Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops

Once in a while, a recipe comes along in your life that is so good, you just have to make it over and over. It becomes a regular for your family or when entertaining guests. Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops is such a recipe. Let me tell you how much we love these chops!

My mouth starts to water just looking at these pictures. Juicy, thick cut pork chops cooked and then smothered in the most delicious sweet caramelized onion, bacon, and apple cider sauce; tangy, bright, and full of flavor that tastes incredible! For the onion hater... I hate onions too. Really. I make this confession because I LOVE them in this recipe. They are delicious and I don't feel like I'm eating onion. Seriously, this recipe is an absolute joy to cook! Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops will make you feel like a skilled chef whipping up a masterpiece; yet with a little prep it's super easy and fast~about 30 minutes. Your home will be filled with a mouth watering aroma that foretells of greatness to come. I am being dramatic, but it's true! It's hard to describe just how lovely this recipe turns out until you try it for yourself. You'll never serve pork chops the same way again.

This recipe calls for thick cut pork chops; they should be about one-inch thick. I sometimes have difficulty finding thick chops, most are cut to just half the thickness needed. I've had success most times at good ol' Walmart. I purchase the chops specifically marked "Thick cut". Thin chops just don't withstand the cooking time in this recipe and will over cook~ turning into the standard 'dry as leather' pork chop.

The other main ingredient in this recipe is the apple cider. When in season, you have lots of varieties to choose from. Go for cider that is opaque, (you can't see through the juice) thick with apple pulp. I've found this creates the most exceptional flavor for this recipe. Out of season it can be near impossible to find this kind of cider. Not to fret, I turn to a supermarket staple that is always around- Martinelli's Sparkling Cider. It does great in a pinch. Plus you can drink the rest with your meal and it makes a lovely pairing with the main dish!

My most favorite part of cooking these up is frying the bacon, onion, bay leaves and Thyme for the sauce. There is something about cooking this combination of ingredients together that sends a heavenly aroma into the air. I am a lover of fresh herbs and they are amazing in this dish. If you can't find some sprigs of thyme at the store, use ground/powdered thyme. It will dissolve into the liquids yet still flavor the sauce well. This is one recipe that you definitely should read through entirely before starting. I like to prep all my ingredients for this recipe before I start. Doing so ensures you have a great experience with it. Enjoy!

Smothered Apple Cider Pork Chops

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

6073031

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 4 boneless, skinless pork loin chops, about 1 inch thick
• Salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 or 3 slices of bacon, minced
• 1 sweet or yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1. Pat meat dry on both sides with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12 inch metal skillet (try to avoid non-stick for this recipe) on medium high. Brown the chops well on just one side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the minced bacon to the skillet and cook until fat begins to render, about 2 minutes. Mix in onion, sugar, thyme, bay leaves and a pinch of salt, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The onion should just be beginning to brown. Remove the lid and continue cooking and stirring often for another 5 minutes or until the onion is well browned.

3. Gently stir in the cider, again scraping up browned bits. Nestle pork chops into the pan, browned side up. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook until center of chop registers 140 degrees, about 10 minutes.

4. Transfer pork chops to a plate and cover with foil to rest. As it rests, return onion sauce to a simmer. Whisk together the corn starch, water and mustard, then whisk the mixture into the sauce. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprig. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour onion sauce over chops and serve.

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Elva's Ham Chowder

You'll enjoy creating this recipe at home because it's simple and full of flavor. Your taste buds and tummy will thank you for making Elva's Ham Chowder tonight. Mmm, Mmm, Mmm! I often her my husband singing the old Irish tune "Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder" when I whip up a pot of this soup :0)

Another one of my husbands' grandmothers' recipes, it easily doubles to feed a crowd. You probably have most of what you need to make it in your pantry already. Cubed ham is sauteed with onion and celery to add flavor and soften the vegetables. Then you just add canned corn, cream of chicken soup, cream of potato soup, and evaporated milk. One package of cream cheese is melted into the mixture, and you've got a thick and hearty soup that satisfies your appetite.


If you desire, you can thin the soup a bit with milk. I personally like it thick and hearty. Do not add any salt to this, the ham and soups impart enough salty flavor on their own. If it's too salty for your liking, adding milk can also help bring the saltiness down a bit. I love adding freshly ground pepper to a hot bowl.

Elva's Ham Chowder

by The Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

6056388

Ingredients (6 to 8 servings)

• 1 pound chunk of Ham, cubed into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 1 cup of celery chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• 2 cans of cream of potato soup
• 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk
• 1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 1 can whole kernel corn in water
• whole milk
• pepper

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium high heat, saute the ham, onion and celery until vegetables are softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.

2.Then add in the cream soups, evaporated milk, cream cheese and corn with water. Stir constantly to mix together and melt the cream cheese. Remove from heat just before boiling. Add a little milk to thin the soup if it's to thick for your liking. Sprinkle with pepper and serve.

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Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin

As the seasons change and fall arrives, warm comfort food brings us inside as we start to bring out our sweaters and jackets. Sandals are put away and pumpkins magically appear on almost every corner. I love Autumn and all it's colors. So why not celebrate the brilliant colors with a few slices of this pork tenderloin on your dinner plate?

You will love this because it's ridiculously simple to cook ~ and what a bang! Mouthwatering intense flavor in every bite. This main course would be excellent with steamed veggies or cheesy potatoes AuGraten. And you don't want to skip out on the chives, they really add the perfect complementary flavor for this dish.

Working with pork tenderloin you will probably notice one side covered in something called 'silverskin'. This is a thin layer of fat that is tough to eat and is easily removed with a sharp knife. A pairing knife works best but a chef's knife will work just fine too. To remove it, just slip your knife right under it and gently work your knife back and forth towards the end of the meat. It helps if you start in the middle and work your way outward. Also you can take it off in a few smaller strips instead of trying to get it off all at once. This will help you from cutting out a lot of good meat.

When sauteing your meat in the pan, you'll need to brown the sides as well as the top and bottom for this recipe. If you have a good pair of tongs, stack two or three medallions on top of one another, then grab the ends of the stack with your tongs and brown the sides all at once. Some medallions may not want to sit nicely on their sides to brown (they just fall over) and this trick will help brown the sides efficiently!

For a milder version:

If you like spicy food, but your digestive system doesn't, (or your kids) just omit the hot sauce and add a teaspoon more of the orange juice.

Orange Glazed Pork Tenderloin

by Goldilocks Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

6054431

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings)

• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1-2 pork tenderloins, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds total
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1.Trim excess fat and dry pork tenderloins with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, slice crosswise into 1 1/2 inch pieces (medallions). Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high until just smoking. Cook pork medallions until well browned all over, including sides, about 10 minutes.

2.While pork is browning, whisk marmalade, orange juice, and hot sauce together in a small bowl.

3.When pork is nice and golden brown on all sides, turn the heat to medium and pour the marmalade mixture over pork. Cook, flipping the medallions occasionally until meat registers 145 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pork to a platter and sprinkle with chives. Serve.

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