Golden Years

Warning, this is a picture-less post but I wanted to remember this memory...
Yesterday we went to go visit G+G Goff. I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, and I love visiting with them. I told grandpa to take the night off and I would make dinner.
Since G'ma is on salt restricted diet I wanted to make something completely salt free (well as Adam reminded me nothing is completely salt free since every living cell needs sodium to function...ok ok.) So I ended up making a delicious dinner of the following:
- Pork Medallions with a Mandarin orange reduction
1. Cut tenderloin into 2 inch peices and then pound out to 1/4 inch medallions
2. Put approx 2 TBSP unsalted butter into a wide shallow pan and melt to just before browning stage
3. Pat medalilions dry and lightly flour both sides.
4. Place in the butter just as it begins to bubble and cook for approx 3 minutes per side. Do not flip over and over. do not over crowd the pan
5. Tent meat and allow to rest
6. Pour out remaining butter and reserve for asparagus
7. Take a 10z can of mandrin oranges and pour into the hot pan, deglazing it.
8. Cook until approx 1/2 the liquid is gone. (7-10 minutes)
- Steamed asparagus
1. Bring  pan of water to a boil
2. Place asparagus in water for 2-3 minutes. Remove and pour reserved butter from medallions
- Oven roasted potatoes with onion, parsley, rosemary, thyme
1.Chop potatoes and onions into bite size peices
 2. Coat with olive oil
3. Place on baking sheet and season as desired
4. Cook at 450F for approx 35 minutes or until golden at edges (note, the onions will be quite crispy as they cook faster than potatoes-you can add them half way through if you would rather them not be so crispy)
-Tomato, Cucumber, Celery Dill Salad
1. Chop 2-3 tomatoes and 1 cucumber into bite size peices
2. Mince 2 stalks of celery
3. Take 1/2 cup sour cream and approx 1 TBSP dill and mix with celery.
4. Place tomatos and cucumbers in bowl and gently coat with sour cream dressing

This meal was so tasty! you didn't even need the salt. Woot! On top of all that- I made it all up! No cook book here. The inspiration for the medallions was from my mom's recipe of pork chops and rice, and the salad was an inspiration from a dip I serve with salmon.

Grandpa also told us a story about when he was in the armed forces. He did a bunch of skeet shooting, and one day killed a bird that he wasn't supposed to during practice, the range manager let him off the hook though since he was a service man. While they waited for proper equipment to arrive and instructors, the men would practice with shot guns jimmy-rigged to shoot like machine guns.
He also told us a story when he went hunting with his father. they sat out in the cold stalking a group of deer for the first day of the trip and their spot stayed in the shadows the whole time, making him wet cold and tired by the end of the day. By the end of the day he said, "Tomorrow I'm sitting over there. (pointing at the sunny spot across the way)If we aren't going to shoot anything I may as well be warm while I sit and wait." The next day he sat there alone and suddenly spotted a lone 4-pointer (meaning there were 4 points on each antler). He had a perfect shot and took it. He went down in one shot, but when Grandpa arrived at the spot where the deer lay it was still alive. This was his first big kill ever and he was all alone. He remembered his dad telling him that if the animal is still alive you are supposed to shoot it behind the ears so as not to ruin the antlers, not between the eyes. He whispered, "Sorry deer." and then killed it. So there he was with this huge beast, and now he had to clean it. His first shot had hit the deer in the abdomen so it made for a messy clean up, and grandpa said he almost lost his lunch several times. He then hauled the deer down the mountain until his uncle spotted him and helped him carry it the rest of the way down to camp. His dad smiled and said, "Well done, you did a very good job. I'm so proud of you." Grandpa says this was one of the few moments he can recall his father complementing him, ever, and he clung to that memory so happy to see his dad proud of what he did.
I love my grandpa. he is such a kind, patient, generous man and I want to call him up every day and tell him how proud I am of him. How proud I am to be a part of his legacy.

This story may seem random, but even though it wasn't my experience, I feel a part of it. It's important to learn about our families and share stories like this.
I remember reading somewhere, I think a talk of some sort, that children that know more about their heritage do better in school, have more confidence. It's like being part of a bigger whole makes them realize that someone may be learning about their life one day.
Share stories with one another, ask questions, learn something new from someone older than you today.