Of Georgians and a family dinner

It is somewhat amazing to be driving through rural Illinois and come across this remarkably dignified, elegant early church. Down the road from a quarry and a bit north of the small town of Athens, Illinois (and that's AY-thənz, not to be confused with the Athens in Greece).

The building was constructed between 1860 and 1862 in the Georgian style. I know! Georgian in Illinois---my heart! Although that is past when the style was popular, the church is nonetheless considered a good example of the style: the simple pediment, the little half moon vent, the incredibly tall arched windows complete with the original shutters and limestone sills. It is stunning.

I found this bit from the National Register nomination to be rather charming:

The proposed site, three acres in area, follows the lines of the original parcel of land conveyed to church trustees in 1844. The grove of oak, maple and walnut trees which covers the site is said in large part to predate construction of the brick church. Historical photographs confirm that the setting has remained almost unchanged since 1905.

There is an old school, perhaps 1920s, across the street, now used as a residence.

I need to go back and take some more photos. I must admit I got obsessed with the closed shutters....isn't it dark in there? I found some interior shots that show the filtered light through the shutters....still seems like it would be dark...

In more important news, we had a delightful dinner last night. Owen, Trinity and Delsie came over so it was the six of us. I was smart enough to make something ahead (I learned from house concerts). I did a red cooked pork shoulder which we haven't made in ages. We served it with rice and braised baby bok choy.

I just love that face at the opposite end of the table.

I told Delsie and Owen i would send them the recipe for the pork but I'll just post it here. It's stupidly simple.

Red Cooked Pork Shoulder

From the Joy of Cooking (next to last edition???)

Heat 1 T oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add and toss in the oil just until heated through, about 1 minute:

    4 scallions, cut crosswise in thirds
    2 large cloves garlic, crushed
    One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

Add:

    4 cups water, or 2 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water
    1 cup dark soy sauce
    3/4 cup rice wine, scotch or sherry
    1/4 cup packed brown sugar
    4 star anise, or 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seed
    one 3-inch cinnamon stick

Bring to a boil, then add:

    1 pork picnic shoulder (about 7 pounds)

Turn the meat to cover it with liquid and color it.  Reduce the heat and cover the pan.  Simmer, turning the meat every hour and basting it, until it is fork tender, 3-4 hour.  Remove the meat from the pan and spoon off the fat from the pan juices.  Slice the meat, serve with pan juices and white rice.

Note: I like doing it a day ahead as then it's easy to defat as much as possible. Also, it calls for dark soy sauce and I have always used regular...I really need to buy dark soy sauce next time. I used rice wine but I've often used sherry as well and it works fine.

I wanted dessert but again, something simple. I went with an old fashioned classic. I made hot fudge sauce and served it with vanilla ice cream and peanuts. My hot fudge sauce wasn't perfect but it was still pretty good. And honestly, it just felt so wonderful to have everybody together. I love them all.

Top photo: Leo managed to not show up in the picture. He is talented that way.