My Limits to Multitasking

This morning I baked a cake. After lunch, I started the Cherry Garcia cookie dough and put it in the fridge to get firm. Between the cookies and making dinner, I took AJ to see the doctor. Tonight's menu included bacon wrapped pork medallions with apple cider sauce, green bean casserole, and mashed cauliflower surprise. Invariably, when I do too many things I forget something. That's why there aren't any photographs.

While the cookie dough was chilling out, I decided to take AJ to the hospital. He's had a cough for 2 weeks and this will be his second visit to the doctor. It was 3:30 p.m. At this time we'd have to take whoever is available. We got to the hospital, he saw the doctor, and he left the pharmacy with a mister, another course of Ropect, and mysterious instructions to stay out of the sun.

We get home around 5 p.m.  AJ takes Gigi for a walk. I take the ironed clothes from Boong to put away, which interrupts Andy's Scrabble game on Facebook. Do we eat in or go out, he asks. Eat in, I say and I go downstairs. I mentally shift into overdrive. I used to do this so well at 36 but 56 is another story.

Preheat the Sharp Healslo convection oven to 180 degrees Celsius and set timer for 12 minutes. Saute' the bacon but not crisply. Trim and cut the pork tenderloin into eighths. Wrap the bacon around the medallions and pin them with toothpicks. Season with white pepper and fry medallions. Line baking trays with baking parchment and take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator. Heat apple cider and chicken bouillion in 10 inch skillet on medium high heat. Add red wine vinegar and one whole cinnamon stick to the sauce. Turn medallions. Put 12 scoops of cookie dough on each tray and return extra dough to refrigerator. Turn medallions again. Preheating cycle over; pop cookies in oven.

Wash bowls and utensils in sink. Stop to turn medallions. Apple cider mixture is reduced to one cup. Supposed to put in a granny smith apple but forgot to peel, core, and chop it. Put apple back in fridge. Cookies are done. Transfer to racks to cool. Stop to take out medallions and put on plate to drain on paper toweling. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Continue putting cookies on rack to cool. Put cookie trays on unused burner to cool. AJ comes back in and goes upstairs to shower.

Remember the green beans and cauliflower. Move cookie trays to counter. Fill a dutch pot one-third full of water and set on burner to boil. Wash cauliflower and separate cauliflower florets. Snap ends off green beans. Cut green beans into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Chop onions. Decide to add minced garlic and stir-fry the green beans instead of making the casserole. Water is boiling; add cauliflower and forget them.

Wash skillet for frying medallions to clear the sink and stove area. All the brown bits go down the drain to collect in the sink drainer at the bottom. Consult recipe for pork medallions that are now cozily tented under aluminum foil. Pour off any fat in the skillet and add 1 tablespoon butter. Too late. Add any juices from the plate the pork is resting on. The paper towel has soaked up the juices. Don't have any apple brandy, shallots, or fresh thyme either. Sigh.

On the principle that garlic makes up for a lot of omissions, I chop up 6 cloves of garlic instead and throw that in the sauce. Sauce now thick and a deep ruby red. Haven't tasted it yet. Remember the cookie dough in the fridge. Preheat convection oven again. Remember to check cauliflower. Not tender enough. Cookie trays cool to touch. Take out remaining cookie dough and scoop 7 cookies out of the bottom of the bowl onto one tray. Put tray in oven. Lick spatula. Yum.

Check cauliflower and decide it is tender enough. Drain. Set up food processor and throw in cauliflower. Drop in a tablespoon butter and dump in about 4 tablespoons milk, salt, and pepper. Process until it looks like mashed potatoes, only greener. Oven beeps; cookies are done. Remove cookies from oven and transfer to rack to cool. Add salt and pepper generously to the apple-cider reduction and put the medallions in the sauce to heat up. Exhale. The guys meander downstairs; somehow they know, without being called, that dinner is ready.

The pork was tender and the bacon crisp. The sauce was interesting; sweet, sour, salty, and slightly peppery. The green beans were crunchy, the mashed cauliflower smooth and creamy. We also finished some leftover tabouleh.

Afterwards, the guys did the washing up.

I went upstairs to write this blog.

Make a Smilebox recipe