Pork and why I can't nuke things.

I'm still embroiled in all my first world problems. The big addition has been the total and utter lack of hot water since oh..... 10pm last night. They almost had me fooled into soaking under a hot shower to ease my congestion but fortunately I loaded the dishwasher first and noted the odd and horrible sound that indicated it had ran out of ANY kind of water 10 mins in.
I am therefore Thankful. If I had had the hot water shut off on me mid shower I would have seriously lost my Schmidt. Which makes me cough.
Instead I set to the task of making dinner with no energy and no running water. Oh and instead of just nuking things I actually have to cook because.
1. I said I didn't need a microwave when we moved and I'm not backing down now.
2. There is no where in my postage stamp kitchen to put one. Seriously I have something like 24 inches sq of counter space as it is.
3. We have a thing about wasting food. We do that way to much. That means the Pork loin I 'rainchecked' from Sunday dinner will be in the trash tomorrow. Which is gluttonous and bad and there are Starving Children In Africa. (This is not only true but has been uttered with small variations since biblical times)

So.
In the best of internet traditions I googled it while polling FB for thoughts. Then I realized I miss my mother and I'm a long way from home. Then I just sort of threw things in my big stockpot, flipped the heat down to low and returned to my recliner.

Here's what I did.

2.5lb pork loin (Cut into 1inch cubes)
Half an onion diced
half a Jonagold apple. also chunked up.
1 bottle of hard cider
sage
rosemary*
thyme*
paprika*
chili powder (1/2tsp or more to taste)
pepper*
nutmeg*
kosher salt.*
bay leaf
extra virgin olive oil
butter

(* there are no measurements because the thrifty women that taught me to cook didn't use recipes. They sprinkled, pinched, tasted, poked and tutted til they liked how it tasted and called it good. Its not rocket science or I wouldn't be able to do it :-)

THE HOW

Put the diced meet in a gallon zip lock bag. add your seasonings and a drizzle of oil. shake to coat and remember you can add more salt and pepper later.
In that big pasta/stock pot heat some more olive oil. in batches sear the pork on all sides. It took 3 batches when I did it.
Then the onion goes in. when its nice and soft add the apple and let it get nicely caramelized. make sure you're getting lots of crust on the bottom. if you start running low on oil in the pan add a knob of butter for flavour.
De-glaze with the pan with the cider making sure to scrape the pan for those scrummy burnt bits.
back goes all that meat and with the rest of the bottle of cider. in with the bay leaf and on with the lid.
Flip the heat to low and LEAVE IT ALONE. Strictly alone. For hours. At least four.
check the seasoning and adjust to taste.
Serve it over rice/cous-cous or in my case roasted potatoes.

A taste of Autumn from south Somerset in Texas. with only about 30minutes real effort If you get your husband to make the sides from the freezer stash of Alexia spuds.

Thank You for my First World Problems!

Here I am. Scouring the internet at bedtime from the recliner trying to figure out why nobody is addressing a vital and immediate issue.  What the duck am I supposed to tell my barely verbal 22 month old tomorrow? I suspect 'Mummy had pneumonia and is sick sick.' will lack something. Just me thinking that though. My husband (awesome as he is...and he IS awesome) has not yet mastered the trick of being in two places at once either and so will be going to work to keep the wolves at bay. 

This is what set me thinking. I was reading Rants From Mommyland's post on First World Problems. The feelings that this generated led me to make a promise to give Thirty Days Of Thanks. Because all my problems are First World Problems.  

How ever will I amuse my active and well-nourished toddler. Will we play with Electronic toys....Lie in bed and stream Netflix on high-speed internet? 

What snack will I fix him. From a well stocked pantry no less. I would hate to spend a day sick on memory foam, cotton and crumbs. 

I stood and felt sour when I payed my copay. My husband lost his Schmidt briefly when yet again our local pharmacy failed to have basic medications in stock. 

The distance to the CVS was three blocks. The wait a lengthy and laughable fifteen minutes. 

These are First World problems. I forget how blessed I am and lose my Schmidt regularly about this sort of thing. Only this morning I had forgotten my blessings and sulked and pitied myself all the way to the doctors office. 

This is the truth of it. I have Pneumonia. I am thankful. My well trained doctor was there to see me less than 12 hours after I called him. My husbands job grants me health insurance. My copay was $25 dollars. Which I had.  The doctor wrote prescriptions and nurses administered meds in the office. I left and went to a pharmacy. By lunch time I had the right medicine, at a reasonable cost. I'm resting and writing from my recliner and wondering how to please my child tomorrow while i rest in the comfort of a sturdy little townhouse, heat and a/c and a husband that leaves each day to make that possible. And still has a job in a down economy. 

Thankful. So thankful. And angry with myself. I let myself forget, somehow, that these things were blessings. I certainly haven't always had it easy. We've lost homes. Loved ones. Jobs and even had to give up the dream for a while. But not because we aren't blessed. Through all of those times as our household grew, shrank, shifted and changed, we stayed housed. Fed. Warm. 

When I was young my mother took it into her head to take me travelling with her. I saw all sorts of places, saw all sorts of things. I saw children. The reality of the Second and Third world should have been burned into me. The stories the old Auschwitz survivors told should have never slipped from the front of my mind. 

Because I am blessed. Because I am thankful. 

Hopefully I will remember that tomorrow when I work out what to do with my toddler while i hack and pant. My mummy lives to far to make me soup :( and my husband won't be home till 3. 

Thank you For My First World Problems..