Orange Chicken Sauce - Panda Express Copycat

recipe taken from Tasty.co

2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 T minced garlic
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2-3/4 c. orange juice
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T corn starch
3 T water

Mix water and corn starch to create a slurry and set aside.  Heat oil in skillet and add red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic and saute for 30 sec.  Add sugars and mix.  Add orange juice and stir until sugars start to dissolve.  Add vinegar and soy sauce and stir until mixture starts to boil.  Add the slurry a little at a time until the mixture thickens to the consistency of maple syrup. Turn off the heat and add chicken or vegetables.  Serve over rice.  

Grilled Chicken Marinade

taken from momontimeout

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar or other vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp dried rosemary (have used thyme and basil)
• 2 tbsp Dijon or Spicy Brown mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 6 chicken breasts or 3.5 lb chicken

Combine and pour over chicken.  Seal in plastic bag and let marinate 

Maple Glazed Chicken Thighs

taken from served from scratch

6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 T olive oil
2 T pure maple syrup
2 T soy sauce
2 T apple cider vinegar
salt

Season chicken with salt.  Heat olive oil in large skillet on med-high.  Mix syrup, soy sauce and vinegar in a bowl.  When oil is hot, add chicken and brown for 4 min then flip.  Add maple mixture to pan and let it boil.  Flip chicken every few min until mixture thickens and chicken is done (15 min or so).

Homemade Taco Seasoning

taken from allrecipes

4 T chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground red pepper (adjust to liking)
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 T cumin
1 T salt
1 T pepper

Mix together and add 2-3 T per pound of cooked ground beef plus 1/3 cup or so of water.

Buttermilk Syrup

taken from ohsweetbasil

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (brown the butter for a delicious twist)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon Light karo syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• In a large pot or saucepan over medium heat add the butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla and karo syrup. Heat until everything is well combined and bring to a boil. Quickly remove the pot from the heat and add the baking soda, place back over the heat, stirring constantly. The syrup will grow large and threaten to boil over which is why a large pot is essential. If it gets too close to the edge remove from the burner and continue stirring to bring it down. Stir for 30 seconds over the heat and serve immediately.

Lower Fat Alfredo Sauce

taken from Our Best Bites

2 c. milk
1/3 c. (3oz) cream cheese
2-3 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves minced
1 c. grated parmesan

Blend milk, cream cheese, flour and salt in blender*.  Melt butter and add garlic.  Saute for 30 sec.  Add milk and cook and stir until thickened.  Add cheese and stir.  Thickens upon standing.

**sometimes I won't blend the milk, cream cheese and flour in a blender.  I'll just add the flour to the melted butter and garlic then add the milk and make a roux and add the cream cheese and parmesan after it's thickened up a bit. 

Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto

taken from oh she glows
Holy crap this is good!

9 large roma tomatoes slice in half lengthwise
1/2 c. almonds toasted (or pecans or walnuts)
2 garlic cloves
1 c. tightly packed basil
1/4 c. olive oil (or less - I forgot it one time and it was fine)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Put tomatoes on sheet pan cut side up and spray or drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes for 1 hour and 10 min. Reduce oven temp to 325 and toast almonds for 8-10 min.  Add nuts to food processor and process until finely chopped.  Set aside.  Add basil and garlic and process until finely chopped.  Add in oil and 1 1/2 c. roasted tomatoes (you'll have some left over).  Process until smooth.  Pulse in nuts.  Season with salt and pepper.
Chop the remaining tomatoes and stir into pasta with the pesto.

Hawaiian Haystacks Sauce

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 T butter
1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
1 c. chicken broth

Melt butter and saute onion until soft and transluscent.  Add garlic and cook about 1 min.  Add flour and stir to combine.  Whisk in the milk and chicken broth.  Cook until sauce thickens.  Add cooked chicken.  Serve over rice with toppings of choice.

 

Peanut-Lime Noodles

1/2 c. natural peanut butter
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. water
2 T rice vinegar (I used 1 T apple cider vinegar)
2 T lime juice (I used lemon)
1 tsp ginger
2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic chopped

Combine in blender and blend until smooth.  Serve over vegetables and noodles.
(reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce.  It thickens a lot as it cools. I ended up thinning it quite a bit so reserve a good cup of pasta water)

Fast and Easy Hot Fudge Sauce

1 can sweetened condensed milk
4-5 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T butter
1 tsp vanilla

Combine milk, chocolate, and butter in saucepan and stir over medium  heat until melted and smooth.  take off heat and add in vanilla.  If it becomes too thick, you can thin it out with a little cream or half and half.

Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (toasted?)
2-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or more)
1 c. olive oil (or less)
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper and cheese. 

Fruit Syrup for Pancakes

from More with Less

1/2-3/4 c. sugar
3 T cornstarch
2 c. water
2 c. sliced fresh peaches
2 T lemon juice

Combine sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Add peaches and simmer until fruit is tender. Removefrom heat and add lemon juice.

Option:
Use mangoes, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, or pineapple. Canned or frozen fruit may be used. Reduce sugar and use the juice to replace part of the water.

Magic Mix

4 c. instant milk OR 2 1/3 c. non-instant
1 c. flour
1 c. butter or margarine

Mix together until resembles cornmeal. Store in refrigerator. (easy to blend together in a mixer or food processor)


Pudding
1 c. Magic Mix
2 c. water
½ c. sugar (I find this to be WAY too much.  1/4 c. makes it plenty sweet)
2-3 T cocoa
1 tsp vanilla

Combine Magic Mix, sugar and cocoa in saucepan and mix well. Add water, stir over medium heat until pudding bubbles. Add vanilla and stir. Cover and Cool. Omit cocoa for vanilla pudding.

White Sauce
Combine 2/3 cup Magic Mix with 1 cup of water. Stir over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Use for all recipes calling for white or cream sauce.

Macaroni and Cheese
Make white sauce and add about 1 cup grated cheese and 1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt. Combine with cooked macaroni noodles.


Fudgesicles
Combine 1 recipe of pudding with 1/3 c. instant (9 teaspoons non-instant) dry milk and 1/2 cup water; beat until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays or small paper cups. Insert plastic spoon and freeze until solid.

Cream Soup Mix

2 c. powdered milk (non instant)
1/4 c. instant chicken bouillon
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. cornstarch
2 TB dried onion flakes
1 tsp. thyme

Mix 1 1/4 c. cold water with 1/3 c. mix. Boil until thick

Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing

2-3 cloves pressed garlic
3 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1/4 c. canola oil

Blend all together

Vegetarian Pizza

Sauce:
1 8 oz tomato sauce
2 T Shirley J’s pizza spice mix
2 cloves garlic pressed
½ onion finely chopped

Toppings: sliced tomatoes, green peppers, zucchini, grated carrots, yellow squash, cheese. Bake on preheated stone at 500 degrees for 7 min.

Sweet and Sour

½ c. brown sugar
1 T corn starch
1 can pineapple in juice
1/3 c. vinegar
1 T soy sauce
¼ c. chopped green pepper

Mix sugar, cornstarch and reserved pineapple juice and water to equal ½ c. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce. Heat to boiling. Stir constantly. Boil 1 min. Stir in pineapple and bell pepper.

Pancake Fruit Topping

1 ½ c. fresh of frozen fruit
½ c. apple juice
Sugar or honey to taste
1 ½ T ultra gel

Blend together