cranberry sauce Archives - The Midnight Baker

Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 00:00:18 +0000

These cranberry stuffed pork chops are so good, you’ll add them to your regular rotation. They’re easy too.

Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops: Different But Delicious

I’ve always loved stuffed pork chops because it makes them less boring. Especially when they aren’t fancied up with sauces and other ingredients.

This time I wanted to try something a little different than just my standard soft-bread stuffing and again, just like it was with my Mushroom Asiago Chicken, the answer literally dropped on my foot.

There was some whole-berry cranberry sauce left over from Thanksgiving. It probably would have ended up in the back of the fridge and forgotten if it hadn’t fallen out onto my foot. I figured I try that because then I would use it up. Also since pork and poultry can use similar herbs, I figured cranberry sauce would taste as good with pork.

Craisins?

I wouldn’t recommend using jellied cranberry sauce in this because it’d just melt. You need the whole-berry variety.

However, you could probably substitute Craisins for the whole-berry sauce. The dried cranberries certainly would add pretty nice texture. Mind you, I haven’t tried this, but I offer it as a pretty decent substitution.

Raisins might work as well, but you wouldn’t get the slight acidity you get with the cranberries. It’s the slight acidity that gives these chops their oomph.

Is Baking Necessary?

This question could be up for debate. The chops would likely cook enough with the browning process. However, the oven offers at least a couple of pros.

I know nowadays they say that pork is OK to eat if there’s pink in it and I don’t dispute experts. I, however, just cannot eat it that way. Even though rare pork might be safe to eat, it’s not as tender rare as it is well done. It’s a weird meat for that reason alone. So if you’re like me and just can’t do any pink, then the oven is necessary to completely cook.

The baking also crisps up the exposed stuffing and toasts it slightly. That’s great flavor there!

Lastly, make sure you use an oven-proof skillet. I use cast iron which is the best choice!

The Recipe

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Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops

These cranberry stuffed pork chops are so good, you’ll add them to your regular rotation. They’re easy too.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberries, pork chop recipe, stuffed pork chops

Servings: 6

Calories: 483kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 boneless center-cut loin pork chops at least 1-inch thick
2 tbs olive oil

Stuffing:

2 cups fresh soft breadcrumbs see NOTES
1 small onion finely chopped
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley OR 1 tbsp dehydrated parsley
4 tbs (2 oz) butter
1-2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉
Cut a deep pocket in each chop.
Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.
Melt the butter in a large heavy ovenproof skillet and saute the onion until they begin to get soft; about 3-5 minutes.
Add the entire contents of the skillet (onions & butter) to the breadcrumb mixture. Toss until all the bread is coated with butter; stir in the cranberry sauce.
Stuff each chop with the stuffing (you may not use all the stuffing, but it can be frozen for future use). Secure pocket opening with toothpicks if desired.
Heat the olive oil in the same skillet used for the onions.
Brown chops well on each side, about 5 minutes each side.
Place the skillet with the chops in preheated oven. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Notes

I use plain white bread--just tear it up and pulse a few times in a food processor. About 4 slices should yield approximately 2 cups of crumbs.

Nutrition

The post Cranberry Stuffed Pork Chops appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Cranberry Sauce with a Kick

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 00:00:10 +0000

Cranberry sauce for adults only!

Add a little kick to your cranberry sauce this holiday season.

The little kick here comes from a bit of whiskey! But you could also use brandy, rum of Cointreau liqueur if you prefer. With the Cointreau, it’ll be a little more orangey flavored, but that’s a plus!

This starts with whole cranberries and there’s very few ingredients.

Substitute water for the booze and it’s an alcohol-free version you can serve to the kiddos.

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Cranberry Sauce with a Kick

Cranberry sauce for adults only! Add a little kick to your cranberry sauce this holiday season.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dips, dressings, sauces

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry sauce

Servings: 1 cup

Calories: 851kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 strip about 1 x 3-inches orange rind
2 tbsp whiskey

Instructions

*water may be substituted
In a medium sauce pan combine all the ingredients
Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved.
Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, until it starts to get thick.
Cool to room temperature before serving.
May be refrigerated until use.

Nutrition

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Great Side Dishes for Thanksgiving

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 00:00:19 +0000

Classic side dishes for Thanksgiving include mashed sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, mashed rutabagas, and fresh cranberry sauce. I’m sharing all 4 recipes with you today.

Here’s the recipes for the sides dishes and cranberry sauce from a recent dinner I hosted.

No fancy pics in this post! That’s because this wasn’t planned.

I recently hosted a dinner for some very wonderful friends and we combined Canadian Thanksgiving because one couple is Canadian, and an anniversary celebration for another couple.

This was posted on my Facebook fan page and I had requests for these recipes, so here they are!

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Cranberry Sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is easier to make than you might think, and it tastes SO much better than sauce from a can!

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberries, cranberry sauce, thanksgiving side dish recipes

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 186kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

12 oz fresh cranberries (1 bag is usually 12 oz)
1 cup sugar
1 strip orange peel 1/2-inch x 2-inches
2 tbs water

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a medium saucpan
Heat over medium heat stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Bring to boil and allow to boil for 10 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and refrigerate until ready to use.

Nutrition

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Mashed Rutabagas

Mashed rutabagas are a delicious side dish for Thanksgiving!

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mashed rutabagas, thanksgiving side dish recipes

Servings: 10 -12

Calories: 98kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 large rutabagas Swede, yellow turnip peeled and cut in chunks
1 tbs salt may be omitted
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup water

Instructions

To avoid long cooking times and to insure the rutabaga is soft enough to mash, I use a pressure cooker to cook them so the directions are for that appliance
Place rutabaga chunks in the pressure cooker
Add salt if using and the water.
Seal pot and process for 15 minutes at 10 psi or "vegetable" setting on electronic models
Let the pressure release naturally, i.e. don't open the vent.
When pressure has dropped, open pot and drain the rutabagas
Add the butter and pepper and mash with a potato masher or electric mixer.

Nutrition

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Sweet Potato Mash

mashed sweet potatoes, with or without marshmallows. One of the classic Thanksgiving side dishes, and it makes a great dessert too! This recipe may be halved for smaller groups.

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Total Time50

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: marshmallows, mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole, sweet potato mash

Servings: 10 -12

Calories: 169kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 cups mashed sweet potatoes or 40 oz of canned yams, mashed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 cups mini marshmallows up to 3 cups, if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease a 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
Mash sweet potatoes in a large bowl
Add the pecans, brown sugar and maple syrup. Stir well to combine.
Spread mixture in the prepared pan.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Top with mini marshmallows and return to oven for 5-10 minutes or until marshmallows begin to toast.

Nutrition

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Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is a classic Thanksgiving side dish! Easy to make and you will never have to worry about having leftovers.

Prep Time5

Cook Time45

Total Time50

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream of mushroom soup, green bean casserole, thanksgiving side dish recipes

Servings: 10

Calories: 170kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

56 oz (4 cans) cut green beans drained
21.5 oz (2 cans) condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups french fried onions
.75 cup milk half and half, or cream
.5 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray or grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
Mix the soup, soy sauce, milk and pepper in a large bowl.
Stir in the green beans and ONE HALF of the can of onions.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Top with the remaining half can of onions
Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes to crisp and toast the onion.

Nutrition

The post Great Side Dishes for Thanksgiving appeared first on The Midnight Baker.