Orange Chicken (Better Than Panda Express) #SuccessRice

Orange Chicken (Better Than Panda Express!) - Who needs takeout when you can make it better at home? #chicken #SuccessRice #ad


I have been craving Orange Chicken for weeks. Yes, for weeks! Although, it sounds easy enough to just go pick up some takeout from one of my favorite local Asian food joints - it's not that easy .... it's a 20 mile trip - one way!! We live out in the middle of the desert, literally. Thankfully, I keep a well stocked pantry which allows me to make some of my favorite takeout meals at home! Thanks to Success® Rice for sponsoring this post written by me. 
Having Success® Rice in you pantry is perfect for a busy weeknight or for entertaining with family and friends. Being able to take shortcuts in the kitchen without sacrificing quality or taste, will help you pull off a successful dinner. Some of my favorite dinnertime shortcuts are bagged salads, jarred sauces and of course, Success® Rice.

Success® Jasmine Rice is the only Boil-in-Bag Jasmine rice available. It has a buttery, nutty fragrance, silky, smooth grains and delivers fully cooked rice in 10 minutes! It's pre-portioned, BPA-free boil-in-bag means no mess and no measuring involved! Success® Rice cooks up perfectly every time. The brown and white rice can sit up to 30 minutes before being served - giving you plenty of time to get dinner together and it's foolproof!
Success® Rice has four varieties available including: Success® Whole Grain Brown Rice and Success® White Rice, and globally-inspired aromatic varieties of Success® Rice, including fragrant Thai Jasmine or Basmati Rice. Success® Jasmine Rice is perfect for Asian-themed dishes, while Success® Basmati Rice is perfect for Indian-themed dishes. With Success® Rice, you can easily take your family on a culinary journey at mealtime!
Your favorite takeout place doesn't have anything on this homemade version of Orange Chicken! This is easily one of my family's favorite weeknight meals - and it's the dinner Isaac requested for his birthday this year! I hope you enjoy!



Orange Chicken (Better Than Panda Express)
Printable recipe
Yield: 6 servings

For the chicken:
1½-2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 eggs
splash of milk
1-1½ cups cornstarch
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil, for frying

For the Orange Sauce:
1 cup orange juice
zest of 1 large orange
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. cornstarch

Additional Ingredients:
Success® Boil-in-Bag Jasmine Rice
Toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Sliced green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a fryer to 375°F.

In a shallow dish (such as a pie plate), combine the eggs and milk. Place the cornstarch in a separate shallow dish. Season the cornstarch with salt and pepper, stirring to combine.

Dip the chicken pieces into the cornstarch, shaking off the excess. Place the chicken into the egg mixture coating well, allowing excess to drip off. Place the chicken back into the cornstarch, coating well. Shake off the excess cornstarch and place the chicken pieces into the hot oil. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your fryer. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces until they are all golden brown and no longer pink. (To keep chicken warm when cooking in batches, place on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven.) 

Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions. 

While the chicken and rice are cooking, you can prepare the Orange Sauce. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, constantly stirring, until the mixture has thickened and reduced by half. Set aside.

Once all of the chicken is cooked, gently stir it into the prepared Orange Sauce, coating all of the pieces.

To plate: Place Success® Boil-in-Bag Jasmine Rice on a plate or in a bowl. Top with chicken. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired.


Visit the Success Rice website for more recipe ideas and for more info about cooking with the four different varieties. For recipe inspiration, lifestyle tips and more, like and follow Success Rice's social media pages: Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. 
Do you have a favorite Success® Rice, or is there one you would like to try? I would love for you to tell me in the comments!
Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Quick and Easy Chicken Fried Rice
Orange Slice Cupcakes
I hope you enjoy! Shared at thesefun parties!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Success® Rice.

Don't forget to share and comment ♥Copyright © Love Bakes Good Cakes 2012-2013 All Rights Reserved

Better for you Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Hi Loves Bakes Good Cakes readers!! I'm so excited for my first contributing post here! Jamie and I have been blogging buddies for a long time. She was one of my first guest posters in a Christmas series I did years ago! Super excited to be sharing this Alfredo Sauce Recipe with you today. I've made a few tweaks to make it a "lighter" version and my whole family loves it. It's packed full of flavor and goes well with any meat or veg.

We like to eat it with broccoli and shrimp! Although sometimes if I don't have frozen shrimp, I just make the vegetarian version and its still really tasty. My boys love this and it makes great leftovers for my husband to take to work the next day.

Okay let's get into the recipe and how to! 

Ingredients:

2 cups skim or 1% milk

1/2 c. parmesan cheese

4 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese {the light version}

2 TBS olive oil

1 TBS Italian seasoning

salt to taste

Put the oil and milk in a pan and heat until bubbly, add the parm and cream cheese and stir until melted and smooth, add the seasoning last and continue to cook over medium heat for at least 2 more minutes while stirring to thicken. {if you want a tomato cream sauce add 1 cup red sauce now}

The Italian seasoning really gives this sauce a great and full flavor.

