Oct 9th, 2012
Kids are eating at school today, so I didn't have to pack lunches this morning! I'm cooking the Cranberry Chicken and the brown rice to go with it, today, for tomorrow's dinner. It just tastes better the next day. And tomorrow is baseball for Joey and Ella and swim team for Eva, so the five of us will probably eat before we go and Dad can eat when he gets home.
This recipe I got from Hannah Keely. Have you seen her on tv? Oh! I so want her to come to my house and give me a hand! I also enjoy her blog and that's where I found this recipe. I only make one recipe of it because my kids think it's "ok". Dad and I LOVE it and since we haven't had it in awhile, that's what were eating on Wednesday. And it's ok if the kids don't eat a lot of it, they serve pizza after the game, so hey! lol


Cranberry Chicken  (printable)

2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 lbs. chicken (about 4 breasts) (I did 10 thighs and doubled the recipe)

Melt butter in microwave, but let cool slightly before dumping in the bag. Dump all ingredients except chicken in a gallon-size zippered plastic bag and smoosh it together. Add chicken, seal completely and smoosh some more to thoroughly coat chic ken. Empty into a casserole dish and cook at 350 for 40 minutes or until done (juices run clear); cook in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours; or allow to marinate for two
hours and toss on the grill.

Tuesday, Oct 12th, 2010

It's Tuesday, which means Eva has Musical Theater today from 4 to 5. (Gotta bring along the flashcards for the trips!) Dad has choir practice at 6:30, so I'm using the crockpot today!

Breakfast: Cheerios with bananas
Lunch: leftovers (kids are in school!)
Dinner: Apple Pork Chops, Pieroges, and green beans

Eva's Snack today: Mini Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, Twisty Cheese stick, green pepper strips. They were serving Cheese Pizza at school today.

When it first went in... When it was done



Apple Pork Chops
Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes Ready In: 55 Minutes Servings: 6

"A sweet and tangy sauce of brown sugar and mustard with a hint of caraway is the luscious finish to this classic combination of apples and pork baked to perfection."

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion4 (1/2-inch thick)
8 pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 apples - peeled, cored and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground mustard (I used Ingelhoffer's)
Couple of shakes of caraway seed
4 oz apple juice (small juice box size)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in large skillet. Saute' onion in oil for 1 minute, or until tender. Remove onion and set aside. Brown pork chops on both sides in oil.
3. Place chops in an 9x13 inch baking dish and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Mix together the mustard and the brown sugar, then thinly coat the pork chops. Lightly sprinkle caraway seeds on top. Cover the chops with the apples and cooked onion.
4. Pour the apple juice into the pan, being careful not to wash the seasoning off of the chops. Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy!
For the slow cooker:
1. Saute' onions in olive oil until they are limp and smelling good, about 5 mins on a med-low heat. Don't burn them!!
2. Place some of the onions in the bottom of the slow cooker, then add some apples. Lay the pork chops on top and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Mix together the mustard and the brown sugar, then thinly coat the pork chops. Lightly sprinkle caraway seeds on top. Cover the chops with the apples and cooked onion.
3. I had to cook 8 pork chops, so I made another layer in my crock pot.
4. Pour the apple juice into the pan, being careful not to wash the seasoning off of the chops. Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours.

Serve with pieroges!!

(idea from: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/apple-pork-chops/Detail.aspx)