Pork Chops in Cranberry and Onion Gravy

“I’ve gotten some of the best recipes at staff meetings. Seriously. As we sat around waiting to get to the day’s agenda, our office of mostly women would talk about the previous night’s dinner or what we were planning for the upcoming week’s meals. On this particular day Deb, a big fan of her slow cooker, told me about this easy and delicious pork dish. The best part is that you can also use chicken to change it up once in a while. I’ve made this several times and it’s just about the only way my family will eat pork chops. If you’re not a fan of pork, try it with chicken thighs. You’ll love it!” —Diana

For a family of four you’ll need:

5 pieces of thick cut boneless pork chops, sliced through the middle to get two thinner chops from each. (You can also use chops with the bone in.)

2 14-oz cans of whole berry cranberry sauce

1 package Lipton onion soup mix

1 beef bouillon cube (optional)

In a large bowl combine the two cans of cranberry and the onion soup mix. Mix well. Fill one of the cans 3/4 of the way with water and add to the mix. Blend well. Spread a coating of the cranberry mixture on the bottom of the crock pot. Place the chops on top of the sauce in a single layer. Put more cranberry mixture on top and the bouillon cube. Add the remaining pork chops. Pour the rest of the cranberry on top. I set my Crock Pot on high for six hours, but checked it after 5 and turned it to warm. You don’t want to overcook the pork, especially boneless which tends to be drier. 

Serve with mashed potatoes because the gravy from the cranberry is great on the potatoes. Complement with a side of baby arugula topped with dried cranberries (do you see a theme here?) and some pignoli nuts. Dinner is served!