Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Date Night May 13, 2015

It's Wednesday.  To most of you that means today is our Date Night.  Don't get me wrong.  It is.  And I think I've done a pretty good job with this one.

But Wednesday is also my "big clean" day.  You know, bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming.  This part of my day has really been an epic fail.  In part, I think, to the "pretty good job" I did with Date Night.  I only have so much energy, and this week it has been waning.   So I do the important things first.

Like make gravy, er Spaghetti sauce to you non-Italians.

By 9:25 I already had my sauce bub-bub-bubbling away

It looks good, doesn't it?
So I'm sure you've figured it out.  If I started with tomato sauce, tonight's DN must be Italian.  You would be right, it is.

Let me start at the beginning of our meal.

Cocktails

Manhattans  

I do know how to make other drinks.  It's just my favorite.

Appetizer

Panzanella


What's that?  you ask.  It's Italian Bread Salad.  You toast some cubes of bread (a little EVOO, Italian seasoning for 10 minutes at 400) and toss them with some tomatoes in a simple red wine vinaigrette. 


You can see the thinly sliced shallot.  There is also a couple of finely diced garlic cloves in the mix. There really should be fresh basil, but I didn't have any and Dear Husband doesn't like herbs as much as I do.

I have some little mozzarella balls that I may add.  And I have some pretty glass bowls that I'll serve it in.

Dinner


Getting back to my gravy.  I started in a way I never have before.  I halved a head of garlic and tossed it with about 1 pound of grape tomatoes in olive oil and  little salt and pepper. I roasted them at 425 for about 45 minutes.  When they were cool enough to handle, I dumped the tomatoes into my food processor and squeezed in the roasted garlic.  Then I let it rip.  YUM!

That was the first time I used, and then washed my food processor today.

Then I sauteed a diced onion in some olive oil, added my tomato paste, and a couple glugs of red wine (to the pot, not to me) and started adding my canned tomatoes and the roasted tomato garlic mixture.  By the time I was satisfied with my concoction, it had a bunch of herbs (including fennel seed...another new one for me) some parmesan, and some sugar.  I think it's a winner.

But, Kristen, you say, Dinner can not just be tomato sauce.

You'd be right, it's not.  I made braciole (braa-zhole).  This is an Italian "stuffed" flank steak. I have made this before but have always used a whole flank steak usually butterflied.  I did something different this time.

Let me tell you about the stuffing first.  It's grated provolone and parmesan cheeses, minced garlic and flat leaf parsley.  Bread crumbs, olive oil, and a little bit of salt and pepper.

So this time, instead of asking the butcher to butterfly if for me, I tried to do it myself.  This was not a complete disaster.  I ended it up with many thin slices of flank steak.  (This is actually more how my grandmother would it make it.  She could buy beef for braciole in her local market.  So far I can't.  I may ask Mariano's to help me out next time.)



As you can see from the pictures, you spread some of the filling over the slices of steak and then you tie them with butchers twine or impale them with tooth picks.

Then these little bundles of yumminess are seared in pan, the pan is deglazed with white wine and the whole shebang gets added to the gravy.  it then goes into a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes.

The filling was the fourth and final time I used and washed my food processor today.

Dessert


Between making the gravy and making the braciole, I made dessert.

This proved to be a headache and frankly a pain in my back, too.  You see, I wanted to make a cannoli tart.  Okay, I did make a cannoli tart, just not with the crust on the website.  I tried.  It tasted great, but I couldn't work with it.  It was too sticky.  I tried to fix it but I'm not a baker.  There are things I can bake, and bake well.  This wasn't one of them.  

This was the second time I used and washed my food processor.  Have I mentioned yet that there is a bowl, a lid, a blade and insert-y thing on the lid that all have to be washed?  I'm not complaining, I just wanted you to understand that this isn't just like washing a spoon or bowl or something.

I decided that Pillsbury puff pastry would make a better crust.  I'll let you know if it was or not.

So then I used my food processor the third time to make the cannoli filling.   This tasted pretty good.  Actually, it tasted really good.  


Did I mention the chocolate chips?  There are chocolate chips.  And there is amaretto in the filling too.  Why did I bother making braciole?

That's what's been cooking in my kitchen...pretty much since 8:00 this morning.

happy cooking


Friday, May 1, 2015

Dump recipes and Tomatoes!

So I was a busy girl today.

My husband was home sick.  So I quickly rearranged my plans to be more available to him.

But, honestly, how much effort did you think that took?  More mental and emotional than physical.

