Chicken Rolls

Chicken Rolls:

Ingredients:1 Large/2 small Chicken Breast

6 OZ of Cream Cheese

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 Tube pop'n'fresh Crescent Rolls (you know like the Pillsbury kind)

4 TBS Butter - Melted

1 Cup Breadcrumbs

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 Cup Milk

Directions:

Bake Chicken @ 350* until fully cooked. Pull out of oven and shred immediately (it is MUCH easier to shred warm). Increase oven temp to 400*. Mix chicken with Cream cheese, salt, and pepper until well blended. Now open up the crescent rolls. Separate and in the center of each triangle place about a tablespoon of the chicken/cream cheese filling in the middle. You should be easily able to make 8 rolls with this. Now wrap the crescent rolls around the filling to completely cover it and form a ball (If you are overlapping that is good - if you have gaps that is bad!). Repeat with the remaining 7 rolls. Now roll each ball in the melted butter and then in the bread crumbs so each is completely covered. I prefer homemade breadcrumbs because they are larger and make the roll crunchier, but store bought is fine too! Now place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400*20-25 minutes until golden brown.

While the rolls are baking, in a saucepan over medium heat combine one can of cream of chicken soup with the 1/2 cup of milk until hot. This will be the sauce you put over the rolls.

I love these cause they are warm and filling but go great with end of summer foods like watermelon and corn on the cob! Enjoy!

Pepper Steak

Prep: 10-15 mins, plus doing stuff while meat is simmering. Cook time: 50 mins to an hour, maybe a little more if you're slow like me.

Pan size: Large. I make it in my almost wok-sized frying pan, and it practically overflows.

Ingredients:
- 1 package of round steak (best) or 1 package of stew meat (inexpensive)
- A lot of paprika
- 1 medium onion
- Not too much of your favorite cooking oil (ex: I prefer olive oil, but plain old canola will also work)
- Soy sauce
- Corn starch
- Tomatoes (I used 5-6 roma tomatoes for four adults, 3-4 big ones will probably be ok.  How much do you like tomatoes?)
- Bell peppers (2-3 for four adults)

Directions:

Cut steak in strips (about 1x2 inches, maybe thinner) or stew meat into bite-sized pieces. COVER in paprika. Use a lot of it. You don't have to flip it over and do the other side, but the top should be invisible beneath paprika and then some. Roughly chop onion.

Put a little oil in your pan, enough to cover the bottom. Put onion and meat into pan, cook until meat is just browned and onion is getting tender. Once meat is brown, cover with an inch or so (depending on how much you like sauce) of water. Bring to a boil, turn down heat. Cover. Simmer for 45 mins.

Start rice at whatever point it will be done about the same time as the dinner.

Meanwhile, cut tomato and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces and. After meat has simmered 45 mins, stir in about 1/4 cup soy sauce. Note: the soy sauce is absolutely essential to this meal. It and the paprika are the key to the savory flavor. Taste after you add the 1/4 cup, because you can add more if you want. In a measuring cup, mix two HEAPING spoonfuls of corn starch with COLD water (1/4 cup-1/2 cup) until the lumps are gone. Slowly stir cornstarch/water mixture into pan. The mixture should thicken into a sauce (about as thick as you'd expect a sweet and sour or another Asian sauce). Give it 3-5 minute to thicken. If it does not, make cornstarch (focusing more on the cornstarch) and water mix and repeat until desired consistency is reached.

Place tomatoes and peppers on top of the stuff in the pan, cover, and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Do not stir them in. My mom does five, so they're just heated through, but I like them to actually cook a little, so I do 10-15.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

There you go Diane!  It's pretty simple, but good!

Black Bean & Corn Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion
little bit of oil (2 TB?)
Garlic (2-4 spoonfulls?)
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
2 15 oz. cans black beans
Frozen corn (1-2 cups?)
Any other seasoning that you want (oregano, pepper, basil are favorites here)


Directions:
Chop the onion and heat it, the oil, and garlic on medium heat until soft/translucent
Add in the tomatoes and chicken broth
Drain and rinse the beans, add them
Add the corn (I just eyeball it when I stir in straight from the bag, which is why the measurement is a guess) and spices

Cook until it bubbles a bit, then serve. Husband swears it tastes best with some mozzarella cheese on top.



