SUBWAY SWEET ONION CHICKEN TERIYAKI SANDWICH

This is a "knock off" recipe for Subway's sweet onion chicken teriyaki sandwich. It is delicious, only about 370 calories and very quick to fix (as long as you make the sweet onion sauce a day ahead).

 

 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins
.¼ cup soy sauce
¾ cup pineapple juice
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon white pepper
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
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Bring everything but the chicken to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until it starts to reduce. Cool completely and pour over the chicken, cover and refrigerate the chicken for about 30-60 minutes.
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When it's time to eat, take the chicken out of the marinade (throw marinade away) and grill or broil the chicken until done (don't over cook).
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Place chicken pieces in grilled bun and add favorite toppings. Drizzle with sweet onion sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmm!!! Makes about 6 sandwiches.

SUBWAY SWEET ONION SAUCE This is SO tasty and I find all sorts of uses for it. It is not overly onion-y and not overly sweet. Make it a day ahead of time to let the flavors blend and mellow.

½ cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon finely minced Vidalia onion
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon buttermilk powder
¼ teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/8 teaspoon salt
pinch cracked black pepper
pinch garlic powder
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Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil for about 30 seconds. Whisk well and cover and chill overnight.

NOTE: If you don't have Vidalia onion, a white onion will work, just mince it VERY finely. I've even used re-hydrated onion flakes successfully, although the vidalia onion is best.

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD BARS

These dainty bars are delicious. They have a super tender shortbread base, a layer of sweet jam, then a layer of sweetened cream cheese & white chocolate and finally, a soft chocolate frosting.

The recipe says to chill them, but I think they are even better when they've been out of the fridge for 30 minutes, although when you do that, they are a little messy on the fingers, but Oh! so worth it!! Any flavor jam will work well, I just think that raspberry and chocolate go so well together.

 1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup confectioners sugar
½ cup butter room temperature
½ cup raspberry jam
3 ounces cream cheese room temperature
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons boiling water
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners sugar
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Preheat your oven to 375 and line a 9" x 9" baking dish with foil or parchment. Leave the ends extra long, so you can use them to lift the bars out of the pan after they chill. This is not a necessary step but it makes them easier to cut.
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Cut the butter into the all purpose flour + powdered sugar until crumbly. Press into the bottom of an ungreased pan and bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
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FILLING
Spread the jam over the baked cookie base. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and milk until smooth. Melt the white chocolate chips and add to the cream cheese mixture, mix until smooth. Gently spread over the jam (see note). Chill.
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FROSTING
Whisk together 3 tablespoons melted butter, 3 tablespoons boiling water, 3 tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup of confectioners sugar until smooth. Gently frost the chilled bars. Put back in fridge to set the frosting. Store completed bars in the fridge.

NOTE: I melted my white chocolate in the microwave, checking on it every 15 seconds or so. I gently spooned the white chocolate mixture on top of the jam layer (tablespoon at a time) then gently spread it out, so as not to keep the layers separate. Chill the bars thoroughly after you do this step. When chilled, then spread the chocolate frosting on.
NOTE: I haven't tried it, but I think this would double easily and bake in a 9" x 13" pan.

PEANUT BUTTER CLOUD PIE

If you like peanut butter, this pie is a little taste of heaven on earth. It is super easy to make (even easier if you use a ready made Oreo crust). It is the perfect ending to any meal; it is not heavy at all and it is absolutely delicious frozen.

CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRUST
1¼ cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
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Mix ingredients and press into a 9" pie plate. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes then cool completely before filling.
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FILLING
8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
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Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well mixed; add the peanut butter and vanilla and beat on high until very well mixed and light in color.
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In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently spoon the peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream and gently fold the two together until well combined.
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Pour into baked and cooled pie shell. Chill for several hours or speed chill in the freezer for about 3 hours.

NOTE: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for this recipe. If you don't have room temperature cream cheese, you can put it in the microwave for 10-13 seconds (take the wrapper off first).

NOTE: Everyone I have ever served this to has raved about it. I hope you give it a try. I think next time I make it for a potluck, I'm going to double (or triple) the recipe and make it in a big sheet pie.

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NOTE: I like to serve this after it has been in the freezer for 3 hours. If you leave it in the freezer overnight, take it out about 15 minutes before serving.

SWEET & SOUR PORK RECIPE

There are three reasons to try this great recipe. First, this recipe is made in the slow cooker, so it's super easy. Secondly, this recipe is very cheap to make and thirdly, it gets rave reviews whenever I make it. What more can you ask for?

 

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You should know that I am not a big sweet and sour fan, but I love this recipe. It is extremely moist and just the right amount of sweet to sour ratio.

 Walmart sells a small vacuum packed 2 pound pork roast that is perfect for this recipe. The package says "pork loin rib eye pork roast" and even here in Alaska, it's only $4.50!!
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2-3 pound lean pork roast
1 cup granulated sugar (seems like a lot, but it mellows out)
½ cup white vinegar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons ketchup
20 ounce can crushed pineapple (drained)
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Brown the pork roast on all sides and put it in your slow cooker. Mix everything else and bring it to a boil, then pour it over the meat.
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Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until very tender (spoon the sauce over the meat every once in a while).
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That's it...super easy!! At the very end of the cooking time, I thickened the sauce a little with a slurry of cornstarch and water (right in the crockpot). To serve, slice the meat and spoon a little of the sauce over it; it's great with rice.

