Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (67 page)

1 egg

¼ cup grated,
or
finely chopped, celery

¼-½ tsp. salt

⅛ tsp. pepper

2 thick pork chops

1 cup water

1. Combine bread cubes, egg, celery, salt, and pepper in a good-sized bowl.

2. Cut pork chops part way through their thick sides, creating a pocket. Fill with stuffing, dividing the stuffing between them.

3. Pour water into slow cooker. Add chops.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 4-5 hours, or until chops are tender but not dry.

Pork Chops and Stuffing with Curry

Mary Martins

Fairbank, IA

Makes 3-4 servings

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 6-7 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

1 box stuffing mix

1 cup water

10¾-oz. can cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp.,
or
more, curry powder, according to your taste preference

3-4 pork chops

1. Combine stuffing mix and water in a large mixing bowl. Place half in bottom of slow cooker.

2. In another bowl, combine soup and curry powder. Pour half over stuffing.

3. Place pork chops on top.

4. Spread remaining stuffing over pork chops. Pour rest of soup on top.

5. Cover. Cook on Low 6-7 hours, or just until chops are tender.

Moo Shu Pork

Gwendolyn Chapman

Gwinn, MI

Makes 12 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 2-5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4- to 5-qt.

½ cup hoisin sauce

3 large cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. dark Asian sesame oil

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

16-oz. bag shredded cole slaw mix

half a 10-oz. bag shredded carrots

1 lb. boneless pork loin chops

12 6” flour tortillas

scallion strips,
optional

1. In small bowl, stir together hoisin sauce, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.

2. Place cole slaw and carrots into slow cooker.

3. Cut pork into ⅛”-thick slices. Then cut each slice in half lengthwise. Scatter over top of cabbage mixture in slow cooker.

4. Drizzle with ¼ cup hoisin sauce mixture.

5. Cover. Cook on High 2-3 hours or on Low 4-5 hours, or just until vegetables and meat are as tender as you like them.

6. Remove cover. Stir in remaining ½ cup hoisin sauce mixture.

7. Heat tortillas according to package directions.

8. Place ½ cup pork mixture in center of each tortilla. Top with scallion strips if you wish and roll up.

Tip from Tester:

The Moo Shu mixture is also great served over rice instead of rolling it into tortillas.

Give the gift of time. Give certificates for a trip to the movies, a day at the mall, or a visit to a local historical site, with you, of course. Also, find ways to spread gift-giving throughout the holidays, rather than just on one overwhelming Christmas Day.

Sandra Haverstraw, Hummelstown, PA

Pork Roast with Applesauce “Pulled Pork”

Colleen Heatwole

Burton, MI

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-12 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.

4-6-lb. pork roast, visible fat removed

24-oz. jar unsweetened applesauce

18-24-oz. bottle barbecue sauce of your choice

1. Place meat in slow cooker.

2. Spread applesauce over top.

3. Spoon barbecue sauce over top of applesauce, being careful not to disturb it.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours, or until roast is very tender but not dry.

5. Remove from slow cooker onto platter. Pull apart with forks.

6. Put shredded meat in bowl. Add some of cooking broth so meat is somewhat juicy but not swimming in sauce.

Serving suggestion: Serve on sandwich or hamburger
buns
.

Tip from Tester:

I cooked rice in the leftover sauce. I mixed some water with it; the proportion of the liquid was about ⅔ roast-pork sauce and ⅓ water. It was delicious rice!

Zesty Pulled Pork

Sheila Plock

Boalsburg, PA

Makes 10 servings

Prep. Time: 5-10 minutes

Cooking Time: 4½-10¾ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2½-3½ lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast,
or
pork sirloin roast

salt to taste

pepper to taste

½ cup water

3 Tbsp. cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. cumin

18-oz. bottle barbecue sauce of your choice

1. Trim fat from roast. Fit roast into slow cooker.

2. Season meat with salt and pepper.

3. In a small bowl, combine water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and cumin. Spoon over roast, being careful not to wash off the seasonings.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours or on High 4-5 hours, just until pork is very tender but not dry.

5. Remove meat onto a platter. Discard liquid.

6. Shred meat using 2 forks. Return to slow cooker.

7. Stir in 1-2 cups barbecue sauce to taste.

8. Cover. Cook on High 30-45 minutes.

Serving suggestion: Serve on split hamburger
buns
.

Note:

This is a great recipe when having friends over to watch Christmas and New Year’s Bowl games.

Pulled Pork BBQ

Marsha Sabus

Fallbrook, CA

Makes 4-6 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. paprika