Christmas Pork Chops

I looooove Mom's baked ham. But few days other than Christmas warrant going to all the trouble and waiting hours. Here's my first attempt at bastardizing this holiday classic.

Boneless pork chops (thicker is better)
Apple cider vinegar
Brown sugar
Whole cloves
Pineapple (I used dried, but you could use canned or fresh too)
Dried cranberries (what I used, but dried or maraschino cherries would be closer to the original... could have swore I had dried cherries...)

Preheat oven to 350F. Find a baking dish just big enough to hold however many chops you'd like to cook, and pour in enough apple cider vinegar to just cover the bottom. Sprinkle in a little brown sugar to sweeten and stir. Sprinkle chops lightly with salt and rub all sides with brown sugar. Place carefully into dish. Sprinkle whole cloves evenly into the liquid or press into meat; I used two cloves per chop. Top with pineapple and cranberries/cherries, placing some on top of pork and some into the liquid. Bake about 35 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Serve pork topped with fruit. Give vinegar and pork drippings a good stir, remove cloves, and pour over top of pork.

Sweet & Savory Stuffing

• 3 T. butter
• 1 cup chopped onion (chop the ingredients somewhat small if you are stuffing roasted Cornish game hens)
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1-1/2 cups Golden Delicious/Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped
• 1 tsp. rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 4 T. (approx.) apple cider or apple juice

  Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery and onion and sauté about 5 minutes, then add apples and cranberries. Sauté a few more minutes until they soften. Stir in sage, salt and pepper, and transfer to a large bowl to cool, about ten minutes.

Mix in bread crumbs, then toss all with egg to coat. Add a few tablespoons of cider, a little at a time, tossing with mixture until it is moist but not wet. Stuff into Cornish Game Hens, or place into a buttered dish, cover with foil, and bake at 400°F for 30-45 minutes.

Adapted from Epicurious