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 it's 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 Alison's recipe up a bit to reflect ingredients I had in the house. She'd approve, because that's the way she cooks. I know she wouldn't 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 didn't 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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I've done some interviews in the last little while:
101 Strategy: Interview with The CrockPot Lady
The Stew, Tampa Bay Online: It's Over: A Year of CrockPotting
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