Pan-Fried Honey-Sesame Chicken

Pan-Fried Honey-Sesame Chicken

Serves 4

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine water, chicken broth, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, rice vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, ginger root, and red pepper flakes for sauce in a medium bowl

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat

Add chicken, and stir-fry chicken, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate

Reduce heat to medium and add the sauce to the wok

Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the sauce, stirring constantly until the sauce starts to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes

Add chicken back to the wok, stir, and cook until reheated, about 2 minutes

Enjoy with a side of broccoli and rice

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Slow Cooker Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Makes 6 servings

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup water/broth

2 pounds pork tenderloin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water/broth (optional: use liquid from slow cooker)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

Rinse and paper towel dry the pork tenderloin

Mix together garlic powder, sage, salt, pepper and garlic, and rub over the tenderloin

Place 1/2 cup water/broth in slow cooker, followed by the tenderloin, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours

1 hour before the roast is finished, in a small sauce pan, mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, water/broth, soy sauce and honey

Heat over medium and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes

Pour glaze over tenderloin

Spoon glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking

Slice and serve with remaining glaze on the side

Sweet Tomato Relish

Sweet Tomato Relish

Makes 12 Half Pints

10 cups tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed then chopped

2 cups onion, chopped

8 cups apple, tart, peeled and chopped

2 cups cider vinegar

8 cups sugar

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons mustard, dry

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon clove, powdered

1/2 teaspoon allspice, powdered

1/2 teaspoon ginger, powdered

Remove skins and seeds from tomatoes by blanching

Mix ingredients together in a large roasting pan

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour then lower to 300 for 2-3 hours

Stir often with a spatula to help prevent sticking and burning

Reduce until it reaches the consistency of applesauce. It will turn a dark red color

Spoon relish into each jar up to 1/4 inch headspace

Remove air bubbles and add more sauce if needed to bring it back up to 1/4 inch headspace

Wipe rim, apply lid and ring

Process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath canner

After 24 hours have passed, remove rings and wash jars

Label jars with date and store. Do not stack jars

Slow Cooker Ham and 15 Bean Soup

Slow Cooker Ham and 15 Bean Soup

Serves 8-10

1 package of 15 Bean Soup

8 cups water or broth of your choice

1 lb Ham Diced

1 large Onion, Diced

1 Garlic Clove, Minced

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 can diced Tomatoes (15oz)

Juice from 1 Lemon, about 2 Tablespoons

Hot Sauce or Crushed Red Pepper to taste

Rinse beans thoroughly in a colander

Sort and inspect beans for any unwanted debris

Pour drained beans into slow cooker with 8 cups of water or stock

Do not add tomatoes or lemon juice at this time

Add onions, garlic and ham

Stir to combine

Set slow cooker on high and cook for 5-7 hours

Check to see if beans are tender

After the beans are tender, stir in tomatoes, flavor packet that was in with the beans, chili powder and the lemon juice

Cook for an additional 30 minutes

Lower temperature to warm until you are ready to serve

We enjoyed ours with corn bread.

Crunch Wrap Supreme

Crunch Wrap Supreme

Makes 6

1 pound ground meat

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

6 flour tortillas (burrito size)

6 tostada shells

6 flour tortillas (taco size)

Sour cream

Shredded lettuce

Diced tomato

Shredded cheese blend



Sauté ground meat in a large skillet until meat has browned, about 3-5 minutes

Crumble the meat as it cooks, drain any excess fat

Stir in taco seasoning and set aside

Place a couple tablespoons ground meat mixture in the center of each large tortilla

Top with shredded cheese

Add tostada shell, spread sour cream in an even layer over the tostada shell

Top first with lettuce, then tomato and shredded cheese 

Top with small tortilla

Fold the edges up and over the top tortilla

Continue to work your way around the tortilla, folding as tight as possible

Heat a large skillet. Place wrap seam-side down and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes

Flip and cook wrap on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer

Slice in half and serve

Peach Cobbler

Peach Cobbler

1 (29 ounce) can sliced peaches, juice reserved              

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup peach juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon peach juice

1 cup milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Caramel Sauce

Whip Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a 9×13 inch pan

In a large bowl, combine sliced peaches with 2 tablespoons melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and 1/2 cup of juice

Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon reserved juice, then stir into peach mixture; set aside

In another bowl, combine milk, sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt

Beat until smooth – mixture will be thin

Pour batter over melted butter

Spoon peaches over batter

Sprinkle top with additional cinnamon and nutmeg

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until knife inserted comes out clean

Allow to rest 30 minutes before serving

Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with whip cream before serving

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Serves 6

I have this favorable lasagna recipe written up differently because of the amount of steps in it.  Please don’t let the amount of steps keep you from making it. 

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1 cup spinach, cooked and chopped

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat

Sauté onion in the oil until soft, about 5 minutes

Add spinach and garlic to onion

Sauté spinach until heated through, about 4 minutes

Remove skillet from heat

3 1/2 cups milk, divided

1/4 cup corn starch

Heat 3 cups milk in a saucepan over medium heat

Stir until milk is simmering, about 5 minutes

Whisk remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1/4 cup cornstarch together in a bowl until smooth

Stir into simmering milk

Bring milk mixture to just under a boil, stirring constantly with a flat wooden spoon and scraping bottom of pot to prevent scorching, until milk mixture has thickened into a sauce, about 5 minutes

Remove pot from heat

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon sage

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Whisk Parmesan cheese, honey, nutmeg, sage, salt and pepper into sauce until smooth

Cover pot with a lid and keep warm

12 lasagna noodles

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil

Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain

2 cups squash, cooked

1/8 teaspoon ginger

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mash squash, season with ginger, salt and pepper

2 cups carrots, cooked

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mash carrots, season with salt and pepper

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray a 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray

Spoon a thin layer of the white sauce into the bottom of the baking dish

Lay 3 noodles across white sauce, you may need to cut the noodles to fit the pan

Spoon and spread the mashed squash on top of the noodles

Top squash with a layer of the white sauce

Lay 3 more noodles across white sauce

Spoon and spread the onion and spinach mixture on top of the noodles

Top onion and spinach mixture with a layer of the white sauce

Lay 3 more noodles across white sauce

Spoon and spread the mashed carrots on top of the noodles

Spoon a layer of white sauce on top of the mashed carrots

Lay 3 more noodles across white sauce

Top white sauce with shredded Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese

Spray foil with nonstick spray

Cover lasagna and bake for 30 minutes

Remove cover

Bake another 15 minutes

Let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving

Hummus

Hummus

2 cloves garlic

1 (19 ounce) can chick peas or garbanzo beans, reserve liquid

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons Tahini

3/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons honey


Rinse beans to remove any loose bean shells

In a blender, chop garlic with rinsed beans

Add lemon juice, Tahini, salt and honey to the blender

Blend until creamy and well mixed

Add a little reserved liquid to thin out hummus if needed

Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl

Let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend before serving

Enjoy with your favorite chips or crackers

I found Tahini next to the peanut butter at my local store.  Peanut butter is not a good substitute for Tahini in this recipe.