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We never expected to ever be eating wild boar in Chicago, but thanks to a new delivery service called Artizone, we feasted on a wild boar rack with whiskey apples last week. Artizone launched in Chicago on February 15, delivering artisan products from specialty stores like Gepphert’s Meat Market and Hendrickx Belgian Breadcrafter. I was given a $50 gift certificate to try out the service and I quickly filled my cart with wild boar and a whole duck. The wild boar rack was much smaller than I had imagined, more like a small French rack of lamb than part of a monstrous hairy beast which was a welcome surprise.

When I announced my plan to go apple picking yesterday morning, you would have thought I was ordering the kids to crawl through a town dump. We brought home three giant bags of sweet blushing apples that I can’t wait to turn into gleaming jars of apple jelly. I like that it's so natural and completely chemical free, but it's not as full-proof as adding sure jell. I like to live dangerously and vary the consistency of my apple jelly, having it be a little runnier sometimes depending on the apple variety.

What I wouldn’t give to have a few more conversations with him, or to have my kids, especially the older ones, get to linger over dinner with him, having him drive them crazy as he played devil’s advocate on the pro-choice movement, the merits of the death penalty, or Hemingway’s prose. His list was long, but it boiled down to two main things: travel and write a really good novel, one he could really be proud of. We’ll be starting 2018 in the Caribbean sun, toasting my dad with an expensive glass of wine, because life is definitely too short for cheap wine. Then home to write the last four chapters of my novel, to submit two short stories for publication, and to fill my days with creation and creativity, between car pools, walks with Wilson, and trips to be with my mom.

Now that the leaves are beginning to die in a riot of color, I’m back to my roasting habits with a vengeance, and nothing lends itself better to roasting than a large chunk of pork. So this Sunday, if you’re looking to get a head start on the week’s menu, or the next time you’re looking around the kitchen, feeling totally uninspired about dinner, throw a little roast in the oven, and postpone your sauce decision. I guarantee that you’ll get inspired by the smells wafting out as the roast cooks, and when it comes time to deglaze, you’ll feel as though you belong on the Food Network. Brush with glaze (see below) and continue roasting for about 30 minutes longer, or until pork registers 145 degrees Fahrenheit.