Pigs Have Flown…

I suppose it had to happen eventually:  tonight…I cooked.  And yes, a crockpot IS cooking!  I made Mushroom-Sauced Pork Chops, and they were outstanding!  Okay they were only really good, but they would have been outstanding except I doubled the sauce recipe, and not being familiar with the potency of different spices didn’t realize how prominent the thyme would be.  So if you make this recipe and double the sauce, don’t double the thyme.  Unless you really like that flavor to stand out.

My should-be-chef husband was kind enough to help me by answering a couple questions for me while he was at work this morning…questions like, “what the hell is a mortar and pestle??” 🙄 Like the average person is going to know what that is.  UNlike husband, though, I followed the recipe and used things like measuring spoons instead of “eyeball spoons.”  After about 8 hours in the crockpot I boiled up some egg noodles, threw in some crescent rolls and served a wonderful meal to my very appreciative family!  Alright, it might have been more along the lines of “yes, I made this; and yes, you are eating it.”  But they appreciated it after they got over their fear and tasted it!

Not a great picture because husband kinda mashed everything up before I could take the picture.

What I did NOT do is brown the chops first (I didn’t see the need) or put in the sliced mushrooms (the kids actually picked out the tiny little itty bitty mushroom specs from the cream of mushroom soup). 

So if my wonderful KAL pal, who was giving me shit last night about the food I like to eat, is reading this…I skipped the Kraft Mac & Cheese and the Spaghetti-O’s and made a real meal!!  Though I did have Ramen for lunch. 🙂 Thanks for your inspiration!

If you’re interested…

Mushroom-Sauced Pork Chops

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
4 pork loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1 10-3/4 ounce can reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1-1/2 cups sliced fresh musrooms
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions
1. Trim fat from chops. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chops; cook until browned, turning to brown evenly. Drain off fat. Place onion in a 3-1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker. Add chops. Using a mortar and pestle, crush tapioca. In a medium bowl, combine tapioca, mushroom soup, apple juice, Worcestershire sauce, snipped or dried thyme, and garlic powder; stir in mushrooms. Pour over chops in slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8-9 hours, or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4-1/2 hours. If desired, garnish with thyme sprigs.