Slow Cooker Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

Slow Cooker Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1 c packed brown sugar
2/3 c vinegar
1/4 cup 7-up
3 T minced garlic
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
2 T cornstarch
2 T water
Red pepper flakes (pinch)-optional

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with Pam.  Place chicken in slow cooker.  Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic  soy sauce, and pepper together.  Pour over chicken.  Cook on low 6-8 hrs or high for 4 hours.  Taken chicken out and set aside.  Pour remaining sauce into saucepan.  Place over low heat.  Mix together cornstarch and water and pour into saucepan and mix well.  Let it come to a boil for 2-3 minutes or until thick.  Serve chicken and sauce over cooked brown rice.

Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

1/2 c olive oil
1/3 c low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon (or a couple T lemon juice)
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T parsley
2 tsp dry mustard
black pepper to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1lb pork tenderloin

Directions:

Combine all marinade ingredients and reserve 2-3 T.  Place the pork and marinade in a bag and marinate for 3+ hrs.  Preheat oven to 350*.  In a hot skillet over medium-high heat, sear each side of tenderloin.  Bake 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160*.  Let the meat rest 5 min. before slicing.

Pan sauce:
Scrapings from tenderloin
1/2 c chicken broth
1 Tsp cornstarch
reserved marinade.

Option: Marinade overnight and cook in crockpot on Low for 6 hours..

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake

1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 c flour
1/4 c quick cooking oats
1/4 c finely chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk (Not evaporated milk)
3 large eggs
1/2 c frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
2 medium all purpose apples, cored and sliced

Glaze:
1 T butter
1/4 c apple juice concentrate, thawed
1 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions: Preheat oven to 300*  In small bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add flour, oats, walnuts and cinnamon; mix well.  Press firmly on bottom and halfway up side of a 9" spring-form pan.  Bake 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl.  Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth (do not over-beat .  Add eggs and apple juice concentrate; mix well.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 45 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched.  Cool.

Cook apples in remaining 1 T butter until tender-crisp in large skillet.  Arrange on top of cheesecake.  Drizzle with Glaze.  Chill.

Glaze: In small saucepan, combine apple juice concentrate, cornstarch and ground cinnamon; mix well.  Over low heat, cook and stir until thickened.


Note: This took longer to bake than 45 minutes. Quite a bit longer.  Enough that I wonder if I shouldn't have raised the oven temp to 325 or 350, even though the recipe doesn't call for it.

Next time I make it, for the crust I'm going to use less flour and more oats for a more granola-y flavor.


Here is the recipe online