So, what did I did I do?  I went to the market and bought the ingredients to make 5 (you read that right 1...2...3...4...5!!!) meals for my in-laws.  It's not really as much as I'm making it sound.  These are "dump" recipes.  See, I put all of the ingredients in in zip-top bags with some chicken.  They can be either baked in the oven (350 for one hour) or cooked in the crock pot (3-4 hours on low).  Really it as easy peasy...done in one hour.

But then....

Then, well what do you make of this?


Is it salsa?  Bruschetta?

Actually, it's BOTH!!!!

I realized a little while ago that my bruschetta and my salsa begin the same way. With Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Garlic.

Knowing that my meals for the next week included both bruschetta and salsa, I processed 10 cups of tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

It proved successful already.  Dinner tonight was Italian Sausage (which I grilled...I love keeping the cooking mess outside) topped with bruschetta. I just added some EVOO, balsamic, mozzarella and basil!

To make it salsa, I'll add jalapeno, cilantro, and chile powder.  Maybe a little cayenne, too.

They are both oh-so-good.  And oh-so-done!!!!

That's all from my kitchen.

happy cooking!


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Date Night--Wednesday, April 22, 2015

It's been one of those days.  You know, "those" days.  I woke up to snow.  You read me correctly SNOW.

I got dressed, did the coffee, read the Bible, kissed my husband goodbye, and then fell asleep on the sofa.  Until I was late for my infusion.

Which was great, by the by.  I immediately felt a little more energy.  That was really good.   I needed to make a Date Night happen.

And happening it is!  I'm proud of this one.

Appetizer and Cocktail

I lack energy and am happy to let Trader Joes do the appetizer for me.


I will make Manhattans to accompany these tartlets.  I think they look good and caramelized onions fit nicely with dinner.

Entree

Are you ready?  You need to be ready for this. Are you sure you're ready?

French Onion Soup Meatloaf.  BOOM! I said it and I've made it.

Well almost made it.  It's ready for it's first bake.  Let me walk you through the process.

Three onions, thinly sliced on stove with  olive oil, salt and pepper
Caramelized onions with red wine and beef broth
Basic meatloaf--eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.  Except instead of in loaf form flattened into a 10x12" rectangle.
See, now I can add a a layer of mozzarella cheese
And most of the previously pictured carmalized onions
Now you roll it up into a "loaf" of sorts, and transfer it to a baking sheet.

So this will bake for 45 minutes at 350 and then a sauce of red wine and beef broth plus some other flavorings and thickeners will be poured over it and the remaining 1/2 c of cheese and onions will top it.  It will bake for another 20 minutes or so.

Side Dishes


Really, do they even matter?  I mean look at this meat loaf.

Well you know me, so you know I'll have some.  Mashed potatoes because what else could go with this.  And green beans

Dessert


It's a "gob" cake.  I didn't know exactly what a "gob" cake was until, well until just now.  It's basically a whoppie pie. At least I thinkg that's what it is.  That's not how it looks on the recipe site, but a little more googling and I found out that it is more of  a "sandwich" cake.

This is how mine looks


Devil's food cake with mandarin oranges in it and cool whip "frosting"   I made two portions, I'll keep the leftover undressed.

That's what's been cooking in my kitchen.  And I've kept up with the clean up, vacuumed, and did a load of towels.  I  definitely deserve my cocktail tonight.  :-)

happy cooking

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Date Night--March 25, 2015

I know it's late.  I know I didn't post last week.  I will say about last week that we had a very nice date night...filet mignon, potatoes, green beans and chocolate chip cheesecake bars.  It was delicious.  I couldn't post picture or recipes because some were being tested for an upcoming anniversary dinner that I'm planning.  I couldn't give away any of my secret plans, now could I.

This week, at the end of a very busy day, I've prepared what I hope is an excellent meal.  I took lots (I mean LOTS) of pics during prep.

Here goes...

Cocktails

Manhattans.  You might think we'd get tired of them, but it hasn't happened yet.

Appetizers

Bruschetta Pull Apart Bread

I totally mad the up but it sounds real doesn't it.

Check out the pics and then I'll try to explain.

This is what it looks like before it gets wrapped in foil and baked.
You can see from this angle that the bread is sliced on a diagonal in both directions.  The cuts don't go all the way through, the "pull apart" aspect.

 I made a version of this last week and Josh called it the best bruschetta he'd ever had.  Mostly, I think, because the tomatoes didn't fall all over him.  I changed this up a little.  I hope it passes muster.

