Maple Mustard Pork Chops

The weekends before Christmas are so busy! We're not quite out of November so why does it feel like December is already over? The next few Sundays I need to do some baking since we have lots of people in our lives in need of holiday cheer. I've been making note of cookie recipes the last few weeks trying to narrow down what to make this year....

Our Sunday dinner last week was a recipe I've made before, Maple Mustard Pork Chops. I find that I tend to shy away from spicy sauces when cooking for the family. The kids aren't so adventerous and D. doesn't really like too much heat. Sweet sauces, however, go over well with my crew. This particular sauce is made with maple syrup, which means when I'm selling the dish to the boys I can say 'It's like pancakes'. Actually, my older son also loves mustard, so no wonder he didn't balk at all when it came to this particular dinner. He isn't a green bean lover, that's a nod to P's palate, but he got a substitution of carrots so all was well.

December typically promises some good eats around our house. We have lots o' birthdays to celebrate and I am oh so excited because we're going to The Only for dinner on my birthday. I had one of the best meals of my life at The Only last year and have been wanting to go back for ages. The menu changes with the seasons (and often week to week) and makes the most of what is fresh and local. Last time out I had the Chef's tasting menu, which turned out to be quite an adventerous choice. I'm torn between trying the tasting menu again or ordering off the menu. Either way I doubt I will be disappointed!