Secret Subject Swap: Quiet Celebrations

Welcome to the January Secret Subject Swap. This month 13 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

My subject is: You get to celebrate New Year's Eve wherever you like. Tell us about it!
It was submitted by: Confessions of a part time working mom.

I hate when I start a post with an apology. Yet that's how I'm starting this one. If I had gotten this prompt any other month, I'd be writing a completely different post. I can see myself indulging my imagination, coming up with lavish plans in exotic places. Or I could write a funny take on a New Year's Eve gone awry. 

Many of you who read this blog know that I'm really in the mood for neither of those scenarios right now. I'm feeling down and a little lost. So I'm coming at this one a bit differently than my norm. Life for me right now is a struggle for comfort. 

Pork Chop Dinner Casserole

Comfort is a relative thing. When I was in high school, in college, and starting out in my career, New Year's Eve was a big deal. I was comfortable in big parties, large celebrations, loud music, fancy clothes, screaming countdowns, cocktails, cocktails and more cocktails, standing room only, party hats and noisemakers, kisses right at the exact moment.

After Hubs and I got married, we were new to the Midwest and struggling to have children.  Most of the time I was at a point where I wasn't able to drink so New Year's Eve celebrations were more subdued. Dressing up, reservations, dinner out, casual conversation and great food, later a fire in the fireplace, watching the ball drop, kisses right at the exact moment.

When we had kids our celebrations changed once again. We were very fortunate to have friends with children about the same age as ours. We'd get Chinese take out at our house or theirs, eat a casual dinner, watch the kids play, talk, laugh, have a few cocktails. Depending on how the kids held up, sometimes we'd still be together to welcome the new year, other times we'd be home a little earlier, a fire in the fireplace, watching the ball drop, kisses right at the exact moment.

Although these quiet celebrations were the perfect way to welcome the new year with little kids, I also wanted to party with friends. I came up with a great way to do that. Every New Year's Day, I'd host a brunch. It was casual, family oriented, open house so people could come and go whenever they wanted. I served cocktails and champagne for the adults and punch for the kids. I'd set up big long tables in the living room so people could sit. The entire dining room became the buffet table. I cooked and baked and prepared for weeks. Friends would often bring a favorite dish or whip up a favorite cocktail or just pitch in with the heating and serving. The house was full, often I'd have over 40 guests. And late that afternoon my closest friends would stay and we'd critique the dishes, picking which ones were a definite for the next year.

Looking back through the years I can say that each of the forms of celebration, although not extravagant, was just the right fit for that particular time in our lives.

When our kids were about junior high school age we developed a new family tradition. At this point I not only didn't really want to be out on the roads on New Year's Eve, but I didn't want my kids to be either. They were young boys so obviously they wanted to party with friends, and I could accommodate that. The boys and their friends already had a well established hang-out space in our home. The walk-out basement has a 57 inch tv with game systems, a pool table, eating area with microwave, room with a spare fridge that I kept full of soda, water bottles and gatorade, and it's own bathroom. On New Year's Eve I'd line the entire kitchen counter with appetizers, hot and cold. A separate counter area was full of desserts. Kids would come and go from the basement, filling plates all night long and then disappearing back downstairs. There's couches in the basement and a bedroom too, anyone who wanted to stay over could. Hubs and I would stay on the main level, noshing on appetizers, drinking champagne, a fire in the fireplace, watching the ball drop, kisses right at the exact moment.

Honestly, especially this year, I cannot think of anything better.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup and check them all out. See you there:

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy 

The Bergham Chronicles 

The Lieber Family Blog 
Spatulas on Parade 
Rena's World 
Not That Sarah Michelle 
Confessions of a part time working mom 
Southern Belle Charm 
Someone Else's Genius 
My Brain on Kids 
Climaxed 
The Angrivated Mom 

Pork Chop Dinner Casserole

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com
 
Printable Recipe
 
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
4 pork chops
garlic powder
1 head broccoli, cleaned and cut to florets
2 oz slivered almonds
4 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 can beef broth
1 can vegetable broth
paprika

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking dish.
*Sprinkle the rice over the bottom of the dish.
*Cut the pork chops in half and season both sides with garlic powder.
*In a large bowl, mix the broccoli florets, almonds, mushrooms, onion, pepper, onion soup mix, beef broth and vegetable broth. Careful pour over the rice in the baking dish.
*Place the pork chops on top and gently press down, just slightly into the soup mix. Cover tightly and bake for 45 minutes.
*Remove from oven and raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Uncover the casserole, turn the pork chops over, sprinkle with paprika and return to the oven for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the rice has absorbed the liquid.