What? Your Chicken is Orange?....Gross

I think I mentioned in a previous blog that I credited my cooking skills to my ex-husband. You think I would remember since there only has been three previous blogs. Anyway, he was the one that taught me actual skills. My parents have always taught us to be adventurous eaters. Now that we are grown and appreciate my mom's cooking more, she gets to be more fun and creative than when we were kids.

And how does she do it, you ask? Well, Seth, I can explain if you just CALM DOWN! For example, she does this thing where she finds random ingredients on the shelf that she wants to use and Googles recipes with those ingredients. Then she combines two or more recipes to make her own. Creates her own awesome stuff.

This is the chicken she made the other day. I was told that it looked like P.F. Chang's, and it does. But it is waaaayyy tastier than P.F.! It had depth to the flavor and the sweet of the pineapple complimented the zesty orange and ginger nicely.

 All the credit goes to my mom for this one. The notes are hers. So I am calling it:

Mom's Better than P.F. Chang's Orange Chicken

4 boneless skinless white breast meats OR
(I cooked a bag of frozen popcorn chicken in a little oil until it was crunchy and heated/cooked through. Took that out of the pan and made the sauce. Just pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve over rice.)

Ingredients:
Orange Sauce-
1 ½ cups orange juice (fresh squeezed)
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest-grated
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
 ½ teaspoon ginger root (I grated it)
1 teaspoon garlic (used garlic press- several cloves- I always put more than it calls for)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (can add more if not hot enough)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup water
Garnish-
 2 tablespoons green onion-chopped

Combine orange juice and soy sauce and blend well over medium heat for a minute. Stir in pineapple, orange zest, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
Combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over chicken, and if desired, garnish with green onions.

Eat Pray Love

Well, I decided to start this blog because everyone is always asking me about my food pictures. I never used to like to cook, in fact, I hated cooking a few years ago. Growing up, my mom stuck to the basics because I am sure we whined a lot about trying new foods. So Hamburger Helper and Mac n Cheese were our friends. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I love Mac n Cheese to this day.
After moving out of the house, I ruined Rice a Roni, twice. So I decided that cooking was not for me. Besides, at the time, I had my own private chef who was great, inventive, and loved to cook. I gradually tried again, and discovered I could make awesome tuna salad and that I inherited my dad's ability to make great omelets.

I actually love to eat. I love eating out. I love trying new foods. I love trying new restaurants. I love eating at local places whenever I travel. In fact, I ate my way through my New York trip. Well, who hasn't done that. It was on my trip to PEI all by myself that I really began to discover  that I enjoyed new things. (For those of you who don't know PEI, read Anne of Green Gables.)

Learn a book, Seth!

I won't be posting regularly by any means. I am a grad student so it isn't like I can cook every day. So just get over it!  :)

And sorry if you don't get my literary, movie, TV, or random SNL references that I might scatter about. Plus, I will probably scatter random nature photos. I mean, why not?

I will be king. Stick with me and you'll never go hungry again!