Mother's Day Meal

My mom is fantastic and we share quite a lot. No matter how much I tried to deny it over the years, there are many ways in which "I am my mother's daughter." And that's fine...I really like her...
So to help celebrate her, my dad and I made dinner tonight. We enjoyed a crisp Prosecco out on the back patio, table set with birds of paradise and the summer breeze blowing through..
For dinner we had...
Strawberry Cucumber Salad
serves 6 (yay leftovers!)

• romaine lettuce
• purple cabbage
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled
• about 10 strawberries, sliced
• 1 medium avocado
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Dressing...

• Pomegranate balsamic vinegar (if you can't find it, regular balsamic is also good)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Rinse and chop lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, and strawberries. Throw in a large bowl. Just before serving add sliced avocado and crumbled blue. Dress to taste and enjoy! This is a really nice, light salad to enjoy on a summer evening...

Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

serves 3-4 as a side

• 4 red potatoes, skin on
• 1 bunch asparagus
• chopped garlic (about 4 cloves)
• 2-3TBS. olive oil
• 6-7 sprigs fresh rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Line baking sheet with foil. Rinse and chop potatoes into cubes, about 1-1 1/2in. in size. Rinse and cut off woody ends of asparagus. Cut into three even pieces about 2in. in length. Place chopped potatoes and asparagus into a large freezer bag. Add garlic, olive oil, rosemary (left whole), and salt and pepper to bag. Tightly seal and give it a good mix around. Pour entire contents of bag onto baking sheet and bake at 450F/230C for about 25 minutes, checking during the baking process.

Apricot, Pistachio, and Sage stuffed Pork Loin

serves...way more than 3...

I don't know the exact ingredients, because my dad did this dish. But here is the basic idea...

Stuffing

• dried apricots, finely chopped
• raw pistachio meats
• sage
• white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper
• a few other seasonings and spices..

Marinate pork loin ahead of time. I think he used white wine, but I'm not sure what else. Mix all ingredients well (maybe in a food processor?). Preheat oven to 350F/180C. To stuff and bake, make a cut through the pork loin and open enough to stuff mixture inside. Once you've prepared it, place in glass baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for about an hour at 350F/180C. After this first hour, check for doneness. We had to bake ours for another 20 minutes, uncovered. It was extremely tender and the combination of spices with the sweetness of the apricots really complemented each other...

Now, go tell your mom that you love her. Sincerely, mom...you are loved!