"Better than bought" homemade barbecue sauce

Out of desperation for a last-minute meal, I made my own barbecue sauce last week. Kenneth actually said it's better than any bottled that he's ever tasted. Making meals stretch these days are a necessity, so I tried the sauce on a turkey breast that I roasted a couple nights ago. It was really good, and I'm normally a pretty big fan of my own cooking anyway.

Easiest way to do it is right in the squeeze ketchup bottle when only about a 1/4 of ketchup bottle is left. Use a funnel & add 1/4 c. packed brown sugar, 4 cap-fulls of liquid smoke, 4 tsp. soy sauce, 3 tbsp. Worchestershire, 3-4 shakes hot sauce, 1 tsp. minced garlic. Close the top tightly and let your kid shake it for a minute. Baste with it, use it as a dip or in the crockpot. The flavors taste their best once the flavors meld overnight, but is still absolutely yummy straight out of the squeeze bottle.

Kept in a container with a tight-fitting lid, the sauce will keep indefinitely.

Apple-Orange Marinade for Pork Chops, Ribs or Tenderloin

A super easy & flavorful last-minute marinade that's thrown together with ingredients that you already have on hand. The citrus breaks down tougher pork cuts like center cut ribs and makes them incredibly tender. Impressed even Kenneth - the disparaging palate.

Apple-Orange Marinade

1/3 c. frozen apple juice concentrate
2 tbsp. orange marmalade
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
shake (or two) of garlic powder
ground white pepper, to taste

Make this marinade in a large Ziploc bag, toss in your cuts of meat, seal and let chill in fridge overnight. The results will make you a dinnertime hero.

Old-Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

Old-fashioned Sweet Potato Pie

 The secret is not opening the oven during the baking process (this creates a dry, cracked pie), and not letting it bake completely. Pie will finish baking as it cools.

1 semi-baked pie shell
2 med-lg. sweet potatoes
3/4 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. apple pie spice
1 tsp. cinnamon

Boil sweet potatoes until very tender, about 45 min. Allow to cool. Peels should slip off easily. Mash potatoes coarsely in medium-sized bowl, until large clumps of potatoes are smooth. Small lumps are OK.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake pie shell for 6 minutes once oven has reached 350. Remove from oven & let cool.

In bowl with potatoes, add rest of ingredients in order given. Mash together with fork until well-combined. Pour into pie shell.

Bake pie at 350 for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 250 without opening door and bake another 20 minutes. Pie will be slightly wiggly in center. Remove from oven & allow to cool.

Serve warm with whipped cream.