Dinner

Sausage, Pepper, Onion, Spinach, Pasta bake

I made this one up too.  Inspired by many recipes, but based on what I had and desired.  I will show you the pictures and confess that I built this entirely backwards. Classically you saute the aromatics (onion, garlic, seasoning first) then add the other vegetables, then the meat.

Hot Turkey Sausage. 

Red and Green Bell Peppers

2 onions 

Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne.  Cooked 3 minutes shy of al-dente because it will cook more as it bakes.

Frozen, chopped spinach cooked and well drained (squeezed all the water out)

Veggies all mixed in.  The colors or the Italian flag.

Stir in the cooked pasta

Add 4 cups of homemade tomato sauce and tiny balls of mozzarella.  YUM!

Transferred to a baking dish and topped with more cheese.

With this ooey gooey cheese pasta, I am serving a cool and crisp Cucumber salad.

To these thinly sliced cucumbers I added a large shallot sliced and a simple vinaigrette.






Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Date Night--Wednesday, March 11, 2015

First off...Spring has Sprung!!!  I opened windows (okay window) today.  I'm ignoring the little patch of snow that is still on my deck.

Now to Date Night.  Actually happening on Wednesday!  Happened with a plan.  Mostly.  Some things got ad libbed and altered as the day progressed. 

So I'll start at the beginning. Of the evening that is.  I made dessert first.  :-)

Cocktails and Appetizers


Josh and I had discussed Martinis and I liked that idea.  A lot actually.  And then I went outside.  And the sun was shining and it was, dare I say it, actually a little warm.  I found myself wanting something with St. Germain...an elderflower liqueur.

Well that is what the webber-net is for, isn't it?  Quick search yielded an Elderflower Gin Fizz.  Exactly what I was looking forward.  Done and done!

To pair with it?  I bought this very fancy goat cheese-crandberry-port terrine looking thing at the market today.  I also bought a new varietal of apple out of France (how fancy).  It's called Tentation.  I already had some yummy dried figs and crackers with cranberries and hazelnuts in them.  Some combination of all of that will pair nicely with our drinks.  At least I hope so.

Main Course


Crock Pot Lemon Chicken (or Slow Cooker Italian Lemon Chicken---I found it both ways)


INGREDIENTS
  1. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  2. 3-4 Large boneless, skinless Chicken breasts, cut into 3rds
  3. 1/4 cup butter
  4. 1 packet Good Seasons Italian dressing/seasoning mix
  5. 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  6. 1/2 cup chicken broth
  7. salt and pepper

 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Rinse the chicken pieces with water, and then lightly coat them in the flour. Set aside.
  2. Plug in crock pot and turn setting to Low heat.
  3. Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large non-stick skillet, over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add half of the flour-coated chicken pieces. (You don’t want to over-crowd the pan, so you’ll cook the chicken in two batches) Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown,on each side.
  4. (You’re not cooking the chicken all the way, just getting a golden-brown crust)
  5. Remove chicken from skillet and place in crock pot.
  6. Add the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter in skillet, and cook the remaining flour-coated chicken pieces on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and place in crock pot.
  7. Sprinkle the Italian dressing/seasoning mix evenly over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice and chicken broth over the tops. Cover with lid, and cook on low heat for 3 hours.
  8. Either serve chicken pieces whole or shredded, with the lemon sauce/broth. Enjoy!

Instead of 1/4 c butter I used 2 T of light butter and 1.5 T of EVOO.

Side Dish(es)


We had rice the last two nights.  And pasta on Sunday.  It had to be potatoes tonight, right?

Garlic Roasted Potatoes with Cilantro and Lemon

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds small red skin potatoes, quartered
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees and prepare baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil coated in cooking spray.
  2. Combine garlic and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.
  3. Place quartered potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle garlic oil over them. Toss to coat the potatoes.
  4. Arrange potatoes on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown; toss halfway through cook time. Remove from oven and place into serving dish.
  6. Combine reserved garlic, Cilantro, and lemon rind. Sprinkle mixture evenly over potatoes. Season with salt and pepper (to taste).

I wasn't really in a cilantro place so I'm using thyme.  I wanted broccoli to represent at the green veggie, but the garlic oil and the gremalata for the potatoes sounded so yummy, that I've tossed in couple small heads of broccoli.  They will roast in the high heat together and be very comfortable.



