On the road

What with traveling back and forth to Ohio in honor of the birth of Cody, I've decided to try to cut back on food bills here in California.
I had offered to come stay with Courtney during the final days of her pregnancy -- she was due to be induced March 24. Courtney seemed really happy about the prospect, so I made the arrangements. But the week I was slated to go to Ohio she found out the induction had been moved up to March 17, the day after I arrived.
The birth went well and we were all home, exhausted, by Sunday. I figure the mom's job in this type of situation is to keep the house clean, buy food and other stuff that's needed -- it's amazing what you find you need right after a baby -- and stay out of the way; let the new family get used to each other.
I stayed 10 days and headed back home, much to my relief. I lived in the Dayton, Ohio, area for 14 years. Once day, I woke up and realized that if I didn't act soon, I could DIE -- in Dayton, Ohio! Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!
So I got out an Atlas and browsed the want ads and when I saw a city with ocean as part of the map, I applied for a job.
I've loved Ventura since the day I stepped foot in it and find it hard to leave. The scenery is beautiful, the weather is perfect and the pace is right the way I like it -- not too fast and not too slow. L.A. is right next door if I want upscale, cultural events and National Forests surround me.
Coming home to Ventura is a joy, even if it's been a bit rainy.
Rob, my husband, and I have been working on eating better food -- we're both lazy and will resort to fast food, not out of desire, but out of pure ambivalence ("What do you want to eat? I don't know, what do you want?" "I don't know something fast.")
But this week I headed out to Trader Joe's and assembled the makings for almost a week's worth of meals.
One meal was chicken breasts, bone in, skin on browned in a skillet and then simmered with Trader Joe's Masala Simmering Sauce. I served the chicken with the Trader Joe's Basmati and Wild Rice pilaf.
Meal Two was a pork loin served with a creamy tarragon wine sauce. I served this with Trader Joe's frozen vegetable melange.
And meal three was the standard spaghetti and meat sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with Creamy Tarragon Wine Sauce
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (No, it is NOT called EVOO -- ever!)
1 tablespoons dried tarragon
garlic powder
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dried tarragon

Sprinkle tenderloin with dried tarragon and garlic powder. Saute in oil until all sides are browned. I recommend using a stainless steel saute pan for this. Avoid a cast-iron skillet, as it will affect the taste and appearance of the sauce. Remove from heat. Add wine to pan and stir up drippings. Reduce by half and add cream and second tablespoon of dried tarragon. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and add tenderloin. Cover and cook, turning the tenderloin frequently and making sure the sauce doesn't boil down too much (if it does add more cream), to where it's becoming sticky at the bottom of the pan. Cook until tenderloin reaches desired doneness. For well-done, it takes about 10 minutes.

Spaghetti and meat sauce

1 pound Dreamfields pasta (this is GREAT stuff that reduces carbs by making the startch molecules too big to be absorbed in the digestive system -- if I'm understanding the process properly)

1 pound Italian sausage
1 can crushed tomatoes with puree or a spaghetti sauce that has no sugar.
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Prepare the pasta according to package directions until al dente (meaning "to the tooth" or firm, but not crunchy). Brown sausage, breaking it into small pieces, drain fat and add tomatoes, bay leaves and oregano. If you're using tomato puree, you can up the ante by coarsely dicing green peppers and onions and adding them when the sausage is browning. Let sauce simmer, allowing flavors to marry. Drain pasta and place back in pot. Add sauce and mix, adding Parmesan cheese. Some people say to add a little pasta water, but I like my sauce to be a bit sticky.