Recipe

When Ashlyn was 9 months old we discovered she had a dairy allergy (not lactose intolerant, there's a difference). This meant a huge change in the way I cooked and the snacks I prepared for her. When Ashlyn started eating more and more table foods I started to realize that so many of my recipes contained some type of dairy ingredient; cheese, sour cream, cream soups, and butter. I am very adamant about my children eating what I cook. This doesn't mean they must eat until their plate is cleared but they must try everything. I refuse to make them a separate meal of chicken nuggets and hot dogs. So in order to accomplish that task of only preparing one meal for my whole family I spent many hours hunting for new recipes. Ashlyn has since grown out of her dairy allergy and can eat all the dairy she wants without any reaction but I am still preparing my "new" recipes. Her allergy made me step back and really look at what I was putting on our table and buying at the grocery store. Do you read labels? Seriously, does high fructose corn syrup have to be in everything! In the past year I have almost completely cut out cream soups (although I do make a casserole every once in a while to satisfy those southern food cravings), cook with less cheese and sour cream and make all our baked goods from scratch (including my own Bisquick). I thought I would share with you over a period of time some of our favorite recipes.
One of my favorite places to get new recipes is Mels Kitchen Cafe. This is one that she posted recently and we have had it twice in two weeks. It is so easy to throw together before the evening gets crazy and the hungry kiddos are hanging on your legs and it tastes wonderful.

Tender Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples and Onions

4 bone-in pork loin chops (at least 1/2-inch thick)
2-3 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
1-2 yellow onions, sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the onion slices in an even layer over the bottom of the dish. Top the onion slices with the apples. Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the apples and onions. Season the pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer on top of the apples and onions. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake in the preheated oven for three hours. Do not open the oven and lift the foil – the pork chops, apples and onions need to be tightly covered the whole time to work their magic (and not dry out).

I served these with mashed potatoes like she suggested and thought they went very well together.