Pork Roast with Cranberries

This sweet and tart recipe for pork roast cooked in your crockpot is delicious and so easy - with just five ingredients! It was the perfect Christmas Eve dinner with so much else going on at the time the last thing I really wanted to worry about was cooking.  We paired this with mashed potatoes and Christmas green beans. Delish!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 (2-1/2 lb.) boneless pork shoulder roast
• 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail, divided
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Preparation:

Trim fat from pork shoulder roast. Place in 3-1/2-4 quart slow cooker. Combine cranberries, broth, 1/2 cup of the cranberry juice cocktail, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

When done, place roast on platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour juices from crockpot into medium saucepan. Combine remaining 1/4 cup cranberry juice cocktail with cornstarch in small bowl and mix well. Add to juices in saucepan and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Serve with pork roast. 6 servings

Calories: 330
Fat: 15 grams
Sodium: 140 mg

Source

Slow Cooker Bacon Jam

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1" pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium high, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, about 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon from skillet (reserve for another use); add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon and stir to combine.

Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered until liquid is syrupy, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. (Or leave in the skillet on very low for about half that time, stirring occasionally). Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

Makes 3 cups
Active time: 30 minutes / Total time: 4 hours
Original recipe: Everyday Food Magazine

Lentil Sausage Soup

This is a delightful soup brought to you by The Barefoot Contessa (Episode: Tale of Two Soups). It's the perfect soup for a cold winter night with a wonderful meaty flavor in which thick rich lentils add to the hardiness of this flavorful soup. We often have bulk mild Italian sausage on hand which is easily subbed for the kielbasa, just brown in a separate pan and add at the same time.

Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils (recommended: du Puy)
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for serving
4 cups diced yellow onions (3 large)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 large cloves)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts Homemade Chicken Stock, or canned broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender. Check the seasonings. Add the kielbasa and red wine and simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

New England Sausage, Apple and Dried Cranberry Stuffing

Destined to become your new family tradition, this impressive stuffing gets its Yankee accent from apples and dried cranberries.

Ingredients

– 14 ounces GF bread, cut into 1/2" - 1/4" cubes (about 12 cups or one loaf)
– 1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
– 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or substitute
– 6 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 3 large leeks)
– 1 pound tart green apples, peeled, cored, chopped
– 2 cups chopped celery with leaves
– 4 teaspoons poultry seasoning
– 1 teaspoon sage (optional)
– 1 cup dried cranberries (about 4 ounces)
– 4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
– 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
– 3 eggs, beaten to blend (while this improves the recipe it can be made without. I usually reserve a little EF bowl for myself and bake the rest with eggs for everyone else)
– 1 1/3 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Saute sausages in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off any drippings from skillet.

Melt butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to skillet; sauté until leeks soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in dried cranberries and rosemary. Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Mix eggs into stuffing.

To BAKE stuffing in TURKEY: Fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough chicken broth into remaining stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Spoon remaining stuffing into buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered aluminum foil. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover stuffing and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

To BAKE all stuffing in PAN: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Mix 1 1/3 cups broth into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

14 Servings (About 18 cups)
Source: Slightly altered recipe from: Bon Appétit_November 1994

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Here are the comments and reviews given from the original version from Epicurious.com.

Don't just take my word for it! This recipe has a four fork rating with 95% of the people who try it, would be willing to make it again. Enjoy! It's amazing - I could eat this three times a day and make it though out the year 'cause just having it annually isn't enough!

Canadian Pork Tourtière

This is a recipe my from my mother's side of the family. It was her maternal grandmother's. This kind of pie is known as pâté à la viande (literally, meat pie) in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region from which my ancestors hail. My mother would regale us with tales of her large French Canadian family coming home after midnight mass on Christmas and eating this dish and drinking Port wine till the wee hours of the morning while the children ran around and played under the table. Our family makes it every year on Christmas Eve still. It is the continuing tradition of the region to this day.

PIE CRUST

Follow directions for your favorite pie crust recipe
1 tsp flour
1 egg (or a combination of Vegenaise and soy creamer whisked together to make a thick cream)
1 TBL water

FILLING

1 1/2 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground veal*
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBL sage leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 dash nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp allspice
1 dash pepper
1 large onion, chopped (3/4 cup)
2 cups mashed potatoes

*This is how it appears in the original recipe. You can sub out the veal with regular lean ground beef for the same taste.

