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For the past couple of days I have had a wacky fun time with my allergies.
This is something I have gotten to known in my adult years.
All of a sudden for a couple of days a few times a year. My eyes itch and water, My nose is stuffed up and my throat is scratchy.
I do not like it.

Yesterday a co-worker gave me something...some prescription strength allergy med.
It took the edge away from the itchy eyes.
I need something stronger.

*weeps about being up this early*

iced beverages for whores.

I escaped work. I bought Mr. Jenner an Easter present. I would buy him a present for the Feast of Saint Catherine. That is how giddy he makes me.
Anyways...I am doing a lot of sneezing today. It is not a lot of fun.

But for cheerful things I butterflied the pork loin and I have some apricots and prunes sitting in a bath of bourbon.
How many of us have wanted to sit in a bath of bourbon?

Yesterday on my day of ghetto moments I forgot to mention a personal favorite. I was walking down Pike and was near Second Ave which is a well known drug market. There was a man selling robotic dogs and some other item out of the back of his town car. What made it extra fun was noticing his antenna was a coat hanger.
Yeah!
I wondered if he sold solid gold watches for three dollars.

itchy eyes...sneezing, itchy nose, scratchy throat and no fun.
Damn it is sunny out.
*weeps*

Salt me.

Let's talk Easter. (Yes I know there are those who do not celebrate it but I will get to you in a moment)
Often at Easter I eat ham. I love cooking a good ham. One year I slathered on a plum glaze my Mother had canned the previous year. It was one sexy glazed ham. It went well with the scalloped potatoes (easiest damn recipe in the world) and the asparagus. A classic Catholic meal for the Holidays.
It is ended with people passing out after too much salted pork product and milk chocolate. Those who stay awake watch "Sound of Music". Fun is had by all.
Last year I made roast beef for Mr. Jenner. He liked that.
This year I am going for broke.
I am making something I once had when I was about nine years old. I remember adoring it and I figure well heck let's live on memories of fifteen years ago and see what happens.
Oh and I have never made this dish before. All cookbooks warn against this kind of thing. But every so often (okay so maybe all of the time) I throw caution to the wind and say, "Twanda!" or "hey let's do this".

It is called Roasted Pork with Sinner's Stuffing. It comes from the amazing book "Square Meals" by Jane and Michael Stern. They are two of the greatest authorities on American cuisine, road food, and frightening recipes of the fifties. I love these people. (they also write a column in 'Gourmet' magazine)

1 C. pitted prunes, halved
1/2 C dried apricots, halved
1 C. bourbon
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/2 apple, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 Tbs. honey
1 5-6 lb. pork loin roast, boned and butterflied
salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
4 Tbs. sweet butter, softened
1 Tbs. dried thyme
2 Tbs. flour
1 C. apple cider

put prunes and apricots in a bowl. pour bourbon over them and let them
soak 2 to 3 hours or until fruits have absorbed most of the whiskey. add
lemon and orange rinds, chopped apple, and honey and mix gently. reserve
extra liquor.
preheat oven to 325.
open boned and butterflied pork loin and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
lay boozy fruits in a strip a few inches from end of loin. (make sure
fruit strip stops about 1 1/2 inches from ends of meat, to prevent fruit
from falling out when meat is rolled.)
Gently roll meat up around fruit. tie with butcher twine securely at
2-inch intervals.(if loin has been halved by butcher, untie it and stuff
boozy fruits between halves into center and retie.)
cut garlic into slivers, and with a sharp knife, punch deep slits in roast
and insert them. rub softened butter on outside of roast, then sprinkle on
thyme. dust with flour.
place roast on rack in roasting pan. pour cider and reserved bourbon over
meat, cover with foil, and place in center of oven.
roast 25 minutes per pound at 325. after first hour, remove foil and
increase oven to 375 to finish. baste frequently, adding cider if
necessary.
when done, remove roast from pan and let sit covered loosely with foil
before cutting. spoon pan juices over each slice.
serves 6 to 8.

If you feel frightened about butterflying the pork yourself. Ask your kind butcher to do that for you.
Me I like to have a little fun with a knife.

I will have Mr. Jenner make his amazing roasted potatoes and we will have some other vegetable so we don't die of a stroke during dinner.
lemon meringue pie for dessert.

....
One year when I was a kid we were going to go to the restaurant my father was the chef for and have dinner there. Our car broke down three blocks from our house. My Mother said, "well fuck this." (exact words) and we ordered chinese food instead.
Every few years we do that for Easter.
We have some Pagan friends who plant on celebrating Sunday that particular way this year. Noodle bowl for everyone.
The Jews already had their kick-ass holiday so they are down on the seder and matzo ball soup.
I swear...schmaltz alone nearly makes me convert sometimes.
I saw something recently where you take the matzo balls and do a sort of tri-color. Wild. Green spinach, a little tumeric, and leave the last one plain. Not my bag but still...a nice way to dress up things.

I will be honest, Easter hasn't always been the happiest holiday for me and my siblings. We enjoyed our Easter Baskets, pretty dresses (well I don't know if the boys liked pretty dresses) and dinner. But it was the annual tradition for our parents to get into a rip-roaring fight.
(I figure considering all the other things I have told about my family this one won't bother too many people)
It usually ended with someone (funny enough my father) storming off in a hissy fit.
Anything would set it off.
So in a hilarious and sad sort of way, when I think of the resurrection of Christ I think of my parents fighting.
Great...I bet I just made my Mother feel bad.
Don't feel bad Mom. You always made the rest of Easter really kick-ass. The Late Mr. Gibson* would just kind of piss on it by being his usual ass-face self.
No you are not a bad Mother.
Anyways...Easter, crazy holiday. I think it tests a lot of people's wills. What with lent and all. It is kind of a marathon of not losing your mind.

...
On the allergy front my eyes are less watery, and my throat is less scratchy. But my nose is a bit of a faucet.
I had fun sneezing earlier. Big fun.

My boyfriend ownz.

here is your dose of extreme Easter cuteness and silliness.



Who needs Peeps? When you have this box of adorable.