Food Attempts Day 1: Pork & Potatoes

In complete honesty, I don't know the best way to start a blog... so I'm just starting with what I did most recently. Which was cook dinner on a Sunday night. My culinary successes definitely don't happen every day, and so when they do, it feels like something I should share!

Up until I got married, I legitimately did not understand the point of cooking. When I was in college, I ate dining hall food, or quick fix meals, or I just ate out a ton. And truthfully, this worked out pretty well for me by myself. I could always go to my favorite Thai restaurant and then eat that for the next three meals or so, and it didn't turn out to be that expensive. But cooking seemed like a waste of time...it took so long to prepare just a few things, and I had to keep all of the extra ingredients in stock, etc. etc. My best friend in college was an amazing cook, and I loved to eat whatever she made, I just was not incredibly interested in doing it myself. Maybe it's because I was a science major in college, so I got enough of "cookbook"-style activities in lab classes!

But when I married my husband, I found out that he was a wonderful cook. And, I also found out that he really appreciated it when I went out of my way to learn to make something for him. I never fully understood the love languages people talked about before I got married and realized how truly different what makes me feel loved can be from what makes someone else feel cherished. My husband is definitely an "acts of service" love-language kinda guy, and it felt fantastic to me to be able to make his day by throwing a few things in a crockpot. And so, my love-hate relationship with cooking was born.

Today was one of the first few times I've cooked pork loins. Again, before college, I had never tried pork outside of a Hawaiian Luau, and really didn't think it was something I'd like. But I think pork loins can taste like more flavorful chicken. So here's the (sort-of) recipe I used for today's dinner:
http://www.qvc.com/RosemaryAndGarlicCrustedPorkLoinWithPotatoes.content.html 

It actually came from the cookbook In the Kitchen with David. When I found this recipe today, I had no idea where I got this cookbook from, or who David was. My mom must have sent me this cookbook or given it to me for Christmas (thanks Mom!), and apparently David is a foodie over at the QVC network (thanks David!). The version in the cookbook is slightly different than the one on the website and calls for a honey mustard blend as well. I really liked the way it turned out, but I recommend marinating the pork overnight if you've got the time and are a good meal planner! I served the pork loins with a side of garlic roasted potato wedges-- I got the spices from a package at Safway-- and lightly salted greenbeans. We paired the meal with our favorite beers from the local store...mine is a chocolate stout. Probably not a conventional pairing, but I believe in pairing meals with whatever makes you happy!

Let me know if you have any favorite pork recipes! I've been pleasantly surprised with pork every time I've tried it, so I'd love to learn a few more.

xo.

Shannon