Orange Brandy Pork

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love pork.  So what is better than to mix some delicious brandy into your pork?  Enjoy this succulent and easy recipe!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter (Unsalted)
3 Pork Loins
Seasoning (Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt, Basil, Thyme)
1 Carrot (Outside peeled off and then peel the rest of the carrot down to the core)
2/3 Cup Orange Juice
1/3 Cup Grand Marnier

Directions:
Add the butter into a heavy bottom skillet. Season the pork generously and add to the butter.  Cook until barely pink in the center (about 4 minutes per side).   Transfer the pork to a plate and cover. 
Add the carrot to the skillet and saute over medium heat until softened (about 4 minutes).  Add the orange juice and liquor and scrape up and remaining bits on the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 minute.
Return the pork and any remaining juices to the skillet until heated all the way through.  Serve the pork with carrot on top and sauce spooned over.  Enjoy.

Add the seasoned pork to the skillet

Saute' the carrot slices

Add the remaining ingredients

Bring the pork back to the sauce

Serve & Enjoy!

Orange Mint Chicken Drumsticks

I was wanting to do something with mint, and happened to have drumsticks needing to be cooked.  Viola; Orange Mint Chicken sounded delicious, and here you go:

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 tsp Orange Emulsion
1 Tbsp Dried Mint (Juiced)
Seasoning (Alpine Touch & Tarragon)
5-6 Chicken Drumsticks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the Oil, Orange Juice, Emulsion. and seasoning together in a bowl.  Roll the drumsticks one at a time into the mixture and place into a deep pan (I covered with tinfoil to make cleaning easy).  Once complete, pour the remaining mixture over top of the drumsticks in the pan and the sprinkle with additional seasoning.  Cook for 40-50 minutes or until done all the way through.  Serve & Enjoy!

Mix the Oil, OJ, Emulsion and Spices together in a bowl

Roll the Drumsticks in the mixture and place on a foil covered cookie sheet

Take out of the over after about 50 minutes

Serve & Enjoy!

Basil Orange Lime Chicken Drumsticks

I received so many limes with my bountiful basket yesterday that I had to do something with a few of them.  Orange Lime Chicken sounded delicious, and here you go:

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Orange Emulsion
2 Limes (Juiced)
Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Basil, Oregano)
5-6 Chicken Drumsticks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the Oil, Orange, Lime Juice and seasoning together in a bowl.  Roll the drumsticks one at a time into the mixture and place into a deep pan (I covered with tinfoil to make cleaning easy).  Once complete, pour the remaining mixture over top of the drumsticks in the pan and the sprinkle with additional seasoning.  Cook for 40-50 minutes or until done all the way through.  Serve & Enjoy!

Get all of your ingredients ready

Mix up the liquid ingredients

Roll the drumsticks in the marinade and then top in the pan with remains, and add a dash of seasoning

Cook for 40 to 50 minutes, remove, serve & Enjoy!

Roasted Lamb with Orange-Honey-Thyme Glaze

I got inspiration from a couple different recipes when perusing lamb and decided to take some of their ideas on glaze and roasting and then completely change them haha.  Which is usually how I cook.  And I must admit that this recipe turned out to be amazing delicious!  I love lamb and any time I can find it on sale, I will buy it.  Hope that you can enjoy this delicious recipe as much as I did.

Lamb
Ingredients:
3 Lamb Loin Chops
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Orange Peel (Grated)
1 Tbsp Thyme
1/2 Tbsp Dried Mint
1 tsp Oregano
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
*Optional  Cutie Oranges (peeled & separated to garnish)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.  Combine all ingredients except for the lamb and orange garnish and mix together.  Set up a deep baking pan lined with foil.  Put a roasting rack on top of the foil.  Take the lamb one at a time and completely cover it in the glaze and place on the roasting rack.   Roast for 25 minutes and check the temperature.  Cook for another 10 minutes and you should be around the 125 degree mark for medium rare.  Continue to cook as desired.  Serve with optional orange garnish and honey drizzle on top.  Enjoy!

Sweet Potato
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato (peeled & chopped)
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
Dash of Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Mini Marshmallows

Directions:
Place the chopped sweet potato in a pan and cover to the top of the potatoes with water.  Cook on high and boil until water is almost completely gone.  (Potatoes should be soft and easy to mash) Turn heat to low and add remaining ingredients.  Mix thoroughly and serve with a dash of cinnamon on top. 

Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl

Cover the lamb with the glaze and place on the roasting rack and put into the oven

Add the potatoes to the pan and cover with water

Add remaining ingredients to the potatoes and mix thoroughly

Remove the lamb from the oven

Ready to eat

Serve & Enjoy!

Valentine's Orange Sugar Scrub

Liam and I decided to go with this awesome DIY (Do-It-Yourself) idea for Valentine's this year!  It is SO easy that Liam could help with the entire making of the scrub with me and only needed minimal hands off with preparing the jars!  The scrub is made out of a lot of normal every-day household items!  The jars we got at a craft store along with the glue gun and Valentine's ribbon.  The scrub is actually made out of all safe ingredients and is technically edible as Liam was exited to continually inform me throughout the process haha.  I must admit that my crafty side has been locked away for many years and this was the first time I haev used a glue gun in quite some time....  I definitely need more practice at it, and could have used more time for better perfection, but I think that they still turned out well for the first time in a long time.  With that said, if I can do this than ANYONE can!

