Crockpot Pork Chops

 I put this recipe together so fast and it was really tasty.  It makes a delicious gravy that you can serve over potatoes or rice.

Crockpot Pork Chops

1 onion, sliced

4 pork chops

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 can water

1 pkg. mushrooms

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

1 pkg. onion soup mix

Brown meat and season with salt and pepper.  Put onions in crockpot.  Add meat, mushrooms, soup, ranch mix, and onion soup mix. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.  

Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Rice

 I got this delicious, crazy-good recipe from my sister, Joan.  She got it from our wonderful niece, Jodie.  You will want to try this one.

Pork Loin with Coconut Rice

2 pork tenderloins (2 come together in a package at Costco)

Rub:

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together on a plate.

Coat the tenderloins all around in the spice mixture.  Heat oil in an heavy oven-safe pot (enameled cast iron is great).  Brown all sides of the pork.  Take off the heat and cover the meat with 1 cup brown sugar, 3-4 minced garlic cloves, and 1 Tablespoon Tabasco sauce.  Roast in a 375 oven for about 22 minutes.  Pork should be about 145 degrees when taken out.  It will heat to 155 as you let it sit.  Slice and serve with pan drippings and Coconut Rice.

Coconut Rice

1 1/2 cups rice

2 cups water

1 13-oz can coconut milk

1 cup sugar

Mix together in a rice cooker or on the stove.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and put a lid on.  Let cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

 This is a delicious pulled pork recipe that simmers all day in the cockpot.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

1 bottle barbecue sauce

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 pork loin

4 onion rolls

Stir barbecue sauce, onion, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and chili powder in the slow cooker;  add pork loin and coat with sauce.  Cover and cook on high until pork is very tender.  It should just fall apart. Shred the meat with two forks and mix together.  Serve on onion rolls.  Delicious served with cole slaw.

Skillet Pork Chops

This is a delicious and easy way to prepare pork chops.

Skillet Pork Chops
About 30 minutes before you are ready to cook, sprinkle salt on both sides of the chops and leave out.  This prepares and tenderizes the meat.  When ready to cook, mix together some flour, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika- really any spices you like to make a rub.  You can also use a commercial rub, but add it to flour. The flour is important as it thickens the gravy later.   Pat the chops dry with a paper towel, then dredge them in the flour rub on both sides.  Put them in the skillet in which you have heated some oil on medium high heat.  Sear on one side until brown, then sear the edges of the chops.  Put the seared side up in the skillet and put the lid on.  Cook until the meat is done (145 degrees) or about 5 - 6 minutes.  Put the meat on a plate.  On medium high heat, add about 2 cups of chicken stock to the pan, Cook and scrape for a minute, then add about 1-2 teaspoons of honey and 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.  Reduce by 1/2.  Add a pat of butter and stir until the butter is melted and gravy is silky.  You can slice the chops or leave them whole.  Serve covered with the delicious, silky gravy.

Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops

 This dish is very easy and absolutely delicious. It tastes like French onion soup, but better! Serve it with mashed potatoes or rice and a vegetable.

Slow Cooker French Onion Pork Chops

2 onions, thinly sliced

8 oz. box of mushrooms, sliced (opt.)

2 cups beef broth (or 2 cups water with a large scoop of Beef Better Than Bullion) 

3-6 boneless center-cut loin pork chops

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Salt and Pepper

Spray your crockpot and turn it on high to heat.  Put the onions in and add the beef broth.  Season the pork chops well on both sides with the salt and pepper.  Rub it in.  Place the meat on top of the onions.  Cover and turn to low.  Cook for about 3 1/2 hours.  Remove the lid and add the mushrooms and sprinkle about 1/2 cup cheese on each chop.  Cover and cook for about 30 minutes more or until mushrooms are done and cheese is well-melted.  

Scotch Eggs

A very popular dish in Japan is Scotch Eggs.  It is a Scottish dish, but the Japanese have adopted it as their own.  It is basically meat-  ground pork (pork is the most used and popular meat in Japan) wrapped around a hard-boiled egg, then fried. Sausage is not available in Japan, but this is made with sweet (as opposed to spicy) sausage in Scotland. The Japanese just use ground pork.  These little jewels are delicious and are a fun surprise when you cut into them.

Here, the elders and Remi are forming and dipping the scotch eggs, preparing them to be fried.

Imi frying the scotch eggs.  Notice the special extra long chopsticks used for frying.

