Stir Up Supper
5:37PM February 21, 2013

Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Pork Chops and Applesauce

Recipe from Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste.com and Real-Life notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Ingredients:

4 thin (14 oz) boneless pork loin chops, center cut

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

1 tsp butter

2 tbsp flour (leave out for gluten free)

1/2 cup apple sauce for serving on the side

 

Directions:

You can make this with boneless or bone-in pork chops; center cut pork loin chops are a good option because they are pretty lean, just be sure not to over-cook them so they don't dry out. 

 

Season pork chops with paprika, garlic powder, sage, thyme, salt and fresh pepper to taste. (Note 1)

 

Place flour on a small flat plate and lightly pat the chops with flour, shaking off any excess flour so they are lightly coated.

 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter when the pan is hot. (Note 2) When the butter melts, place chops in the skillet and cook 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Turn over and cook an additional 3 - 4 minutes, or until the internal temp is 145° F. (Note 3)

 

Remove from the pan and set on a platter to rest for three minutes.

 

Notes:

1. Combine spices in a small bowl and mix together well. Then sprinkle over the chops.

 

2. You can replace the butter with olive oil if you are monitoring your total butter in-take. It does add great flavor though! 

 

3. A meat thermometer placed into the pork chop is the best way to make sure your porck is done. Place it in the meat and not touching the bone to get the correct temp. Also, I've never found a favorite brand for one of these. If you have a suggestion for a good, sturdy one, please email me! jenn@kicks1015.com - Thanks! 

 

4. If you don't have time to make your own homemade apple sauce, I like Mott's or Musselman's mixed with a little of my own cinnamon. If you do have the time, definitely make Gina's recipe here:

 

Crock Pot Applesauce

 

Nothing beats homemade apple sauce, making it in the crock pot is easy and your house will smell divine while the apples and cinnamon simmer all day long. The hardest part about making this sauce is peeling the apples (which is not hard at all!).

I love using a variety of apples to make applesauce, for this recipe I used eight different apples; Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Macous, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Granny Smith. Gravenstein, McIntosh, Jonagold and Jonathan would also be great options.

 

Ingredients:

8 medium apples (Use a combination of Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, etc.)

1 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

3 inch cinnamon stick

5 tsp light brown sugar (unpacked) - or agave

 

Directions:

Peel, core, and slice the apples. 

 

Place them in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and brown sugar. 

Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce.  Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact.

Makes 3 cups.

 

 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn