Not to be trifled with

Sorry - couldn't resist a bad joke.

After the international student meet-and-greet last night I went grocery shopping (pecans?! $8.19 per pound on sale?!) and was simply too tired to start the prep for today's feast. Not that much could be done that far in advance; baking the cake for the trifle was the only thing I would have done. I will say this - even if it tastes like crap, it sure is pretty to look at.

Basic recipe - layer in order:

Yellow cake cut into small squares (Used 1/2 of a 9 x 13" cake - could make two 9" layers and use only one)
Drizzle of caramel flavored ice cream topping
Pecans (how many depends on how big a second mortgage you qualify for)
Vanilla pudding (add a 1/2 tsp of apple pie filling to the pudding when you make it)
Canned apple pie filling (never said this was nutritious)
Cool whip to cover

Repeat the layers; finish with an additional drizzle of caramel and some pecans. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Easy(ier) than pie.

The pork is happily sitting in the maple brine. It doesn't add much salt to the meat, but certainly keeps it from drying out when cooking. This particular recipe includes maple syrup and apple juice in the brine - the pork tastes incredible, and you can cut it with a fork.

Now to finish cleaning. All that's left is a light vacuuming - couldn't really do that before nine (Landlord/landlord's daughter tend to sleep later than me. Then again, so does most of the civilized world). I'm meeting my friend at 12:30, so there's plenty of time.

Now to figure out what to do with the leftover cake...