The theme of the night was "Behold the Bountiful Fruit of the Harvest" focusing on a scripture found in 2 Corinthians 9:6 - "And [s]he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
Decor was simple. We recycled the roses the from the March HFPE meeting, placing them in bud vases that we found in the Relief Society closet. We found the fabric leaves at Michael's for $0.69 a pack. We used battery operated tealights in glass votives (also found in the relief society closet) and the tablecloths were from none other than Party City.
Since there was going to be a class in the back half of the gym, we utilized my favorite volleyball net (it comes in handy) and used it to hang quilts, therby providing a noise buffer, and a visual separation from the class area and the dining area.
Now, for the food. The menu for the night, to go along with our bounteous harvest theme, was a fruit-stuffed pork loin, baked sweet potatoes, a salad, rolls, and water. (Do I have to include water? I never know. But that's what we drank. WATER. We even had ICE.)
At any rate, the pork, oh my goodness THE PORK! It was delicious and easy to make. Two points that go over really really well when one is feeding the masses. So here's how it goes:
{Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin}
And in case you wanted a handy dandy recipe all in one place (original portions. feel free to double or triple per the size of your loins.... snigger)
Fruit Stuffed Pork Loin
1 boneless pork loin
1 c. nuts, chopped
2 c. dried fruit, chopped
1 10 oz jar fruit preserves
3-6 Tbsp. fruit juice
Turn over to 325. Chop nuts and fruits. Mix. Set aside. Trim pork of fat and silverskin. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the loin by cutting through the middle (NOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH.) Stop about 1/2 an inch from the bottom. Then turn your knife to the right and cut the loin again, stopping about 1/2 an inch from the bottom. Do the same on the left side. You should have a relatively flat piece of meat. Pound the loin to get the meat as even as possible to allow for uniform cooking.
Once pounded, sprinkle fruit and nuts over meat, leaving a small border all around. Roll pork jellyroll style and tie with string every inch. Place on pan and set in preheated oven. Roast about 45 minutes, or until internal temperature is 135. While pork is roasting, mix preserves and fruit juice. At the 45 minute point, open the oven and apply the glaze to the loin, reserving about half for presentation. Continue baking roast about 30 minutes, depending on size, or until internal temperature reaches 140. Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes.
Remove string and with a sharp knife, cut 1/4 inch slices. Place on platter and top with remaining glaze.
