Autumn Pork Roast with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

It's officially the time of year to bring out the roasts! Though just as delicious in summer, there is something wonderful about enjoying a hearty meal on a cold evening. This recipe is very easy, and quite tasty too!

Roast Ingredients:

1 pork loin roast (2.5 - 3 lbs)

1 packet dry onion soup

1 cup water

1 large oven safe cooking bag

Apples 'n Sweet Potato Bake

4 Granny Smith apples (peeled and sliced)

3 large sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced)

1/4 cranberry juice

2 tbsp butter or margarine

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Roast:

•Place roast in cooking bag. Add onion soup mix and water.

•Cook until thermometer reaches at least 160 degrees ( 1 - 2 hours).

•Before you carve your roast, let it sit for about 15 minutes after you remove if from the oven. This will allow the juices to redistribute and make the meat more moist.

*You can also cook your roast in your slow cooker if desired.

Apples 'n Sweet Potatoes:

•Arrange apples and sweet potatoes in a large baking dish.

•In a small microwavable bowl add cranberry juice, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Heat in microwave until the butter is melted, mix well.

•Pour cranberry mixture over the apples and sweet potatoes, toss to coat.

•Cover baking dish with oven safe lid or aluminum foil. Cook alongside the pork roast until the sweet potatoes are tender. Stir often.

Enjoy!

Though our fall colors may not be as spectacular as back east, our Western Colorado mountains can put on quite a show. We live just twenty minutes from some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado, and though our family enjoys camping, hiking, and sight seeing year round, autumn is my favorite season in the mountains.

Welcome to the Grand Mesa, the largest flat top mountain in the world. The lake pictured is Jumbo Reservoir, which is actually quite small, and is just one of over three hundred lakes and reservoirs on the Mesa.

Our fall colors are primarily made up of golds from the Aspen trees and russet reds from the Oakbrush. Just down the road from the next picture is Powderhorn, our local ski resort.

The air is crisp this time of year, and the sunshine delightfully warm. Soon the first snow flurries of the year will be flying, and the mountains will be covered in thick blankets of snow, but for now the mountain is alive with colors and the only flurries are golden leaves dancing in the wind.

Thank you for letting me take you on a little tour of the beautiful mountain that is the inspiration for The Lodge Spa. Next time you browse my shop I hope you think of the Grand Mesa that I call home.

Apples and Pumpkins and Spice...Oh My!

Fall is in the air. Mornings are crisp and evenings are cool. Soon pumpkins will be showing up on doorsteps and trees will be sporting the first yellow leaves of the season. I am thrilled. This is by far my favorite time of the year, and to celebrate I intend on flooding my shop with yummy autumn aromas. But how do I choose? Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Apple, Chrysanthemum, Autumn Woods…There are so many tantalizing aromas to pick from!
You, trusted followers, must choose for me!

Vanilla Pumpkin - Who doesn't love pumpkin? This traditional fall scent is accompanied by cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Subtle vanilla accents the blend, giving it a lovely sweet note.

Apples and Oak - Apple and spice with rich woody undertones. Warm, inviting, and earthy.

Autumn Meadow - A celebration of the flowers that make their debut in early fall. Chrysanthemum and chamomile play stars in this blend that is clean, earthy, and slightly floral.

Apple Jack Spice - Tart apple mingles with orange, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Like strolling through an orchard on a cool autumn day.

September Woods - Pine, oak, and just a faint hint of spice. A rich blend that will transport you to a warm fall day in the forest.

So which one's your favorite? I will be choosing two scents for this autumn season, give me a hand and vote now!

Poll located on the right of this page.