Scotch Eggs  
1 1/2 lbs sweet sausage or ground pork
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Pepper and Salt (If using ground pork- not necessary if using bulk sausage)


4 peeled hard-boiled eggs
flour on a plate
1 beaten egg in a bowl with a little bit of water added
Panko or other bread crumbs on a plate
Oil for frying, if you are frying
  Mix the meat with the Worcestershire sauce.  I just sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce on the meat in the tray the meat comes in.  Then I mix it with my hands, then flatten the meat back out into the tray and cut it fourths.  Divide the meat into four equal parts.  Shape each 1/4 around a hard-boiled egg by flattening the meat in a circle, then completely enclosing the egg.  Dip the balls into flour, then egg, then panko bread crumbs, coating well with each.  When well- coated fry the balls in hot oil or bake in the oven at 375 until lightly browned- about 25 minutes (much fewer calories, but not how it is traditionally done.)  Makes 4 scotch eggs.
Here are some pictures of some I made at home in America.  I used sausage and baked them in the oven.  They turned out really good!

Pork Tomatillo Stew

A friend sent me this recipe after I read a Ruth Reichl book. It came from another book she had read by the same author. Ruth Reichl was the New York Times Restaurant Critic and is a great author.  She uses dark beer, but I substituted with beef stock.  I made a few other small changes as well.  I know a stew sounds like a winter dish, but this is kind of citrus-y and is just delicious.  I think it makes a great springtime stew!

Pork Tomatillo Stew
1 lb. tomatillos, papery husk removed, washed, and quartered
2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cup orange juice
1 large (28 oz.) can diced or whole tomatoes

2 lbs. pork shoulder roast, cut into large cubes
Salt and pepper
oil
20 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 large onions, chopped
1 big bunch cilantro
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 can black beans, drained

In a large saucepan, combine the tomatillos, beef stock, orange juice and tomatoes.  If the tomatoes are whole, break them up with your spoon.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer while you prepare the rest of the stew.

Cut up the pork roast and salt and pepper well.  In a enameled dutch oven, heat the oil and add the garlic cloves.  Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the pork cubes and brown on all sides.  Add the onions, cilantro and jalapenos.  Cook and stir until the onions start to soften.  Add the tomatillo mixture and combine well.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  You can then either simmer it on the stove for a couple of hours or put it in the oven for at least 2 hours at 300.  After that time, take it out of the oven and smash the garlic cloves with the back of your spoon as best you can and stir.  Add the black beans.  Put it back in the oven or on the stove and cook a bit longer.  It's nice if you do this the day ahead.  If so, let it cool, then refrigerate overnight.  Reheat the next day.  It's so much better the next day, but you can serve it right when it's done if you want to.

Serve with lime sour cream.  Add fresh squeezed lime to sour cream and put a large dollop in each bowl.   So yummy!!!!
Adapted from Ruth Reichl in "Tender at the Bone"

Pork Choppese

I love that you can see the steam rising in this picture.  

Oh, the memories!  My sister Joan and I worked at our Dad's doctor's office in the summers while we were growing up.  My dad's partner was Dr. Hubler and his daughters Carol and Jennifer also worked there.  They became good friends.  They shared this recipe with us.  I don't know if they made it up or found it somewhere, but it is good!  I've made it occasionally ever since.

Pork Choppese
In an ovenproof skillet*, brown 4-7 pork chops in butter, salt and pepper. While the chops are browning, melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a saucepan.  Blend in 1/3 cup of flour.  Stir and cook for several minutes.  Stir in 2/3 cup milk.  Cook, stirring constantly until mixture makes a thick paste.  Add 1 egg and beat well, cooking until mixture is shiny.  Stir in 1 small grated onion, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Spread some of the cheese mixture on each pork chop.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are done.

I usually double the topping recipe and pour it over all the pork chops (as shown.) Then I serve it with rice and a vegetable.  The topping is so tasty and is delicious mixed in with the rice.

*If you don't have an ovenproof skillet, you can brown the chops in a skillet, then transfer them to a 13x9 pan to put them in the oven.

Original Source:  Carol and Jennifer Hubler

Pork Roast in the Crockpot with Apple Almond Butter Sauce

Oh man.  This is easily in my top ten favorite main dishes that I've made.  It is absolutely delicious.  An added bonus is that it is really easy, too.  The sauce is to die for, but the roast by itself is out of this world.  I used to say that pork was my least favorite meat.  Not any more.  This is moist, succulent and out of this world delicious.  If you haven't tried any of my other recipes, try this one.   You'll be so glad.

