Crock Pot Apple Pork Chops

I've had some pork chops sitting in my freezer for a bit that I've wanted to find a good way to use up, so this week I decided to combine a couple pork chop recipes I'd seen online (particularly this one) and create a crock pot apple pork chop recipe.  I accidentally left it in for longer than I should have (my crock pot cooks hotter than most recipes anticipate) and so the apples went a bit mushy.  I also think it might have helped to have them on top of the pork instead of underneath, so I've written that into the instructions- but it even with the mushy apples, it was still tasty and it was very easy to throw together.

Ingredients:
2 lb boneless pork chops
1 onion, halved and sliced
2 apples, chopped (we used granny smith)
3/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder
Flour and margarine for gravy (instructions on how to figure out how much you want below)

Put onions into a medium sized crock pot.  Liberally sprinkle pork chops with salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder and place into crock pot.  Sprinkle apples on top.  Stir together cider, honey, and bouillon, and pour over the top.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.  Serve topped with gravy.

For Gravy:
Remove the apples and pork chops from the crock pot onto a serving platter and cover to keep warm.  Measure the crock pot juices- we ended up with about 2 cups, which made a TON of gravy, so you might want to dump some out so you just have 1 cup of juices.  For each cup of liquids, you'll want 2 Tbsp margarine and 2 Tbsp flour (so, for the full 2 cups, you'll want 4 Tbsp margarine and 1/4 cup flour).  In a large saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat.  Add the flour and stir to combine, then add the juices.  Cook and stir until thickened. Season gravy with more salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Wheat Berry Porridge

This idea for this surprisingly hearty recipe actually came from a wild rice porridge, but when we tried the original, something about the wild rice just didn't work for Justin, and we just kept tweaking it from there until we ended up a recipe we really liked.  We had it as a side dish with the pumpkin spice waffles, but it can also be a great filling breakfast all on it's own.

Wheat Berry Porridge
2 cups wheat berries
5 cups water

(I don't really measure any of the rest of this- I just kind of sprinkle on spices and drizzle in the honey to taste- but the spice measurements from the original recipe are a good starting point)
1/4 cup honey (or more to taste)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup dried apples, chopped (lots of other dried fruits would work well- this time around I actually added some dried coconut)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of ginger
dash of allspice
Plain yogurt (I don't measure this- just enough to make it have a good porridge-like texture)

To cook the wheat berries, bring the water to a boil in a large pan or stock pot and add the wheat berries.  Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.  Drain, and place the wheat berries in a large bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

Fall is in the air:  School has started, leaves are falling, and pumpkin flavored everything is making the rounds on Pinterest. :)  This semester, Justin is over on campus from morning until after the kids are in bed on Mondays, so with just them and me to feed, I try to plan something I know they'll be more likely to eat those days- and one meal that's always a surefire hit is waffles.  This pumpkin waffle recipe- a Pinterest find last fall- is delicious and simple to throw together, and this apple cider syrup is the perfect finishing touch.

Pumpkin Waffles:
2-1/2 cups flour (we used half whole wheat)
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp round allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups milk
4 eggs (separated for fluffier waffles)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.  Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, milk, and egg yolks (or the whole eggs if you aren't bothering to separate them).  Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form.  Stir the flour mixture and 1/4 cup melted butter into the pumpkin mixture, stirring just to combine.  Use a whisk or rubber spatula to gradually fold the egg whites into the batter, stirring gently until incorporated.  Cook waffles according to the instructions for your waffle iron.


Apple Cider Syrup
2 cups apple cider (or juice)
1/2 to 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon (if your cider is pre-spiced, you'll probably want to leave the spices out)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

In a medium saucepan, mix together cider, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg  Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute.  Take pan off the heat.  Add the butter and stir until melted.  Serve warm over pancakes or waffles.

Honey Fenugreek Tea

Cold season is here again, and with it the misery of stuffy sinuses and scratchy throats.  Last year, when I was nursing and unable to take a decongestant (because I didn't want to affect my milk supply) I turned to the very reliable KellyMom website to figure out something else I could do to make it so my head didn't feel like it was going to explode, and came across the suggestion of fenugreek tea.  Since I actually had fenugreek seeds on hand, I figured I'd give it a try.  Most of the recipes I found were very simple- just water and fenugreek- but I decided to add lots of honey to help with my sore throat, ginger and cinnamon because I've been told that they're supposed to also be good for colds, and cardamom and nutmeg because I thought the flavors would go nicely. :) Because this does take a bit more time than a normal tea would, we make this in large batches and store it in a juice container in the fridge.  The end result is an herbal tea that is soothing on the throat, does actually seem to help that sinus pressure, and is equally tasty either hot or cold- even when you're not sick.

Honey Fenugreek Tea
6 cups water 
2 Tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp cardamom seeds
grated gingerroot to taste
dash of powdered nutmeg to taste
Lots of honey (to taste.  I don't measure it at all, but I suspect I probably use at least half a cup- I put lots in because of how soothing it is on the throat)

Instructions:
Bring the water to a boil.  Meanwhile, put all the other ingredients except the ginger into a plastic sandwich bag and crush by banging with a meat mallet or rolling pin.  Add everything to the water and simmer for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let sit for another 10-15 minutes (yes, this is longer than your typical herbal tea, but fenugreek seeds are evidently tough and therefore take a bit longer to brew).  Pour the tea through a mesh strainer to get out the bits of seeds and cinnamon stick and add the honey. Reheat  if you'd like it warmer, and enjoy!