Pour over your favorite noodles, meat and veggies, and serve hot. You can thin with milk or thicken with cream cheese as desired.

Stop by Nap-Time Creations and let me know what you think of this!

Other yummy things I've cooked up recently:

Pasta Salad   Baked Mac and Cheese   Stromboli

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I hope you enjoy! Shared at thesefun parties!

Don't forget to share and comment ♥Copyright © Love Bakes Good Cakes 2012-2013 All Rights Reserved

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Cream Sauce

Strawberry Shortcakes with Lemon Cream Sauce - This classic Strawberry Shortcake dessert gets a delicious flavor boost with the addition of Lemon Cream Sauce! It's the perfect pair! #strawberries #lemon #Spring #Summer #dessert


I love Strawberry Shortcake - it's my favorite warm weather dessert besides ice cream! :) I look forward to Spring every year - and I wait in anticipation for the first strawberry crops to start hitting the stores! This dessert makes me thing of warm days with cool breezes. While traditional Strawberry Shortcake is good, the addition of lemon cream sauce sends it over the top! Try some today!



Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Cream Sauce
Printable recipe
Yield: 6 servings

For the strawberry filling:
1 quart strawberries, sliced
½ cup sugar

For the shortcakes:
⅓ cup shortening
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup milk
Additional sugar, for topping (if desired)

For the lemon cream:
½ cup lemon curd
½ cup heavy whipping cream

Mix strawberries and with the ½ cup of sugar. Let stand for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

In a medium bowl, cut the shortening into the flour, 2 tbsp. sugar, baking powder and salt until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in milk just until blended.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead 20-25 times. Roll out into ½-in. thickness. Cut with a 3-in. floured biscuit cutter. Place shortcakes about 1-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar, if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Place the lemon curd and heavy whipping cream in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Split shortcakes horizontally. Place shortcake bottoms on serving plates. Top with lemon cream sauce and strawberries. Replace tops. Serve immediately.



Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Strawberry Agua Fresca
Strawberry Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
I hope you enjoy! Shared at thesefun parties!

Don't forget to share and comment ♥Copyright © Love Bakes Good Cakes 2012-2013 All Rights Reserved

Homemade Sweetened Whipped Cream

Sweetened Whipped Cream is a favorite topping for so many desserts! It's super easy to make at home with only 2 ingredients!


This is an easy one today, y'all! We're making Homemade Sweetened Whipped Cream - Forget about buying that stuff that comes in a can or tub! Seriously, you will have no excuse after seeing this recipe for Homemade Sweetened Whipped Cream! It's quick and easy - with no weird chemicals!!
Whether you top Strawberry Shortcake, garnish a pumpkin pie or add a dollop for contrast to a chocolate torte .... this is a must have recipe!



Homemade Sweetened Whipped Cream
Printable recipe
Yield: 1 cup

½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. granulated or powdered sugar

Chill a medium bowl. After the bowl is chilled, beat the whipping cream and sugar in the chilled bowl with an electric mixer on HIGH speed until stiff. Use the Homemade Sweetened Whipped Cream to top your favorite desserts!

**Note - I prefer powdered sugar over granulated sugar - but both will do the job. You can also add ¼ tsp. of vanilla extract for an extra special dollop! :) Also, take care not to over beat - or you may end up with butter! If you do not have an electric mixer, you can use a balloon-type whisk and whisk this by hand. It is a bit more work, but it is not terribly difficult!



That's it! See! I told y'all it was easy!! No more excuses! :)
Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Arroz con Leche
The BEST Lemon Bars EVER
I hope you enjoy! Shared at thesefun parties!

Don't forget to share and comment ♥Copyright © Love Bakes Good Cakes 2012-2013 All Rights Reserved

Homemade Guacamole

Please note: This post may contain affiliate links.

Homemade Guacamole .... is there anything any better?! Whether you scoop it up with chips, slather it on a burrito or dig in with a spoon - there's no denying how versatile (and delicious!) this Mexican dip is! Did you know it's super easy to make restaurant quality guacamole at home?! 



One of the great things about guacamole is how many things you can use it with. I'm not gonna lie - I totally ate part of this batch on slices of French bread for lunch. Don't judge me - it was delicious and addicting!! And yes, I would do it again too.



Homemade Guacamole
Printable recipe
Yield: 6 servings

3 avocados - peeled, pitted and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. salt
½ cup diced onion
3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. ground cumin

Mash the avocados, lime juice and salt in a Molcajeteor medium bowl. Mix in the onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in the cumin. Serve immediately.



Other Posts You May Enjoy:

Churros Poppers
Mexican Chocolate Cupcakes withDulce de Leche Cream Cheese Frosting
I hope you enjoy! Shared at thesefun parties!

Don't forget to share and comment ♥Copyright © Love Bakes Good Cakes 2012-2013 All Rights Reserved