Three Beautiful Things 08-29-2023: Imagining Anise in Applesauce, Basting Pork Shoulder with Mojo Cuiollo, Contentment

1. It struck me the other day -- maybe it was something I read -- that apple and anise might work well together. I looked deeper into this possibility and, lo and behold, I found a recipe for anise applesauce. Today I made it. It's an applesauce sweetened with dates, with a subtle licorice flavor, balanced by fresh lime juice. I think it works.

2. Debbie returned home from visiting Hiram and Molly excited about a marinade sauce Hiram had used: La Lechonera Mojo Cuiollo. Debbie purchased two bottles of it. I knew we had a couple of hunks of pork shoulder in the freezer, so I thawed a chunk on Sunday and knifed holes in it and put it in a zip lock bag with the Mojo Cuiollo on Monday. Today, I removed the marinated pork, seared it on all sides, and fairly slow cooked it, basted it, at 300 degrees for a couple hours or so in a Dutch oven. When I could pull the meat apart with a fork, I turned off the oven, left the meat in the still warm oven, and sautéed two onions that I peppered and cut into thin rings. Meanwhile, I removed the meat from the oven, pulled the meat apart with a fork, and put the pieces in a bowl. Now the onions were done and I folded the onion rings into the bowl of pork.

Debbie had made a bean salad over the weekend and I made a batch of rice and these were our sides. I had basted the pork in a shallow puddle of fresh Mojo Cuiollo sauce and we both ladled this liquid over our rice and our pork. 

It worked. 

3. Debbie and Gibbs went to bed early this evening and so Copper and Luna had an ample stretch of time to wander around the living room. Luna alternated between attaching herself to my chest and strolling on our coffee table. Copper stretched out on the floor near where I sit in the living room, but once it began to thunder, she scooted into the bedroom and found comfort and shelter under the bed where she stayed until long after the thunder ceased and I came to bed. 

Copper, Luna, and I are enjoying being back to our routine. They are especially happy for all of us to be together through the night. 

Their contentment inspires mine.