I need two ovens.

That statement went from a "want" to a "need" during the holidays. The in-laws came in the weekend before Christmas so that we could celebrate with them. And me, being the obsessive "I can do it all" kind of person I am decided that I'd be able to fix this elaborate meal without my MIL bringing anything. Usually I take up her offer on adding in a side and a few desserts, but this time...nope, I can do it all! Yeah, right. When they left I told Jason that next time I'm going to Sam's and buying a freaking box of paper plates and cups. Mostly, it was my dumb fault for thinking that everything needed to be served on my fancy Christmas dishes. The fancy dishes that cannot go in the dishwasher. Idiot.

So, I sat down to create this fantastic meal. The kind that did not include turkey and dressing. I nixed the Roasted Red Pepper soup that I wanted, mostly because Jason correctly stated that I would probably not like it. I ended up with rolls & butter, Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing, Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Carolina Apple Compote, Potatoes Au Gratin, Green Beans Amandine and the Peppermint Cheesecake from a few posts back. Everything would have worked out great...if I had factored cooking time and temps into this menu. See, three of the above items needed to bake in the oven. For about an our each. All at different temperatures. Nice. And since I waited until the last minute to buy Jason's Christmas gifts, I used most of my cooking time Saturday shopping. Even better.

In the end, I compromised by giving Jason the pork to cook on the grille and moving dinner time back by an hour. Not so bad, considering I was aiming for 6:30.

Pork Loin Roast with Carolina Apple Compote from Southern Living

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (3-lb.) boneless pork loin roast
• Kitchen string
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 pounds Gala apples, unpeeled (I couldn't find these at my store so I bought some other red apples)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 cup apple cider
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon butter

The first 4 ingredients are for the pork tenderloin - since I turned that over to Jason I have no idea what he did instead. The recipe calls for the seasoning to be rubbed on all sides of the pork and tied with kitchen string at 1" intervals. Chill the pork for 2 hours. Brown it on the stove top and transfer to a 375 oven for about 1 hour. Instead, we threw this on the grill. The key to keeping things moist and tender is to let them rest when you take them off of the heat. It's taken me a while to get that through to Jason. He wants to take the food off the grill and cut it up right away. Huge difference when you take the extra 15 minutes!

For the sauce, cut apples into bite-size pieces and sprinkle with lemon juice. Add cider and next 4 ingredients to skillet. Cook, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add apples, and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes or just until apples are tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in butter until melted, and remove skillet from heat. Stir any accumulated pan juices from roast into compote. Serve compote immediately with pork.

Green Beans Amandine from Southern Living

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 lbs fresh green beans
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 T lemon juice
• salt & pepper

Bake almonds at 350 for about 5-10 minutes, set aside. Split the beans lengthwise, cook in boiling water for about 4 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Melt butter and add remaining ingredients. Toss to coat.

Herb Potatoes au Gratin from Aaron McCargo, Jr. - Food Network

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup grated Mild Cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated American cheese
• 1/4 cup grated white cheddar (I used Monterrey Jack instead)
• 1 t chicken bullion powder (I didn't have any, so I left this out)
• 2 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t pepper
• 3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin




• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 2 t smoked paprika

Preheat oven to 350. In a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, melt butter. Stir in the flour until pasty. Add milk and stir to remove lumps. Let it cook for about 6 minutes, or until thick. Lower the heat and add the cheese, bouillon, nutmeg and black pepper. Whisk until well combined and sauce thickens, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. In a bowl, combine butter, Panko and smoky paprika. Stir well. Place potatoes into a 9*13 casserole dish. Pour cheese over potatoes and sprinkle au gratin on top. Wrap with foil and bake in oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove foil and cook for 10 minutes uncovered. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

Overindulgence.

We all have had too much of something. Food, dessert, candy, wine...don't even try to deny it! I know you...you've been right there with me! Either wishing you could be very unladylike and unbutton your pants for the drive home...or wishing you could veg on the sofa all day with a wine hangover.

Last week, I wanted to veg. BAD. Jason did his annual "I think you are crazy" bike ride from Houston to Austin this past weekend. Don't get me wrong, I respect the fact that he wants to ride 150 miles on a seat smaller than my right butt cheek, and he's raising money for the MS society, but...I still think he's crazy!

Since I had the house to myself Saturday night, I invited some girlfriends over for wine, food and movies. I really didn't think we'd actually watch the movies...and I was right. We had a great time - eating too much food and drinking way too much wine. By 2am, I was almost dead in my chair! We'd managed to say some crazy words that don't exist, type text messages that were unreadable and spill wine! But we did have fun.

I wanted to try the crab cake recipe that was featured in the new Cooking Light magazine. I did not make the sauce that the recipe called for, but I thought they turned out pretty well...for my first attempt at crab cakes! We also made bruschetta, baked brie and bacon wrapped dates.

Crab Cakes from Cooking Light

• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 pound lump crab meat, drained and shell pieces removed
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided (I needed a lot more than this!)
• Cooking spray

Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crab meat. Gently stir in 3/4 cup panko. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Divide crab mixture into 8 equal portions (about 1/2 cup each); shape each into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cup panko in a shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and panko. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

Double Tomato Bruschetta from allrecipes.com

• 6 Roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, stems removed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 French baguette
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven on broiler setting. In a large bowl, combine the Roma tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, and pepper. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Cut the baguette into 3/4-inch slices. On a baking sheet, arrange the baguette slices in a single layer. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly brown. Divide the tomato mixture evenly over the baguette slices. Top the slices with mozzarella cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. (This was really good! The recipe probably could top 2 baguettes, though.)

Tangy Pepper-Pecan Brie from Pampered Chef

• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 4" round brie cheese, at room temp
• crackers or a French baguette

Preheat the oven to 425. Coarsely chop the pecans using a knife. Fine chop the jalapeno either using a knife or an electric chopper, combine with the preserves. Slice the brie round in half horizontally, place 1 half (cut side up) on a baking stone. Spread half of the apricot mixture on the brie, top with the other brie round, the remaining apricot mixture and chopped pecans. Bake 8-10 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

Ok...these are pretty self-explanatory, but...take the dried dates, cut them in half. Take maple bacon (you can use any, but this is best) and cut each slice in thirds. Wrap the bacon around the date, skewer and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

Again, because of my overindulgence...I have no pics. I'm really getting bad about that!