Also on holiday menu:

Cooked collards or mixed greens
Small boiled white potatoes
+Braised celery with pimentos
+Sweet Potato pie with Spiced Buttered Rum Sauce

This Asian Style Pork Roast only takes a few ingredients. Browning the pork before placing in the oven keeps it moist and succulent. Serve with cooked greens, braised celery and tiny boiled white potatoes. Or try Yukon Gold potatoes, they are delicious boiled. Before boiling, cut in halves or quarters, depending on size.

INGREDIENTS

1 Pork roast (2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
1/2 Cup orange marmalade
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 to 1 Tspn Asian chili paste*
1/2 Cup light soy sauce
2 Tblspn ketchup
Oil for browning meat

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Make a dressing of soy sauce, marmalade, Asian chili paste, ketchup and garlic by mixing ingredients together.

Brown meat all sides in an oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. When pork is browned, baste with dressing and roast in oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Continue to baste and turn the roast. Lower the heat to 350 degrees. Roast 45 minutes, basting to keep meat moist. Meat juices will run clear when done. Remove roast from pan and let sit at least 15 minutes before serving. Spoon dressing gravy over roast and potatoes.

Makes 8 to 12 servings

Hint
*Browning the meat will help to seal the juices. Also makes a better looking roast.
*When serving fewer than 6 people, freeze the other half. Makes a great cold sandwich.
*Taste Chili paste before adding to mixture, to test the intensity of the product. Decide how much heat you want to add to your dressing.




Braised Celery

INGREDIENTS

1 Bunch of celery, should weight about one pound.
3/4 cup water or, vegetable or chicken stock (I prefer chicken stock)
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

DIRECTIONS

Cut celery from base and clean stalks thoroughly. Remove strings from each stalk, then cut stalks into 3 to 4 inch pieces.

Bring water or stock to simmer and place celery in large skillet. Celery should be in a single layer. Add salt and pepper and cover. Celery is done when fork tender. When drizzle olive oil over celery. Freshly ground pepper is nice over each serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Hint
*If you are preparing braised celery for company cut stalks into 6 inch pieces. Julienne a few jarred pimentos and sprinkle across the celery stalks, it makes a pretty presentation.



Sweet Potato Pie with Spiced Buttered Rum Sauce Recipe

I think this basic recipe is one of the best for sweet potato pie.

INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
1 can Carnation evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tspn pure vanilla extract
1/2 stick melted butter
Pinch of salt
1 ready-made pie crust*

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place pie crust in pie pan and set aside.*

Mash sweet potatoes thoroughly with potato masher in large bowl. Remove any 'stringy' sweet potato. Add milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter.

Beat eggs in separate bowl, then our beaten eggs into sweet potato mix, a little at time. Beat until smooth, then pour mix into pie shell. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then reduce oven to 350 and continue baking for 40 to 50 minutes more or until firm. Test pie for doneness by inserting a tooth pick or knife in center of the pie. It should be clean when removed. Cool pie before cutting.

Hint
*Pure vanilla extract is best for this pie and the sauce.
*Pillsbury pie crust is recommended.

Spiced Buttered Rum Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 tspn cloves
1/2 tspn pure vanilla extract
1 tbspn rum flavoring (or 1-1/2oz rum)

DIRECTIONS

Combine water, sugar and butter in a sauce pan, stir to mix then add cloves. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble and thicken. When slightly thickened, remove from heat and add the vanilla extract and rum flavoring or rum. Mix well. Pour rum warm sauce in small covered bowl until ready to serve.

When serving sweet potato pie, pour a bit of sauce over each slice.

Hint
*There are two pie crusts in the package. They fit a standard 9 inch pie pan. Keep the remaining pie crust for another pie. Or flatten and spray with vegetable oil then sprinkle grated parmesan cheese. Cut in 3/4 inch width ribbons the length of the flattened pie crust. Twist ribbons to make easy twisty bread sticks. Bake for 10 minutes or so until lightly browned.