Marinated Pork Loin and Funeral Potatoes

Bess Hawthorne
Aug 28
4 min read

Originally from England and now living in Texas, pastor’s wife Nicole Jeffery has become an expert in hosting large groups with ease. She shares the secrets behind her stress-free hospitality, including her favorite store-bought shortcuts that make feeding a crowd both doable and delicious. Nicole encourages us to shift the focus from our own preferences and style to the comfort of our guests. She highlights the crucial difference between entertaining and true hospitality: sharing your life. From hosting new member dinners to feeding over 100 people on a Wednesday night, Nicole shares practical, tasty ideas you’ll want to try. You especially don’t want to miss her bread rolls with a nod to Tolkien. They're savory, very good, and will have your guests asking for more! We're so glad you're here!

Recipes:

Marinated Pork Loin or Pulled Pork (your favorite recipe) and Funeral Potatoes (and/or Garlic Rice (see recipes below)

Serve with:

‘Very good this, any more?’ Bread Rolls

Salad (Options: spinach, strawberries, sliced almonds, and dressing OR romaine, iceberg, tomato, cucumber, and Parmesan dressing)

Dessert

Funeral Potatoes

(Serves approx. 12 people, submitted by Nicole Jeffery)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 diced medium onion

6 cloves crushed garlic / a very large squeeze of garlic puree

2 pounds grated frozen hash browns, defrosted

1 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 cups shredded cheese (I usually use mozzarella, but any shredded cheese would

work)

1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Grease a baking dish, approximately 9 x 13 inch.

2. Melt the butter and fry the onion until soft.

3. Mix all the ingredients except for the breadcrumbs in a large bowl, and pour into the

baking dish. Smooth the top and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly across the surface.

4. Bake for approx. 1 hour at 350°F until golden brown and bubbling.

Note: You can prepare it the day before and keep it in the fridge, then just bring it to room

temperature and cook when required.

Garlicky rice dish:

Garlic Butter Rice - Sustainable Cooks

‘Very good this, any more?’ Bread Rolls

(submitted by Nicole Jeffery)

Ingredients:

2 cups water

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons tomato puree / paste

1 pound, 10 ounces white bread flour, plus a little to sprinkle

5 teaspoons paprika

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

4 teaspoons oregano (dry or fresh)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

4-5 crushed garlic cloves / a very large squirt of garlic puree

2¼ teaspoons salt

¾ teaspoons sugar

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (I use Fleischmann’s bread machine yeast)

Directions:

1. Put all the ingredients except the extra flour for sprinkling into your bread machine. Use

the dough setting to make the dough.

2. Punch dough down on a lightly floured surface, and shape into 10 equally sized balls.

3. Put balls on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave in

a warm place to rise until roughly doubled in size (around 30 – 45 minutes).

4. Remove plastic wrap, and sprinkle each roll with a little flour.

5. Bake at 400°F for around 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a wire

rack.

Desserts!

Tarte Tatin (Upside-Down Apple Tart)

(submitted by Nicole Jeffery)

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon melted butter

3 ounces dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons powdered cinnamon

1 pound crisp apples (such as Cox’s), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 pound cooking apples (such as Bramley), peeled cored and thinly slices. If you can’t find

cooking apples, then just double the quantity of crisp apples.

1 pie crust (or 6 ounces shortcrust pastry)

Directions:

1. Line an 8 inch springform cake tin with parchment paper (very important or all the

molten sugar will run through the gaps and into your oven…), and brush it with melted

butter.

2. Press sugar and cinnamon evenly into the base of the tin.

3. Arrange the crisp apple slices neatly on the top, pressing them down. Add the cooking

apple slices and press down firmly.

4. Put the pie crust on top, pressing it gently on top of the apples.

5. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.

Allow to thoroughly cool in the tin, then remove the side of the tin, cover the tarte with a

plate, and turn it over. You may need to wipe up some of the sugary, cinnamon juices.

Best served chilled with crème fraiche or vanilla ice-cream.

Crème Fraîche

(by Marinell Booth)

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon buttermilk

*Optional Additional Ingredients:

Sugar

Vanilla

Serve with:

Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte or Tarte Tatin

Directions:

1. Combine cream and buttermilk in a glass jar. Shake well. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight or until very thick.

2. Store in refrigerator.

*Add a small amount of sugar and vanilla (to taste) if using for a dessert if sweetness is desired. Can also use unsweetened in the place of sour cream for savory dishes.

Stewed Dried Fruit

(submitted by Nicole Jeffery)

Ingredients:

2½ cups water

25 ounces dried fruit – you can use anything, but I like using a mixture of prunes, cherries,

apricots and raisins.

1 tablespoon honey (if you like things to be sweet)

Splash of port (optional)

Directions:

1. Put everything in a small crockpot, or the slow-cook setting of an instant pot. Cook on

low for 3-4 hours.

2. Serve topped with ice cream, or use as a warm ice cream topping. Vanilla or a nutty

flavor work especially well. It also goes well on top of a plain cake, like pound cake.

Other go-to menu for a large crowd using store-bought ingredients:

Meatball hoagies, salad, dessert

(hoagie bread rolls, frozen pre-cooked meatballs from Sam's Club, Prego sauce)

Recommended Items:

The website Nicole is building is axiom-science.com. The first course (high school chemistry) launches in the fall!

Bread machine -

Home Bakery Virtuoso® Plus Breadmaker BB-PDC20 – Zojirushi Online Store