Slow Cookin' Fall Chops

I've been trying for the last two weeks to find a great fall recipe. As the temperatures are dropping and the pumpkins are being carved, I was craving something warm, slow cooking and full of fall flavors. After much thinking/trail and error, I've figured it out.

Here it is! Be amazed by the simplicity and deliciousness:

Slow Cookin' Fall Chops

Serves Two

2 good looking boneless, skinless pork chops

2 small onions, sliced

2 apples, your choice, cored, sliced

1 acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
A sprinkle of brown sugar
A sprinkle of cinnamon

A splash of apple cider (optional)

Step one: Cut the ends off both onions, make a slit down the side and peel off the outer layer of the onion. Slice into ringlets. They do not have to be pretty, they do not all have to be the same size. Place them in the bottom of a slow cooker (crockpot)

Step Two: Place two good lookin' pork chops on top of onions. Do not trim any fat, you'll want it there.

Step Three: Core two apples, your choice. I used honey crisp apples. Whatever apple looks really good in the store. I wouldn't recommend green apples for this one. Slice apples and place on top of pork chops.

Step Four: Cut bottom off of acorn squash, cut in half vertically, remove seeds and goop from squash and place on top of apples/pork chops.

Step Five: Sprinkle as little or as much as you'd like with brown sugar and cinnamon. Squish everything down gently to make sure the slow cooker lid can rest evenly. Splash with a little apple cider. Turn on low and let it cook all day. Seriously, all day.

Not only will this dish taste divinely like a bite of fall itself, it will make your entire apartment/home smell wonderful! Obviously, if you need to feed more than two people, just convert the recipe to fit. I have a decent sized, but not huge, slow cooker and its filled to the brim. It should be.

This dish is also great if you like cooking with local items. Stop by your farmer's market or those little parking lot stands with fresh produce to find your onions, apples and acorn squash. The apples and acorn squash should be easy to come by since they are in season right now. Look for quality apple cider, you should not be able to see through it and it should have floaties in the bottom. That's how you know it's good.

Enjoy!! And happy Autumn everyone.

* From the kitchen of M. Suzanne