Cauliflower with Mustard Sauce

When we were kids, Mom had to convince us to eat vegetables by covering them or disguising them. Nowadays, Mom mostly sautes vegetables because she is no longer cooking for a bunch of picky kids. But when we were kids, Mom usually would boil vegetables and then cover them in sauce, like the broccoli with cheese sauce. With cauliflower, I remember her always using this mustard sauce.

When looking through Mom's recipe box, I found several recipes for sauce intended for vegetables. But none of the recipes had the key ingredient: hot mustard packets from Chinese takeout. So, I talked to Mom about this recipe to learn that the hot mustard packet was Mom's inovation based on the ready availability of mustard packets from our regular takeout from Golden Wok and the nice tang that this mustard gives the sauce. Now, my version of this sauce did come out as yellow as I remember, but the hot mustard still added plenty of tang to this sauce.

Cauliflower with Mustard Sauce

• Head of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-4 packets of hot mustard

Rinse and cut the cauliflower into small pieces. Place into pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook the cauliflower for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and place into a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and hot mustard. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower. Enjoy! 

Pork Roast

Mom's Sunday dinners were always something special, and pork roast was one of her Sunday standards. What made Sunday dinners unique was  that they were often classic dishes that usually required more time to prepare. Pork roast does not actually take too long, but long enough that it was not practical for a weeknight dinner and perfect for a Sunday dinner, especially in the winter. The leftovers make great sandwiches or could be used in a stir fry.

Making a roast is surprisingly easy. At the grocery store, you should look for a boneless pork loin of about two to three pounds. There is no need to trim the fat from the meat because the fat will give the roast flavor as it cooks. While I have a roasting pan, it is a very large pan used for turkey and too large for this roast. So I improvised by using aluminum foil coiled like a snake in a circle to make a base for the roast. The purpose of the roasting pan is to slightly elevate the meat so that the heat can circulate around the meat.

In my recollection, Mom just used salt and pepper to season the roast. But any other seasonings, such as rosemary, thyme or sage could be used. For this roast, I used Lawry's seasoning salt, pepper, and oregano. Mom always made potatoes with the pork roast, but I suppose other vegetables could be used in addition to potatoes. By baking the potatoes in the roast pan, the potatoes pick up the flavorings of the roast.

Pork Roast

• 2-3 pound boneless pork loin
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• seasoning (salt, pepper, etc.)
• 4 small potatoes, quartered

Place the pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan (or a pan with aluminum foil coil). Mix the olive oil with seasoning and brush onto the pork. Roast the pork for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the interior is at least 160-170 degrees. When there is about 45 minutes left of roasting time, place the potatoes in the pan around the roast. When there is about 20 minutes left, turn the potatoes for even cooking. When the roast is done, allow it to stand for about 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Grandma's Italian Cheese Cake

In addition to having many of Mom's recipes, I also have a number of her mom's recipes. Now, I do not remember Grandma making this particular cheesecake recipe, but when I saw the main ingredient was ricotta cheese, I had to give this one a try.

As you can see in the photo in Grandma's own handwriting, her recipe calls for four pounds of ricotta cheese. So, when I made this recipe, I cut the recipe in half; and, still I had two cheesecakes. Not that there is anything terrible about having too much cheesecake. Grandma's recipe is a bit sparse on directions. There is no mention of what pan to use. For cheesecakes, it is common to use a springform pan with removable sides. I do not own springform pans, so I just used an 8-inch round pan and a 9-inch round pan. Be sure to thoroughly grease the pans.

This cheesecake recipe does not call for a crust, but, if you wanted, you could add a classic graham cracker crust or a crust made from amaretti cookies. Also, you could add either lemon or orange zest or almond extract for a different flavor. I have seen similar recipes online that recommend draining the ricotta. I did not do that this time, but I might consider doing so next time.

Italian Cheese Cake

• 2 pounds ricotta
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 250. If needed, drain the ricotta. Mix together the ingredients for three minutes (per Grandma). Pour into a well-greased pan (one springform pan or two 8-inch round pans). Bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Allow to thoroughly cool or refrigerate overnight before cutting. Enjoy!