Step Aside Panda........

ORANGE CHICKEN!!!!
I love Panda Express's O.C. I have been looking for something I can make at home. This isn't quite a replacement, but it is great. I should probably consider it to be better since it is healthier!

(For those of you who know me personally, you know I very rarely follow a recipe to a T. Well, sometimes its because I don't have the ingredients as in this case.)

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar (didn't have any on hand, so I used wine vinegar)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root( used candied ginger I had)
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (you can add more if you like it spicier, but this had the perfect kick)

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fall Craft Season

Tomorrow September 23rd and Saturday the 24th  2Chick Couture will be set up at the Pumpkin Patch in Manhattan at CiCo Park.  We are to be in the Wreath building. Stop by and check out all of our fun items. Start your Christmas shopping early.( I have made tons, and tons of really cute jewelry items.)

Hope to see you there!

Cinnamon Roll Cake

I had seen this floating around Pinterest so I tried it out.... and it was great. Its a quick substitute for Cinnamon Rolls.

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
(I added some carmel flavoring, YUM!)

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Proverbs

Customized Cowboy Boot Ornament Tutorial

I know that Christmas is months away and I am the type of person that hates when stores have any holiday decorations up 6 months before the actual holiday.        However, I have a good excuse. I was asked by a ranch in South Dakota  to make a Christmas ornament(s) to hang on the state Christmas tree in the capitol building. The decorations have to be to the capital by October 1^st. The theme for this years tree is-western family heritage. So I decided to make a cowboy boot with the ranch’s brand on it.  My business partner introduced me to this amazing felt that looks like tooled leather-LOVE IT! Lucky for me when I went to Hobby Lobby it was on sale.

First I looked for a boot pattern, I found one here that I liked.

Then I pinned the cut out pattern onto the felt.

 Cut out 2 pieces. Remember to flip the pattern so that the” tooled leather” is on the correct side for the front and back of the ornament.

I did the same with the brand. I made a free hand pattern. I used the lighter brown for this part.

I placed the boots wrong sides together and top stitched around the edges with my machine. Leaving the the top of the boot open to stuff with batting.

After I filled it I placed a piece of brown ribbon(for the hanger) in the top and sewed it closed. Then I took the brand and glued is securely with fabric glue.  The other ornament I am hand stitching on the brand. This brand was too narrow and I thought the stitching might be distracting.

TA-DA!!

I am making a few other ones in various shapes, belt buckles, stars, etc for presents. I think that stitching in turquoise might be kinda cute too. The possibilities are endless.  Id love to hear from you if you end up making a similar item or have a great idea for this WONDERFUL felt.

Smoky Corn and Jalapeno Dip

Yields 2 cups (about 8 servings)



2 large ears of corn, husks on
2 jalapeno peppers
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon Pimentón de La Vera (smoked paprika)- I used "plain"paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Set grill to medium high heat. Grill the corn with the husks on for 20 minutes, rotating every 5 minutes, until outsides are lightly charred. In the last 5 minutes, add the jalapeno peppers and cook until lightly blackened.

Remove the husks and silks from the corn and cut the kernels off of the cob. Seed and mince the jalapeno peppers, reserving seeds if more heat is desired.

In a large bowl, mix corn, jalapeno, mayonnaise, sour cream, cheddar, and pepper jack until well combined. Add smoked paprika and kosher salt. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired.

Chill until ready to use. Serve with classic potato or tortilla chips.

Remembering 9/11

I saw this video this morning at church and wanted to share it with you.