Orange Chicken

I found this recipe on www.allrecipes.com. My kids love chinese food and they love this recipe. When I found it, I was kind of turned off because the first review of it says it is horrible, but I read on and found that people didn't think it was to bad IF you changed a couple things. I will add the link but if it doesn't work it is titled "Orange chicken" and it is listed by: sal. The 2 reviews that had the changes that I used were from FELICIOUS and CUTECOOK17. (This is Dallins favorite meal, he even eats it with his chopsticks that he has saved from a restaraunt, and he is really good with them. I think it is a sign of him serving his mission in Asia. :) We will see.) I have been trying to feed my family healthier foods so instead of serving it with just plain white rice, I did 1/2 white and 1/2 brown, I liked it alot better and the kids couldn't even tell! Here is the link: www.allrecipes.com/Recipe/Orange-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Warning: Do not eat this!

It was brought to my attention that this post looked like spam so I've edited it. Rest assured, the links are safe :)

I've had home furnishings/ decorations on the brain lately so I was really excited when I read Brittanie Kivett West's blog this morning. She and her husband built an awesome twin bed with free plans from Ana-White.com  I clicked on the link and quickly fell in love with her plans. She makes it seem so easy that I want to rush out to buy a saw and wood and get started on something right away!

Another favorite furniture site is betterafter.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Katie

Here is my favorite bread recipe. This isn't a QUICK 1 HR BREAD. It does take some time for rising but it's so worth it! This is still a one rise bread but letting it rise more slowly really improves the flavor of the bread. Make sure you use white wheat and go ahead and buy vital wheat gluten & dough enhancer. They really are keys to light & fluffy bread & rolls. Nancy's Yummy, Easy Whole Wheat Bread

My friend, Nancy, brought us this great bread when we moved in. It was so great that I went over to her house to find out her "secrets". The secret is that it's easy! Yields: 5 Loaves Ingredients 3 1/2 cups Hot tap water (!) (helps offset the cool can of milk) 1 12 oz can Evaporated milk 3 tablespoons Yeast (I like SAF) 2/3 cup Vegetable oil 1 cup Honey (use the same measuring glass as the oil and the honey slides right out) 1 1/2 cups White Bread Flour 3 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten 2 tablespoons Dough Enhancer 1 1/2 tablespoons Salt of Milled Flax Seed (optional) this adds extra nutrition and nice "specks" in the bread 12 cups Whole Wheat Flour (I used WHITE wheat: approx 8 c. wheat = 12 c. flour)
Instructions Grind your wheat while getting everything else ready. Then, using a Bosch or other heavy duty mixer, combine ingredients Water through white bread flour. Add 6 c. wheat flour. Mix well, then add rest of flour, vital wheat gluten, dough enhancer, salt and flax seed. Mix well til dough pulls away from side of the bowl. It will be sticky but should pull away from the bowl while mixing. This is pretty critical. It's tempting to add too much flour at this point. Wait and watch to see if the dough will pull away. If it's just too wet, then add more flour but let it mix for a minute or 3! Set timer for 8-10 minutes and knead the dough according to your machine's setting. If you have to add more flour, you'll need to knead it longer to develop the new flour's gluten so make sure it's ready for this step before setting timer. To tell if the gluten is developed enough (& you're done kneading),flour hands & pinch off a bouncy ball size ball of dough. Roll in hands to form ball then using your middle fingers of both hands, try to stretch the center of the dough out as far as you can before it breaks. You're trying to form a very thin dough "window". The dough is finished kneading when you can get it really thin and see light through it. Call me if this is too confusing! Dump out dough onto an oiled counter and spread with your hands. Form into a long log and then divide it into 5 loaves. Either roll out wth a rolling pin and roll up cinnamon roll fashion OR simply form a loaf with your hands. Place in bottom of greased loaf pan. Let rise in a warm spot on your kitchen counter until doubled in size. Cover pans with damp cloth. This takes longer than rising dough in a warmed oven, but this slower rise takes away the harsh yeasty flavor quick-rise bread has. You can even rise overnight in the fridge and bake in the am. Bake in preheated 350° for 25-30 minutes, then remove from pans and let cool completely before slicing (if you can wait that long!).
Given to Kristine Hipps by Nancy Whyte Cuisine : Main Ingredient :

A man cannot live on bread alone

I am looking for a simple bread recipe that I can make. I dont have a Bosch or anything, but neither did the pioneers. What I do have is a hand wheat grinder and 100+ pounds of wheat! Let's hear it sista's.

Ole' for Soup Season

OK ladies. Here's the recipe for the White Chili I raved about before.

I wanted to take a picture but the soup didn't stay around long enough (& alright, I couldn't stop eating it to bother grabbing the camera) to snap a pretty picture of it (Update: I poached it off the website where I found the recipe).

But, trust me. This is a soup I could eat every single week.

It's that good.

The original recipe can be found on Melanie's website www.melskitchencafe.com but this version is different.

Different in a very good way. A very good way.

White Chili

This is a Great tasting soup served with cornbread. Good pantry dinner, too. Most ingredients are food storage items so it's a good last minute meal. Yields: 6 Servings Ingredients 1 can or bottle of chicken or leftover cooked chicken or turkey meat OR 1 pound boneless chicken breasts 1 medium onion chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic finely minced (I like the bottled minced garlic) 1 tablespoon oil 2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth or 2 cups of stock or broth 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add 1 can) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 cup sour cream 1 can evaporated milk
Instructions In a large saucepan, saute onion, garlic powder (add fresh garlic, if using, at the last minute so it doesn't burn) and (chicken, if using raw meat),in oil until translucent. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and evaporated milk. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired, but I don't really like cilantro with this (can't believe I'd say such a thing!). Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips or cornbread. Slow Cooker Option: In a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) without cubing them. Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or evaporated milk yet! Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (if using frozen chicken you'll cook on the longer end of that spectrum, fresh chicken will cook in less time). Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces. Stir back into the slow cooker. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and milk until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the soup cook until heated through. Serve.
from melskitchencafe.com & adapted by Kristine Hipps

Quick Note

I made the White Bean Chili again last night and noted the changes made from the original recipe. It was So-o-o good (for those who like that kind of meal - sorry Kelsey) and I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture!

I'll do it soon and post the changes but just couldn't wait to "brag" about it.

Your fat mama

Mmmmm...

What an appropriate comment for a mummy.