Cranberry Walnut Stuffed Pork

Anytime is a good time for these great fall flavors. It's a great recipe to increase and make a bunch to freeze, so then you have a great dinner anytime you need it in a pinch. 

I used a box of stuffing mix just to save time. Somehow, that's still okay in my book. You can certainly break up bread and make your own. I do it all the time but I enjoy the simplicity of making this dish quickly. I'm not exactly sure why some things are okay and others are not for me. If I ever use a cake or brownie mix though, you can call me a traitor!

2 Tbsp chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp dried cranberries

1 package stuffing mix

(and ingredients according to package)

2 celery stalks

1 shallot, chopped

6 center cut boneless pork chops

Pound your pork chops flat with a mallet and lay out on cutting board or counter. 

Heat water or chicken broth for stuffing. You will cook according to package directions, except add the celery and shallot to the pan before it boils. 

When your stuffing is done, scoop about 1/3 cup of it into a mixing bowl. Add walnuts and cranberries and mix with a fork. Spoon out about 2 Tbsp of filling running down the center of each pork chop. Roll them up and stick a toothpick in them to keep closed. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

I lined a casserole dish with the remaining stuffing and placed the pork on top to bake. 

These also freeze great. Lay them in a covered casserole dish sprayed with nonstick spray and freeze. Then, you can pop them into freezer bags and just pull out however many you need when you want them.

Parmesan Peppercorn Porkchops

 A few weeks ago, I ran into my friend Darryl at the grocery store. He was on a mission to find Parmesan Peppercorn dressing to put on pork. I'm not sure where he got this idea but being that its my favorite dressing, I had to try it soon after!

Parmesan peppercorn is actually really hard to find in the grocery store. It's surprising since its available in so many restaurants. Alas, try looking for it in the huge aisle of dressings and you will usually only find one option (not to be confused with Ranch versions). Sure enough it took us both a few minutes to finally find it. I swear by Ken's Light Options for dietetic reasons. 

I brushed my (quite large) chops with about 2-3 Tbsp per chop. Brush both sides and place into a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray or take out to the grill. I gave the tops of mine a generous shake of onion powder and minced garlic. If baking, do so in a 325 degree oven for 15-30 minutes depending on the size. I keep my own temp lower and cook chops longer to prevent them from getting dry. 

Maple Glazed Porkchops

I've been making these porkchops since my husband and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary in Vermont. We took a tour (literally the owner walking us around and showing us his farm) of a maple farm and brought back goodies that I still use cooking and baking. If you ever visit Goodrich's Maple Farm in Cabot, you'll want to pick yourself up some pure maple syrup, maple sugar for baking, and maple cream for spreading onto anything you want to taste heavenly. Their website is certainly worth ordering from if you won't be up there in the near future.

 

2 porkchops

1 Tbsp BBQ sauce (I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)

2 Tsp ground coffee

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

I added all of the ingredients to the porkchops for photographic purposes but, I would suggest mixing them all in a bowl and then applying them to both sides of chops with a basting brush. Be sure to use all of the sauce as a marinade and don't save any for dipping. Coffee grounds are far less appealing in a raw sauce and you don't want to cross-contaminate your meat. Cook chops in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees.