Orange Chicken

Recipe: BlogChef

This was good. The orange flavor was not too much, which was good. Orange chicken isn't my favorite meal. The chicken always seems a little crunchy or hard or something. And, the chicken is always way too fatty in restaurants. So, this way I can trim the heck out of the chicken and not bite into a surprise of rubbery goo. I think the trick is getting the oil just the right temperature. Hot enough that the chicken will cook fast enough not to make it too greasy and slow enough that the chicken will be cooked through. A good recipe. I'll make it again. This is less than half the recipe. We ate it over sushi rice. I can't get enough of sushi rice. I use it for everything except making sushi. I can't go back now.

Chicken:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons FRESH orange juice
¼ cup FRESH lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.

Bourbon Chicken (Non alcoholic)

Picture & Recipe: BlogChef



Very good. We tried this recipe a few weeks ago at my sister's house, so I didn't get any pictures. Jason made it, so anybody can do it! (Just kidding Jason) He's a great cook! It's a simple recipe with lots of flavor. We put vegetables in it too, but the kids just ate the chicken out of it. I'll make it again.

1 garlic clove (minced)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10minutes. Add chicken to sauce and toss.

Egg in the Middle of Toast

I grew up eating Egg in the Middle of Toast. Mike had never heard of such a thing, but it quickly became one of his favorites.

Butter both sides of bread. This is whole-wheat molasses bread, but any bread will do. Cut a hole in the middle. I like to use this glass, but you can use whatever you'd like - a biscuit cutter works great too.

Crack an egg inside the hole.

Flip over and cook the other side. You can cook it as long as you like depending on if you like your yolk runny or not.

Eat. Don't forget the funnest part, eating the bread hole.

French Toast with Coconut Syrup

Delicious! I don't go out of my way for flaked coconut, so I was a little hesitant to try this syrup, but it was surprisingly good. You could cut down on the butter and it would still be delicious. You can't go wrong with homemade syrup. I didn't blend my ingredients for the french toast, just whisked by hand, and it turned out fine.

Recipe: Sister's Cafe

French Toast
2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 T. flour
6 slices of thick sliced French bread

First beat eggs, then add remaining ingredients with electric mixer. Dip both sides of bread and place in hot buttered pan. Flip over when browned. Serve with Coconut Syrup.

Coconut Syrup
7 - 8 T. butter
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coconut extract

Place butter, buttermilk and sugar in a pot. Then turn stove on medium and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add soda and flavoring. It will bubble up; just continue to stir and give it a few minutes for the 'fizz' to reduce before serving.

Macaroni & Cheese

I probably messed this up, but it wasn't my favorite recipe. I didn't have any macaroni, so I used a spiral pasta. I thought it was slightly dry and very dense. If you make it, make sure it's creamy and don't add too much pasta. I think this would have made a difference. I also thought it was too cheesy. The cheese flavor was a little overpowering. This is the recipe halved.

Recipe: Pioneer Woman

Preheat oven to 350.

4 cups dried macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (more to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
*Optional spices: cayenne pepper, paprika, thyme

Cook macaroni until very firm. Macaroni should be too firm to eat right out of the pot. Drain. In a small bowl, beat egg. Set aside.

In a large pot, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly. Don’t let it burn.
Pour in milk, add mustard, and whisk until smooth. Cook for five minutes until very thick. Reduce heat to low.

Take 1/4 cup of the sauce and slowly pour it into beaten egg, whisking constantly to avoid cooking eggs. Whisk together till smooth. Pour egg mixture into sauce, whisking constantly. Stir until smooth. Add in cheese and stir to melt. Add salt/pepper. Pour in drained, cooked macaroni and stir to combine.
Serve immediately (very creamy) or pour into a buttered baking dish, top with extra cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and golden on top.

Ham & Cheese Fritatta

These were pretty good. Nothing extra-ordinary about them, but just a simple egg dish. Tasted like scrambled eggs or omelet with ham and cheese.

Recipe: Taste of Home

1/4 pound cubed fully cooked lean ham
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
6 eggs
4 egg whites
3 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Divide ham evenly among eight muffin cups coated with cooking spray; top with cheese. In a large bowl, beat eggs and whites. Beat in the chives, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over cheese, filling each muffin cup three-fourths full.
Bake at 375° for 22-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Carefully run a knife around edges to loosen; remove from pan. Serve warm. Yield: 8 frittatas.

I made about 1/2 the recipe and it filled 5 muffin cups.