Queen Mother Blog

Have you been picking apples? I know a lot of people are apple picking right now, or are stocking up on some seasonal apple deals, and I have a tasty recipe to pass along. This was very yummy, despite my (as usual) pretty unappetizing photo. I have no knack for food shots!

This recipe is from the Pillsbury Pot Pies and Casseroles little cookbook that is in stores now. I can't help but laugh that I seem to really love recipes that use a box of stuffing. Here it is:

1/2 t butter or margarine, softened

2 unpeeled red baking apples, sliced

2 t a/p flour

1 t packed brown sugar

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t seasoned salt

4 bone-in (I used 6 boneless) pork loin chops, 3/4" thick (about 2 lb.) trimmed

1 cup apple juice or cider

2 T butter or margarine

1 1/2 cups stuffing pix for pork or chicken (I just used one whole box, but it was a lot of stuffing)

1/4 c sweetened dried cranberries

1 T chopped fresh parsley (which I totally always leave out, because I'm lazy)

1. Heat oven to 375. Brush 1/2 teaspoon butter in bottom of 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Spread apple slices in dish. In small bowl, mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples. Sprinkle seasoned salt on both sides of pork; place pork over apples.

2. In 2 quart saucepan, heat apple juice and 2 tablespoons butter to boiling over medium-high heat. Stir in stuffing mix and cranberries. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff mixture with fork. Scoop 1/2 cup stuffing onto each pork chop.

3. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; place sprayed side down over baking dish. Bake 40-50 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until pork is no longer pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160. Sprinkle with parsley. To serve, lift pork chops with stuffing to serving plates; serve apples on the side.

Serves 4 - Calories: 520 Fat: 20g Fiber: 3g **Note, I'm sure if you use the super lean pork chops that I did, the fat isn't as high as 20g!