sugar, flour, and eggs to the bowl and mix well.  stir in the pineapple (again mixing well).  bake at 350°F for about one hour (uncovered).  i tend to rotate the dish in the oven a couple times.  maybe that's not necessary, but it certainly doesn't hurt anything.  the casserole is done when there's a nice golden skin on top.



the pork tenderloin is also pretty easy to cook.  in this case, i got a pre-marinated tenderloin at the store (half-price because it had reached its sell-by date!), so i didn't even have to worry about how to make it tasty.  i like the peppercorn marinade, but i took the liberty of adding thin slices of meyer lemon (fresh from dad's tree) on top.  bake at 350°F in a shallow dish (uncovered) for about 40 minutes, and then let it rest for about 5 minutes before slicing.

peppercorn pork tenderloin

technically, i suppose i should be using a meat thermometer and cook until the internal temperature reaches the proper level...but i don't have a meat thermometer.  i should probably remedy that.  eventually.

may everyone have a happy and healthy year in 2013!