Oh my goodness, I've had a burst of cooking creativity these past couple of weeks and want to share a couple of particular successes.

First, I got a cookbook published by my one of my all-time favorite restaurants, the remarkable Versailles, on Calle Ocho in Miami. So far I'm having fantastic success with the book. The recipes are easy to follow and are turning out superbly. We've tried fried pork chunks and fried plantains. But the crowning achievement was a pork roast prepared over the weekend. After marinating it for more than 12 hours in their marinade, I roasted it as directed in the oven for more than six hours. The pork fell off the bone and was simply divine!

So this week, leaves me looking for simple ways to use the pork to get us through the week. Tonight I decided to try some version of a Cuban sandwich, with Cuban bread we had left over from Sunday dinner. I split the bread, added a little mayonnaise, a fair amount of mustard and dill pickle relish. I added thin slices of the pork, with Swiss and provolone cheeses. Then I heated a skillet and "grilled" the sandwich, pressing with a large spatula. Wow. I'd never thought of making a Cuban at home before but we loved it!