Fall meal

One of the things we hear out here in California is how people would "miss the seasons" if they left the God-forsaken wasteland they call home. In reality, they usually mean they'd miss the two or three golden weeks of fall and spring that -- sometimes -- occur each year. These golden weeks generally have little to no rain, temperatures ranging up to the mid-70s and down to the low 50s at night, with clear skies and gentle breezes. In other words, weather that we get year-round as a matter of course.

I suppose it's part of the Puritanical ethics of hardship and privation. Frankly, they can have their self-imposed suffering through endless gray days, frigid mornings, inferno-esque heat, while I bask in the sunshine and walk on the beach. The naysayers seem to believe that you can only enjoy beautiful weather if you've suffered through months of inhuman torment where the only air you breathe is filtered and either heated or cooled. I beg to differ. I am just as capable of enjoying the "seasons" without the pain. And I do.

This past weekend marked the first day of Fall. Like most people, I love autumn. What's not to love about pumpkins, apples and golden leaves? We were also hit by a once-in-a-lifetime September rainstorm in Southern California and it helped establish the Fall-like mood. I decided to make my Fall Meal.

When the kids were growing up I would mark the advent of autumn with a meal of roasted pork with potatoes, squash and apples. There is something about the smell of roasting pork that is quintessentially Fall. The kids used to love it when the Fall Meal was trotted out because it signalled trips to the local farm stands for hayrides and cider.

I always wondered if the kids appreciated all of my little Fall traditions. When I was a kid, we used to go out to the local cider place, which was really cool, but my mom had an unfortunate tendency of turning every family outing into a Trip from Hell, so I was always afraid to do the same with my kids. Fortunately, they seem to have loved our times out -- I guess not screaming and belittling everyone makes family trips so much more pleasant. It makes me so happy to see Courtney take her family out the way I did to the same stands and I just love that it's a fun, joyful experience for her and the grandchildren.

Fall Meal
1 large pork roast, at least 5 pounds. Sirloin is great, but pork shoulder is delicious and inexpensive.
olive oil
Penzeys' Ozarks seasoning
Garlic powder
onion powder
4 large springs fresh rosemary
salt
pepper
5 to 6 red potatoes
1 large butternut squash or two acorn squashes, cut into halves with seeds removed
cinnamon
4 large apples cored, but not all the way through(Granny Smith is good, as is Fuji and Pink Lady)
brown sugar
butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rub the roast with olive oil. (Note: Despite what Rachael Ray says, extra virgin olive oil is only necessary to use when making a dish where the flavor is going to be dominant in the dish. Regular olive oil is just fine for roasting.) Sprinkle with seasonings. Rub the potatoes with olive oil also and prick all over and place in roasting pan -- make sure you use a large one -- along with the roast. Tuck the rosemary sprigs around the roast and potatoes. Place squash halves rubbed with olive in the dish and sprinkle all over with cinnamon. Cook for an hour and a half. Add apples stuffed with a dab of butter, brown sugar and sprinkled with cinnamon. Add a dab of butter into the cups of the squash halves and top with brown sugar. Cook for another half hour. Remove from oven and check the roast for doneness. Although pork no longer has to be cooked until well-done, I find my preference for well-done pork to be too ingrained to change. You can place the roast back in the oven to cook until well-done if necessary, then return it to the original pan with the veggies and fruit snd return to the oven for 15 minutes to warm. I love to put big globs of sour cream on the potatoes and mush all of the ingredients together.