Orange-Apricot Pork Chops

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!

Source: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow Recipe book
 & http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/01/orange-apricot-pork-chops-in-crockpot.html
 

Crockpot Teriyaki Pork

Crockpot Teriyaki Pork for the Freezer

3lbs cut up pork tenderloin
1 onion, sliced
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
1t minced garlic
½ t ginger powder

Put all ingredients in a large zip lock bag. Seal the bag and squish around to mix it up. Freeze. On cooking day dump contents into crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is cooked and tender. Serve over brown rice.

I gathered all my ingredients together..

Put the ingredients into a gallon size zip lock bag..

Sealed the bag and squished around the ingredients until well mixed and put it in the freezer.

Source: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/crockpotteriyakiporkforfreezer.htm

Freezer Notes:

Cranberry Pork or Beef Roast

Super Simple Cranberry Roast (beef or pork) Slow Cooker Recipe

Slow-Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Country Ribs

Start these ribs in the morning, and they'll be perfectly tender by dinnertime.

Everyday Food, October 2008

• Prep Time 15 minutes
• Total Time 6 1/4 hours
• Yield Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 pounds country-style pork ribs, separated into single ribs
• Barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In slow cooker, whisk together ketchup, sugar, vinegar, mustard powder, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2. Add ribs to slow cooker, and toss with sauce. Arrange ribs, bone side up, in a single row. Cover; cook on high, 6 hours (or on low, 10 hours).
3. Serve ribs drizzled with pan juices and, if desired, barbecue sauce.

Cook's Note

Oven method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In step 1, use a 5-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid; add 1 cup water. Cover; bake until ribs are tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Proceed with step 3.

Source: http://www.marthastewart.com/336477/slow-cooker-sweet-and-sour-country-ribs

FREEZER SLOW COOKING NOTES: 
I didn't do anything special for freezing. I mixed all ingredients and froze the sauce separate from the pork. 

Apple Pie Pork Chops

When I first shared this with a reader she got a little flipped out because she thought we were baking pork inside a pie. {Giggle, giggle}. I suppose one *might* think that based on the title but that is definitely not the case here.

I got this idea one night when I was trying to use up items in my freezer in order to clear space for my next cooking day. I had an apple pie kit and a some pork chops in my freezer and they just seemed like a perfect combination. It turns out I was right!

Ingredients:

• 8    cups    apples, peeled & sliced
• .75    cups    sugar
• 2    Tablespoons    all-purpose flour
• 1    teaspoons    ground cinnamon
• .5    teaspoons    ground cloves
• .5    teaspoons    ground allspice
• 1.5    pounds    pork chops

Directions:

Place pork chops in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a separate gallon zippered bag place all of the ingredients except the pork chops. Mix. Once mixed, dump on top of pork chops in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW 6-8 hour or HIGH 3-4 hours.

Freezing Directions:

Add all ingredients except the pork chops to a Ziploc bag. Squish this around so that the apples get coated and the spices get mixed around. Add pork chops to the mix (1.5 lbs per bag) or freeze them in a separate gallon bag. Then put this in the freezer.  To serve: Thaw both bags (apples and pork chops). Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on LOW 6-8 hour or HIGH 3-4 hours. [Note from Dee: I usually just put the entire thing in frozen and cook it a little longer]

Servings: 4

SOURCE: 

http://onceamonthmom.com/apple-pie-pork-chops/ 

Tricia @ Onceamonthmom.com

Leanne's Notes: 

For this batch, 2-22-12 I doubled the amount of Pork and used a 32 oz Jar of Apple Pie Filling from Trader Joe's. Then added a dash of ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon. Put all items in the Ziploc bag and froze it all together.