All I Want For Christmas....

Fingers Crossed Tuscan Pork Roast

I've recently heard a couple of songs about wanting things for Christmas...Well, mine doesn't include 'my two front teeth', although being from Texas, that could be a legitimate wish/concern for some folks over the age of 30.  It also isn't 'you', even though Mariah Carey sure does sing the heck out of that song.  All I want for Christmas is a nice, easy, fun day.  Well, that and maybe diamonds...but, I digress.

I assume part of 'a nice, easy, and fun' day would be to make a fantastic dinner that I didn't 1) break the bank to make and 2) wasn't so hard and messy that by the time I was finished cooking...I was too tired to enjoy.  3) if said easy(ish) dinner could appear that I slaved away, quickly followed by a round of applause from my family, that would be alright with me too.

Here goes nothing!

I figured if it was good enough for Christmas, it was good enough for a random Monday night...So, I thought a trial run was in order.  Before I was frantic and under the watchful eye of my 'starving' kids on Christmas.  So, the cover of my Cuisine At Home (thanks again for the subscription Kathleen!) there was a beautiful Tuscan Pork Roast.  Of course they rolled it and rolling meat is not forte...I have an inability to roll meat into those spiral configurations....But, what the hay, no pressure on a Monday to make it perfect.

Holy Moly!
Will wonders never cease!

Not my best idea

I gotta say, I actually did it!  A lot of the 1 1/2 hour cooking time was just that, cooking time.  It was a fantastic dinner.  I did make a change though.  I had bought fennel seed and then remembered Ina Garten uses her coffee grinder to grind her spices, so I did too.  Did you know that fennel seed smells like black licorice? Not a fan.  Of course, now my coffee grinder reeks of this stuff and it's not like I can soak it or put it in the dish washer.  Thanks a lot Ina.  Great idea.   Needless to say, I threw it out and went with a sage/thyme blend as a replacement.

I borrowed my husband's Ove Glove
(I guess this means I can't make
fun of it anymore)

Other than the fennel seed debacle and a burnt hand (I hate when you put a skillet in the oven--less dishes to clean, but that urge to grab the handle is too great), it was a fantastic Christmas dinner idea!  I highly recommend it!  (Don't forget to do the White Wine Pan Sauce...you only use half a cup of wine...and you can't let that bottle go to waste!)  So, I guess since I have the dinner covered, my focus will shift on to the diamonds...

The Ingredients (Sauce)

The Ingredients (Roast)

Finished!

Cuisine At Home Dec 2012