Sesame Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken from Panda Express used to be my oldest daughter's all-time favorites for eating out food. Then, she was diagnosed with Celiac Spru.  This dish is jam packed with oriental orange flavors without any fear of gluten.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
Olive oil

Heat large saute pan to medium high heat.  Drizzle with oil.  Add chicken.  Cook until lightly browned and white throughout.

SAUCE:

1 1/2 tsp. Sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 Tbsp Onion Powder
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp White Rice Vinegar
3 Tbsp GF Soy Sauce
1 1/2 Cups Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Apple Juice

Wisk sauce ingredients together in a small bowl while the chicken is cooking.  Allow to sit while waiting.  When chicken is cooked thoroughly, wisk one last time and pour over the chicken.  Bring to a simmer and cook for one minute (or until cornstarch cooks "clear"). 

If you started your white rice before cooking the chicken, dinner's ready!  ENJOY.

White Bean and Ham Soup

Most of the time, I'm not thinking of dinner a day in advance.  To prepare dry beans, this is necessary because they need to soak over night before cooking, unless they are lima beans.  Whether large or small, lima beans are able to cook down in only 3-4 hours when other beans require 8-10. This soup is so basic, you'll just about fall over from the flavor. The recipe here is the absolute beginning that can be dressed up as you wish.

Ingredients:

Leftover Ham Bone with some meat still attached
1 bag of small Lima Beans
6-8 Cups Water
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper
2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 C. sliced carrots (optional)

Place all ingredients in a covered pot over medium heat (a crock pot could also be used on high).  Cook for 3-4 hours until beans are tender.  Remove bone.  Break up pieces of ham if necessary.  Serve with or without bread or crackers.  Serves 8 -- sometimes with leftovers.

Cinammon Chicken

Cinammon and Chicken?!  I know.  Curiosity was the reason I dug in to this dish served at the Huntsman Hotel located inside the This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City, Utah.  It was so delicious, I just had to find a way to recreate it at home.

Ingredients:

4 lbs. skinless, bone-in chicken
1 Tbsp of oil (for browning chicken)
1 large can tomato sauce
water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp cinammon

Be sure to use bone-in chicken, the sauce does not reach the same depth of flavor without them.  Brown the chicken first on medium heat (about ten minutes) sprinkling with half of the salt.  Pour tomato sauce over the chicken and 1/3 can of water.  Add spices, stirring gently around the meat.  Keep heat on medium.  Simmer for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked thoroughly.  This dish serves 8 and would probably be phenomenal with carmelized onions and garlic pureed into the sauce.

Serve with white rice and your favorite steamed veggies.

Rebecca's Potato Salad

This recipe is an adaptation from my mom's potato salad.  She always used hard boiled eggs and, well, it's a little embarrassing to say the reasons why I can't eat them, but the substitution of bacon definately made up for it.  She also used a Ranch Salad Dressing seasoning packet to season hers.  However, this is not an option for our gluten-free family.  This recipe is a favorite all around!

The Basics

5lbs of potatoes
1/2 C. minced dill pickles
24 oz. bacon

The Dressing

1/4 C. Parmesian Cheese
1 C. heavy cream
1/4 C. spicy brown mustard
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. powdered garlic
1 TBSP. dehydrated onion (ground)
2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

Before I get started on instructions, I should warn you that I have always "eyeballed" the seasonings this recipe and seasoned by taste after that.  Frustrating to recreate, I know, but not impossible.  My mom made hers with large, wooden spoon dollops of miracle whip instead of cream (the cream supports the flavors better in my book).   So, don't be afraid to use your tongue and adjust what's missing for you!

First, boil potatoes (skin on) until fork tender...stick a fork in it!  (Some of my family like this salad "mashed potato" style...this means over-boiling the potatoes a bit.)  While potatoes are cooking, prepare the bacon.  This can be done 6 minutes at a time by laying strips across a long plate and setting in the microwave or in a frying pan -- either way, keep the bacon strips seperated from each other for better crispness.  Allow them to cool, then chop into "crumbs."  If you are using whole pickles, chop these while at it.  You can also mix all of the dressing ingrediants in a bowl so the flavors have some time to infuse into the cream.   After the potatoes are ready, cool them in a cold water bath, peel, and cut into bite sized pieces.  Place in a large mixing bowl and stir in the cream.  (You may have to use clean hands for this.)  Serve warm or keep refridgerated until ready.

James' Triple Chocolate Birthday Cake

When we were married, we had three different types of cake: chocolate chocolate chip for James, carrot for me, and white for everyone who couldn't handle flavor...all smothered in cream cheese frosting.  Six years later, I'm still chopping up chocolate chips when I forget to buy (or can't find) minis because the regular-sized ones fall to the bottom before they bake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

6 Tbsp. Butter (do not substitute with Margarine or you will regret it)
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. milk

Soften butter to room temperature.  Blend together until smooth.

Double Chocolate Cake from Scratch

2 Tbsp. (rounded) shortening
2 eggs
2 C. sugar
2 C. hot water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 C. cocoa powder
2 C. flour
1 C. chocolate chips, coarsely chopped

Add all ingredients to a bowl, mix well.  Bake at 350'F for 35 minutes (or until cake tests done).

Saucy Chicken from Karen's Cafe

This isn't the first recipe I've "copied" by using my tongue and I'm sure it won't be the last.  James and I went to a Christmas Eve Cocktail party nearly starving and found ourselves walking up 25th Street from Union Station in search of good food.  Our favorite place is closed on Monday nights, so we ducked into the first place that didn't have "coffee" in the title.  Karen's Cafe is a delicious little spot featuring country music, good ole home cookin', and the coolest iron sculptured cowboys salt and pepper holders.  (Wish I'd carried my camera.) 

Ingredients

Karen's Sauce

Vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and diced
1 Walla Walla onion, sliced in rings
1 Green Bell pepper, chopped in chunks
1/2 pint sliced mushrooms
1 can Stewed, Diced tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Heat to medium a large frying pan, drizzle some oil and add garlic and onions.  Cook until onions are clear.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer to allow flavors to blend.  Then begin the chicken.

2 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
Salt
Olive oil

Spray cast iron skillet with oil.  (Use the grooved side to sear lines into meat.)  Heat on medium high until skillet is fully heated, lay breasts on skillet.  Cook 5-7 minutes on both sides (or until cooked through).  Serve chicken with a heaping ladel full of sauce.  Enjoy!

When I was recreating this recipe, I missed out on the ketchup and the flavor wasn't quite there.  I've never added ketchup to ANYTHING, but it's amazing what it does to both thicken the sauce and clinch the distinctive flavor on your tongue. 

p.s...leftovers make for an AWESOME Saucy Chicken Pizza