On our trips back to Ohio we make grand plans to see friends, but the truth is, you never know if said plans will work out when you have kids. Tummy aches, stomach bugs, and other random stuff usually put a damper on things, so we try not to get our hopes up.
The stars aligned for us and Guy, Lindsay and Laura came up to Columbus to hang out. They met us at Bumpa and Kathy's house to watch some football and catch up. Isn't Laura a doll? I absolutely LOVE her rosy cheeks, big baby blues and keen fashion sense.
See those baby dolls Laura is holding? They were quickly kidnapped by my older girls, who should know better, but since Laura didn't mind, I let them. Sweet picture right, 2 sisters snuggling together, with baby dolls...
I love Khera's nose-scrunch-angry-face, look at the glee in Elle's eyes....
Alright, party's over--time to give them back to Laura...
Meanwhile, Daddy and Tom played nicely on the floor.
There were deer out in the backyard, so Bumpa and Elle went out to get a closer look.
Back inside, Kathy got the mashed potatoes ready to serve with the pork which was simmering in the crock pot all day long, Elle and Bumpa offered a hand.
Kathy is a gourmet cook. To see the culinary deliciousness she cooked up for Christmas,
click here. This could be the most delicious crock pot meal I've ever had. If you're like me and LOVE sauerkraut, reubens, and German food, you are in for a TREAT. Kathy is not a recipe hoarder, and gave me permission to post her New Years recipe. Enjoy!
New Years Pork, Sauerkraut, and Apples {recipe}
1 (.8-1lb) pork tenderloin (unseasoned)
1 beer (whatever you have)
1 bag of sauerkraut
1 onion, sliced
2 apples, cored and sliced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Cook in the crock pot on high for 20 minutes to get it going, and then simmer on low heat the whole day (at least 8 hours). This fits in a small size crock, and feeds roughly 4 people. You can double it, but make sure you have a BIG crock, and double all ingredients. Serve with mashed potatoes for purely divine soul food. Pork never tasted so good!
I'm getting hungry just writing about it, I think I know what's for dinner tonight.
Per the advice of a friend of mine, I asked for one of these for Christmas, a responsibility chart, THANK YOU Bumpa and Kathy:
Some things I'm looking forward to getting a grasp on with the kids:
I explained what each "responsibility" meant, and to my amazement the girls listened attentively. They were really enthusiastic about it at first, they "got ready for bed" at 2pm.
Later on that day, Elle came over to me with a worried look and said:
"Scooz me mom, I don wike weespektin." Translation = "Excuse me mom, I don't like respecting." All I can say is, at least she said it politely? Geesh, we've got our work cut out for us...wish us luck!
