Panda Express Orange Chicken

Our family loves orange chicken from Panda Express. This recipe comes as close as you can to replicating it at home!

3 lbs chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

 

Batter

1 Tbsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

1 cup cornstarch

3 cups flour

1 egg

3 cups water

2 Tbsp oil

 

Stir chicken into batter. Cover and chill for 30 min.

 

Fry in batches for 6 min each til golden brown. Remove to paper towel-lined tray.

 

Sauce

2 tsp oil

½  tsp chili flakes

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

½  cup sugar

½  cup brown sugar

½  cup orange juice + more if needed

½  cup vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

slurry (¼ cup water + ¼ cup cornstarch)

 

Add fried chicken and toss. Serve with fried rice.

Summer corn chowder

 - Savor the Flavour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup yellow onion, diced

½ cup poblano pepper, diced

½ cup red bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

¼ cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour

5 cups vegetable broth

2 cups red potatoes with skins, cut in ¼-inch cubes, (3 medium potatoes)

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric

⅛ teaspoon cayenne

4 cups fresh corn, cut off the cob (6 cobs) – or 1 pkg frozen HEB Baby White & Yellow Corn

¾ cup roasted jalapeño and tomato salsa, such as Frontera medium

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

 

Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium high heat, then saute the peppers and onions for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

 

Sprinkle on the flour, and whisk for 2 minutes.

 

Increase the heat to medium high and slowly pour in the rice wine while scraping the bottom with a wooden turner to get the brown bits off.  Slowly add ½ cup of vegetable broth and continue scraping until the bottom of the pot is clean. 

 

Slowly pour in the rest of the vegetable broth, whisking to prevent lumps, then add the diced potatoes and salt.  Stir with a wooden spoon, cover, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low and partially cover.  Simmer for 6 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

 

Add the dried spices, fresh corn kernels, salsa, and fresh cilantro.  Stir, cover, and cook on medium low heat for 8 minutes. (If you would like this thicker than in the photos above, take out 2 cups and puree it in a blender then stir it back into the soup.)

 

Remove the soup from the heat and pour in the heavy cream and freshly squeezed lime juice.  

 

Stir well. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and serve hot with bread.

 

Jalapeño Cheese Bread

 -Away from the box

4 ¼ cups bread flour

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

1 ½ cups + 2 Tbsp warm water

4 tsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups cheddar cheese, freshly shredded

4 jalapenos, cored, seeded & chopped

 

In a small bowl, place the water, sugar and yeast, mix well. Set aside for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to develop.

 

In a separate bowl, combine the bread flour and salt.

 

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the water, yeast and sugar mixture and mix on low. Slowly add the flour until it forms a shaggy dough and pour in the oil. Turn the mixer to medium-high and let it knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

 

Let the dough rise in a greased bowl, covered with oil-brushed cling wrap and a kitchen towel, for about 1 – 1/2 hours until doubled in size.

 

Divide the dough in half. Turn 1/2 out onto a floured work surface and roll into a rectangle about 12″ x 14″. Top with the shredded cheese and the chopped jalapenos. Roll the dough up, like a jelly roll cake or cinnamon rolls. Cut the dough in the middle (giving you two roughly 7″ rolls), then insert a pair of kitchen shears in the center and cut through the top two layers (or so), exposing the cheese and jalapenos inside.

 

Place both rolls side by side and twist together, like a braid and place in a greased and parchment lined loaf pan. Cover with oil-brushed cling wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise again, another hour.

 

Repeat process with 2^nd half of the dough for the 2^nd loaf

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake, topping with more cheese if desired, for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

 

Let cool 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and cooling completely, at least 30 minutes. Slice and enjoy!

Perfect White Bread

 -Norma Arnett

6 cups warm water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup powdered milk

3 Tbs yeast

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 rounded Tbs salt

5 lbs bread flour

 

Pour 6 cups warm water into Bosch. Add sugar and yeast. When the bubbling begins add remaining ingredients and mix for 5 minutes. Let rise to double. (About an hour) Punch down and form 6 loaves. (or 4 large). Place in sprayed pans. Let rise to 1/2 in above the pan and bake at 400 degrees for 25 mins. Remove from pans, rub top crust with butter, and allow to cool completely.