Original recipe here, but you can see I made alterations.

Ignore the potatoes; those were for another soup

French Dip Sandwiches

Alright, this one is delicious and super easy!!!

ATTENTION: This meal takes at least 5 hours of Crock pot cooking (unattended), so MUST BE STARTED AT LEAST 5 HOURS BEFORE YOU PLAN ON EATING.



Ingredients:
-1 Roast
-32 0z Beef Stock (or the same amount of water with 2 or 3 beef Bullion cubes)
-1 Medium (2 small) Onions (rough Chopped)
-2 TBS Butter
-2-4 Cloves of Garlic, whole (depends on how much you like Garlic)
-1 Bay leaf
-Salt and Pepper to taste (start with a tsp and go from there)


French Baguette and cheese of choice


Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot, put on high, and let it go all day. The longer the better. IF the liquid starts looking a little low (should cover about 1/2 the roast) add more water. Literally, if you start in the morning and leave it alone it will be ready by dinner. You know it's ready when you put a fork in it and it falls apart.

When the roast is done, pull it out of the crock pot and shred the entire thing. Then place the meat onto a slice of the french baguette with your favorite cheese. I love white cheddar for this, but provolone is good too, or Swiss. Or no cheese at all. Be sure to serve each sandwich with a portion of the Liquid from the crock pot to dip it in. Trust me, this one is DELICIOUS!!!

NOTE: If you don't have the 15 minutes it takes to make this in the morning, you can substitute everything but the roast for a packet of dry french onion soup mix and water. It will not taste the same, but will create the same yummy sandwich and take about 2 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

I haven't made these in a long time, and did last week and they were really yummy. Perhaps this is too basic to put on here, but I've included my sauce recipe so I'm counting it as good.

Ingredients:

-2-3 Chicken Breasts Cooked and shredded (Baked, boiled, microwaved, grilled, doesn't really matter)

-Flour Tortillas (I like the mini ones, but it doesn't matter)

-8oz Cheddar or Mexican Blend Cheese (you can use less, but I like them super Cheesy

Enchilada Sauce: (you could just buy it but that isn't fun!)
-3 Tbs Vegetable Oil1 Tbs Flour

-1/4 Chili Powder

-32oz Chicken Stock (Or water and 2 Chicken Bullion Cubes smashed up)

-1 tsp Oregano

-1 tsp Cumin

-1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in flour until blended (30 seconds or so). Add Chili powder and stir for about a minute. Now add all other ingredients and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes until smooth.

Place chicken in a mixing bowl and add 1/2 the sauce and about 1/2 cup of cheese. Mix until chicken is covered thoroughly. Now it's time to fill your enchiladas, and there is some flexibility here. Put a large tablespoon in a small tortilla, so 2 large tablespoons if you are using regular size tortillas. This is not an exact science, so use your judgement. Spread the chicken out in a line, then roll the enchilada. Do not fold the corners in. Repeat until all the chicken is used. Place enchiladas in a 9x13 pan and cover with the rest of the sauce. Now place as much cheese as you like over the top, I generally use the rest of the bag!!! Now bake for 20-30 minutes until sauce is bubbly.

Be creative with this one. I add peppers or olives sometimes, but the sky is the limit. I find it is best served with sour cream and lettuce. This is also a great recipe to double and serve to a large group. It's different, but easy and can be made ahead of time. Oh, and it's another dinner for under $10!!!!!

Creamy Italian Chicken with Rice

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked & cut into cubes
8 oz package cream cheese (I use fat free)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use the low sodium, 97% fat free Campbells)
2 envelopes dry Italian season mix (next to the dry ranch mixes in the store)
milk or water to desired thickness

Combine all ingredients in a large pan on stove until cream cheese melts & mixture is warmed through. We eat this over rice but you could probably use noodles if you prefer.

Super Fast & Yummy Chicken Salad

We had this for our wedding and is one of our family favorites!

