My wife's parents were up for the weekend, and brought with them a big pork loin roast...so I thought I'd find something new and give it a go, and here we are. Making the gravy from apple cider, rather then, say, chicken stock really gives the entire roasted dish a new personality. Naturally to continue the theme the stuffed apples are honestly for looks and showing off a little, but it takes the whole platter to a "little more special" level. We also had braised brussels sprouts with maple syrup and thyme (yes again, I love these things now) and simple mashed potatoes with parsley.
After that, we played board games (Settlers of Catan) for hours...the whole day was disgustingly wholesome.
