Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless pork loin chops
3-4 red delicious apples, peeled & sliced
4 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Place pork in slow cooker, cover with sliced apples.
Mix remaining ingredients & sprinkle over contents.
Cook on LOW 6-7 hours.


What I did different:

We dont like cinnamon apples too mushy, so I cooked the pork (w/salt) for 3 hours, then tossed in the apples, brown sugar & cinnamon and cooked an additional 3 hours.

*Serves 2-3

Best Ever Ribs

Ingredients:

4 pounds pork baby back ribs
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups honey BBQ (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey BBQ)
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Season ribs with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.DO NOT SKIP THE BAKING!
   
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the ketchup, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.
4. Cover, and cook on Low 6 hours, or until ribs are tender.

Teriyaki Kabobs

Ingredients:

2 lbs. any meat or seafood -chicken, steak, shrimp, etc.
1 cup teriyaki marinade or sauce
2 red or green peppers - cut in thick pieces
1 large onion - cut in thick pieces
1 large can (16 or 20 oz.) chunked pineapples
1/2 cup pineapple juice

Directions:

1. Drain pineapples and reserve 1/2 cup of the juice
2. Mix teriyaki sauce & pineapple juice & add meat
3. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours; stir occasionally
4. Thread meat, peppers, onions & pineapples on skewers.
5. Shrimp - grill for 4-5 mins each side. Do not overheat shrimp.
Steak or chicken - grill 10 mins each side until meat is cooked through.
6. Serve over rice.

Crockpot Chimichangas

Ingredients:

1- 1 1/2 lbs of meat (ground beef, top round or even pork)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup water

1 tsp dried minced onion, or 1/2 diced fresh onion

1 can tomatoes and chiles-drained

1 can diced tomatoes-drained
burrito-sized tortillas

shredded cheese

optional: guacomole, salsa, sour cream or any other toppings your family likes

Directions:

1. Salt and pepper your meat on all sides. Add to the crockpot and cover with 1/2 cup of water and onion. Cook on low 6-8 hours (ground beef should be ready to go in about 6 hours, while top round or pork may take longer)

2. After your meat has cooked all day, drain most grease (leave about 1 cup) & shred meat with two forks, if necessary.
3. Turn crockpot to HIGH & add the can of drained diced tomatoes and drained tomatoes and chiles. Cook for approx. 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare your toppings & steam a few tortillas at a time by stacking them on a plate and covering with a dampened paper towel. Microwave for 60 seconds.
5. Add oil to a large skillet and set heat to medium-high

6. Take a steamed tortilla and plop a spoonful of meat mixture in the center. If you use too much meat, it won't fold correctly. Fold the bottom and top of the tortilla, then the sides. The sides need to overlap a bit, so the meat doesn't escape, like this:

7. Carefully put the chimichanga into the hot skillet, seam-side down. Fry until golden brown (about 1-2 mins) then carefully flip and cook an additional 1-2 mins.)
8. Top with cheese, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

** WHAT I DID DIFFERENT:

1. Add 1/2 packet of Taco seasoning to beef
2. Cook beef in a skillet before putting in crockpot.
3. Add all ingredients at the same time & cook on low 5 hours.
4. Added 1/2 green pepper

*Courtesy of A Year of Crockpotting


*This recipe can also be made on the stove in a large pot if you are short on time.

Asian Peanut Butter Pork

Ingredients:

1.5-2lbs pork tenderloin
1 onion, sliced in rings
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used La Choy low sodium)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Optional ingredients: 2 tbsp chopped peanuts and 1 lime, cut in wedges

Directions:

1. Put onion slices into the bottom of your crockpot. Put the pork on top.
2. Add brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic, and peanut butter.
3. No need to stir-the peanut butter needs to melt before you can do so.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The pork will be more tender the longer you cook it.
5. 1 hour before serving, flip the meat over in the crockpot to allow the other side to soak up the peanut buttery goodness. Garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve with lime wedges (optional, but the lime juice mixed with the peanut butter is delicious.)

*courtesy of A Year of Crockpotting

Weight Watchers Sweet Italian Sausage

Ingredients:

Sweet Italian sausage
1 onion - diced
1 pkg of fresh, sliced mushrooms
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup regular white rice (not instant)
parmesean cheese
black pepper

Directions:

Remove any skin from sausage and crumble into a frying pan
Add onions and mushrooms and sautee until brown & veggies are cooked.
Add rice and chicken broth - stir well.
Bring to boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer 25 minutes.
Top with cheese and pepper.

Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscano Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage, cut into bite size pieces
2 large russet baking potatoes, diced bite size
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil (this is my addition, more on that below)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Cups Kale chopped
2 cans chicken broth
1 Cup heavy whipping cream or half & half
parmesan or romano cheese for topping
1 quart water

Directions:

Cook sausage on stove top until cooked through.
Heat large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onion and garlic and sautee until onions are translucent (about 3-5 minutes).
Add potatoes, chicken broth and water and cook until potatoes are done.
Add sausage , salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Turn heat down to low or simmer, add kale and cream. Heat through.
Top with parmesan or romano cheese.

BBQ Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1 hunk of pork (tenderloin, rib end, roast, etc.)
1 bottle of beer (any kind)
1 bottle BBQ sauce

Directions:

1. Put all contents in Slow Cooker on Low for 8-10 hours
2. Serve with veggies, potatoes and/or over rolls!

Orange BBQ Pulled Pork

1 Pork Shoulder or other pork cut (2lbs.)
(*I used a porkloin rib end roast)
1 orange
1/2 bottle of your favorite bbq sauce (I used Kraft BBQ w/ brown sugar)

Plop the pork in the crock pot, top with the sauce and the juice of the orange.
Cook on low 10-11 hours or high 3 hours, low 5-6 hours

Throw it on top of your favorite rolls, bread, body part, whatever and enjoy!

*serves 2

Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Ingredients:

4-6 Sweet Italian Sausages
1 Onion
1 red pepper, 1 green pepper
4-6 soft long rolls
1/4 c. Olive Oil

Directions:

Slice veggies.
Poke holes in sausage with a fork.
Place sausage in the bottom of Slow Cooker
Pour the veggies and olive oil in.
Cook on High 2 hours, Low 4 hours... or Low 6-7 hours
(Sausage should no longer pink in the center when cooked)
Put on rolls and enjoy!

Serves 2