Roast Pork
1 pork tenderloin roast ( they sell them in packages of three at Costco)
Olive oil, salt, and pepper
2-3 cups chicken stock

Spray your crock pot and drizzle some olive oil in the bottom.  Put the pork roast in.  Drizzle it generously with olive oil and then salt and pepper it generously.  Pour the chicken stock around it (not on top or it will wash away the salt and pepper.)  Put the lid on and cook on high for about 4-5 hours.

Apple Almond Butter Sauce for Pork
This recipe comes from Andelin's Gable House cook book.  Andelin's Gable House was a wonderful restaurant in St. George, Utah.  It was THE place to go for fine dining as they had a five-course meal.  One of their best entrees was the pork with this sauce.  I don't know how they cooked the pork (above is my own recipe), but this is a slightly altered version of their delicious sauce.  President Thomas S. Monson from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints loved this dish and he and his wife usually ordered it when he went to the Gable House.

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1 granny smith apple, not peeled, but sliced very thin
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar together.  When melted and the sugar is dissolved, add the toasted almonds, apple and salt.  Simmer for about 8 minutes on low heat.  Serve over the pork.

Kalua Pork and Coconut Rice

One of my husband's favorite foods is Kalua Pork from Hawaii.  I got the recipe from a lady who lived in Hawaii for many years.  It's very simple.  You can use the least expensive pork roast, so it's not very expensive, either. It's delicious served with rice.  I recently saw this recipe for coconut rice on The Sister's Cafe website and made it with the Kalua pork.  They were delicious together.  The pork is salty and went so well with the sweetened rice.  But plain rice is delicious, too.

Kalua Pork Roast
4-6 lb. pork roast
1-2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
1-2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke

With a sharp knife, cut slits into the roast all over.  Put the salt in the slits and rub all over the roast.  Then rub the Liquid smoke all over it and put it in the crock pot( the lady I got the recipe from always put it in a roasting bag and then in the crock pot.  That sure makes clean up easy!)  Cover and cook on very low for many hours, depending on your crock pot.  I like to cook it overnight, and half the next day on Sundays and eat it for Sunday lunch.  I add about 1 cup of water because my crock pot cooks fast.  When very well done, shred the meat.  Be sure you mix the juices back into the meat.

Coconut Rice
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups dry, rinsed rice (I always use short grain)
1 cup water
4 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Put all in the rice cooker and turn on.  You can also cook it on the stove.

Meat Grilling Marinade

This yummy marinade works great on chicken, beef, or pork for grilling. It adds delicious flavor to meat you're grilling.
I first tasted it when some friends had us for dinner. They grilled chicken, and I had to ask for the recipe it was so moist, tender, and delicious.  I've only tried it on chicken, but she said it worked great on beef and pork as well.

Chicken (or beef or pork) Marinade for grilling
1 1/2 cups olive oil
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground pepper
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well.  Put chicken breasts or other meat in a ziplock bag.  Pour the marinade over all and seal the bag.  Knead the bag a bit to make sure all the meat is covered.  Put in the fridge overnight.  Grill.

For other yummy marinades click here or here or here.  I have one I love for salmon which I'll publish soon.

Ham with Pineapple

Want ham for Easter, but don't want or need to do a whole big ham? Try this simple recipe. I got it from my sister, Joan years ago. Recently she published a cookbook and I found the recipe in there. But it was a little different than the one I've been using for years. So I tried this "new" version, and it's even better. Joan's obviously been tweaking and improving. You can get a bag of five nice ham steaks at Costco (and freeze what you don't need) or they sell them at the grocery store, too.

Mix together:

1/2-3/4 cups brown sugar (always error on the side of sweet, is my motto)

2 T. prepared mustard

Make it into a paste. Open a can of pineapple. (Joan says sliced pineapple, which would be much prettier, but chunks is what I had) Add 1 T. pineapple juice to the paste and mix. Spread paste onto the ham steak. Drain the pineapple and arrange over the top. Cover with foil and warm in 350 oven for 30- 45 minutes.

Shredded Pork-(tastes like Cafe Rio)

The night before...
3 1/2 to 4 lb pork roast
2 T brown sugar
1 to 1 1/2 tsp red pepper (cayenne)
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

Mix together and rub on pork roast. Put in crock-pot on low all night. (If you have a pretty hot cooker, you can do it on high in the morning, until it cooks the meat through.)

The next morning add...
1 can root beer (the recipe I have says coke, but I like my RB)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced (I have an allergy, so I use 1/4 tsp. garlic powder)
1 small onion, chopped

Keep on low until ready to serve for lunch or dinner.

About one hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar. Use in tacos or on salad w/ tomatillo dressing.

~I got this recipe from Blake's cousin, Jennica. So yummy!