Relaxing...

I'm on hiatus from gardening. During the past week absolutely no outside work was done (at least by me).

There's still a lot I need to do, however. Sometimes the list gets so long that's it's daunting.

This afternoon (written last Friday, the deadline for my column) the plan is to remove and store the window screens and wash the outside windows while it's fairly nice.

I'll maybe remember to let you know if my plan was successful. It's so easy to get distracted and sidetracked, especially when the tasks before you are onerous. (That was a friend's word of the day. Thank you Claudia.)

In spite of (or maybe because of) hunting season opening up, we're still seeing deer in our yard.

Usually those deer are the ones I've had raiding my garden all summer.

There were three young spike mule deer bucks wandering through last week.

They weren't more than eight feet from our living room windows.

Occasionally one of our local fox meanders through. Sometimes the fox seem to be following the scent of one of the feral cats that slinks through.

So far, the cats are surviving being hunted. Both fox and cats are preferable to mice and other rodents. (Snakes also consume rodents, so are useful, but they aren't active in the cold and I rarely see them even when it's warm out. So as long as the snakes aren't venomous, I say leave them alone. I'd rather have a snake than a mouse!).

Since I don't seem to have much else to ramble on about, I'll move on to recipes.

Last week I found pork tenderloin in the bargain freezer bin at the grocers (a great place to check out), so that's what I cooked.

This recipe is easy to prepare and I had all the ingredients.

Usually Dennis drowns meats in barbecue sauce, but this didn't need that treatment. (Of course, not needing everything to taste the same with the 'drowned in barbecue sauce' treatment hasn't stopped him before. But I specifically asked him to taste it before going to the fridge for that bottle of sauce - and he listened.)

Baked Tenderloin

• 1 (2 1/2#) pork tenderloin

• 1 Tbl oil

• 2-3 Tbl lemon, lime, OR orange juice (or 1 Tbl each)

• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• Fresh sprigs of cilantro, optional

Oven @ 400. Pierce meat, rub all sides with the oil. Whisk together the spices & seasonings. Sprinkle on all sides of the meat. Put in baking dish and drizzle the juice(s) over. Bake 25-35 minutes until browned and crispy. Remove from oven. Spoon juices over and let rest 5-10 minutes. Slice into 1" thick medallions. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.

I did use all three juices mixed together for tenderizing. I also patted the meat dry with paper towels before oiling and seasoning with the mixed herbs/spices. The cilantro having succumbed to frost a while back, I skipped adding any. I think parsley is a good substitute for those who don't like cilantro.

My side dish was baked potato for Dennis, while I had acorn squash. He doesn't know what he's missing. Usually I just bake the squash, sometimes with a bit of butter and maybe cinnamon, but this squash was extra good following this recipe. I'll be adding herbs during the baking from now on. The leftover squash heats up well in the microwave and is just as tasty on reheating.

Brown Butter Winter Squash

• 1 (2#) winter squash

• 1 Tbl EVOO, plus more for the baking sheet

• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

• 2 Tbl unsalted butter, cut in chunks

• 1Tbl chopped fresh herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram...)

Cut squash in half, clean out seeds and gooey innards. Oven @ 400. Oil a rimmed sheet. Brush cut squash with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Put cut side down on sheet. Roast 20 minutes. Turn squash over, add butter and herbs. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

I saved the seeds after separating them from the gooey mess and rinsed well with water.

I let them dry in a wire colander and am saving them to plant next summer.

Sometimes I sprinkle heavily with salt before they dry and roast them also. If you do that, check them often to prevent burning.

I lined my sheet with foil, which I sprayed with no-stick spray, so I didn't have to wash the sheet later. The foil easily soaks in the sink for reuse (sometimes that happens, if I don't poke a hole in it!).

My herbs were all dried, not fresh, so I used maybe a quarter teaspoon of each. I didn't really measure them out, just sprinkled them into a small dish before swirling them together.

Dried herbs are more flavorful than fresh.