Dessert


Lemon Bars. Now I've made lemon bars before.  I've even made WW lemon bars before.  And these are that, but so SO SOOO much better than my previous recipe.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided use
  • ¼ cup cornmeal
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, divided use
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ½ cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
  • INSTRUCTIONS
    1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing the foil to extend over the rim by 2 inches. Spray the foil with nonstick spray.
    2. To make the crust:
    3. In a small bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup of the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt until well blended; then set it aside. In another small bowl, beat together the eggs and egg white. Take 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and place it in a cup, then stir in the water. Set aside both egg mixtures.
    4. With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Add ¼ cup of the granulated sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the egg-water mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended. (The dough will be crumbly.)
    5. Press the dough mixture evenly onto the bottom and ¼-inch up the sides of the foil-lined pan. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
    6. Make the filling while the crust bakes: in a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ⅓ cup flour and ¾ cup granulated sugar. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture until blended. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk until well blended.
    7. Remove the crust from the oven and place on a rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust. Bake until the filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
    8. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
    9. When ready to serve, sprinkle the chilled bars with confectioners' sugar. Use the foil to lift the slab of bars from the pan. Cut into 16 even squares.



I know from previous experience, that one is just not enough.  And there is a strawberry too.  I think Amaretto would pair nicely with this.

So this is what's cooking in my kitchen.  How 'bout yours?

happy cooking









Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Date Night--February 25, 2015

Hey it's Wednesday!  And we're having our regularly scheduled Date Night.  Don't get too used to it...I'm in SC next Wednesday, to the next DN post won't be for 2 weeks.  Maybe...I have a root canal scheduled for that Monday.

Getting back to tonight...

Cocktails


Martinis.  I'm feeling gin, so we're having martinis!

Appetizer


I got these yummy crackers at the market with raisins and rosemary and pecans  (Josh will say the rosemary tastes like a pine forest...when has he ever eaten a pine forest?).  I thought they would be delicious with brie and my market actually sells a "light" brie... Yay!!!

Entree


This is a new one.  I attacked Pinterest this morning with some very specific ideas.  It needed to be chicken because I have plenty of chicken in the freezer.  

It needed to have mushrooms.  I over bought for meal I made for a friend and because we are leaving on Friday and I won't home for a whole week, I needed to use them.

Most importantly, it had to be something that could cook, without my help, during Date Night.

This Chicken Marsala recipe hit all three of my action points.



2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced 

5 garlic cloves, minced 
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used crimini, but use button if you like them!)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup marsala wine (or white wine)
1/2 cup fat free half & half (low fat milk will work here too)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
2 packed cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken 

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat until just melted. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the marsala and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of broth/stock. 

Spray a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole with non-stick spray and spread the rice in an even layer. Top with the chicken, pour the mushroom gravy on top and sprinkle the parsley over everything.Cover tightly with foil and bake until bubbly, about 45 minutes. If your rice still is not cooked at this point, turn the oven up to 400 and bake until rice is fully cooked. Remember, brown rice takes longer to cook (if you use white rice, cook the whole dish at 350 degrees for 35 minutes). Discard the foil, sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 5 minutes more. 


Best of all, the only ingredient I had to buy, was rice.  Not really a problem at all.

Side Dish/Vegetable


What I like about the entree recipe is that it is really a one pot meal.  Almost.  There's nothing green in it.  S'okay, though.  The part of my freezer that isn't filled with chicken has lots of choices of frozen veggies.  I'm thinking green beans.  Even then I have choices...whole, French cut, regular cut. Maybe the French cut, cause Hubby especially loves those.

Dessert

"Awesome Apple Pie-lets"

I didn't name the recipe.  But I'm giving it to you just the same.

 Ingredients
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. cinnamon, or more for optional topping
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
3 cups peeled and chopped apples (preferably Fuji)
6 large square egg roll wrappers (found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket with the other Asian items)
18 sprays I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray (in other words, have a bottle handy!)
Optional topping: Fat-Free Reddi-wip or Cool Whip Free


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium nonstick pot on the stove, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt with 1/2 cup cold water. Mix until ingredients dissolve. Add apples and stir. Bring to medium-high heat and, stirring frequently, cook until apples have softened, 7 - 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and, stirring often, cook until thick and gooey, 1 - 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. This is your pie filling.

Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with foil and/or spraying it with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Place two egg roll wrappers flat on a dry surface. Set out a small dish of water. Dip your finger into the water, and run it along all of the wrapper edges. (Repeat as needed while preparing your pockets, as it will help seal them.) Starting 1/2 inch from the bottom, place about 1/3 cup pie filling along the bottom half of each wrapper, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the sides. Fold the top half of each wrapper over the filling, so that the top edge meets the bottom and the filling is encased with a border on three sides. Dab each border with water, and fold each inward about 1/4 inch to lightly seal. Press firmly along the borders with the prongs of a fork to seal completely. Carefully transfer to the baking sheet. Repeat this process with remaining wrappers and filling, for a total of six pie-lets. Spray the top of each pocket with 3 sprays of butter. Bake in the oven until edges begin to brown, 15 - 18 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Top with additional cinnamon and whipped topping, if using.  

