Pork Roast with Prunes, Red Wine and Rosemary

I had the girls over for "TV Club," which is basically book club, but instead of reading a book every couple months and talking about it, we watch DVDs of shows from the premium channels that all of us are too cheap to buy. Last round we watched the first 2 seasons of True Blood, which is bloody and campy (and a little confusing if you've read the books), and now we're watching United States of Tara, which is pretty funny and thought-provoking.

Today's meeting was over lunch. Roast pork loin in a rosemary, red wine and prune sauce was the main course. Yes, I know prunes have a bad rep... they even had to change their name to "dried plums" because everyone has such negative associations with prunes. But this recipe was really good! Earthy, rich, fruity, a little sweet... I pureed the sauce while the pork was resting, which I think was a nice touch. Served with Israeli couscous, kohlrabi/carrot/apple salad, and a green mixed salad, topped off with some totally addictive "puppy chow." Pretty tasty all around!

Sloppy Joes and Kohlrabi/Apple/Carrot Slaw

Remember way back when I made these "adult" sloppy joes (wow, that sounds dirty!)? Yeah, they're still good. Bourbon, smoked paprika, cayenne... mmmm.

Served them with this awesomely simple crunchy slaw made from kohlrabi (that alien-looking member of the Brassica family), Granny Smith apples and carrots with cider vingar, olive oil and honey (I skipped the swiss chard stems in the recipe...).

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw

Chuckie was off work today, so I assigned her dinner duties... we had a slew of boneless chicken thighs from a Costco run, and I wanted to make use of them. I saw this recipe for slow-cooked "BBQ" pulled chicken using the crock pot and thought we could give it a try.

I considered using the spice rub from Martha's pulled pork on the chicken instead, but ultimately opted to use the online recipe. Chuckie did a great job, but I think that this recipe was a little too tomato-y for our taste... not spicy/peppery/smokey enough. Next time we try the Martha method.

We got kohlrabi this week from the CSA... I had no idea what to make with kohlrabi, which is a kooky-looking turnip relative, so I searched my regular sources and found the perfect compliment to the chicken: kohlrabi and carrot coleslaw. Super crunchy and tangy- a good alternative to cabbage!