A Suitably Impressive Meal

By Erica

We had my folks over for dinner last weekend to thank them for all the help they gave us when I fell and janked-up my ankle. I wanted to make something nice, but not fussy. It's not like one of them gave me a kidney or spleen or anything. For something like that, I'd have pulled out all the stops. 

I decided on Sweet and Tangy Pork Chops, with a side of Sweet Potato Gratin from our very own Jess. (Sidebar: Every single time I make these potatoes, I have to get on the twitter and tell everyone how good they are. EVERY TIME. I am not kidding; these things are to die for. Please make them so that you can tell everyone how good they are, too. Then everyone in the world will make them and when they try to tell someone how good they are, the reply will always be "Duh. I know. I make them all the time, too.)

For dessert, I went with Pumpkin Crunch Cake. It was fantastic. The only thing I'll change when I make it next is too use less pecans. I went ahead and used 1 1/2 cups per the recipe, but I found it to be too much pecan, not enough cake. I think I'll try one cup next time. 

The great thing about this meal is that it's easy to spread out the work over the course of a day so that you're not busting ass trying to get everything done at the same time while your guests are there. I made the cake around noon and just covered it with foil until dessert. I sliced all the sweet potatoes during my kids' afternoon nap and then assembled the gratin and popped it in the oven just as I started the pork chops. They were done at the same time. I threw in a tray of crescent rolls, too, because they cooked at the same temperature as the gratin. Score!

After dinner, I threw my mixer bowl into the freezer and then cleared the dishes. We chatted for 15 or 20 minutes and then I made some whipped cream for the cake. (I barely sweetened it because the cake is plenty sweet (and rich). The whipped cream gave it a nice contrast without being cloying.)

My guests were suitably impressed with the meal and no one felt like it was "over the top." Most importantly, it was all delicious and everyone asked for seconds. Even my 4.5 year old. 

{Photo credit: pipandebby.com}

Comments

[Miranda]

That all sounds good. If you want to make the cake even sweeter, try adding some butterscotch chips when you add the pecans. My mother in law made a cake similar to this when my husband was a kid, so I make it for him around Thanksgiving.