Slow Cooker Tangy Pork Chops

There is nothing like a picture of a big slab of meat to make you want to use this recipe, right?  Here was the other option:

Is it any better surrounded by delicious food, if it is half eaten?  Oh well.  Just trust me, this was a great recipe for pork chops.  I had pork chops in my freezer, but I am a little tired of the cream of mushroom soup version that I usually use.  So I found a new recipe on allrecipes, and I was so happy with the way this turned out!  The flavor was a little different, which was refreshing.  It was still very easy to prepare, and my house smelled delicious when we got home from church.  We ate ours with baked potatoes and green veggies and it worked really well together.  I doubled the sauce, which was totally unnecessary, but if you decide to do that, you could serve this over rice and there would be a lot of the sauce for your rice.

Slow Cooker Tangy Pork Chops
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1/4 c. olive oil (I'm out, so I used Canola)
1 c. chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. chicken boullion
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. dried, chopped onion
salt and pepper
4 pork chops

In your slow cooker, combine the oil, chicken broth, minced garlic, paprika, garlic powder, chicken boullion, oregano, basil and onion and stir it all together.  With a sharp knife, cut slits into the top of each pork chop and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Place the pork chops in the slow cooker and spoon some of the sauce over the top.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.  Occasionally baste your pork chops with the sauce while they are cooking.

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham

This year, I made a Christmas ham twice.  Once for our Christmas party at church, and once for my family's Christmas party.  Both times I used this recipe and the flavor came out delicious!  It is also such an easy way to cook your ham for a big meal, like Christmas or Easter.  You can put it in a few hours before and then forget about it and focus on everything else you are cooking!


Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham
slightly adapted from: fivehearthome.com

7-8 pound spiral sliced ham (fully cooked)
2 c. pineapple juice
2 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. honey

In your crock pot, stir together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and honey, until the sugar is dissolved.  Slice your ham off the bone, and lay it in your crock pot.  Using a basting brush, gently baste the sauce over all your ham.  Do this occasionally while it is cooking.  Cook on low for about 4 hours, or until ham is hot (it should be 140 degrees).  Be careful not to over cook your ham.  I did this the second time, and it came out in tiny shreds.  But it still tasted great, and it was easier to chew, right?!