Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Family Dinner

Wow! It's been a while since I wrote my last post.  I have cooked many things in the last month, but not as much as I would have liked to.  My family is looking for a house, and since my dad is at work all day, we can only look at houses at night. :-(  That means we have eaten WAY TOO MUCH In-n-Out! (After watching Super Size Me, that's the only fast food I can stomach.)

The highlights of my last month of cooking include, baked beans from scratch with dried pinto beans, real maple syrup, spicy brown  mustard, onions, bacon, and raw organic sugar (it took 2 tries, but the 2nd batch was delicious.), and an amazing chicken dish with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil.  I came up with both recipes without a cookbook (and with a little of my mom's help).

But lets get to the real reason while I'm posting tonight.  Today is my 12th birthday and instead of going out to eat I wanted to cook for my family, my grandparents, great grandparents, and my Aunt Carol.
Here we are eating our dinner. (My Grammy and Poppy are in Colorado, so they couldn't come.) I was so excited that is was raining. We decorated for fall, put a fire in the fireplace, and lit candles all over the house. 
My Aunt Carol actually made that delicious salad, but I made the rest.
Here is my yummy cobbler. Cobblers are my favorite thing to bake.
I made raspberry chipotle pork roast (wish I could take all the credit, but it was already seasoned from Costco), garlic mashed potatoes, garlic sauteed green beans, and a peach cranberry cobbler. We served it with a sourdough baguette and sparkling grape juice.  It was all a big hit.  I am so blessed to have such an amazing family.  It made me so happy to serve them all on my birthday.  Altogether, I had a great birthday.

Oh yeah, and one more thing,  Aunt Carol gave me the coolest recipe organizer for my birthday!  I can't wait to use it.  One day, when I am all moved in to it, I'll blog about it.  Thank you Aunt Carol for the book and the adorable apron! You and Cottie are my cooking inspiration!
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1 comment:

  1. janetmacdonaldOctober 5, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    We were so sad to miss your birthday dinner, However, it looked like a raving success. Your roast sounds like it was so yummy. Can we take a raincheck on that?
    You truly have a gift of hospitality, Riley. And part of that gift is setting a pretty table....lighting candles etc. Presentation is important. It makes people feel loved and comfortable. I feel happy when a table is nicely set with coordinated dinnerware. My Mom, your "Cottie" which you affectionately call her....knew that "presentation" was important. She often made new tablecloths and napkins and if there were flowers in the yard, you could be sure there was a bouquet on the table.
    I think it's fun to even serve on an assortment of non-matching plates. In fact, I just decided......I'm going to start a collection of interesting plates for you, Riley. I am going to keep my eyes open for one of a kind dishes......so then you can have a collection of dinnerplates that are unique and beautiful.....just like you.

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