What are YOU Making for Dinner? :)

One of my favorite recipes is my mom's Orange Chicken, and I thought it needed to be shared. It is so easy, especially if you think ahead. Set things up like this:

From left to right: boneless/skinless chicken breast, egg (beaten), breadcrumbs, a frying pan of olive oil, a casserole dish sprayed with pam and filled with about half of the sauce.

Sauce:

2 Cups Orange Juice

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup White Vinegar

2 T BBQ Sauce (It's actually just for color)

One by one, dip the chicken breasts in the egg, then the bread crumbs, and then brown for about two minutes on one side...
And then the other:
As you take them off the frying pan, place them gently in the casserole dish. Then, pour the rest of the sauce so that the chicken breasts are almost covered. (But don't let the sauce get too close to the top of the casserole dish. It can spill easily as you put it in and take it out of the oven.):
Cover with foil, and bake at 350° F for about 40 minutes. Thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch, and serve over rice.

The quest to make dinner continues. Hopefully this can help you all add one more easy recipe to your arsenal!

Know What You're Making for Dinner Tonight?

Please allow me and Cal to make a suggestion. In keeping with our goal to make dinner together, I've been trying to come up with some easy, basic recipes to throw together. I got the idea for BBQ chicken pizza from Reed's colleague, who had us over for a BYU football game and served delicious homemade pizza.

But first, we started with a pumpkin pie. I just used the recipe on the side of the Libby's can. Didn't even make my own crust. Like I said, BASIC. But with expectations as low as mine, things usually turn out just fine! :)

Here's cal stirring the pumpkin pie mix:

And here's where I tried to take the whisk away from him:

"Don't try that again, Mommy."

The recipe for the pizza is just as easy. First, start with a pizza dough recipe. I have one I like, but I'm not married to it. Find one that you like.

Four ingredients: 1. Cooked, shredded chicken, 2. BBQ sauce, 3. Mozzarella cheese, 4. Red onion.

Bake at whatever temp & time the pizza dough itself calls for. All the toppings are, of course, pre-cooked.

Doesn't it look yummy?

Cal's pumpkin pie wasn't too shabby, either:

I am definitely not a gourmet cook, but I love consistently making a yummy meal, even if it is simple. This one was a winner, and the process of making it brought Cal and me a little closer together. And in a world of egg-smashing Tuesday mornings, we need those happy moments!

Strawberry Swirl Cake

I made this for Reed's birthday, and it was really yummy, and REALLY simple:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Strawberry-Swirl-Cake/Detail.aspx

I did it in a bundt pan instead of two rounds, and then topped each slice with the cream and strawberries instead of frosting the cake.

Just thought I'd pass along the recipe!