Slow Cooker Pork Chops w/Apple Stuffing Recipe

January 24, 2013 By 1 Comment

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This recipe was adapted from this one found on SparkRecipes.

In my quest to try different recipes this year, I have to say that this will be one that will be repeated at least once a month. It was so easy and so delicious. The pork chops were so tender that you could cut them with just a fork, no knife required!

Check out this easy recipe below…

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Slow Cooker Pork Chops w/Apple Stuffing Recip
Recipe type: Slow Cooker Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4
 

This is one of the easiest and most delicious recipes we’ve had and is one that will be repeated at least once a month. YUM!
Ingredients
  • (4) ½” thick boneless pork chops
  • (1) package Stove Top Pork Stuffing
  • (1) medium onion (diced)
  • (1) medium apple (diced) – you could use 2 for a more prominent apple flavor
  • (1) cup chopped celery
  • (1) cup Fat Free, Low Sodium Chicken Broth

Instructions
  1. Spray slow cooker with a light coat of non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mix stuffing mix, apple, celery, onion and chicken broth together until it is moistened.
  3. Layer ½ the stuffing mix on bottom of slow cooker.
  4. Top that with the pork chops (you can season them to your preference. I did not use seasoning and really felt, for us, that they didn’t need any.)
  5. Add the remaining stuffing mix on top of the pork chops.
  6. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Notes
The original recipe called for 6 pork chops, but we only used 4. We did not adjust the amount of stuffing used, but who doesn’t like a little extra stuffing ;)

 

Filed Under: Dinners, Recipes, Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

January 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

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We kicked off January with our plan to get healthy, and we started off with a Yummy Turkey Chili. My Husband actually said that he preferred this to our usual ground beef chili!

It was so simple to put together and having it cook in the slow cooker all day made our house smell so good on a cold winter day.

We made extra so we could freeze the leftovers too.

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Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
Recipe type: Dinner
Serves: 12
 

Ingredients
  • 2lbs Ground Turkey
  • 2 Medium Onions
  • Garlic Cloves (depending on your taste)
  • 1 28oz can of Stewed Tomatoes
  • 1 28oz can of Diced Tomatoes
  • 1 6oz can Tomato Paste
  • 1 can low-sodium Beef Broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 4-tsp Chili Powder
  • Salt – to taste
  • Pepper – to taste
  • 1-tsp Crushed Red Pepper
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Black, Pinto or Kidney Beans (Optional)

Instructions
  1. Cook Ground Turkey and onions until done. Drain and move them to the slow cooker.
  2. Add in the tomatoes, beef broth, water and seasonings. (all seasoning amounts are estimates. Please be your own judge depending on your taste)
  3. Stir until the meat and onion mixture is well blended with the other ingredients.
  4. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 cup

 

 

Filed Under: Freezer Cooking, Recipes, Slow Cooker

Yummy & Versatile Slow Cooker Apples

January 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I love apples, especially cooked apples. In fact that’s the only way my husband will eat them. I stock up whenever they’re on  sale.

I buy with the best of intentions of eating them all before they go bad. That usually doesn’t happen though. Apples are generally good in the refrigerator for about 6 weeks (give or take).

One way I’ve decided to be sure that no apples go to waste is to put them in the slow cooker and them freeze them. And FYI – your home will smell AMAZING during this process!

Here’s how I do it…

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This particular batch featured 12 apples, including Gala, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious.

I peeled, cored, and sliced (about 1/4-1/2 inch thick) and placed them all in the slow cooker. I then added 1 cup of sugar and sprinkled in some Cinnamon, Allspice, and Nutmeg. I did not measure the spices. You can gauge with your eyes depending on your personal preference.

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Once everything was added, I stirred the apples to make sure the spices and sugar coated all of them.

Cook them on Low heat for about 3 hours, or until they have just a little bite left. I’ve found that if you do not leave them with a little bite, they can become very mushy depending on what you will use them for after they are unthawed.

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Once you have determined they are done, take the lid off the slow cooker and allow them to cool slightly before storing.

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I used a ladle and put about 2 ladles full per bag. You can also put a few table spoons of the liquid left in the slow cooker in each bag.

I prefer to store my in freezer bags because they take up less space. If you freeze them flat, they take up much less space and you can squeeze the bags in smaller spaces if your freezer is already full.

Now that you have these frozen apples, what can you do with them? Well, there are many options. Thaw them in the fridge to make apple crisp (won’t take as long to bake since the apples are pre-cooked), add them to dinner the next time you make pork chops, make apple pie, or my personal favorite… once thawed, heat them either on the stove or in the microwave and put them over vanilla ice cream! YUM :)

Filed Under: Freezer Cooking, Recipes, Slow Cooker