GARNISHES

Pickle relish
Honey mustard

DIRECTIONS:

Make sure you have mashed potatoes on hand or start a pot boiling for potatoes while you cook the meat.

In a large skillet combine pork, veal (or ground beef), salt, sage, garlic, nutmeg and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add chopped onion. Simmer until all moisture has steamed out of the pan. Remove from heat, drain out excess oil/fat. Stir in mashed potato and let cool.

Prepare pie crust according to directions for a two crust pie. Heat oven to 425*. Spoon filling into crust lined pie dish. Cover with second crust. Slit crust in several place to vent.

Beat egg with water; brush egg mixture over top of crust to make a nice glaze. Or use a combination of Vegenaise and soy creamer whisked together to make a thick cream to bush onto crust to make a nice glaze. Bake at 425* for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with port, pickle relish and mustard.

Serves 6 to 8

Potato Leek Soup

I made a potato leek soup today with potatoes, leeks and thyme from the garden. This soup came out smooth, creamy and delicately delicious. It's my own creation.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sliced leeks
5 - 6 potatoes, peeled and chopped (yukon gold is a good choice)
Salt and Pepper
1 - 2 TBL butter (or butter sub)
Chicken stock
1 Garlic clove crushed
1 teaspoon Mustard
1/2 cup Sour cream
Fresh thyme

Put leeks, potatoes, salt, pepper and butter in a soup pot, sautee for a few minutes till the onion is soft.

Add enough stock to just cover the potatoes. Set it to simmer. While simmering add a clove of garlic, a teaspoon or two of mustard. Simmer till the potatoes are cooked through. Turn off heat. Add two teaspoons of fresh thyme.

Take off the heat and put it in a bowl mixer with a whisk. Add about 1/2 cup of sour cream and whisk till smooth. Add more broth or water if it's too thick. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh thyme. Or for a heartier version...

2 lbs bulk Italian sweet pork sausage
1 bunch Kale

In a separate pan sauté bulk Italian sweet sausage until browned. Add in sliced chopped kale to taste. Cook till kale is wilted. Add to finished potato soup. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh thyme.

Saucy Pork Chops

These are super easy to make pork chops in a rich tomato sauce. Again, this is a family classic. It was my mother's recipe and we always called it the "P Meal" when we were kids because we inevitably always had it with Peas and Potatoes (mashed). It's good for kids and grown-ups alike.

INGREDIENTS
4 - 6 Pork chops
3 TBL butter
1 medium red onion, sliced
¼ cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBL worcestershire sauce
2 TBL soy sauce
8 oz can tomato paste

DIRECTIONS
400° - Cook pork chops in a glass baking dish for 15 minutes. 7 minutes or so for each side to drain off fat.

While pork chops have started baking make sauce:

Sauté butter with red onion, brown sugar and a pinch of salt until onion is soft. Add and simmer balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and tomato paste.

Turn oven down to 350° and pour sauce over pork chops. Cook for half an hour or until thermometer reads 160°.

Yields: 4 - 6 servings

Time to make: 45 min

Spicy Autumn Ham

This is the ham we often make for holidays, with so many activities and demand for the oven this is a great recipe that’s super tasty and easy to prepare. It’s not overly spicy but rich, flavorful and easy to make.

INGREDIENTS
1 TBL whole cloves
4 - 5 lb. picnic ham
1 teaspoon whole or ½ teaspoon ground all spice
2 sticks cinnamon
Apple cider or juice

Optional: cornstarch to make glaze.

DIRECTIONS
Insert cloves into fat layer around edge of ham rind. Place in a large Dutch oven (or crock pot*). Add cider to cover, all spice and cinnamon sticks. Cover; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 2 hours or until tender. Remove ham to platter. If desired, thicken 2½ cups of juice ham has been cooking in with 2 TBL cornstarch dissolved in 2 TBL of cold water. Heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Serve over sliced ham.

*If made in a crock pot be sure to leave in for about 4 or 5 hours so the ham cooks all the way through.

Yields: 8 - 10 servings

This came out of a small paperback cookbook that my Mom bought back in the 70's... not sure who published it but it's been an enduring classic in our family ever since.