Goodbye Grandma

My grandmother, Marguerite Romine passed away last night. She was a wonderful grandmother to all of her grandkids. When I got the call this morning so many memories flooded back to me. The smell of her house, the sound of her slippers on the floor when she walked around. I was very lucky to have her only 10 minutes away and stayed at her house often. We called her Gumma, becuase my cousin could not say "grandma" when he was young. My favorite thing to eat at her house was Ramen noodles. She would cook them till almost mush then put them on a plate for me with some salt, they were amazing and never have tasted so good as they did at her house. She always had powdered sugar and we would dip blueberries in it-something we couldn't do at home. When I got older I would mow her yard and help her with housework. She was always so generous with gifts and love for all of us.


She hasn't been herself for a few years now and everyone has missed her. She still loved flowers, soup, and food of all kinds but she just wasn't quite the same. I know she is in a better place now, where her mind works perfectly. Maybe she can hang out with my grandfather, she's been without him for 19 years now, that's too long to be apart.
This is my wedding in May of 2005, she's telling me that I look beautiful and that she loves her orchid corsage. She looked so beautiful that day.

Dinner on the Grill (easy clean up included)

Tonight I grilled a pork tenderloin and some veggies. It turned out great and the cleanup was even better!
Grilling a pork tenderloin can take up to 40 minutes so get your grill going first thing, turn it to low and drop on your pork!
Back in the kitchen the marinade for the veggies is as follows:
4 T. olive oil
3 T. Balsamic Vinegar
2 T. Basil, chopped
2 T. Parsley, chopped
1 fresh garlic clove, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Slice the Zucchini lengthwise into about a quarter inch thick. You want it to grill through but not turn to mush.
Dip the Zucchini and asparagus into the marinade to get a good coating onto it.
Add it onto the grill.
Grill the veggies for about 6 minutes on each side. If you want the zucchini to have the pretty grill marks then only turn it once!
Keep turning your pork about every ten minutes as well. You want to get it to a temp of 160º then let it rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing so the temp gets to a safe to eat 165º.
After the vegetables come off the grill drop them back into the marinade and serve!
The Paleolithic Diet excludes simple carbohydrates, so most people would not think of this as a complete meal. The pork is a protein and believe it or not the veggies are a complex carbohydrate. Adam and I added some almonds and olives to our plate to get a source of good fat in and this meal was great. I was not hungry for more or craving anything extra!
More from my Paleo Kitchen soon!

Cauliflower Mash

Tonight we made Cauliflower Mash to go with our grilled pork tenderloin. This was my first attempt and I know that I can improve each time I make it. However, it turned out delicious and I can't believe it was as good as eating mashed potatoes!
Here is the recipe.
First I removed the leaves from around the base. I cut the cauliflower into about 2 inch chunks.
I sauteed this in about one inch of water with a bit of salt. If you boil the cauliflower you have issues with the water it absorbs and you will spend lots of time trying to squeeze out the water! So saute it for about 30 minutes then drain the water.
To squeeze out any excess water place a plate in the colander and push down.
Add the cauliflower to the food processor with whatever "flavorings" you would usually put into your mashed potatoes! I added 2 Tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream, and some cream cheese. All of this dairy is NOT paleo! I will try this again soon and make it strictly paleo and update you on what ingredients I find most tasty!
Blend all this together in the food processor until smooth.
You should end up with the consistency of mashed potatoes and it is SO tasty. You don't have to worry about holding back. Didn't your mom always tell you to eat your veggies! More from my paleo kitchen soon.

Beef Roast with Veggies

Today I made a paleo meal in the crock pot. I got a pot roast and put some olive oil in the bottom, salt and peppered the beef and placed it in first.


Then I added in chopped onions.Then mushrooms and tomatoes, red peppers and carrots. I added basil, oregano, parsley, crushed red pepper flakes and about 1/4 cup white wine to the pot.
I cooked it on high for 2 hours and low for 2 hours. And it was delicious.

My First Time

Tonight is my first blog. I have told several friends I am doing this and they keep asking if I have put anything up! My goal for tonight is to get some words up and one picture. Let's see how I do!