Japanese Steakhouse White Sauce

My husband and I love hibachi. When we lived in Myrtle Beach, SC, there were countless inexpensive very good hibachi places. Oddly, when we moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, there are fewer affordable options, and at first, we had trouble finding any restaurants near where we live.
Because of this, I have mastered (somewhat) making our own at home. But we HAD to have the white sauce that was always served with our meals. I searched the internet and finally found a great recipe. This really tastes like the sauce we loved in restaurants, and it is super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise *

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Dash cayenne pepper

*This brand was highly recommended by the person submitting the recipe, but I have used other kinds, even generic store brands, and they work fine.

Directions:

Using a fork or a whisk, blend all ingredients together thoroughly until well mixed and the sauce is smooth. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to blend. Bring to room temperature before serving.

White Chicken Chili

My crock pot has been working overtime lately. I actually have two of them, and I can barely keep one clean to use it between cooking meals. My work schedule has made it harder for me to cook as much, something I absolutely love to do, so I am so thankful that we are still able to eat really great meals that my husband can throw together during the day, or I can prepare on the weekend to be enjoyed when I come home from work.

This recipe was actually a combination of a few versions I found on Pinterest, and it turned out really good. It will definitely go into our rotation of favorites, especially in the fall and winter.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts (about a pound of chicken)- I used frozen and threw them right in the crockpot

 3 (15-ounce) cans cannellini or great Northern beans, drained (or a mix of both kinds of beans)

1 large onion, chopped,

1 teaspoon cumin

1 packet ranch dressing mix (dry)

1 can Rotel tomotoes, undrained

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth

8 oz light cream cheese

2 cans corn (I used frozen)

Directions:

Put chicken breasts in crock pot and add all other ingredients. Stir often. When it is cooked, shred chicken breasts with two forks and mix in completely with all other ingredients.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. 

Baked Ham and Cheese Poppyseed Sandwiches

I accidentally found this recipe on a blog one afternoon- I can't remember the original location, and there are variations on this recipe all over the internet. But, I still have this one, so I always use it. Sometimes I throw on some extra meat and mix it up with both turkey and ham, etc, but the spread is what makes these so good.

 

Ingredients:

Kaiser rolls
2lb thin sliced ham
Cheddar cheese slices
1 stick butter very soft
1/4 cup poppy seeds
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp mustard

 
Directions:

Blend butter, poppy seeds, onion, and mustard to make a spread. Spread on both sides of rolls. Add ham and cheese. Wrap individually in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.