French Cut Pork Chops, Orzo with Peas and Cheese, Roast Carrots, Cucumber Slaw, Strawberry Cake, and Sliced Fresh Peaches and Blueberries = Birthday Dinner Menu.

Our daughter-in-law Julie 1 (we have 2 daughter-in-laws named Julie, thus Julie 1 and Julie 2) has a birthday this week and as is our tradition we had a dinner for her and the menu was her request.  All of these dishes are repeats of her favorites and given in earlier posts but I will tell you where to find them should you wish too!

Our granddaughters Emily and Katie are becoming quite the little cake decorators and came Sunday and helped.  I think they did a wonderful job.  They have helped Grandma since they were old enough to stand on a chair and reach the cabinet.

Cucumber Slaw, 7/7/10
Orzo with Sugar Snap Peas, 9/6/10
Fathers Day Carrots, 6/21/10
Strawberry Shortcake Cake, 7/4/12
or Fresh Miracle Strawberry Cake, 3/25/12

We also had French bread , buttered and grilled as well as the grilled pork chops.   "French Cut" is a preparation  of the meat the butcher does for me.  Basically the end of the rib bone is trimmed well and the fat and gristle is removed.  You often see a pork crown roast with the bones "Frenched" especially around the holidays.  It is the same thing except cut into chops. 

The peaches were blanched by dropping into boiling water for a minute or two then shocked by pulling them from the boiling water directly into a bath of ice water.  At this point the skins slip right off and them I slice them into a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon squeezed into it.  After rinsing the blueberries well I add them to the peaches and add sugar to taste and mix everything together well.

The quantities are variable but the process stays the same.