Now this last suggestion is not for everyone, but my picky-picky hubby absolutely loves it. On day two, I pull this pork apart and mix it with a little of the sauce (make sure you include some pineapple out of the sauce). While its still cold, I roll it into a large burrito size tortilla (folding in all the ends) and then I brown the whole sandwich in a little butter until its piping hot. Hubby is extremely UNdemostrative when it comes to food, but he ooohhh'd and ahhhhhh'd about this sandwich until the last bite.

NOTE: Sorry about these photographs. This is one of those recipes that, no matter how hard to try to get a good photo, it just doesn't work. You'll just have to trust me that it is delicious.

MICROWAVE BROWNIE FOR ONE !!

 They say that you are not supposed to reward yourself with food...OK, I get that. But every once in a while, I crave something deeply chocolate, deeply warm, gooey and rewarding. This recipe fills that bill perfectly and since it is only a single serving, there isn't a whole pan of calories calling your name the rest of the day.

 

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I've been looking for a single serving brownie recipe like this for a long time because Hubby doesn't like brownies. I've tested lots of contenders with little satisfaction until now. The best part of this recipe, is that it is ready to eat in less than 5 minutes. The most "dangerous" part of this recipe is that it is ready to eat in less than 5 minutes...hahaha!!
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MICROWAVE BROWNIE FOR ONE
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¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
1 tablespoons pecans (optional)
2 tablespoon chocolate chips
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In a small microwave safe bowl, mix everything together until smooth (mixture will be very thick). Cook in the microwave.
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Now here comes the only tricky part of the recipe. Total cooking time in the microwave is one to two minutes depending on how powerful your microwave is. My microwave is a 1000 watt machine and it takes one minute 20 seconds. You will have to watch yours carefully the first time you cook this treat, so you don't over bake it (use the toothpick test for doneness the first time). LET THE BAKED BROWNIE SIT FOR ABOUT A MINUTE.
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NOTE: I am embarrassed to say I know this recipe by heart now. Any flavored chocolate, peanut butter, white (etc.) chips will work well.
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NOTE: The recipe doesn't say you have to, but I bake mine in a little ramekin that I spray with cooking spray.

GLAZED DONUTS...Live a Little!!

This is my "go to" recipe when Hubby asks for homemade donuts. I have tried many, many donut recipes over the years and this is his favorite; it is simple, delicious and it has never failed me.

 2 envelopes of dry active yeast (I use 2 scant tablespoons)
¼ cup warm water
1½ cups warm milk
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/3 cup butter flavored Crisco
5 cups all purpose flour
Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. In a stand mixer, mix 2 cups of the flour, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and yeast mixture until well mixed (takes just a minute on low speed).
Beat in the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl anymore. Once it is at that stage, knead for about 5 minutes.
Place the dough in a greased (I use cooking spray) bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and sit it in a very warm part of your kitchen for an hour, or until the dough doubles in size.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and gently roll it out to ½" thickness. Cut with a floured donut cutter (see note below). Set cut out donuts on a square of parchment paper that you lightly sprayed with cooking spray. This will help you tremendously when it comes time to lift the donuts into the cooking oil.
Spray the tops of the donuts with a little cooking spray and cover loosely with plastic wrap for a second rising (takes about 45 minutes to an hour). Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer (see note below) to 350 (I cooked mine at 375) and gently lower donuts into oil. Fry until they turn nice and golden then flip them.

Drained cooked donuts on a baking rack and before they cool all the way down, dip them in a simple sugar glaze (or cinnamon sugar).

SIMPLE SUGAR GLAZE
1/3 cup melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
4 tablespoons hot water

Mix everything together (starting with 3 tablespoons hot water, then adding the last tablespoon if you need it).

NOTE: My donut cutter is a small pineapple can that I've removed the top & bottom from. For the center hole, I use a small circle cookie cutter.

NOTE: I heat my oil in an electric frying pan so I can regulate the temperature (and it doesn't take as much oil as a deep fryer).

EASY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

This is a great comfort food classic that I turned into an easy, quick fix casserole. You can easily double or triple the ingredients for a big crowd. The flavors are great and it reheats extremely well.

MEAT FILLING
1 pound lean ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry onion flakes
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup water
4 oz. mild green chilies (I use Ortega brand)

Brown the ground beef and drain. Return to pan and add everything else, stir well and let this simmer for about 10 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
 ENCHILADA SAUCE (1) 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups water

Mix well and simmer for about 15 minutes...set aside

ASSEMBLY

In a greased 9 x 13 pan, place TWO layers of soft corn tortillas; cover with a little of the enchilada sauce. Space large spoons of the meat filling 2" apart on top of the sauce, and sprinkle with a little cheese like this:



  Top with TWO more thickness' of soft corn tortillas that have been cut into diamonds, like this:

Ladle some more sauce over the soft tortilla diamonds, then repeat with the meat and cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 35 minutes. You can make this early in the day and then just pop it into the oven at dinner time. If you do that, add about 10 minutes to the total baking time.