Sourdough Bread using starter

During the COVID quarantine, Brandon and I enjoyed watching the Bread Ahead Instagram live videos. Brandon was really interested in the sourdough bread, so we started growing a starter that we named "Quarantina." Once Quarantina was live and well, we started trying to make loaves. The first couple attempts were not that great, but Brandon has been making a loaf every week or so for over a year and makes consistently delicious bread every time and now uses the starter for pizza dough, English muffins and foccacia.

Take starter out of the refrigerator.

Add:     75 grams water

            75 grams bread flour

Stir, and leave on counter for 2-3 hours or until bubbly and active.

 

In a bowl, add:

            350 grams water

            150 grams active starter

Stir, then add:

            500 grams bread flour

            11 grams sea salt

 

Using rubber scraper, fold and turn until all flour is moistened. Cover bowl with a plate and let rest on the counter for 1 hour.

 

Do an envelope fold and cover to rest another 30 minutes-1 hour.

 

Repeat envelope fold, cover, and put in refrigerator until ready to use, at least 12 hours. 

 

Remove bowl from refrigerator, scrape dough out onto an olive-oiled surface. Dimple and envelope fold. Return to bowl, cover, and let rest 30-45 minutes or until room temperature.

 

Smooth and form into tight boule shape and place top down into floured banneton. Cover with tea towel and let rise until 1 ½ times size, about 2-3 hours. When bread has risen, place Dutch oven in the oven and turn on to 475°.

 

When oven is fully preheated, gently turn dough out onto olive-oiled surface. Score and drop into preheated Dutch oven with lid on. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove Dutch oven lid, turn oven down to 325°and continue baking for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. 

 

Remove from Dutch oven immediately and cool on rack.

Honey Taffy

The Easts (Grandma Carling's family) kept honey bees and I remember having a bucket of honey in the pantry that Mom got from (Great) Uncle Acel. This is an old pioneer recipe and can be made without the cream.

1 cup raw, unfiltered honey (honey local to your area is preferred) *

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup white sugar

Pinch of sea salt

 

Put honey, sugar, cream and salt into a heavy based pan, stirring and heating over medium heat until combined and any sugar crystals are dissolved.

 

Bring mixture to a boil and boil until the syrup reaches 250°F. Reduce temperature 2° for every 1,000 ft. above sea level. For example, reduce to 240°F for 5,000 Ft.

 

Pour onto Silpat or greased cookie sheet and allow to cool until lukewarm. With greased hands, pull and stretch the taffy, until it becomes light in color. Place on a Silpat or greased cookie sheet. Cut into pieces with butter knife and wrap in waxed paper. 

 

*Honey should not be fed to infants under 1 year old

Chocolate & Peppermint Roll (Gluten Free)

Cake: 

5 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cocoa
 
Peppermint cream filling:
1 cup heavy cream
¼  cup powdered sugar, or to taste
½ tsp. peppermint extract
2-3 drops red food coloring
¼ cup crushed peppermint candy canes, optional
Additional powdered sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place oven rack in center position. Place Deep Flexiflat on Perforated Baking Sheet and set aside.

2. In mixing bowl with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add ½ cup powdered sugar, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until the egg whites stand in stiff, glossy peaks. Set aside.

3. In a small bowl, and with the same beaters, beat the egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Reduce speed to low, and beat in salt, remaining ½ cup powdered sugar and cocoa, occasionally scraping the bowl with a spatula.

4. Gently fold chocolate mixture into beaten egg whites, continuing until no white streaks remain. 

5. Spread batter evenly in Deep Flexiflat. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when touched. Let cool 3 minutes – no more. Unmold cake onto Silpat. Begin rolling both the cake and Silpat and lay it so that the end is on the bottom, so it doesn't unroll. Place on cooling rack and let cool completely.

6. For the filling, beat cream, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and food coloring in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread the whipped cream mixture over the cake, but not all the way to the ends as it will be squeezed out when you roll it. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Re-roll the cake. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.