Scrub Ingredients:
Makes 1 Cup
Zest of 1-2 Oranges (1 if regular, 2 if mini)
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil

I made enough for 4 Cups so you would just mulitply the recipe:
Zest of 4 Oranges
4 cups of granulated sugar
8 tablespoons of organic virgin coconut oil
4 tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, simple stir all ingredient together until well blended.  My coconut oil is normally solidified at room temperature and that’s just fine.  Do not heat it up to melt it, as the heat might melt the sugar.  Simple mix all ingredient with a spoon and it’ll come together nicely.

*For my jars, I just bought 4 small (15 oz) candle jars, and a spool of Heart ribbon.  I used a glue gun to attach the ribbon to the top of the candle jar to make it have more of a Valentine's feel.  I will most likely add a nice small bow to the top of the scrub for the people I give them out to!  Feel free to customize it however you want!  You can do this for ANY holiday!

Get the ingredients out!

Zest your oranges!

Zesting is hard work

Add the sugar

Keep going!

Add the coconut oil

Add the olive oil!

Get ready to stir!

Mix it up thoroughly!

Get out the jars, ribbon and glue gun!

Glue the ribbon to the top of the jars

Add the scrub to the jars!

There you have it!  Orange Scrub Valentine's gifts!

Beef Stroganoff and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This is a delicious recipe that adds a new flair to an old standard.  Hope you like it :)

Beef Stroganoff
 Ingredients:
1 package Stew Meat

3 oz butter
8 oz egg noodles
2 tsp Alpine Touch
2 tsp Mediterranean Oregano
2  Mediterranean Basil
1 Zucchini (peeled & diced)
1 Summer Squash (peeled & diced)
8 oz package Cream Cheese
2 tsp Orange Emulsion
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/8 Cup Orange Juice 
1/2 Cup Cream
1 tsp Parsley

Directions:
Melt 2 oz of butter in heavy bottom skillet.  Add stew meat, seasoning,and brown the meat, this should take about 6-8 minutes total.  While stew meat is being browned boil water in a separate pan for the noodles.  Add noodles and boil until al dente.  Drain and set aside the noodles once complete.  Once browned remove the steak from the pan (I store in the microwave to keep warm).  Don’t clean out the pan to ensure maximum flavor.  Add the final 1 oz of butter to the pan and add the diced veggies.  Cook until softened about 2-3 minutes.  Once softened add the cream cheese and the orange emulsion, simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about minute or two to mix.  Add the steak back into the sauce and stir until thoroughly mixed and warmed.  Serve by pouring sauce over the noodles when ready to eat.  Enjoy!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes 

Ingredients:
3 Large Russet Potatoes (Peeled and chopped)
1 Cup Cream
2 Oz Butter (unsalted)
Seasoning (Basil, Alpine Touch)
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
2 Radishes (Minced)
3/5 Cup Shredded Cheese 

Directions:
Put into the potatoes into a pan and almost cover with water.  Boil until potatoes begin to soften (you should be able to mash them easily with a cooking spoon).  Empty any excess water.  Turn the heat to Low.  Add the milk and butter.  If you do not want lumps in your potatoes now would be the best time to use the whisk to eliminate any lumps in the potatoes.  Add the remaining ingredients mix and turn to Simmer until the cheese is thoroughly melted.  The potatoes should now be ready to eat.  You can add a dash of Basil on top when served to taste.  

Brown the seasoned meat

Brown the meat and boil the potatoes

Saute' the veggies and boil the potatoes

Add the sour cream and orange emulsion while finishing boiling the potatoes

Add the sour cream, OJ and cream

Add the final seasoning to the sauce and finish boiling the noodles while adding butter and cream to the potatoes

Finish simmering the sauce and add remaining ingredients to the potatoes

Serve & Enjoy!

Citrus Chicken Recipe

A delicious and easy citrus twist to chicken.  

Ingredients:

6-7 Chicken Tenderloins

1 Tbsp Oil

Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Mango Lime Seasoning, Sweet & Smokey Rub)

2 Cuties, Small Oranges (Peel and Section)

1 Mango (Peel & Slice)

1 Tbsp Lime Juice

Directions:

Add the oil and Chicken to the pan and cook on med-high.  Season generously.  When thoroughly cooked add oranges, mango and lime juice.  Turn heat down to Simmer and Simmer for about 5 minutes until fruit is softened.  Serve with fruit and enjoy!

Add Chicken to the pan and season genrously

My sous chef and his tongs

Add the fruit and lime juice

Another impish grin from my boy

Serve & Enjoy

Orange-Butterscotch Cheesecake with Heath Recipe

Definitely one of the more interesting cheesecakes that I have ever made.  I was a little nervous that it may be too sweet, but the orange does an amazing job of counteracting the sweetness of the butterscotch.  The oatmeal crust is delicious and a great deviation from the traditional but delicious cookie-based crust of many cheesecakes.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/4 Cups Quick Oats (uncooked)

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)

2 Tbsp Flour

1/4 Cup Butter (melted)

 Filling:

2 -8 oz packages Cream Cheese (softened)

 2/3 Cup Sugar

2 Eggs

1 Cup Butterscotch Chips (melted)

1 tsp Orange Emulsion (may substitute 2 tsp grated orange peel)

1/3 Cup Heath pieces

Directions:

Combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and butter.  Press into the bottom of 9-in springform pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Combine the cream cheese and sugar.  Mix at medium speed until well blended.  Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each.  Blend in the remaining ingredients. 

Remove crust from the oven and pour the filling on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.  Cool before removing the rim of the pan and chill before serving.  Enjoy.

Combine all ingredients for the crust

Press into the springform pan

Blend well the cream cheese, sugar and eggs

Add the remaining ingredients and thoroughly mix

Pour the filling over the cooked crust

Remove from the oven and cool

Chill before serving and enjoy!