A couple of things I need to point out:

I didn't buy any "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray.  I melt some light butter and brush that over...I do have butter flavored Pam...I suppose I could use that.  Time will tell.

I may mix some whisky soaked dried cherries in.  Why?  Why not?

I don't have any of the "optional toppings."

Also, this recipe make six.  I'll start by dicing my apples.  I'll stop I have 1.5 cups.  Everything else is easy enough to divide.

So this is what will be cooking in my kitchen later today.  How 'bout you?

happy cooking










Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Date Night--Tuesday. February 17. 2015

I know. It's a Tuesday.  But I got my hair cut today, so I'm super cute!  Not just regular cute, SUPER CUTE!

So what is dinner tonight?

This meal started to be planned on Saturday afternoon.  See I came home from the market that day with a bag of oranges.

Why?  I have to go back to Friday for that.  Our dear friends had us over for cocktails.  One of them, (the cocktail, not the friend) called The Communist featured fresh orange juice.  So I came home with a bag of oranges wanting the cocktail again.  (I also brought home a bottle of this markets excellent fresh squeezed oj which kinda made the fresh oranges redundant.)

So, getting back to Saturday, I'm driving home wondering what I will do with this bag of oranges. (I know that eat them is the easy and obvious answer, but really, does that sound like me?)

BOOM!   The answer hit me like a ton of, well a ton of oranges.

I'll make Orange Chicken for Date Night!!!  Josh thought I was brilliant.

A whole meal was beginning to take shape.  You see. I have this recipe for cream cheese baked won tons that I've been wanting to make.  (Think crab rangoon but without the crab.  Honestly, the last time I ordered crab rangoon, I was hard pressed to find any crab, anyway.

I will now lay out the evening for you from beginning (cocktails/appetizers) to end.

Cocktail/Appetizer

Bronx Cocktail.  When I asked Josh what he thought he wanted, his response was, "Something Gin-y."  The recipe goes like this

2 oz gin
1/4 oz each sweet and dry vermouths
1 oz fresh orange juice
orange bitters to taste
garnish with an orange twist

Appetizer will be the aforementioned cream cheese won tons.

Ingredients

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 green onions, chopped top to bottom
16 wonton wrappers
Pam cooking spray
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400. Mix together cream cheese, garlic salt, and green onions. Place about 1/2 tsp. cream cheese mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. Fold wonton in half to make a triangle, sealing the cream in the wonton well. Moisten one corner of the wonton with more water. Bring the bottom edges of the wonton together, overlapping slightly. Repeat for the rest of the wontons. Place wontons on a nonstick cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Spray wontons with a bit of Pam to help them brown. Bake for 7-12 minutes or until brown and crispy.

I will be halving this recipe and adding a little heat.  Red pepper flakes?  Siracha? Tobasco? I haven't decided.

Dinner

Orange chicken.  More specifically Chinese Orange Chicken.  I am actually blending two different recipes for dinner tonight.  As I mentioned earlier, I don't always take the easiest route.




Obviously, not mine but the picture from this website: 
http://kirbiecravings.com/2014/07/baked-orange-chicken.html

This is where the chicken portion comes from.  Here is the recipe:

1/2 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 extra large egg, whisked


Preheat oven to 400F. Dip chicken pieces in egg and then roll in bread crumbs until fully coated and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all chicken is coated. Bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken coating is a light brown and is crunchy.

Now  for the sauce:

  • ½ cup orange juice (1-2 large oranges)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (may sub white vinegar)
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon corn starch, whisked until dissolved

This is the website for the sauce portion of dinner:  http://lecremedelacrumb.com/2014/05/lighter-20-minute-orange-chicken.html

I should be noted that I am using chicken breasts not thighs.  Not because I don't like thighs, but because I didn't realize it called for thighs until I copied the recipe for you.  I will also be doubling the sauce recipe.

I will be serving this with steamed broccoli and fried rice (for Josh).  The fried rice recipe is on the back of the seasoning packet I bought.

Dessert


Easy Peasy.  I got Josh some chocolate gelato.  Me?  I haven't decided yet.  I have a WW fudge bar or apple sauce or a sugar free pudding with mini chocolate chips.

So that's what's cooking in my kitchen tonight.  How about you?

happy cooking