A Taste of Fall

Though Fall isn’t here yet, and in Florida it only lasts a couple days, I was craving something fall-like to eat. Inspired by Ren’s Salmon, I had the biggest craving for the spicy, yellowish-brown and pungent beauty of mustard. Add some Autumnal fruits and voila, a success:

Pork loin with apple butter and mustard

1 pork loin butterflied lengthwise, but not all the way through and pounded out to about ¼” thickness
¼ cup apple butter (I had some that was sold at a farmer’s market)
¼ cup stone ground mustard
Olive oil
Walnuts
Apricot preserves
Brie
Panko Bread crumbs
Bacon

Flatten out the loin seasoning it on both sides with salt and pepper. Spread the apple butter on the inside and add think slivers of cheese and crunched up nuts. Roll lengthwise and coat with mustard mixed with the apricot preserves on all sides. Coat with breadcrumbs and cover the top with strips of bacon (optional – I may skip this next time.) Sear in a pan with olive oil and then bake for 40 minutes until done on the inside.

Welcome to My Cabin

This was the sign that welcomed us after our long journey, I knew from the looks of it, that this was my new home away from home.

I started out on our journey after the Today show and with only one food hiccup (Waffle House – ugh, if it is in the name you would think they could at least do the waffles half decent, but no) I had a great drive to North Carolina. I was awe-struck when we reached the Smokies and I couldn’t believe the view at sunset. Maybe I was just hungry, but I felt light headed and just kept snapping pictures. (Side note: I need to learn more about my camera since my pictures didn’t come out as good as they could have. I am blaming my inexperience with this camera, though I normally am pretty good with a lens).

Taken the next morning when the sun revealed the quaintness of our new place. I fell in love that first night and the next day was the honeymoon. I hope to one day have my own little cabin in the woods.

We got along so well for about 11 hours. We actually got along for longer than that, but the trip took 11 hours. After trips to other destinations, that were even longer and cramped in an airplane for so long, 11 hours on the road is simply sublime.

Cozy and comfy just like I hoped. I kept dreaming of living here a few months out of the year and writing, knitting and just being with my kitties. (Can you tell I loved it?)

We got to our secluded cabin in the dark after a white-knuckle drive up the mountain. It was so dark that I knew there was a cliff there and a deep drop, but only by instinct. To calm down I set about on the task of unloading the truck and unpacking, plus getting ready for bed. I noticed then, I had nothing really warm to wear and it was about 40 degrees outside. I had cute little nighties, no robe and no slippers.

My first look at Fall. I love mountains and gorges and such, probably because I live in a flat land, though our beaches are rockin'. It wasn't as pixelated as you see here, but it was lush and inviting.

Now I know that I sound whimpy and cranky about the drop in temperature, but I really did love it. After this long hot summer, which has yet to let up, it was a pleasing change and I arranged myself to feel both the warm bath and the lick of the cold air on my shoulders.

Patty and Tuttie would have put this on right away, but I am not into scary movies, and this was not the time to take up a new hobby. It would be like locking yourself in a sewer somewhere and watching SAW. Not a good idea.

Though there was no Internet, nor cell phone reception, we did have a TV with satellite and a DVD player, and what DVDs were there – the entire run of the Beverly Hillbillies and …. Cabin Fever. From the looks of the ominous red and black graphics, I took the last one to be a horror film and since we were in the middle of nowhere, we covered that one up and relaxed into watching the food channel. All in all it was a great day. I slept well enough to be ready for a week of excitement in this Fall wonderland.