Mushroom & Apple Butter Slow Cooker Porkchops

You know it. The best part of using a slow cooker is walking in the door at the end of the day with the smell of dinner meeting your nose at the door! This day was even better because I was home smelling dinner cooking most of the day. I have found that pork chops can sometimes turn out very tough, but never in the slow cooker. This recipe has only a few ingredients and is super simple to put together, but has very deep and interesting flavors.

Onions, mushrooms, pork chops, cream of mushroom soup, Dijon mustard, apple butter and fresh thyme...that's all you need. Put in the first 3 ingredients. Mix together the next 3. Pour that mixture in. Lay you thyme (still on the stem) on the top. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours. Delicious dinner, done!

I served this with stuffing I had frozen from Christmas. You could also serve with potatoes, rice or noodles.

Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced
8 oz button mushrooms, cut in half
4 pork chops
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 TB Dijon mustard
4 TB apple butter
4 -5 sprigs thyme

Directions
Put the first three ingredients in the slow cooker. Mix together the next three ingredients. Add to slow cooker. Lay thyme sprigs on top. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.

Pork Chops in Spiced-Apple Pan Sauce

Last night's dinner was a version of a recipe from Rachael Ray's cookbook, 30-Minute Get Real Meals. The original recipe calls for serving with roasted broccoli spears, but I had Brussels sprouts in the fridge so I roasted those instead. With some mashed potatoes, this meal was really yummy. The spiced-apple pan sauce tastes like a savory apple pie. You should try this very soon.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

2 TB extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless pork loin or rib chops

2 TB butter

1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced

3 TB fresh thyme leaves, stripped from 4 or 5 sprigs, chopped

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced

2 tsp pumpkin or apple pie spice

1 cup chicken stock or broth

A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

juice of 1 lemon

 

Directions

Preheat a large skillet over high heat with olive oil. Liberally season pork chops with salt and pepper and sear on both sides for 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove the chops from the skillet and reserve. Add butter to the pork skillet, add the onion, thyme, sliced apple, and pie spice. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 - 5 minutes, or until the onion and apples are tender. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Add the pork chops back to the pan and cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer, or until the chops are cooked through. Add parsley and lemon juice to the chops and stir to distribute.