Sesame-Orange Chicken

We used to order Chinese take-out close to once a week, back when I was working.  Quick and cheap, it was usually on the weekends when neither my husband or I really wanted to spend time cooking!  Now that I'm home, I think we are down to about one time a month ordering Chinese. My kids had recently taken a liking to sesame chicken.  Yes, those chicken chunks deep fried and smothered in that sticky sauce with sesame seeds.  I don't want to think about how unhealthy it is because I have to admit it tastes so darn good!  However, I've been on the lookout for a healthier version of the dish.  Cooking Light is my trusted go-to cookbook.  I have six of the annual cookbooks and tons of magazine rip outs of recipes.....and I'm still a current subscriber!  I usually have luck finding tasty, health recipes. Well, we were truly disappointed with this recipe.  The chicken was supposed to have a sesame-orange sauce but it was really thin and tasteless.  No one liked this.  I ended taking out some teriyaki sauce and dipping the chicken in that to give it some flavor.  I was very disappointed, but my hunt for a tasty sesame chicken recipe continues....

Sesame-Orange Chicken
Cooking Light, May 2005

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
Dash of ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon butter
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon whipping cream

 Preparation:
Combine sesame seeds, rind, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a food processor; process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until butter melts. Add chicken; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Add ground sesame mixture to pan, stirring with a whisk. Add broth, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook broth mixture until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 3 minutes). Add orange juice and cream; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Serve sauce over chicken.

Family Rating: thumbs down!

Children's Chapter Book Review: Mr. Popper's Penguins

Mr. Popper's Penguins
Written by: Richard and Florence Atwater
Illustrated by:  Robert Lawson
Published by: Little Brown and Company, 1988 (first published 1938)
139 pages

from goodreads.com:
The unexpected delivery of a large crate containing an Antarctic penguin changes the life and fortunes of Mr. Popper, a house painter obsessed by dreams of the Polar regions.


* I wanted to start reading more advanced chapter books to my daughter, since she's already a voracious reader and can read early chapter books in a day.  I had never read Mr. Popper's Penguins, although I know it was on (and may still be) many elementary school curriculums. Since they recently released a movie based on this book, starring Jim Carrey, I thought that it might be fun to read the book and then see the movie (since I'm a huge fan of reading the book before seeing the movie anyway....the books are almost always so much better!).  Well, even from chapter one you can tell this book is dated.  And if the words don't clue you in, the illustrations definitely will.  This book had a difficult time of holding my interest, so forget it, my daughter lost interest by the first couple of chapters in.  While I offered to stop reading it to her she didn't want me to stop.  Although, she'd be involved in doing something else (playing with a doll, looking at the American Girl catalogue, etc.) while I was reading aloud.  This was a Newberry Honor Book in 1939 and I'm glad that I was finally able to read it. My daughter may need to revisit this one when she gets a little older, since it didn't hold her interest at the moment.  I finished the book but can't say that I'll be reading it again....once was definitely enough for me.  I am interested in seeing the movie though and how well they adapted it from the book.

Family Rating: Thumbs down. 

Children's Book Review: A String of Hearts

A String of Hearts
Written by:  Laura Malone Elliott
Illustrated by: Lynn Munsinger
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books, 2010
32 pages

from goodreads.com:
Valentines come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are homemade and some are store-bought. Some are funny and some are not. Sam wants to give just the right valentine to the most popular girl in the class, Tiffany. But what kind is the right kind? Mary Ann helps Sam figure out how to make all sorts of valentines. But will Tiffany even notice Sam if he gives her a special valentine?

Laura Malone Elliott and Lynn Munsinger's charming story shows how the best friends are often the ones you may not know you have--until Valentine's Day --and even a simple string of hearts can show a friend how special he is.

* As we were reading this, part of the story reminded us of Roses are Pink, You're Feet Really Stink where the teacher wanted the students to write something nice about each classroom, and Sam couldn't find something nice to say about some of his classmates.  For a story geared towards 4-7 year olds, I wasn't a fan of the use of the "popular" girl in the story or the fact that Sam had somewhat of a crush on Tiffany, yet she barely acknowledged him.  I do like how Sam realizes how important his true friends are to him, but even the ending hints at possible romance?!!  Overall, not a big fan of this story.

Family Rating:  Thumbs down!