Preparing for an open house is never easy, least of all when you've got munchkins running around "fixing" the way you've arranged the accent pillows on your living room couch, or making a "nice play-doh sculpture" on the kitchen table while you're frantically trying to clear away the lunch dishes.
And then, of course, you've got all the tips on preparing for an open house from your real estate agent running through your head as you grab your teenager's mountain of dirty socks from their usual resting place on the floor and stuff the rest of the dirty laundry into the laundry hamper.
Well, it may reek like a gym locker room in your son's bedroom, but at least it doesn't smell like dirty laundry in the house, right? But what does it smell like in your house? And wasn't there some trick you heard about roasting orange slices and cinnamon sticks in your oven?
I don't know about you, but I've always found most of these "tricks" to be a bit cheesy and ingenuine.
So here's a tip on preparing for an open house that is non-cheesy and genuine and that satisfies at least two real needs:
1. The need to feed your family once all the strangers vacant your premises after the open house.
2. The need to have some sort of a warm, welcoming scent in your home to appeal to buyers' fifth and oft-overlooked sense of smell.
What am I talking about? A nutritious, delicious, slow-cooker recipe that you can set up in about 15 minutes and leave cooking all day...and that will fill your home with a wonderful aroma. (And, frankly, if I can make this and have it taste good, then anyone can : ) Here's how it goes:
1 small butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices)
3 large unpeeled cooking apples (cored and cut into eighths)
4 pork loin chops (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tblsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Layer squash and apples at bottom of slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients and coat pork with sugar mixture. Place pork on top of apples and squash. Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Cover and cook on low for about 6-8 hours. Serve with a salad and potatoes or whatever your little heart desires.
Note: To get the aromas going in time to greet your first open house guests, start this cooking about mid-morning.
Many thanks to my wonderful friend, Nancy, for introducing me and my family to this recipe. I hope you like it. Let me know!
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