Orange Chicken

I'll admit I was pretty skeptical about 3 ingredient orange chicken but it actually tasted really good. I did double this recipe for my family of 6 and it made a pretty big batch. It was so good the kids were asking if they could take leftovers in the lunchboxes the next day! 

ORANGE CHICKEN

• 1 Cup BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• 1 Cup Sweet Orange Marmalade (Smucker’s)
• 2 TBSP Soy Sauce

Crispy Chicken Ingredients:

• 3-4 Chicken Breasts (We used 3)
• 1 Cup Flour/1 Cup Cornstarch (You can use both or either/or)
• 2 Eggs
• Oil (We used vegetable oil)

Cooking Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, add the BBQ sauce, marmalade, and soy sauce. Turn the heat on low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring a few times.
2. Meanwhile, cut up your chicken breasts into cubes. In one bowl beat 2 eggs, while the other bowl should mix the dry ingredients.
3. Dip pieces of chicken in the egg and then cover in flour/cornstarch. Set on an extra plate.
4. Add a thin layer of oil to a frying pan and turn your stove on medium/high heat. Once it sizzles, add the chicken to the pan. Let it cook for 3-5 minutes each side until it’s brown and cooked on the inside.
5. Set the oily pieces on a paper towel and let drain.
6. Add the chicken to the sauce and toss!
7. Eat it on top of white rice and enjoy. I think veggies would be good with it such as green peppers or broccoli.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is a recipe I've had for at least 10 years and I used to make it a lot but had kind of forgotten about it. So I made it the other day and decided I'd better put it on my blog so I don't forget about it again. It is really good and I love the sauce! My kids said it is better than going to our local Chinese restaurant. I do double the sauce so there is extra to put on my rice. The recipe below already has the doubled amounts.

Ingredients:
2 - 3 lbs chicken breasts or thighs
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
garlic salt

Sauce:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup pineapple juice
8 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Rub garlic salt on chicken and let sit awhile. (or sprinkle on garlic salt later when you have the chicken in the pan.)  Put cornstarch in a large ziploc bag, add chicken and shake to coat. Dip coated chicken in beaten egg. Put chicken in sprayed 9 x 13 pan. Make sauce by heating all the ingredients together and adding a bit of cornstarch to thicken it. It needs to boil for a few minutes before it thickens. Stir constantly. Pour a little more than half the sauce onto the chicken pieces and bake at 375 for 1 hour. Save extra sauce to pour over rice or to add to chicken when it's done. Optional: After the chicken is cooked you can top it with pineapple chunks, peanuts or onions.

Sesame Noodles

I was looking for an easy Asian side dish to go with my sweet and sour chicken recipe and I ran across this really easy recipe for sesame noodles. I didn't have any sesame oil, but was able to make a substitute by sauteing 1 1/2 teaspoons of sesame seeds in 1/2 teaspoon canola oil until golden brown. It gave me the sesame oil taste, but I did add a bit of vegetable oil to the sauce to make up for the fact that there was very little actual oil in my substitute. I also didn't have green onions so I just used some finely diced red onion and that worked great. Next time I'll probably add some peas but, alas, I was also out of peas. Um....it sounds like someone should probably go shopping! These noodles can be eaten hot or cold, but I prefer them hot. I'm thinking these would actually be a good alternate to put in my kids lunches for school sometimes. They are super easy to make and the kids gobbled them up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound (16 oz.) linguine or spaghetti 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger)
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or hot chili oil
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• optional garnishes: extra thinly-sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, coarsely-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions in a large pot of generously salted water.

Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and sriracha (or hot chili oil). Whisk until combined. When the pasta is ready, drain it. Then immediately toss with the dressing and 1/2 cup green onions until the pasta is evenly coated with the dressing. Serve immediately, topped with extra garnishes if desired.

Apricot Dijon Glazed Chicken

I made a whole bunch (and I do mean A LOT!) of peach freezer jam last fall when my peach tree was overflowing with yummy goodness.  But it turns out that my kids don't like peach jam and there's no way I can eat it all myself.  I've had this recipe for years and years but it just occurred to me to try and use peach jam instead of apricot.  And guess what?  It was awesome, that's what!  So I guess I've found a great way to use up all that jam and my kids don't even know they're eating it.  By the way, there really wasn't anything wrong with the jam...it just wasn't strawberry or grape so therefore it was too "different."  I know jam and mustard don't seem like they go together, but believe me, it works.  It has kind of an Asian sweet and sour taste to it.  Try it tonight!

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs (I used tenders instead)
1 jar (12 oz) apricot jam (or peach)
2 Tbsp. Honey
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

Bring jam, honey and mustard to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until it's thickened and reduced to about half (about 15 minutes.)  You don't have to stir it constantly, but frequently.  And definitely don't let it boil over because that would be a terrible mess.  I'd probably move instead of clean it up! Put chicken into a 9X13 pan and salt and pepper.  Pour the sauce over the top and spread it evenly.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Serve over rice. 

Egg Roll Wraps

EGG ROLL WRAPS

2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. ice water
Cornstarch

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well and add eggs and water Stir with a fork until dough holds together and leaves bowl clean. Turn out onto lightly floured surface, knead until smooth - about 5 minutes. Cover dough with the bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Don't expect the dough to raise, it's only resting.

Divide into fourths. Dust pastry board with cornstarch. Roll each fourth to a 14 x 11 inch rectangle. Cut into 3 1/2 inch squares. (The cornstarch prevents them from sticking together). Makes 24.

Ham Fried Rice

Ham Fried Rice


2 Tbsp. oil
1/2 cup sliced green onion (regular onion works fine too)
1 C. Ham or bacon
3 Cups rice, cooked (if it's chilled it doesn't stick together as much)
1/4 C. soy sauce
2 eggs
1 C. frozen peas

Directions:
1) Saute onions and ham in oil until onion is soft
2) Add rice to the pan and mix well
3) scrape all the mixture to one side so you have one side with the bottom of the pan showing. Pour soy sauce there. hold the pan at an angle over burner so only soy sauce is cooking. Let the soy sauce bubble for about a minute. You may think it's burning but its not. This step is important for getting the right flavor.
4) stir rice mixture and soy sauce together
5) make a hole in the middle of the mixture and scramble the eggs inside it. When eggs are cooked mix them in with the rice mixture.
6) Add the peas and warm them through.

I know I made it sound sorta difficult, but it's really not. Give it a try and you'll see!

Egg Rolls

Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 lb ground lean pork
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/2 medium onions, minced
* 2 green onions, finely chopped
* 5 cups cabbage coleslaw blend
* 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce
* salt
* pepper
* 15 egg roll wraps - or follow this recipe to make your own like I did.
* water

Directions:

1. Heat oil in skillet.
2. Sauté garlic and onions until tender.
3. Add pork and sauté until browned.
4. Add coleslaw blend and stir-fry on high heat about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and add seasonings, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. To assemble, place 2 tbs filling near corner towards you. Then fold over left and right sides. Dampen edges of the corner that is away from you, and finish rolling.
7. Deep fry at 350°F (or just use a fry daddy), until golden brown.
8. Drain on paper towels and enjoy!
9. These can also be frozen and fried later. Some people like a dipping sauce for egg rolls. But these are so tasty, they really don't need one.