Chicken a l'Orange

I love watching reality TV and put reality TV and cooking together and it is a match made in heaven for me. I enjoy watching Top Chef, Next Iron Chef and a few months ago I was watching America's Next Food Network Star. Melissa d' Arabian was the winner of this season's Next Food Network Star. When you are the winner you get your own show on the food network hence the name. Anyway I was DVRing her show on Sunday called Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian and that is were I got my next recipe called Crispy Skinned Chicken a l'Orange. This chicken was so juicy inside, but it did not have to much of the orange flavor that I would have liked, since the chicken had the skin on. It was still yummy and everyone enjoyed it anyway.

Crispy-Skinned Chicken a l'Orange

Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian

Ingredients

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves (I used 4 small breasts)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
4 tablespoons honey

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Turn the chicken over and brush each piece with the glaze. Turn the chicken skin side up and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes in total. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

I like to try new desserts with zucchini. This recipe I got from one of my foodbuzz.com friends. She really makes some amazing desserts so check her out at http://daydreamerdesserts.blogspot.com/. They turned out really nice and moist and the frosting was delicious.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup pls 2 Tbsp sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 lb zucchini, grated (1 cup)

1 (6 oz) package semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in middle.Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.


At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated.


Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips. Divide among lined muffin cups and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes.Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 cups confectioner's sugar

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy. Whisk until combined the confectioner's sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients until well combined. Finally add the vanilla.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

I have been making these cookies for about 7 years. I found them in the Taste of Home's Quick Cooking magazine. They are so tender and yummy in the inside and then rolled in the sugar adds an extra something special. I have received lots of compliments on this recipe and I am sure you will also.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Additional sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in egg, milk and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Roll into 1 in. balls; roll in additional sugar. Place 2 in apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 4 dozen

Barnyard Boo

Last Thursday we had a very fun day! To start out the day my friend had told me about this toy store in Fruit Heights called the http://www.3littlemonkeys.com/. On Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 and 11:30 they have story time and a craft that is free. Aria and I thought we would give it a try and we had so much fun. After story time we went and played and looked at some toys. This store has really great toys, books, stuffed animals, games and more. When we walked out of the store I noticed that there was some more little shops across the street, a clothing store, art gallery and a place called the Bun Basket. We walked over to check it out and ended up buying a huge cinnamon roll and a witch hat sugar cookie from the Bun Basket. The Bun Basket also has soup and bread, so we will defiantly making a trip back to both places.

Next on our adventurous day was the Barnyard Boo at http://www.thanksgivingpoint.com/. Brian and I took Aria a couple years a go and had a blast so we knew Audrey would love it also. When you arrive you buy a ticket/punch card with 5 punches to do 5 different activities they have, like face painting, pony ride, hay ride, decorate cookies and much more.

First we feed some animals

A little goat that wanted to come home with us.
Aria on the pony ride

Audrey loving the pony ride and did not want to get off.

Hay Ride, but no hay

Locked Aria in jail

Brian in Jail

We really had a great time and if you have never been to Thanksgiving Point you should give it a go. After all the fun we were hungry and decided to go to our favorite place to eat when we are down south, the only free standing Chick-fil-A in Utah. It is the best place ever! They are so kid oriented. They have balloons, kid night and this time we went they had hand sanitizer out, plastic place mats that you can peel and stick them to the table, little containers of cheerios, and crayons. They are so friendly and quick at this location and it ended our great day with a bang!

Sewaholic

This last week I have been a sewaholic. I get out my sewing machine and it sits there and calls to me. I made one costume (picture coming soon), three skirts, and two headbands. I get started sewing and I can't stop. The children rip apart the house and beg for food at my knee. But I just really love to sew and it is so fulfilling to make something from start to finish.

A friend of mine got me hooked on these skirts and then of course I have to make it in ten different colors and some for each of my girls. My friend brought me a little skirt that had a pattern that only went up to 3T, she wanted to know if I could make a pattern for a bigger girl? I got out one of Aria's skirts that I had bought at a department store that was similar to the baby skirt. Made some measurements and made my own pattern. I had some fabric already for the Halloween skirt and the black and white fabric, bought some cute trim and here you go. I did buy the material for Audrey's skirt but it did not take much for my little one.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Another reason why I love fall is that apples are at their best. I love a crisp, juicy apple and I love to bake with apples. I found this recipe in my grocery store advertisement with the weekly sales. Every week my grocery store has a recipe to go with a certain product that they have on sale. So the honeycrisp apples were on special and along with it was this yummy recipe.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and slices (I am sure any baking apple will do, but if you have not tried a honeycrisp, do they are so good.)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Whipped cream or ice cream (optional)

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan. In large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and oil until blended. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; mix until well combined. Stir in apples and nuts. Spread batter in pan and bake 65 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Soups On!

Fall is finally here and it is starting to finally feel like fall. Fall is one of my most favorite seasons. When I think of fall I think of soup. This is Aria's most all time favorite meals I make. She asks for it even on her Birthday! I really like this soup also and I call it a dump recipe, you just dump everything in and it is done.
Taco Soup

1 lb. hamburger

1 small onion, chopped

1 can chili

1 can corn, not drained

1 can stewed tomatoes, not drained

1 can tomato sauce

1 can kidney beans, not drained

1 package taco seasoning

In large dutch oven brown hamburger and onion, drain. Add taco seasoning, blend completely. Dump in the rest of the ingredients and 2 cups of water. Stir together and heat on low until it starts to boil and simmer for 2 hours. Serve with grated cheese and tortilla chips.