Orange Chicken served with Couscous

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

Juice of 4 tangerines or 6 clementines(I used satsumas and it worked great)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Ground ginger to taste

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup shredded carrots

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups couscous

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook in the hot pan until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan you cooked the chicken add citrus juice, brown sugar, ginger, and 1/2 cup chicken stock and simmer until syrupy, 5-6 minutes.

While the sauce cooks, heat 1 tablespoon Olive Oil in a saucepot over medium heat and saute carrots and green onion for 3-4 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 cups stock and bring to a boil.  Then stir in couscous.  Cover the pot and turn heat off.  Let couscous stand for 5 minutes, fluff with fork. 

To serve, slice chicken breasts on a bias and fan them out on a bed of couscous. Drizzle with citrus sauce over everything.

*as adapted from the Rachel Ray Show

The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know I keep adding chocolate chip cookie recipes, but I keep finding ways to improve upon them.  So here is my new,by far, ultimate favorite.

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled until warm
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1/2 tsp molasses 

2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
-Adjust oven racks to upper & lower -middle positions & heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
-Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.
-With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter & sugars until thoroughly combined. 
-Beat in egg, yolk, molasses and vanilla until combined. 
-Add dry ingredients & beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chips.
-Roll scant 1/2 cup dough into ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.
-Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft & puffy (about 17 minutes in my oven). 
-Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

Lemon Poppy Seed Mini Loaf

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
2 c. granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temp
2 c. buttermilk, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of 2 large lemons
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare mini loaf pans (or 1 large loaf pan)
-In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, poppy seeds and whisk to combine; set aside.
-In medium bowl, combine buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice, and whisk to combine; set aside.
-In bowl of stand mixer, add butter, shortening, and sugar and beat on high until light in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
-Reduce speed to medium and add eggs, one at a time, combining thoroughly before adding the next.
-Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture in three parts alternating with milk mixture, starting and ending with flour and mixing until incorporated.
-Scrape batter into pans and spread evenly.
-Place in oven and bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean, about 30 minutes (or 45-55 for a large loaf).

*found on good things catered blog