Think of this dish as southern barbecue with an Asian twist. The pork is slow-cooked in a blend of hoisin and soy sauces and can be made a day or two before your gathering.
Here's a simple maple-flavored roast that will feed a crowd. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare, then slow roasts in the oven until it is fall-apart tender!
Slow cooked shredded ham in a brown sugar and mustard sauce. This is the sort of thing you prepare a day or so in advance so that when you serve it you don't really have to do much of anything at all. Great for times when people will be in and out, eating irregularly all day.
Bake the potatoes and shred the cheese the day before making the soup. If the soup needs to simmer awhile on the stove, you may need to add more chicken broth.
