We’ve tried some new recipes over the the past week that have really turned out great. This one, Honey Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon I mentioned the other day. We got the recipe from the Giada on the Food Network. We are so totally Food Network junkies! When in doubt of what to watch we inevitably tune to food. Well, with one exception and that would be Paula Deen. I am sure she must have some good recipes but I can’t get around her affected accent. (Although she would probably heartily approve of this dish.) But I am digressing here. I didn’t really want to go down the Paula-Deen-you-drive-me-crazy-I-can’t-listen-to-you road. It’s supposed to be all about the food. So ...

Here is the pork before cooking in its blanket of bacon:

We paired it with a recipe out of Cooking Light that my sister told she had tried for Thanksgiving and everyone at her table raved about. Cipollini with Apples and Bacon. Yes, we had our bacon fix for the entire week with this meal but it was worth it! Cipollini are small white (Italian) onions. Unlike the tiny pearl onions, cipollini are fat and squat but just as hard to prep for cooking. Here they are still in the pan looking all caramelized. Yum! Delicious!

And here is the completed meal. We served the pork on a bed of lightly dressed arugula.

We also tried to reinvent a recipe we had while in the Finger Lakes. A crab cake on top of a grilled portabello mushroom. We tried a new crab cake recipe from Cooking Light that also included chopped up shrimp. It was very tasty but I think I would have preferred a normal old-style crab cake for this particular recipe. The crab cake gets lightly molded and bakes right in the mushroom cap. We served it with a crunchy and fresh pickled cucumber salad.

Are you getting hungry yet?

Being the foodies that we are, we are going to Sunday Lunch at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, New York this weekend. I had to make the reservation two months in advance! Neighbors Kim and Mark are joining us in this culinary adventure. It truly is an adventure since there are no menus at Blue Hill. Whatever is fresh that day is what you eat. We’ve been once before and you can read about it here. Elegant and upscale, gentlemen must wear a jacket and tie; ladies should be dressed equally so. Oh, dear. Must we go through what (not) to wear again? No, no, not to worry. I think it has to be the little basic black dress sans ruffles. Can’t wait!

I’m not a huge pork fan, but that looks amazing. 
I think we will have to try that, and then maybe it can make it on the menu for Christmas Dinner!  I’m sick of the same old menu every year!

It is fascinating for a non-foodie (me!) to have a peak at a foodie table!

I’m so craving pork! And the mushrooms with apples and bacon—oh my! I must make this dish!

now i could really tuck in to this, even though I’m just up and haven’t had breakfast yet.  looks de-LICIOUS

I think Food Network is the only channel our tv has
Your plates look wonderful!  Next Iron Chief here YOU come…

Katie, try it!

Jan, peek all you want. Maybe you should give it a try??

Mary, the recipe is well worth trying out.

Letty, you people on euro time! Pork for breakfast, why not?

Debra, what!? There are other channels to watch??? The Iron Chef is Rick. not me. I am just the sous chef! Me, I am the casserole Queen!