6oz. boneless/skinless chicken breasts (approx. 2-3 breasts) boiled and diced
20 small red seedless grapes (halved)
1 small red delicious apple (diced)
1/2 C. diced celery
1/4 C. diced green onion
1Tbsp +1tsp mayonnaise
1tsp lemon juice
1 dash white vinegar
1 dash salt & pepper

Toss all ingredients together & serve chilled

* Delicious served with croissants; Bisquick biscuits work well in a pinch too (as pictured)

**To save time I usually chop all ingredients while the chicken is boiling, and it usually works out perfectly time-wise. I then rinse the chicken under cold water, dice it, toss ingredients together and place bowl in freezer to chill while I finish baking the biscuits!

-Makes approx. 4 adult servings and takes about 20min to make.

Stuffed Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

2 T basil pesto sauce

1/2 cup sun dried tomatos

2 teeth fresh garlic

1 T extra virgin olive oil

3/4 package cream cheese

6 red potatoes

1 T fresh dill

2 T green onion (4-5 stalks)

1 tsp salt

black pepper

1-2 tsp seasoned salt

1-2 tsp garlic powder

3 T olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roasted Potatoes:

Dice red potatoes into small one inch cubes. Chop dill and green onion into small pieces. Mix potatoes, dill, green onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, seasoned salt and garlic powder in large bowl to coat evenly.

Spread potatoes out on a large baking sheet. I generally cover the pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place potatoes in oven for 45 minutes. Check potatos once halfway through baking to turn for even roasting. They should be golden brown and crispy on the outside and soft and delicious on the inside when done.

Stuffed Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Chicken:

Mince sun-dried tomatos and garlic into very small pieces. In a medium size bowl mix cream cheese and pesto sauce. I just buy pesto sauce at Fry's/Kroger since it ends up being cheaper to do that than to buy all the ingredients to make my own. But if you have a good recipe or lots of basil growing in your back yard garden, feel free to make yours! Add tomatoes and garlic and mix until even. It is easiest just to throw all the ingredients in a food processor and mix it up that way.

Then, take each chicken breast and create a "pocket" in each by slicing down one side through the center of the breast longwise. Stuff the cream mixture into the pocket, about 1-2 T per breast. Don't make them too full or all the cheese will spill out when you cook them.

Place the stuffed chicken breasts onto a hot pan w/ some oil, salt and pepper and sear both sides of the chicken.

Cook the chicken about 2 minutes on each side and then transfer to a baking dish. Place the chicken in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees until the chicken is fully cooked.

One note: The potatoes need to cook at least 25 minutes at 450 degrees, but then when you add the chicken into the oven, you can turn it down to 375 degrees and the potatoes can finish cooking at the lower temperature and will still be crispy and delicious when done.

Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesean

Ingredients:

-2 Chicken Breasts, Sliced in half (you know, the way that makes 4 really thin chicken breasts)

-2 Cups of Bread Crumbs (I used Panko, but whatever you have is great)

-1 Cup Veggie Oil (ish)

-1/2 Box of Rotini Pasta

-1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce

-8oz of Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees. Boil Noodle to a to a nice yummy softness, whatever you prefer (I like al dente), strain, and set aside. (While the noodles are cooking I do the chicken)

In large frying pan, heat oil to medium heat. Dredge Chicken in the bread crumbs until completely covered ( I used my hands to press as much on as possible to make it extra crispy). Place chicken in oil and cook 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove chicken from oil and place on a paper towel to drain off extra oil.

In you baking pan (I use corning ware, but an 8 x 8 would work great too) cover the bottom with a small layer of spaghetti sauce. Add in noodles. Cover noodles with 1/2 of the remaining sauce and a bunch of cheese. Next place the 4 pieces of chicken and cover them with the remaining sauce and cheese (i don't use all 8 oz most of the time). Cover with foil or lid and place in the oven for 40 minutes. For the last 10 minutes remove the cover so the cheese gets nice and brown.

Now it's ready to serve and enjoy. This meal is awesome because it seems fancy but costs less than $10 to make for 4 adults!!!

