Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Ever wondered how to make Teriyaki Sauce? The other day I was at the store looking to purchase a bottle of Teriyaki Sauce, while reading the labels I noticed the store I was at didn't have any available that didn't contain high fructose corn syrup. Which got me thinking, "what would it take to make my own?" Thanks to todays technology I was able to pull up some recipes for Teriyaki Sauce right there in the store and I was shocked at how easy it sounded and how many of the items I already had at home. So I picked up a couple of things I needed and headed home to try it out. So so easy and delish! And my favorite thing about it.....it is so much thicker than the stuff you buy.

Teriyaki Sauce

from: Food.com

*1/4 cup Soy sauce

*1 cup water

*1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

*1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

* 5 tablespoons brown sugar

*1-2 tablespoons honey

*2 tablespoons cornstarch

*1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a sauce pan and begin to heat over medium/high heat. Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to the sauce in the pan stirring occasionally. Heat until the sauce thickens to desired thickness. If it become too thick you can add a little bit of water to thin.

Helpful Hint

* I had quite a bit left over so I put it in a container in the fridge and a couple of days later I reheated it in a sauce pan on the stove and it worked great. I am not really sure exactly how long it would keep in the fridge but I recommend using it within 5 days.

Hawaiian Chicken Patties

Remember those Tyson Chicken Patties I raved about a while ago? Well, here is another reason why I love them! I am always trying to find new ways to use them and this time my idea turned into one delish entree if I may say so myself! Here it is:

Hawaiian Chicken Patties

by: Lindsey Mosbarger

What you need:

Tyson brand frozen chicken patties

Canned pineapple rings

Teriyaki Sauce

Slices of Swiss cheese

Cook how ever many chicken patties you need according to the directions on the package. You may want to take them out of the oven about 3 minutes early. After removing from the oven brush on a generous amount of Teriyaki sauce to the top of each chicken patty, place a pineapple ring on top of each patty (you can brush on a little more Teriyaki sauce if you want, I did) and then lay a slice of swiss cheese over the pineapple ring and place back in the oven just long enough to melt the cheese. About 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately!

Helpful Hints:

*You can use store bought Teriyaki sauce or easily make your own. See recipe above for homemade Teriyaki Sauce.

*These would be good on a bun if you wanted to make it into a chicken sandwich

*Great served with a side of brown rice

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

WARNING: Spicy! May cause your nose to run and make your eyes water. If you like a little kick of flavor every now and again you will lOvE this pizza! It is quick and easy to make and full of flavor.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza:

by Lindsey

What you need:

Pizza crust of your choice

1 bottle of Blue Cheese Salad dressing

1 bottle of wing sauce

3-4 chicken breasts cooked and shredded

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your pizza crust according to directions. Spread Blue Cheese dressing over the pizza crust as you would pizza sauce. Mix cooked and shredded chicken with wing sauce. You want just enough sauce to coat the chicken unless you really like things spicy then add more. Next, spread the chicken over the pizza crust and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese bubbles approximately 10-15 min.

Helpful Hints

*I cooked my chicken in the crock pot and then shredded it. You can cook the chicken however you normally do and then cube it instead of shredding it if you prefer.

*Feel free to add any other toppings. I am still debating whether or not to add anything next time. I am thinking diced tomatoes and maybe some green/red bell peppers might be good.

*If you aren't a fan of Blue Cheese you could substitute Ranch dressing.

Vanilla Beans

I have had a few people ask me about the vanilla beans for the Whipped Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes. So here are a few pictures of what to expect when working with vanilla beans:

First, incase you don't know what they look like this is what you are looking for

When cutting into a vanilla bean you want to lay it flat on a cutting board, holding one end against the cutting board slice it right down the middle lengthwise. This next picture shows what you will see when you pull it apart

You can use the tip of your knife, a spoon or whatever else you can think of to scrape out the tiny little seeds.

I hope that helps! It really is easy and it adds such good flavor. There are several other ways to use vanilla beans too. You can make your own vanilla extract & give your sugar a vanilla flavor. I have also heard that you can use the vanilla beans to add flavor to drinks such as lemonade, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.... The possibilities are endless...... have fun with it!