Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops

Not wanting to relinquish my recent love-affair with pork chops just yet, I thought to myself - Why not try your Slow Cooker Swiss Steak recipe on them?I'm so glad I did - these might even be better than the beef.

They turned out so tender and subtly sweet that I think this is going to become a new favorite of mine. I'm sure my boys won't complain about that since they gobbled them up with as much enthusiasm as I did. I'm also really glad that I tried my idea to lessen the number of potatoes in the pot and make mashed potatoes on the side. We had a few roasted ones with dinner, but what we didn't eat saved well to go with Josh to work as leftovers.

Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops

* 1.5 lbs pork chops, trimmed of fat
* pepper
* 2 medium red potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
* 1.5 c. baby carrots
* 1 med onion, cut into wedges
* 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
* 2 packets pork gravy mix
* 1 c. cold water
* mashed potatoes, if desired

Layer potatoes, onion and pork in your slow cooker. Sprinkle chops with pepper. Add tomatoes. Mix up one packet of gravy with 1 cup cold water and pour into crock pot. Top everything with the baby carrots.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until beef and vegetables are tender. I did 5 hours on low, then one more hour on high with great results.

Kim's notes: If you want to serve this meal with mashed potatoes, then make them near the end of your cooking time. Use the second packet of gravy for serving, or add liquid from the slow cooker to the package gravy and and then thicken it.

Never thickened your own gravy? It's easy as can be - add 1/4 c. of flour to 1 c. of water, shake until combined, or if you don't have a shaker of some sort you can use a wire whisk to get the clumps out. Add just a little of the flour mixture at a time to your gravy so that you don't over thicken it. Be sure to taste the gravy along the way so that you don't over flour it or so that you can add spices/pepper if desired.

Happy Cooking!

Pumpkin Nut Belgian Waffles

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 oz finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I put more a little more than a tsp.)
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¾ cup canned pumpkin
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup milk
¼ cup REAL maple syrup (not the artificial stuff made with corn syrup etc.)
3 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large egg whites

Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, chopped nuts, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir to blend and reserve.

In a second bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, 2 egg yolks, milk, maple syrup, melted butter and vanilla; stir until smooth. Add to the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to blend until smooth, using a wisk.

In a clean dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.

Do not open waffle iron during cooking process.

Eating Out at Home: Baked Chicken Parmesan

Josh’s favorite Italian meal is Chicken Parmesan. He will often order it at restaurants and savor every deep fried bite.

Only, I don’t do deep fried at home. This became the challenge, make Josh’s fav, but make it healthy. I did a little of this, a little of that, and presto he loved it! This will definitely be a repeat at our house.

Chicken Parmesan

• 1 1/2 lb chicken breast tenders, trimmed of fat
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 c. fine bread crumbs
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• 1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Beat egg whites with fork on a plate until slightly fluffy. Combine all dry ingredients on another plate and mix until combined. Dip chicken tenders in egg, then roll in crumb mixture until coated. Place in a lightly sprayed baking dish and repeat for all chicken pieces. Discard leftover egg and crumb mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. Serve over pasta and top with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese if desired.

Kim’s note: Counting the calories, but don’t want to miss out on cheese? Stir a little non-fat cottage cheese into the pasta for a little added creamy-ness.

Happy Cooking!

Apricot Smokies

2 14-oz pkgs smokies (mini sausages)
1 14-oz jar apricot preserves
1 c mustard

Mix preserves & mustard together in saucepan, over med heat. Add smokies, & let simmer til heated through.

*If you like a sweeter sauce, use just 1/2 c mustard.*

Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Chowder

I don’t have a lot of witty commentary to say about this soup, only that it’s awesome, all American, easy, and that I tweaked it to be a bit healthier and loaded it with extra veggies (I’m sure no one is surprised by this). Both of my boys devoured it, which is the best recommendation that I can give.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Chowder

• 1.5 pounds chicken breast meat cut into ½ in. pieces
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 celery ribs, cut fine
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 c. frozen corn kernels
• 2 cans cream of potato soup
• 1 can low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• 1 tsp curry powder (optional – this isn’t enough to make it taste like curry, but does add a depth and richness to the flavor that I love for chowder)
• pepper to your liking
• ½ c. fat-free half and half

Using a little cooking spray, brown the chicken breast pieces with onion and garlic in a skilled over med-high heat. Put in slow cooker. Next add celery and carrots to pan and sauté with a little water for a few minutes until just tender, then add to slow cooker. Next add corn, soup, broth, curry, pepper, and dill to slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, stirring ingredients together after half the time. During the last 10 minutes, stir in half and half.

Happy Cooking!