NOTE: My mom thinks that making the chicken is not worth the effort, so she suggests substituting frozen chicken tenders for the home fried chicken. Same meal, much less work.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 Chicken Breasts - Baked and shredded

2 Medium Potatoes Diced (red pictured)

1 Cup Diced Carrots

1 Medium Onion

1 1/2 Cups Broccoli - Cut small - Can be substituted for Peas but I don't like them.

2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 Tsp Salt

1 Tsp Black Pepper

Crust:

2 Cups Flour

3 TBSP Crisco

1Tsp Salt

1/3 Cup Ice Water

*Pre-made works just fine, I just like it homemade!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees.

Boil Potatoes and Carrots for 10 minutes to help soften. While they are boiling you will make the pie crust.

Pie Crust: Cut Crisco into flour and salt with a fork until well blended. Add water and mix only until it is holding together. The less you work with the dough the flakier it will be. Spread a bunch of flour out on the counter and roll out the first 1/2 of your pie dough. Place dough in the pie dish. roll out second half of dough and set aside.

Filling: Strain carrots and Potatoes. They should be softer, but not mushy. Mix all ingredients for the filling together in a bowl. I always start with 1 1/2 cans of cream of chickens soup and then add the rest if needed. It should fully cover all of the veggies and chicken. Place filling in the pie pan over your bottom crust. It will be VERY FULL. You will need to use a spoon or spatula to smash it down. Then place top layer of crust on. I always cut the dough 1 inch from the edge of the pie pan then fold the extra back to make the crust extra thick. you can use a fork to seal the crust or the thumb technique. See picture. Take a fork and poke some holes in the top of your pie to allow the steam out. I also spread just a little butter on the top to make it golden brown.

Bake for 40-55 minutes, until golden brown and bubbly. Allow the pie to rest for 5 minutes before serving!

So I made this when we were first married and it is now one of Nate's favorite's. It is also great because you can make it with pantry items when you don't want to go the store. Nate can practically eat the whole thing by himself. Enjoy!!

Upside Down Pizza

1 1/2 # ground beef
1 cup green peppers, chopped
big handful of pepperoni, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 envelope of spaghetti sauce mix
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. oil, I use Canola
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400. In a large skillet cook ground beef. I drain & rinse the meat. Add green pepper, pepperoni, (any of your other favorite pizza toppings), garlic, dry spaghetti sauce mix, and oregano to the meat. Stir in tomato sauce & a little bit of water to thin out the mixture to desired thickness. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer approx. 10 min. In a medium bowl beat milk, eggs & oil. Add flour & salt. Beat until well mixed. Transfer hot beef mixture into an ungreased 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Pour egg mixture of the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 min or until puffed & golden.

My dough bubbles up with air but it still tastes yummy!

Pot Stickers/Dumplings

These are extremely variable. I'll list what I use, but you can do pretty much whatever you want. Traditional pot stickers/dumplings are made with pork, but I don't like pork, so I use chicken or beef.

Ingredients (Beef Filling)

1 lb ground beef
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded cabbage

(to taste)
fresh garlic/garlic powder
ginger
soy sauce (less is more)
Worcestershire sauce

Put all ingredients together in large frying pan and cook until hamburger is browned and all vegetables are tender. Drain grease as best you can.

Chicken Filling

1 lb ground chicken OR shredded cooked chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
1/3 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped baby spinach wilted over heat

(to taste)
poultry seasoning (parsley/sage/rosemary/thyme)
garlic/garlic powder
ginger
soy sauce

Cook chicken with whatever spices you prefer, then shred. If using ground chicken, cook. I usually don't cook the celery, but put it in with the chicken if you want to. Put aside. In same pan, wilt spinach over heat until you have a cup or so (it takes a lot). Mix celery and spinach in with chicken.

OTHER OPTIONS FOR BOTH FILLINGS:
1/4 cup water chestnuts
1/4 cup chopped peanuts or cashews
whatever else you can think of

Or you can do a bunch of vegetables and no meat for a vegetarian option. I'd suggest cabbage for the main ingredient.

