Big Brother Visits...and Runs a Marathon!

Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of spending time with these two...technically three, I guess.

My brother is Johnny Depp...wearing a marathon medal, if you couldn't figure that out.

My brother was running in the Marine Corps Marathon in DC, so they made a trip out it from Arizona to the East Coast.  The BF and I showed them around some of the local sights, which isn't much by the way!  And they were the perfect photographers for our zombie run.  We ate at the famous Ben's Chili Bowl.  I got to see the buzz associated with marathons by going with them to the runner's expo.  I ended up getting legitimate running shoes, and I'm calling them because all the shoes I've had before have been an all purpose cross training type.  So I'm pretty excited about this, albeit expensive, purchase.  I got to see my sister-in-law's growing belly and found out the name.

The marathon was so great to see.  I definitely got some motivation to run.  There was also a great sense of patriotism throughout the race, but then again, I always get that when we go to DC.  Watching some of it even brought a tear to eye.  At one point, my brother spotted us on the side and kissed the pregnant belly.  That pretty much did it for me.  I cried.  Another thing I learned from the marathon... restaurants in the area, sure know how to market to runners during a marathon week.  We saw a Mexican place with a spaghetti special.  Hmmm....

Happy Halloween!

Hurricane Sandy wasn't too bad here.  Just some rain and crazy wind.  Although, the storm did bring in some gnarly looking clouds...

Happy Halloween though!  As a kid, this was one of my favorite holidays...mainly because of the candy.  I grew up in a minimum sugar household, so Halloween was always a good way to stockpile for the year.

I'm not a big fan of candy corn.  I can eat a couple, but then I just hate the taste.  But, for my own Halloween treat, I made a fruity concoction with the candy corn look.

Not the greatest picture thanks to my phone...

One version was lemon jello and pineapple, mandarin oranges, and Redi Whip.  The other version was just pineapple, oranges, and Redi Whip (they're opposite in the picture).  The lemon pudding I could completely do without, so I don't think I'll be sticking with that version in the future.  The plain pineapple with the oranges and whipped cream...OMG, it was so good.  I'm pretty sure I scarfed it down in one go around.

Recap

So, since the last post, I've been pretty busy. 

My brother and sister-in-law visited and I spent the days before prepping our place for visitors.  And I'm just now getting a chance to sit down and relax.

Recap:
-spent time with my brother and beautifully pregnant sister-in-law
-made tons of cookies and food
-ran a zombie 5k (think of a mud run with obstacles and zombies)
-completed an item on my bucket list
-watched my brother run in the Marine Corps marathon
-took my first exam for an online environmental class; it was insanely hard and I had to spent the whole night doing it

And now, we're waiting through Hurricane Sandy.  It's been raining nonstop since last night.  And last I saw, our city is directly under the path of the storm.  We're talking flooding and 40+ mph winds.  We've been told by the electric company that we're definately losing power, it's just a matter of how long.  That's the reason I had to scramble to take my test.  It's due November 1st, but who knows if I'll get the power back by then.

Last year, we lost power for a week after a hurricane.  I had to throw away so much meat from the freezer that I happened to get about a week before.  It sucked.  I also had to wash my hair at work in the bathroom sink.  Good times.

So, here's to fingers crossed that, if we do lose electricity, it comes back relatively soon.

Until then

Recipe Review: Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken

Panda Express, to me, is the epitome of food court food.  And there's something so comforting about their food, which is full of sugar, cornstarch, fat, MSG, and who knows what else.  But honestly, I don't care what they put in their food, because it hits the spot when I want that cheap, over processed Chinese food that Panda Express more than willinginly provides for me.

But I came across a recipe that caught my eye.  Orange chicken.  Love.  Panda Express.  Love.  A copycat recipe for Panda Express' Orange Chicken!  Love. 

I was a little hesitant to make this because the BF has a sensitivity to orange, but alas, he was a-ok after eating.  Maybe it's processed oranges that give him a hard time, who knows.

After devouring eating this meal, I came to the realization that this recipe is even better than Panda Express.  It took a little bit to make, what with the frying and all, but it was soooooo friggin good.  I used orange juice straight from the oranges and was able to control the amount of heat, which I'm sure was too spicy for the average person and not enough spicy for us.

Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken

from Bubbly Nature Creations

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into irregular 1 inch cubes
1-2 c flour
2 eggs
oil for frying
For the sauce (which I doubled):
juice from an orange
some orange zest
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 rice wine vinegar
Sriracha, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp cornstarch

Heat your frying oil.  Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl.  Put the flour in another bowl.  Dip the chicken into the egg and then coat with flour.  Then fry until cooked.  It helps to do this in batches because you don't want the chicken to touch while they're frying.  When done, put the chicken on a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a small pot.  Make sure the cornstarch is completely dissolved.  Heat on medium heat until the sauce thickens.

Place the warm chicken in a large bowl and pour the sauce on top.  Mix until it's all coated and serve with rice.  Noms.

*The chicken doesn't have to be fried.  It can be stir-fried.  The chicken won't be crunchy, but it'll taste the same.

Frank and Beans

We had a Cowboy dinner of sorts the other night.

Frank and Beans.  How fancy.

I did serve it with baked sweet potatoes and coleslaw.  A well balanced meal...

I was having a craving for some good ol' baked beans. And I can't really just feed the BF and myself plain beans. Well, I could, but I'd feel totally wrong. 

I forgot how much I loved baked beans though.  Before the other night, I think it's been about a year that I had them.  I like mine with brown sugar and bacon bits.  Sweet and savory.

I'm not posting this to share the recipe, because well, it's pretty self explanatory.  Baked beans...and hot dogs.  Done.  Well, actually, I take that back.  I added some more brown sugar and a little bit of mustard.  But that's it!

I posted this to show you that although I love to cook, I am lazy and can still make dinner classy.  Heh, heh. 

Beanie Weanies satisfied my appetite as a child, so we were content on the grown-up, classier version :)

Are beans still the magical fruit these days???

A Dog's Life

Recipe Review: Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

So I actually made this last weekend...or was it two weekends ago?  It doesn't matter.  The moral of the story is...it was good.

Overall, it turned out saltier than we would've liked, but the flavor was fantastic.  I seasoned the chicken with salt and I might have just done too much.  It's so good, I'm willing to try it again.  And it's another easy peasy recipe.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
from Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I just used a pound of breasts)
1-1/4 c honey
1/4-1/2 c soy sauce (I'm gonna see if using less will reduce the salt taste next time)
1/2 c diced onion
1/4 c ketchup
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
crushed red pepper to taste (I used alot)
4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 tbsp of water (this'll help thicken the sauce)
sesame seeds

Directions:
Put the chicken in the crockpot.  In a bowl, combine the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper, if using.  Pour the liquid over the chicken in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours.  Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon.  Pour the cornstarch and water mix into the crockpot and stir.  Put the lid back on and cook the sauce on high for about 10-15 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened.  Cut the chicken into bite size pieces or shred, then return to the crockpot and toss with the thickened sauce before serving.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice.