Crocktober

First of all, I feel like I need to document how amazing the weather has been this month so that when I’m hating on the cold weather in November, I can look back fondly on the month that was October. I know it’s only halfway over, but there have been enough 11’s on the Wizometer this month to make up for any bad weather that could be upon us. It’s just the right amount of chilly in the morning for a light jacket/cardi, then the midday lunch break weather has been sunny and in the 70’s, and when I’m heading home from work, I get to catch some breathtaking sunsets. We’ve gotten our boots and scarves back out, and we’re having a TIME not buying new fall wardrobes. Damn Pinterest.

A couple of weekends ago, I made it up to Clemson for the first time this season to watch our Tigers play Georgia Tech. It’s always great to be there, and being in Death Valley watching the team run down the hill at the start of a game is one of the only things that really really makes me miss college. 

 I love my life in Atlanta, but those 25 seconds get me every time. I got to catch up with some of my sweet Ultimate Frisbee friends and got some QT with my college roommate, Anna. Life is crazy, and it’s easy to lose touch with college friends after we all graduate and move away, but being in Clemson feels like no time has past. Thanks so much, Anna, for the tickets, the rides, and the mostly gluten-free tailgate (the south’s BEST). Oh yeah, we WON!

Roooooomiez

Ultimate LOVE.

Anyway, back at the homestead, we’re at that great point in the year where the air conditioner is OFF and so is the heat. Take that, utility bills! Also, the crockpot is up and running again in our house. Since it’s getting darker at night, and the advertising world is keeping me later and later, we’ve traded the grill for the crockpot. Someone’s excited…

We’ve already had the first chili of the season, and it was wonderful of course. I’m sure Pot Roast will be on the menu soon, and we’ve been pinning all sorts of other crockpot recipes. First on the list was this Crockpot Honey Apple Pork Loin recipe we found. What says fall like apples and crockpots?! Here’s what we started with.

Ingredients:

Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.

Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced

Honey, approx 4 T

Cinnamon, 2 T

Process:

Slice two of the apples, they place them in the bottom of the crockpot. There should be enough to cover the entire bottom.

Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).

  Then place apple slices into the slits.

 

Drizzle some honey into the slits.

  Place the pork loin into the crockpot.

Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey.

 Place the rest of the apples on top.

Then sprinkle the whole thing with cinnamon.

Cook on low for 7 hours.

We had the pork with sauteed zucchini and our favorite Butternut Squash Risotto. And we ate off of the china of course.

The meat came out so tender and delicious, and the house smelled amazing all day. Chris wasn't a huge fan of the apples, but I actually really liked them. And I think the leftovers were even better, maybe because the flavors had more time to soak in. This was such a simple recipe, the pork was on sale, and It was gluten-free all by itself. This is why we blog.