Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Orange Apricot Pork Chops in the CrockPot
I made pork chops last night, and packed them up for my friend, Stephanie, and family. She has a 9 and 13 year-old in the house, and is always up for some extra food. And their family eats pork---so its a win-win for me.
An hour or so after picking up these chops, Steph called to tell me that her 13-year-old had sucked the bones clean, she liked these chops so much.
yay!
This is a recipe submitted by one of my long-time Internet friends, Alison. I love Alison. Alison homeschools her nine children on a farm and is hands-down my mommy idol, and was before even contemplating having children of my own. When we ever get around to RVing the states, The Big Pink Farm is going to be one of our first stops, guaranteed.
The Ingredients.
6 pork chops
1 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (and juice!)
The Directions.
Use a 4-6 quart crockpot. I switched Alisons recipe up a bit to reflect ingredients I had in the house. Shed approve, because thats the way she cooks. I know she wouldnt have wanted me to wake up my napper to go to the store, I just know it.
Put pork chops into your crockpot. In a small bowl, combine jam, brown sugar, and spices. Spoon over pork chops. Add the entire can of mandarin oranges evenly over the top. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or on high for about 4.
Serve with rice to soak up the yummy juice.
The Verdict.
I tasted the sauce and liked it a lot. I had already packed it up and washed the crockpot before Adam got home, so he didnt get to try it. Stephanie reported back that her kids ate a ton, and her 9-year-old ate it without ketchup, which is unheard of. Apparently he even dips green beans in ketchup. Her husband thought maybe there was a tad too much cinnamon.
It really felt good to make a nice meal for friends; I could get used to this!
Thank you, Alison!
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Ive done some interviews in the last little while:
101 Strategy: Interview with The CrockPot Lady
The Stew, Tampa Bay Online: Its Over: A Year of CrockPotting
Friday, March 20, 2015
Slow Cooker Dry Rub Pork Roast
Youll love this pork. Unless you dont like pork. Then you should use a beef chuck roast or something similar.
I had a frozen pork butt/shoulder in the freezer and wanted to make a pulled pork of some sort but wasnt feeling in the mood for barbecue sauce. I threw together this dry rub in a few seconds using pantry staples, and was really happy with the end result. The meat is perfect--- not gloppy wet, not dried out ---- just perfectly seasoned with a very pleasant flavor.
The secret is the anise. Dont be scared that your meat will taste like black licorice --- Im a red vine kind of girl (THEY ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE!) -- and always steered clear of anything black licorice, and I promise you that the anise just gives a lovely flavor youre not going to be able to recreate without it. A bottle will last you for quite a while, and if you have extra, my friend Jenny made some awesome cookies using anise.
The Ingredients.
serves 6 - 8
1 onion, peeled and sliced into rings
3 to 4 pounds pork roast (butt/shoulder)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground corriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 to 2 limes, for serving (optional)
The Directions.
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the onion rings into the bottom of your cooker, and spread them apart a bit with your fingers. Place the pork directly on top --- my meat was still frozen. If there is netting on your meat, cut it away.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and all dry spices to create a rub. Using your fingers, rub this all over the meat, flipping a few times to ensure good coverage.
Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat has lost shape and pulls apart easily with a large fork.
Serve over a bed of rice or quinoa, or stuff into pita pockets, lettuce leaves, etc.
I squeezed a bit of lime onto our servings, and enjoyed the contrast in flavors, but its certainly not necessary.
We had enough leftover for me to reheat on the stovetop (or in the Ninja!) with a 1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce the next day for sandwiches.
The Verdict.
I used to be allergic to pork; this last pregnancy re-programed my body, and Im so happy that I can now add this meat into our meal rotation. I like how this seasoning blend doesnt create an overly sweet or sticky or gloppy meat --- not that those features are bad --- I just wasnt particularly in the mood for that, and this fit the bill!
in other news:
I made a DIY standing desk for myself out of an ironing board!
Im going to be on the Rachael Ray show again next
have a wonderful day!!
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Recipe for Slow Cooker Pork Sirloin Tip Roast with Balsamic Vinegar Rosemary and Red Onions
Inexpensive pork sirloin tip roast gets tender and delicious when it's cooked in the slow cooker with balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and red onions.
Food blogging can be pretty frustrating at times, but especially when you've made a recipe that tasted great, but the photos didn't really make the food look good. I made this Slow Cooker Pork Sirloin Tip Roast with Balsamic Vinegar, Rosemary, and Red Onions for the second time and the final photos still weren't anything I was happy with, when I noticed this photo of the pork roast in the slow cooker. I decided that although it's a pretty casual photo it did show how tasty the pork roast looked when it was done. And since I still have a broken arm (two more weeks, fingers crossed) I decided to share this delicious slow cooker pork roast with the photo I had. No worries, right?
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