By The corrected galley went back to Sarah on Monday. She confirmed receipt and said: "We're going to press on March 1st. You're officially done writing this book." I sat with that for a while. Done writing. The years of sentences, the five a.m. mornings, the chapter I rewrote three times, Helen the copyeditor, Sarah's thirty-two notes — all of it complete, compressed into a file traveling from my email to a printer in Billings where it will become a physical object in the world. The machinery of it is both completely mysterious and entirely ordinary, the same as most important things.
I called Tom to tell him it went to press. He was quiet for a moment and then said: "How do you feel?" I thought about it. I said: "Like I put something down that I've been carrying for a long time and now I have to figure out what to do with my hands." He said: "Yes. Exactly that. And then you pick up the next thing." I said "what's the next thing?" He said "you'll know when you're carrying it."
The weather broke this week — a brief February warm spell, temperature into the high thirties, the snow on the south-facing slopes pulling back to expose brown grass that looked almost alive. The horses were out all day. Mariposa rolled three times in a soft spot in the pasture, which is what horses do when they're deeply content. I stood at the fence and let myself feel whatever the equivalent of that is.
Patrick's balance has been better this week. The physical therapy is doing cumulative work that's hard to measure day to day but unmistakable week to week. He walked to the mailbox and back without the walker on Thursday — not because I suggested it but because he wanted to see if he could. He told me about it in the evening, casually, the way he reports things that matter to him while pretending they're nothing. I was very proud of him and expressed it by saying "good" and pouring him a second cup of coffee.
Pot roast for Sunday dinner — chuck roast braised with onions and carrots and potatoes, slow in the Dutch oven, eight hours on low. The kind of meal that makes the whole house smell like intention. I make it when I'm happy and want the smell to hold the feeling.
The pot roast was already in the Dutch oven that Sunday, doing its long slow work, but the meal I keep coming back to — the one that felt like it matched the week — was this cinnamon pork tenderloin I’d made the Friday before, when the galley was gone and I needed something that felt like a small ceremony without being fussy about it. The apple salsa is bright and cold against the warm spiced meat, which is exactly the combination I needed: something grounded and something alive. It’s the kind of dinner that says the ordinary week is also, quietly, a good one.
Cinnamon Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Apple Salsa
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin (about 2 small tenderloins)
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- For the Fresh Apple Salsa:
- 2 medium apples (Honeycrisp or Gala), cored and finely diced
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp honey
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Make the salsa. Combine diced apples, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add lime juice, honey, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the pork — at least 15 minutes allows the flavors to come together.
- Preheat and season. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Pat the pork tenderloins completely dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Rub the spice mixture evenly over all sides of both tenderloins.
- Sear the pork. Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tenderloins and sear for 2–3 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms, turning to sear all sides, about 8 minutes total.
- Roast. Transfer the skillet directly to the preheated oven. Roast for 14–18 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145°F.
- Rest and slice. Transfer the tenderloins to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Rest for 5–7 minutes before slicing into 1/2-inch medallions. Do not skip the rest — it keeps the meat juicy.
- Serve. Arrange sliced medallions on a platter or individual plates and spoon the cold fresh apple salsa generously over the top. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 36g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 16g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 340mg