Cranberry-orange Pork Chops

Simple, light, quick, good. I now have all the ingredients in my kitchen, so it's a good last-minute recipe. (Justin's mom got us this cookbook. Her hometown catholic church is celebrating 100 years next year, so they made a cookbook from all the German, Czech, Dutch, and Bohemian families in the area. I like it!)

Cranberry-orange Pork Chops
by Emily Bartunek from the Bountiful Blessings cook book from Dante, South Dakota

• 6 boneless pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1 T oil
• 1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. paprika

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chips in oil on both sides. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until meat juices run clear. Prep/total time 25 minutes. Yield 6 servings.

Notes: I added more broth for more sauce. I was also liberal with the dried cranberries. Next time I will throw in some corn starch after I'm done cooking to make the juices thicker. I served this with brown rice this time, maybe mashed potatoes or some pasta would taste good also as a side. I will also mix the broth, the paprika, and allspice before I pour them in the pan next time.

Spicy Spareribs

LOVED THIS ONE!
I learned something new with this one - Spare ribs are pork. Well, that's what I gathered when I saw this sign in the meat section of walmart. This can be cooked as individual ribs for appetizers or in 3-4 rib sections for a meal. We did the meal.


Spicy Spareribs
from the SlowCook Book

• 3 1/2 lbs pork baby back ribs, cut as you want them.
• 2 c. bottled salsa
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1 T quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 t ground ginger

Preheat boiler. Place ribs on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 6 inches from the heat about 10 minutes or until brown, turning once. Transfer ribs to slow cooker.
In a medium bow combine salsa, honey, tapioca, and ginger. Pour sauce over ribs.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-7 hours on on high heat for about 3 hours. Serve sauce with ribs.

Notes: I added way more salsa than 2 c. I just dumped it on till it looked good. I served this with mashed potatoes, because it does have a bit of a kick and the potatoes balanced it well. Justin really really enjoyed this. Especially after our flop the other day.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

So I didn't really like this one. I liked the idea though. I think I wouldn't cook the veggies with the meat and sauce, it made it taste funny. Maybe it was the sauce I picked. I would just cook the veggies at the end of cook time and add it later. We didn't eat the leftovers.

Sweet & Sour Chicken
from the Slow Cook Book

• 1 lb chicken breast
• 2 9-oz jars sweet & sour sauce
• 1 16 oz package of mixed veggies
• 2 1/2 c. cooked rice
• 1/4 c. chopped almonds, toasted

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Combine chicken, sweet & sour sauce, and frozen veggies in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours or high for about 2 hours. Serve on rice, sprinkle on almonds.