Inspiration Station: Meet The Parents

Wow.  It’s been forever since I’ve done one of these posts.  Hopefully it was worth the wait.

The Dish:

No fail, every time I’m eating Thai food (or even thinking about eating Thai food) I say that line “Jack talk Thai” from Meet The Parents.  And then giggle to myself because for some reason I think it’s one of the funniest lines.  So when I was thinking of a Meet The Parents “Inspiration Station,” I knew it had to be Thai-based.  I also knew I would need to take some help from my dear friend Trader Joe because I don’t have those ingredients that make Thai food so good (lemongrass, fish sauce, etc.) just lying around the house.  Basically I built this whole dish around TJ’s red curry sauce.  Thank you, TJ.

Thai rice-and-sauce dishes are usually made with adorable bite size chunks of chicken, but when I was left with only a boneless pork loin roast in the fridge I said…sure, that’ll work.  Since the cut of meat was a big thick one (that’s what she said), I knew it would take forever to roast.  Instead, I stuck it in the slow cooker aka magic maker.  I added potatoes (cut into chunks), chopped onion, and broccoli/cauliflower florets.  I covered the whole thing with the red curry sauce.

Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8.  Serve over rice.

The Doodads:

1. Since Greg has to borrow his future father-in-law’s clothes after his luggage is lost, he’s stuck wearing some of the pj sets favored by the older generation instead of the boxers and tshirt he likely prefers.  I love these old school men’s pajamas from Mark and Graham, especially the subtle monogram on the cuff.  Side note, Robert De Niro can rock a bathrobe.
2. Greg brings Jack a rare Jerusalem tulip in an attempt to impress the man he believes to be a retired florist.  I learned there’s no such thing as a Jerusalem tulip, but lately I have been loving this tulip variety with frayed edges.
3. When it comes to decor, I like a mix of old and new and think the right urn, like this one from Wayfair, can make a nice and modern statement…as long as it’s not filled with your grandmother’s ashes.
4. Greg runs into a lot of trouble when he tries to stuff his suitcase into the overhead bin.  Try this one from PB Teen, which is large enough for a full weekend of travel, has wheels, and is guaranteed to fit in the compartment.  Even though it’s from Pottery Barn’s teen line, the pattern is certainly adult-appropriate.