Shells or skins or whatever they're called
Buy 2 packages wonton skins from the grocery store.

If you feel like it, you can make them. It will most likely push you over the hour time limit, but here's the recipe. Warning: these are A LOT of work, but it's what's pictured, so I thought I should include it.

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
boiling water (a cup or so, you probably won't use all of it)

Mix salt and flour, make a well in the center and add the oil and 5 tablespoons boiling water. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. You may have to add more water. Be careful not to add too much. Knead until elastic, 3-5 minutes.
Pull off a bouncy-ball sized piece of dough and roll out on wax paper until as thin as you can get it. Should be about 5-6 inches in diameter and almost so thin it's almost transparent. Set aside (still on wax paper, or it'll be hard to pick up) and roll out the rest of the dough this way. You'll probably get between 12 and 20 circles of dough, depending on how big/thick they are.


Cooking Directions

Use a small table spoon (a real one, not the measuring spoon) to scoop filling onto shells. Brush water along half of the outside edge and fold dough over. Use fingers or a fork to crimp and seal open side (like a pie crust). Repeat until all dough is gone. There may be extra filling.
Cover the bottom of a large frying pan with oil and heat until a drop of water skitters off the surface. Put in as many dumplings as will fit. Fry for 2 minutes. VERY CAREFULLY add 1/2 cup water and cover IMMEDIATELY. Let steam for 7 minutes. Put on plate w/ paper towels to drain. Repeat until all pot stickers are cooked, or freeze the rest and cook them later.


FOR DUMPLINGS:

Drop them in already boiling water until the dough is cooked and transparent, probably about 7-10 minutes. I can't remember for sure, I never make them that way.


Dipping Sauce

1/4 c soy sauce
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
ginger

(Sorry there's no picture. I ate it all. It looks like soy sauce.)

Beef Pot Stickers

Cheeseburger Paradise Soup

*My mom gave me this recipe from Taste of Home magazine - I cut it in half because its just me and Andrew and the normal size makes 14 servings, you can always double it if you want. I added some variations as well. There was enough for us to both take it to work for lunch the next day and have two helpings at dinner.

Ingredients
3-4 medium potatoes peeled and cubed (if you use red ones you might need more)
1 small carrot chopped
1 small onion chopped (I used a vadalia so it was 1/2 of an onion bc it was huge!)
1/2 cup chopped green or red pepper
1-2 tablespoons, chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper (add less than that if you don't like heat or use some hot sauce, like the green tabasco or Franks)
2 cups of water
2 beef bullion cubes
1-2 garlic cloves minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 lb ground beef (you could use turkey)
1/4 lb sliced fresh mushrooms (I left this out bc I hate mushrooms)
1 tablespoon butter
2 1/2 cups of milk, divided
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 package (8oz) Velveeta cheese cubed
Crumbled cooked bacon to garnish or shredded cheese

Cooking Directions

In a soup kettle, combine the first 9 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 mins or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skilleet cook beef, mushrooms (if you added those) and butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add to soup. Stir in 2 cups of milk; heat through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining milk (1/2 cup) until smooth; gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cubed velveeta until melted. Yield about 7 servings.

East Coast Baked Ziti

Disclaimer: I originally found this recipe on some other cooking site but I've made some changes to the cook times and things.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 16 oz box ziti pasta (penne also works)
1 or 2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese (1 bag)
Parmesan cheese
Seasonings (I like to use oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper)
Olive oil

Serving size: 6

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Cook pasta, just a little under the called for time (pasta will cook more when it bakes; don't forget to put some olive oil and salt in the water prior to adding the pasta)
- While pasta is cooking, cook the beef. Add in whatever seasonings you like.
- Drain the beef grease.
- Add in crushed tomatoes (I usually use 1 - 1.5 cans but it really depends on how thick of a sauce you like)
- Add in about 2/3 the bag of cheese. Let the mixture to simmer on medium low to help melt the cheese
- Drain the pasta and rinse in cold water
- Add 1/2 pasta to a greased 13x9 pan. Coat it with 1/2 the sauce. Repeat.
- Cook for 30 minutes, then immediately add remaining cheddar cheese to the top of the casserole and sprinkle with parmesan to taste.
- Put (uncovered) back in the oven for another 10-20 minutes until the top has bubbled and browned.

