Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623.

The end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors James Madison and John Adams also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale, author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

Research Source: History

Succulent pork loin is a budget friendly option when it comes to a company fancy meal.

Herb Crusted Pork Loin

Copyrighted 2013, Christine’s Pantry. All rights reserved.

Ingredients:

1 onion, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt, to taste

1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin, leave fat on

black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons Italian seasoning

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place sliced onions in the center of a baking dish, drizzle olive oil over onions and sprinkle salt. Place pork loin on top of onions. Season pork loin with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Drizzle olive oil over pork loin. Massage Italian seasoning onto the pork loin, covering all the meat. Pour water around the pork loin, making sure the water doesn’t touch the pork lion.

Roast the pork loin for 1 1/2 hours. Test for doneness using an instant read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, remove the pork loin from oven. Allow it to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests. Enjoy!