Yesterday and today was so much fun. We had Michael's side of the family come to visit us!
Michael's sister Jennifer, her husband Andrew, and their adorable little girl Addison came to spend Sunday afternoon with us. We went shopping at the outlets, then came back here to the house to enjoy the hot meal I had in the crock pot. Michael's parents arrived shortly thereafter, coming in from their romantic weekend away in Washington, DC. Our house was the happy location where everybody converged!
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| Liam with his Godmother, Aunt Jennifer! |
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| He's excited to be on Uncle Andrew's lap! |
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| With cousin Addie! |
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| Even Jersey the dog came to visit! |
The meal I served I shall lovingly call Aunt Tess' Apple Onion Pork Chops, and it was a bit of an experiment. My Aunt Tess had given me only an approximate recipe which contained no measurements of any of the ingredients. And although I loved this meal when she served it to me last week, she had cooked it in an oven, not a crock pot. How things would turn out was anybody's guess!
Fortunately, everybody seemed to like it! And it was SO EASY to make. All I did was throw these three items into the crock pot:
1. six boneless, thin-sliced pork chops -- lightly salted and peppered
2. a half-jar of cinnamon applesauce
3. one sliced sweet onion
I cooked it for 4 hours on high, and it was ready to eat when we got back from shopping! I served it with cranberry stuffing, warm Harvard red beets, buttery cornbread, and a spinach salad with roasted walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, and slices of red onion and apple, topped with a cider vinaigrette dressing (which was a wonderful recipe given to me by Michael's mother). The meal seemed like the perfect contrast to the bitter cold windy weather outside.
Addie was our after-dinner entertainment. She played the piano while everyone ate ice cream for dessert. :)
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| It sounded beautiful, Addison! |
I had two petite filet mignons (done medium rare!) in a cabernet demi-glace with a sweet corn and crab saute, buttery smashed Yukon gold potatoes, and sauteed spinach. My hungry choice surprised everyone, but I've been notorious for ordering filet mignon and prime rib since I was about 10 years old! (It's a wonder that I was ever a vegetarian!)
The weekend came to a close with all of us relaxing on the couch, wishing that our time together wouldn't end. God, thank you for the blessing of family!
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| Lovin' being on Grandma's lap!! |