Caribbean Jerk Chicken

Ingredients:

1 KC Masterpiece Caribbean Jerk Marinade
4 Chicken Breasts slice into thick strips
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbs Jerk Seasoning (Optional)

1 Pineapple
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

Place chicken in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add Jerk seasoning and red pepper flakes and shake till all the chicken is well covered (if you like more spice, use more!). Add marinade and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. After the chicken is done marinating, grill it to the juices run clear and it is ready to go!

For the pineapple, remove peel/husk/thing and slice into rings. I use a small circle cookie cutter to remove the core. Then place in a gallon size Ziploc bag (or bowl, but I HATE dishes) and add brown sugar. Shake until covered and allow this to sit for AT LEAST 10 minutes. Then toss the pineapple on the grill and allow it to cook until it caramelizes.

That's it for this one. I love it because it's flavorful, easy and delicious! Enjoy!

-Diane

Spicy Corn Chowder

Ingredients
-4 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
-1 medium onion, finely chopped
-1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 small jalapeno, chopped seeds and ribs removed
-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
-4 cups chicken stock
-2 large red potatoes, well scrubbed and small diced
-1 cup heavy cream
-16 ounces frozen corn
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1 bay leaf

Directions

In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute the bacon until crisp and browned and the fat is rendered. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel and reserve. There should be about 4 tablespoons of bacon grease in pan.

Add the onions and red pepper to pan. Saute until tender and translucent, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the jalapeno and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour until thoroughly combined. Cook the flour until it reaches a slight blonde color, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken stock and the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes; potatoes will become soft. Add the cream, corn, cayenne and bay leaf. Simmer for 15 more minutes. Pour into a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved bacon.

This is Gina Neely's recipe from food network, and it is AWESOME. I have made it 3 times since seeing the show in August. I always serve it with BLT's so you make use of the other slices of bacon!

Apple-Cranberry Pork Chops

Ingredients

-Brine (optional, but will help tenderize your pork):
-1/2 Gallon of water(ish, I just fill the bag 1/2 way)
-1 Cup Brown Sugar
-1 Cup Salt
-1 1/2 Teaspoons whole black pepper corns (1/2 tsp ground pepper)
-1/2 Can frozen apple juice concentrate
-2 Fresh Sprigs of thyme (or 1 TBS dried thyme)

-4 Thick Pork Chops
-Salt and Pepper
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or any other type of oil to grease the pan)

Apple-Cranberry Sauce:
-2 TBS Butter
-3 Granny smith apples, peeled and sliced into wedges
-2 fresh Sprigs of Thyme, leaves only (or 1 TBS dried thyme)
-1/3 Cup Dried Cranberries
-1/2 Can Frozen apple juice concentrate
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ground cloves
-pinch of dry mustard
-salt and pepper
-1/2 lemon (or 2 TBS of lemon juice)

Directions:

In a gallon size ziploc bag add all ingredients of the brine. Seal and shake until all of the salt has dissolved (you may need more water if it's not all dissolving). Open the bag and add pork chops. Place in the fridge for 30 min to 2 hours (but no longer, as the meat will get mushy).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Next heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and let it get hot. Pull pork out of the brine and pat dry. Place chops into the skillet and let them brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove pork chops and place them in a baking pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. I like pork medium well, so about 145 degrees, but this recipe always make them closer to well done :)

Next, in clean skillet melt butter over medium-low heat. Add apples and thyme and coat in the butter; cook and stir for 6-8 minutes to give them some color. Next add dried cranberries and apple juice concentrate to scrape up the bits off of the bottom. Add rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for 10 minutes or so. Serve apples over the pork chops.

That's it. This is a modification of Tyler's Ultimate Pork Chops. Also, if you live locally and want to try this one, I have TONS of fresh thyme in my garden, so don't go buy it, just stop by and get some. Enjoy!