Stars Fell on Alabama

Take Away - German Blueberry Pie and Brown Sugared Apple Pork Chops

Nothing says Independence Day weekend like in-laws. Thankfully, I snagged some good ones. So, Mollie and I brought thekingfishmenu to Alabama. Today's entry will cover July 3. Tomorrow will cover the 4th with some friends in Fairhope, AL.

The in-laws live in a neighborhood in Mobile that consists of 20 townhouses. Each townhouse comes equipped with an elevator, which is only significant because it comes in extremely handy due to the theme of each visit. The theme rarely changes and consists of eat, drink, cook (with her mom) and talk politics (with her dad)....repeat. I claim to take the elevator because it is neat that her parents have one. Mollie says maybe it's because I overserve (a very valid point).

We actually have a new addition to the family (Mollie's second nephew) so there was even more reason for our usual celebratory theme.

Saturday's menu consisted of brown sugared apple cider pork chops, Cuban black beans and rice, fiesta salad and German blueberry pie (I am not sure what makes this pie German).

I'll throw in two recipes since the pork chops and blueberry pie both went over well (by well, I mean that I went back for seconds on the pie...around 1 am).

German Blueberry Pie

2/3 cup sugar
Pecan sandies
Butter
1 (8ounce) package cream cheese
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint blue berries (fresh

Preheat oven to 350. Crumble enough pecan sandies for pie crust. Blend with just enough butter to hold crumbs together. Press into an 8 inch pie pan and set aside. Cream sugar with softened cream cheese. Add eggs one at a time to cream cheese mixture, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Pour mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle blueberries over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. When cool, chill several hours or over night.

Brown Sugared Apple Cider Pork Chops

1 container real apple cider
1 box (1lb) dark brown sugar
8-10 thin to medium cut pork chops
Seasoning (to taste)

Mix apple cider and brown sugar until combined. Pour into one or two large Ziploc bags. Add the pork chops and let all air out of bags before sealing. Marinate overnight in refrigerator. Remove pork chops and season to taste before grilling (I use any sort of Cajun seasoning mix and Greek Seasoning).